Author's Note 1: Hihi, thank you for staying with me till chap 2, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
As I noted in Chap 1, both male leads share almost the same amount of moments/interaction with Kaho, so this chapter is our evil senpai's playground. woot woot. If you like Yunoki-senpai, dive in, if you dislike him, dive in any way. I sincerely hope I can make you adore him, as much as I do.
Author's Note 2: I apologize in advance to those who are a middle-child reading this chap, you will see why as you read later on (*wink wink*)
Chap 2 – Part 1
Kahoko glanced at her watch, for what was like the hundredth time in that night, but really she had exhausted all means to take her mind off the the unsettling feeling in her heart already. She had counted the stones in the pavement for a few times, then she moved to counting the number of couples passing in front of the city hall's Christmas tree; which turned out to be a really stupid idea, because the sight of them giggling, walking hands in hands only served to remind her further that could have been Len and her, instead, here she was all alone, shivering as the snow fell heavier.
Smacking herself lightly on the forehead, Kahoko tried to calm down " I'm probably just being paranoid, since it's Christmas Eve, traffic must be heavy and thus Tsukimori-kun is a bit late". Rubbing her hands together, Kahoko made a mental note that next time, she should stay true herself and choose a warmer outfit, instead of this bare shoulder dress. She had hoped to wow Len with her feminine appearance, instead, she probably could only manage to scare himself half-dead now with her zombie-like face because of the cold.
"Oh just great" She groaned inwardly.
From a far a tall man stood leaning against a black car, gazing at Kahoko, his face wore a bemused smile as he watched her talking and slapping herself on the forehead. So absorbed himself with observing Kahoko that he did not notice he had managed to turn quite a few heads. A girl squealed to her friend as she passed him by
"Oh my God, did you see the gorgeous guy over there, I wonder what he was doing all alone here at Christmas's Eve, shouldn't he be with his girlfriend"
Indeed, it is uncommon for the prince of Seisou, Yunoki Azuma to be alone at this time of the year. In fact, he was on his way to attend a business gala dinner thrown by his family, a recurring yearly event. He had performed his duties flawlessly for years without questions, offering his perfect smile, whispering meaningless pleasantries to the ladies. For the life of him he could not figure what possessed him to stand here tonight like a complete idiot, watching over another idiot. All he knew was that he could not bring himself to tear his gaze away the minute he spotted the red-head, even knowing full well he was bound to face his grandma's wrath should he arrive late.
"Well, what's a few minute amusing myself" –Azuma smirked as he pushed himself away from the car, approaching Kahoko. As to why despite being surrounded by many beauties, he only found Kahoko interesting enough to tease, Azuma refused to ponder that question.
"Oh my, why did somebody leave a turnip here?". Kahoko did not need turn around to know whose the teasing voice belonged to. A constant thorn in her side, the embodiment of the devil himself, Yunoki Azuma had turned up to torment her, just when she needed that the most.
Slapping a forced smile on her face, Kahoko turned around " Well hello there Yunoki-senpai, rather a cooling night for a stroll isn't it? and what do you mean by "a turnip"?"
Azuma chuckled "You are wearing a white dress, and from the arms up you are as green as leaves, make you look rather like a walking turnip"
He tried to stifle a laugh, to no avail, as he watched her turning into the distinct shade of crimson " My dear Hino, your color changes so fast you could be an ornament light bulb on the Christmas tree yourself"
As Kahoko scowled at him Azuma spread out his arms "Come on, don't make such a face, my heart might be cold but I guarantee you my embraces are warm, would you care to try?". Azuma was expecting a scathing retort from Kahoko, after all where's the fun without that; however, Kahoko did not even seem to hear him, instead, she inched further while kept looking over her shoulder and at her watch.
Realizing she was being rude to Azuma, Kahoko apologized "Yunoki-senpai, I am sorry I could not follow the conversation, just that..."
"Just that...? " Azuma raised a perfect eye-brow
"Just that I am waiting for someone, and uhm...ano...it might be inconvenient if that person comes now and…" Kahoko was pacing back and forth, scratching her head as she tried to find a way to weave through the awkward situation. She found it too embarrassing if Azuma knew she was on a date with Len, because knowing the evil senpai, he might hold this new finding against her and would tease her until the only way to escape is crawling under a rock.
If Azuma was not so irked right then he might have had found the stuttering Kahoko amusing. However, now that he had taken a closer look, Kahoko's fancy outfit, her desperate attempt to shoo him away could only mean one thing - she was meeting someone, a romantic getting to be exact.
Azuma didn't need to pry further to know who the person was. Who else could it be if not Seisou's famous violin prodigy - Tsukimori Len.
How did he know, you'd ask? It's simple, because as Kahoko's gaze had been following Len's back, Azuma had been following hers. So, the guy had finally gathered enough courage to ask Kahoko out, took him long enough - Azuma thought - but what the hell was Len doing, leaving his girl out in the cold like that, she was practically turning blue. If it had been him, he would never…
A bitter smile crossed Azuma's lips, he had never been one to ponder useless "what if" questions, but then again since Kahoko came into his life, he had been caught off guard with new questions that he did not dare to bring himself to face.
