Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing so far, it's great encouragement!
As for the pace or genre of this story, I have no idea. I find it difficult to put 10 years of life or so into one category, and the pace will probably reflect what's going on at the time. I'm hoping that that will keep things interesting.
Disclaimer: Don't own KHR. Damn.
The lessons were always sporadic. Sometimes months in between, and if there was any pattern to the visits, Hayato couldn't find it. On the bright side, he was given lots of time to practice between lessons, and the lady always seemed so pleased with his progress. He loved her smile, and practiced all the more to be able to see it again.
He and Bianchi had been playing a board game when their father came in. Hayato was glad for the interruption, his sister always seemed to win, whether through skill or just an advantage of age.
"Hayato, your piano teacher is here. Are you ready for your lesson?"
Board game instantly forgotten, Hayato leaped to his feet taking his father's hand and resisting the urge to pull the man to hurry him along. He found himself grinning as excitement overtook him. It had been a while since the lady had last come, and he'd practiced a lot this time!
What he hadn't been expecting was his sister to stand up, grab their father's other hand and ask if she could learn piano too. Hayato wasn't sure if he liked the idea, but it wasn't his decision. Knowing that adults tended to preach that learning was always a good thing, he was fairly certain out of the income.
Father surprised him though by hesitating. Did that mean he didn't want Bianchi to learn?
"Father?" Bianchi asked, frowning at his hesitation and pulling a face that made Hayato think of mother.
"Well, how about you go to one lesson and see if you enjoy it?" A reluctant compromise at best. Hayato couldn't help but hope Bianchi hated it, and that she wouldn't want to intrude on any more of his piano lessons.
Together the three of them walked down to the music room, Hayato temporarily forgetting his reluctance at having Bianchi join the lesson in favor of picturing the happy smile and delighted praise when he showed the lady the results of his practice.
Coming to the music room, father surprised them again by telling them to stay there for a moment as he talked to the lady. They did, but Hayato couldn't help but move slightly, lean through the doorway and wave at the nice lady who smiled when she saw him over father's shoulder. He felt Bianchi behind him and ducked down so that she could see too.
They ducked round quickly when their father seemed to wonder what had caught the woman's attention.
"She's really pretty." Bianchi stated in an excited whisper, and Hayato could only nod in agreement, because really, she was. "And her hair's the same color as yours!"
"Really?" Hayato asked, having never made the comparison himself. He was kind of happy, everyone always commented on his unusual hair color. It was nice to know that someone else had it too. The fact he had something in common with the piano lady made it even better.
Just then their father appeared round the door and ushered them in, reminding them both to behave and exiting soon after. The sound of the door closing seemed to echo loudly, leaving the room in an awkward silence afterwards.
The lady stood up and made her way over to Bianchi, smiling gently. "Well it's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"Bianchi." His sister stated without hesitation. "You speak kind of weird, where are you from?"
Hayato had been wondering the same thing, but had decided not to ask, neither having the confidence of his older sister and not entirely sure whether it was appropriate to ask. He hoped the lady wouldn't be mad, Bianchi was a very straight-forward person and never meant to be offensive...Usually.
He shouldn't have been worried, the lady was nice and just laughed, a quiet sound that Hayato wished he could learn to play on the piano, but had a feeling it just wouldn't be the same. "I'm Japanese, from Japan. I came to Italy five years ago to play piano. I guess I just loved it so much that I forgot to leave." The blush on her face as she spoke gave her a healthy glow, and the stark contrast made Hayato wonder if the lady had been so pale last time he had seen her.
Bianchi nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. "So...what's your name?" She asked, climbing up on to the piano bench with little difficulty. Hayato climbed on to the lady's knee, even though he'd gotten a bit bigger and would probably be able to see the keys well enough himself. She didn't seem to mind though.
"Well, in Japan we usually call our elders by their family names. So you can call me Gokudera-san. You could even call me 'sensei' if you like, since you're my students. That's what we call our teachers."
Hayato listened enraptured as Bianchi fired off question after question, learning more and more about ...Go...Go-du-san...Sensei. She'd started playing piano when she was very young, the same age as Hayato actually, and had won lots of competitions for it in Japan. And Japan sounded like a wonderful place and...
"Ok, that's enough for now. How about we get started before we get too sidetracked hmm?"
Oh, right! He couldn't believe he'd forgotten, having been so eager just a few minutes ago to show her what he'd learned. The lesson began, and Hayato put all his effort into pressing the correct keys, making up for his small hands with practiced and determined swiftness. The lady smiled just as he'd imagined she would, but it was so much better this time because it was real.
"That was amazing Hayato!" His sister smiled from beside them, looking so proud and happy for him that he felt his face heat up. Bianchi was usually the one to receive the compliments, being so pretty and good at everything she tried. A compliment from her meant a lot.
The lady...no...Sensei, was part way through explaining how the symbols on the music book corresponded with sounds when the door swung open loudly, the glass panes rattling in their frames as the door impacted the wall behind. Hayato instinctively tried to burrow himself deeper into Sensei's lap, pulling her arms round himself tightly in an attempt to shield himself from the deep stare of his mother, looking more unkept than he'd ever seen her. Strands of her long pink hair had fallen from the hair-tie at the back and she wasn't wearing those high shoes she so often did. Hayato thought there was something different about her face, and it took him a moment to realize this was the first time he'd seen his mother without make-up. He didn't know why she bothered, she was very pretty even without it.
"Bianchi! What are you doing in here!" Bianchi and Hayato shared startled glances as their mother marched in and grabbed Bianchi by the arm, steering her towards the door. Not once even glancing his way. Sensei kept her eyes to the floor until the door slammed shut again.
When the glass panes had finished rattling, Hayato looked up at his Sensei with wide-eyes. She looked at him and forced a smile on her face, it looked wrong though. Hayato didn't take long to realize that it wasn't the same smile he'd been practicing so hard to see before. Determined, he decided he'd bring that old smile back before the lesson was over.
After dinner, he and Bianchi snuck into the music room, and Hayato showed her everything he'd learned so far and did his best to teach her in turn.
The next evening, they took turns practicing. The staff of the household cast a blind-eye over the two, instead favoring to gossip over the actions of the lady of the house the day before.