Kisu means kiss in Japanese :3
I think that, somehow, I knew that Mother wouldn't approve of you, Gaara. But that didn't matter to me. I was selfish, and made you endure her cold stares so that I could have a friend.
Sometimes, I can't help but feel that you must have hated me, for that.
Chapter Two
"No, Aiki-chan, it's more like this."
The sound of the violin was long and melancholic, a high pitched, beautiful sound, that could make a person smile and cry in one fell swoop. Kisuke's face was mellow, eyes closed and expression relaxed as he made music. He was a tall, lanky man with constantly messy brown hair and permanent holes in his jeans (and socks). He reminded me of my Father.
I watched him with big eyes as he stopped playing, then frowned determinedly, trying to copy what he did on my violin. It was almost there.
Kisuke kneeled down in front of my, and took my fingers. He arranged them in the correct places, "See, for this part, your fingers are arranged like this. Otherwise it won't sound good, and we can't have that, now can we?" the dark-haired man gave a silly grin, and I giggled.
"No, we can't, Kisuke-sensei!" I replied.
"How many times, Aiki-chan! It's Kisu-sensei, because all of the girls like to kiss me!" he scolded me jokingly, just making me giggle more.
I adored Kisuke-sensei. He was like the fun older brother that I never had, always joking with me and never getting cross when I didn't get something on one of the instruments right away. He had been the one to teach me to play instruments for a long while, since my Father died. He was somewhat a replacement, even if I hadn't necessarily like the exchange at first.
"Aikidou, this is Kisuke Yumiya. He shall be teaching you to play instruments from now on." Mother said in a cool tone. I squinted up at this man, 'Kisuke', unhappily. Who did he think he was, trying to replace my Father? I would only learn from one man, and that man was dead. Therefore, I would not learn anymore. I would play what I knew, and sing.
Mother left us to it, and, obliviously, Kisuke said, "Well, you are Aikidou, I presume?"
I didn't answer, and he nodded to himself. Over what, I will never know.
"Shall we get started?" he handed me an instrument gently. A sleek and shiny violin.
I stared at it with wide eyes. Tears sprung in them, and I threw it down, glaring up at Kisuke.
"I will not learn from anyone but my Father!" I screamed at him, "He is my only teacher and a great musician, no one will ever replace him so don't even try! Mother might have forgotten him but I won't, ever!"
Kisuke didn't say anything, just waited patiently for me to get it out of my system. I kicked, I screamed, I broke things. I hate to think about the terrible verbal abuse I yelled at him.
When I finally stopped, he knelt in front of me and said, "Okay, so you don't want to learn?"
I shook my head stubbornly.
"And you don't want to play any new music on your instruments?" again, I shook my head.
Kisuke's dark gold eyes met mine, and he said;
"Okay, then, what do you want, Aikidou-san?"
I was dumbstruck. The one question that no one had thought to ask me since Father died, the one quest ion that I hadn't expected.
What did I want? What, if anything, could make my dark world any brighter?
I had gone away from the music session that day pondering those questions.
When I saw him again in two days time, I had decided.
"I want... I want to play my music for you." I said, unsurely, gazing up at him. He reminded me of Father, and maybe this man would stop and listen to my music and hear my inner voice, see what I wanted him to see, rather than paste a label on it and sell it for money.
Kisuke's face broke into a relaxed smile. "Okay. Play whatever you want, I will listen."
Listen. That word.
People used it so often, but how many really meant it? Listen? So many would listen without actually hearing.
Kisuke listened, Kisuke heard. He heard the voice of a young girl in mourning, being forced to move on without a proper goodbye. He heard the voice of a child crying for attention, wanting to be heard, and not just seen.
He heard what I wanted him to hear, not what the record label wished.
X
Two days later, when my mother delivered me to the studio again, I retrieved the violin from the corner, but Kisuke shook his head.
"You can put your violin away, Aikidou-san. Today we are going out for a little road trip." he said, and I blinked in confusion, but lowered the instrument.
"Okay..." I said, placing it carefully in it's battered case.
Kisuke gave me a smile and held the door of the studio open for me. I smiled in return and thanked him as I passed through, into the rambunctious affairs of the people outside.
"Where are we going?" I asked, and Kisuke just gave me an ominous glance.
"You'll see." he said, and I frowned.
We stopped, and I glanced at the odd man beside me. "A florist?"