Trying to hide the storm of emotions he was feeling inside, Azuma in his most nonchalant tone mocked Kahoko - "You don't need to chase me away. I'm leaving actually, do you think I have no better thing to do on Christmas Eve other than spending time with a turnip?"
Kahoko bit her bottom lip, too embarrassed to manage a retort. Azuma then moved in for that last blow "Although, Hino, I must say, if your guy is this late to your date, obviously you rank quite low on his priority list. Let's see, at the first place is obviously his violin, second place is, most probably his violin and third place? oh surprise, surprise, it's his violin again"
"Tsukimori-kun is not like that" - Kahoko snapped, then gasped and covered her mouth as she realized she had inadvertently confirmed the identity of the person she was waiting for.
Azuma burst out laughing "What a simple-minded girl you are, Hino, so easy to read".
Kahoko huffed out her displeasure, and even squatted Azuma' outreaching hand to rub her head with an audible smack. He had managed to completely exasperate her now, and just when she was about to give him a piece of her mind, Azuma offered an uncharacteristically kind smile as he removed his scarf and wrap around her shoulders.
"Hora, at least when you are angry it lends a bit of color to your cheek - are you feeling better now?"
Kahoko was stunned "no way, could it be that he was trying to cheer me up?" - she mused
Kahoko's gratefulness was short-lived though, because true to his two-faced nature, the next thing Azuma whispered into her ears was:
"No don't mind it, I offered my scarf because you are gradually becoming a ghastly sight, spoiling the Christmas spirit. I don't only hate idiots you know, I hate ugly things as well"
As he turned his back laughing, walking away, Kahoko yelled after him "And I already told you I don't care what you like or dislike"
Azuma ignored her remarks and just waved his hand "See you later, Hino. Go home already"
Holding a corner of the warm scarf, Kahoko silently mouthed after him "Arigatou, Yunoki-senpai".
Despite his merciless teasing, Kahoko never really hated Azuma, tried to avoid him by all means she could, maybe, but certainly no trace of bitter feeling. In fact, Kahoko even vaguely felt a little bit sorry for him sometimes, she knew behind that perfect prince's façade is a troubled family life. It still gave her the chills now, remembering how intimidating his grandmother was. Though she was not entirely clear on his home situation, she felt it heavily dictated how Azuma carried himself outwardly.
"Middle child syndrome it must be" she crunched her nose, mumbling to herself "that must be why his personality is so twisted"
The little episode with Azuma offered Kahoko some much needed distraction, so only now Kahoko realized Len had been more than an hour late. Since there was nothing she could do but continue waiting, and to take her mind of the gnawing worry, she took out het notepad and start penning a complaint letter to Len, as punishment for keeping her out in the cold so long.
"Dear Tsukimori Len-san,
You, sir, have kept me waited for a really long time, as I am writing this, my hand is already shaking. I have chosen my best dress to meet you today, though it is pretty useless as a shield against this weather.
Are you touched? Somehow I just know that you will be saying things along the line of "You should have worn something warmer, why sacrifice your health over vanity" or "Hino, how is your choice of clothing my fault?" (Kahoko chuckled as she imagined Len with his signature scowl on his face while saying this).
You know, even though you mean well, sometimes your words can be really harsh, you really need to fix that habit of yours, geez. Still, it was your brutally honest words that have brought me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to understand how important music is to me. So I would not have it any other way, I will gladly accept all of you, the cold Tsukimori Len, the talented Tsukimori Len, the bocchan Tsukimori Len, all your scowls, and all your smiles.
That is, if I am not deluding myself, thinking that you might feel the same way, is it okay for me to stay beside you?"
Kahoko stopped mid-way to fan herself with her own hand, her face was almost the same color as her red hair now. She had intended this to be a complaint letter, why had it suddenly turned into a confession letter already? " Aa mou…I'm really hopeless" – she groaned.
But she continued nonetheless.
"Having said that, Tsukimori-kun, you are still at fault today. Hence, you need to make it up to me, otherwise I will keep bugging you during your practice (evil grin). Here are a few things on top of my head:
Take me to the amusement park for a dayi
Bring me to the planetarium
Play Ave Maria duet with me again (the last time we did that duet you stopped mid-way!)
That's it for now…the longer you keep me waiting, the more conditions you need to comply you know.
So hurry up already!
Sincerely, your pitiful freezing friend
Hino Kahoko"
Kahoko carefully tucked the letter in together with the gift she had prepared for Len. She lifted her head up, staring at the beautiful snow flakes falling through the blinking Christmas night, amusing herself by imagining how many shade of blush Len's face would show when he read her letter.
"Tsukimori-kun…hayaku…I really really want to see you", closing her eyes, Kahoko whispered, hoping her inner thoughts would reach Len.
Except, they couldn't. Len was waiting outside the hospital's emergency room, still shell-shocked from the car accident. He buried his head in his hand; the images of scarlet red blood, the maddening sound of the ambulance siren, Yuuka's limp body, they were all so vivid.
"It is all my fault, all my fault"…he chanted to himself again and again.
Outside, the snow was falling heavier, the night wind howling. Even on Christmas Eve, it was a starless night, Len and Kahoko's future, unbeknown to both of them at that moment, was just as bleak.
At Yunoki's mansion
Cheerful Christmas music filled the room, laughter all around. People were talking, drinking, merrily enjoying the festive mood. The chandelier shone it warm light on the couple waltzing on the dance floor. Everyone remarked how utterly compatible the couple was, so much that it was a pleasure watching them.
The tall gentleman wore a crisp black tuxedo, his long sleek purple hair falling neatly behind his back, he had got a face so beautiful it could make one wonder if angels did really exist.
The lady was no less astonishing, her blue cocktail dress made her ivory skin almost illuminating, and accentuated her soulful, big grey eyes. A match made in heaven indeed, nobody would doubt that Yunoki Azuma and Takashina Ayano would get married in the near future, seeing how well they matched each other both in appearance and in family's status.
Sighing a little, Ayano leaned a bit closer to Azuma " Yunoki-sama, I'm a bit light-headed from all the swirling, can we step out to the balcony to get some fresh air?"
"Of course, Ayano-chan"
As they stood outside, silently gazing afar, Ayano thought she could hear the sound of her heart, thumping so loudly when she stood next to the man she adored so. To hide her embarrassment, Ayano tried to make small talk
"It is getting cold much earlier this year, isn't it Yunoki-sama"
"Indeed, Ayano-chan, do you want to come inside?"
"No I want to stay a bit more"- Ayano said- "..with you" she silently added.
Azuma, too, felt that this winter was much colder, as compared to the recent years'. "Whoever is subjected to this weather outside would be quite miserable" – He mused.
Feeling cold, Ayano snuggled a bit closer to Azuma; he bent down to help her adjust her shawl, accidentally brushed his fingers against her bare shoulder, he immediately stopped in his track
"My apology, Ayano-chan"
"No…no problem Yunoki-sama" – Ayano blushed. Hearing no reply, Ayano lifted her head up only to realize Azuma's gaze was slightly unfocused as if he just remembered something " Yunoki-sama?"
At the touch of his finger against the smooth fair skin, Azuma was jolted to the memory of the same feeling earlier in the night, when he had offered his scarf to Kahoko. She certainly did not accept his kindness with grace like Ayano, instead, she was scowling at him; the tip of her nose was really red from the cold as if somebody pinched it real hard, Azuma had privately thought she looked so cute then.
And just like that, his mind was gone, thinking about Kahoko was similar to having a toothache, it is fine when you pay it no mind, but as soon as it comes back, there is no ending it. Azuma scolded himself for " Come on Azuma, you are being stupid, surely Tsukimori must have come, and it is none of your business even if he didn't turn up anyway". However, another voice whispered in his head " But it was so cold outside, and as stubborn as she is, Kahoko would wait until she is frozen into an ice cube".
"Gomen, Ayano-chan, I have somewhere I need to go"
"Huh…but..?" – Ayano was completely bewildered by Azuma's sudden decision to leave
"I'm really sorry, I know this is really rude of me, but I…" Azuma hastily tried to offer an explanation, but none was good enough. "Ah geeze…To hell with it" – he thought, as he walked away in ground-eating strides, leaving behind poor perplexed Ayano.
Azuma soon broke into a run to his car, as images of a redhead kept flashing in his mind…her laughter, her smiles, her tears, her idiotic determination, all of which had fascinated him to no extent, and he could not deny it any further.
As he stopped his car in front of the City Hall, Azuma glanced at his watch...11h45 pm, there was hardly a soul there. Of course, this was Christmas Eve, everybody would spend it with their beloved. So what was that silly girl doing there? Azuma thought angrily as he ran towards Kahoko.
Seeing a black pair of male shoes standing in front of her, Kahoko looked up expectantly, only to find Azuma instead of Len, despondent, all the tears she had been suppressing all night came rushing out.
Azuma offered his hand to pull her up from the bench, his tone unusually kind " Let's go home already, Hino". But Kahoko kept shaking her head "No, Tsukimori-kun might come, he will come"
Azuma's patience snapped, it pained him so to see the girl he treasured being mistreated by another guy, he shouted:
"Are you just plain stupid or what? Can't you see you have been stood up by him". Azuma sat down to Kahoko's level, angrily shaking her shoulders to put some sense into her. Suddenly, Kahoko fell forward into his arms and stopped moving, her hot breath fanning his neck. Azuma gingerly put a hand on her forehead, as he had guessed correctly, she was burning from a fever. Sighing heavily, he smoothed her hair with his hand, whispering " Kahoko, you idiot"
To be continued
i In chapter 35 of the manga, Len did go with Kahoko to the amusement park, together with Ryou and his ex, it was really adorable.