"Just a quick stop." he answered, going inside. I followed. We stood before a shelf with different varieties of flower- well the few that were able to flourish in Suna's hot climate. Kisuke turned to me, "Choose some flowers."
I quirked a brow, but nonetheless, picked out some large white daisies. Kisuke said nothing, purchasing the flowers with a thank you to the florist, and we left.
"What are the flowers for?" I asked.
"Why did you choose daisies, Aikidou-san?" Kisuke answered my question with another. I frowned, biting my lip.
"They were my Father's favourite." I whispered, and he just nodded, looking straight ahead. I clutched the flowers in my hand.
"Close your eyes, Aikidou-san." he said, and I frowned at him.
"Why?"
"Because."
"That's not an answer." I mumbled, but closed them.
"No peeking." he said.
"I won't."
We walked for a while, Kisuke's large hands on my small shoulders guiding me. It was astounding at the time; he was only about seventeen, eighteen, only thirteen years older than me, and yet his hands were so much bigger than mine.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." he told me, so I did.
I let out a gasp. There before me was a gravestone, the name 'Karu Tenshi' engraved on it. 'Beloved husband and father. You will be missed.'
This was the first time I had seen this gravestone. Mother hadn't even allowed me to go to the funeral, and never gave me a reason.
Tears ran tracks down my face. "Father..."
Mother was livid when she found out. I had heard her shouting at Kisuke. But, somehow, he had talked her around.
That night, I heard her crying, whispering my Father's name.
"Well, I think that's enough for today. Remember to go over the chords every day, and practice with your piano and guitar too." Kisuke's eyes crinkled in a teasing smile, "You don't want to get rusty, now do you?"
I shook my head, and grinned as I headed to the door, seeing my mother waiting outside, "Bye, Kisuke-sensei!"
He waved, and I shut the door behind me.
X
We were back at the gazebo now. It was the final runthrough before I performed my new song. We were just taking a short break, and then we'd continue.
I gazed out from the Gazebo, and grinned. "Panda-kun!"
Gaara was sat on the wooden swing that was across the park from the Gazebo. He looked up and smiled, but not before I caught the traces of hurt that were on his face.
"Hey, Pocky-chan." he said as he came over. I grinned, ignoring the name.
Gaara was fast becoming my closest friend (even though he was my only friend), and in the few weeks I had known him, I positively adored him. I hadn't told anyone except Kisuke about my new friend yet- I would have liked to tell mother, but she was always busy when I wanted to tell her about things.
"Panda-kun, d'you want to come inside and play?" I suddenly asked, "I'm going to be performing again in a few minutes, but you can come and watch."
Gaara shifted uncomfortably, "Are you sure that that would be okay?"
"I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't, dummy." I said, sure of myself. Gaara was my friend, and wherever I was welcome, he was welcome, as far as I was concerned. "Come on!"
He smiled, "Okay!"
I grabbed his hand and helped pull him up over the railing, and we collapsed in a heap on the floor when he got over. Well, I collapsed. Gaara seemed to land in a cushion of sand that I didn't notice before.
"Hey, I didn't see that sand before. Did you?" I asked Gaara. He just shrugged, looking away.
"Back on in five!" someone shouted, and I grabbed Gaara's hand.
"C'mon, this way! We need to hurry back!" I said, a mile-wide grin still on my face as I tugged him along.
I sat Gaara down in a chair near the front, and grinned at him as the director gave me some instructions. He smiled back, and the music started.
I threw myself into it with a new vigour, determined to sing and dance my best for my friend. I'm not sure why, exactly... but I wanted my friend to enjoy my music, even if I didn't.
When the song was finished, I was breathing heavily, chest heaving.
I ran over to Gaara, and his expression was unhappy. I was disheartened.
"Didn't you like it?" I asked, and he gazed up at me with pain-filled eyes.
"You are a wonderful singer." He said, earnestly, "But I don't think I want to watch anymore, Pocky-chan."
I frowned, confused, "But if you think I'm good, why not?"
He didn't answer, just stood and smiled. "C'mon, let's go outside!"
He grabbed my hand, and pulled me along. The producers and directors yelled after us. We laughed at them.
I think, now, that you knew how painful it was for me to sing and dance. You didn't want to watch me put myself through it, which was why you refused to view my performances, no matter how much I begged.
I guess you understood me more than I thought, Gaara.
Chapter Two, el finito!
R&R, peeps!