A/N: Wow! I was really happy to get so many positive reviews on my first chapter! Thanks so much! It made me really happy, so I had to get this chapter done before another week passed. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda d'Oro
Chapter 2: 2nd Measure
"I can't believe today was so tiring! I can just fall asleep on my feet at any moment," Kahoko commented as the ex-participants of the concours made their way to their hotel.
Ryotaro scratched his head. "I agree, who knew it'd be this much work? I just want to sit down!" he added.
"Oh c'mon you guys, it wasn't too hard. Besides, we get to stay at a luxurious hotel, don't we? It has a spa, a swimming pool and even a weight room!" Kazuki said enthusiastically as the other 6 wondered where he stored his energy.
Azuma smiled. "It's nice that you have so much energy left, but I think it'd be best if we all rested for a while before doing anything else," he said gently.
Everyone agreed. Ryotaro sighed. "Besides that, who knew Kanazawa would be able to get a reservation on this place, not to mention our rooms," he said. "It's not like the guy is that generous,"
Kazuki shrugged. "Good point there, I mean Kanayan made a fuss when I had won that bet back there in the second part of the concours. But oh well; we only have a week to enjoy, so I say we do that," he said.
Kahoko looked from one of the ex-participants to the other. Well everyone with the exception of Tsuchiura-kun, Hihara-senpai and Shimizu-kun are accustomed to live in fine places like this, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to live in luxury for a small while. She thought as a small smile came upon her face. As they entered the resort, they had a surprise waiting for them in the lobby. FLASH! The seven members of the concours were momentarily blinded by a bright light. "Kaho! Shouko!" a familiar voice called out excitedly as they were greeted by a blond girl.
Kahoko blinked several times. "A-amou-san? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
Nami broke out into a wide grin as she faced the 7 members. "Even though it took the majority of the day, I managed to convince both Kanazawa-sensei and the principal to let me join you guys for the sake of my journalism club," she explained. "I'll be taking pictures of you guys at work but also what you guys will do in you free time,"
A groan could be heard from a certain tall-green haired 2nd year. "More snooping around? Can't we ever get peace?" he demanded as he looked at her in annoyance.
Nami shook her head, resulting her blond curls to swing from one side to another. "Of course not, Tsuchiura-kun. While I'm around, I'll make sure you'll never get a moment of peace," she said proudly as she raised her beloved camera.
Len sighed as he continued to move forward. "Just don't get in my way," he warned as he headed for the elevator.
Nami crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes after his retreating figure. "That guy is as unsociable as always! You'd think that while on a break, he would come out of that icy barrier, ne?" she said with annoyance in her voice.
"That's what we have to deal with everyday," came the dry voice of Ryotaro as he scratched his head.
Kahoko smiled nervously as she turned to face the others. "It's getting rather late, I think it'd be best if we go rest since we have to get up early tomorrow as well," she advised as the others nodded in agreement.
The girls and the boys parted ways as they headed to their rooms. "I-is Amou-san staying with us?" Shouoko asked as they stepped out of the elevator and onto their floor.
Nami gave an apologetic smile as she faced the other two girls. "Sorry to intrude without warning," she said while Kahoko and Shouko both shook their heads immediately.
"No! It'll be fun with more people, right Fuyuumi-chan?" Kahoko replied while Shouko nodded several times.
Nami grinned. "Thanks you two,"
The rooms were quite grand, being in a resort and all and fortuantely supplied two beds and a futton. There was a brief arguement over who would take the futon but in the end, Nami was able to convince the other two that since she was intruding, she should be the one taking the futon. Kahoko smiled gently as the other two quickly fell asleep after lying down. Herself, however, as tired as she may be, couldn't sleep.
With the only place where the light shown naturally, Kahoko quietly stepped out onto the small balcony to enjoy the cool summer breeze. Brushing some hair back, Kahoko leaned on the railing as she looked down at the gardens below. They were extremely beautiful whether it was day or night. At night it had a rather special yet romantic air to it, since small lanterns were lit along the path ways. There was a nice patio up ahead and also.. Len?
Kahoko blinked as she leaned forward for a closer look. What is he doing at this time of night? I thought he was already in his room with the other guys. But strangest of all was that Len was not alone. There was a girl in a fashionable summer dress speaking with him. As Kahoko strained to hear, she could just make out what they were saying. "Congratulations on winning the final selection," the girl said with a smile.
I don't remember seeing this girl in our school; not gen-ed nor music... How does she know about the concours? Kahoko thought silently. "Thank you very much," Len said in his usual voice. "Is that what you called me out for?"
The girl shook her head. "Well, that and... my father is hosting a ball here at the end of the week and I was wondering if Len could do a duet with me," she said.
Kahoko's face took on the expression of surprise. She called Tsukimori-kun by his first name without a honorific... who is she? She thought as she placed her hand over her mouth but still looked at the pair down below with the corner of her eyes.
Len sighed audibly. "Miyaji, I do not think that I am suitable to be your partner. It would be better if you played with someone else," he replied coolly.
The girl, Miyaji shook her head. "No, you see, my father thinks highly of you and your skills. I do as well! We've known each for so long, so won't you please reconsider?" she pleaded as she took Len's hand.
Len closed his eyes as the moon light lit his handsome features. When he opened them, it looked as though he was quite tired. "Alright," he said finally as Kahoko's eyes widened.
Miyaji's happiness was evident on her face as she went up and pecked Len swiftly on his right cheek. "Thanks Len, I'll be waiting," she said as she left.
Len stood emotionless as he turned around. For a moment, Len's eyes drifted to the balcony where Kahoko stood, making her duck immediately. Kahoko carefully looked back to that same spot with the corner of her eyes to see that Len was no longer there. Thank god... It seems that he didn't see me. Wait, why am I hiding? Kahoko asked herself as she placed the palm of her hand against her forehead, her fingers brushing against her hair.
Her heart was beating quite rapidly, but instead of that feeling earlier in the day, it was beating heavily against her chest. "What do I do?" Kahoko whispered while only the sound of crickets could be heard replying back.
"Kaho-chan,"
"Kaho-chan!" called the same voice louder.
Kahoko turned around, just realizing that someone had been calling her name. "H-hihara-senpai?" she questioned as she said her worried senpai looking at her with concern. "What's wrong?"
Kazuki frowned visibly. "That's what I should ask you, Kaho-chan. You've been spacing out for a while. Is there anything wrong?" he asked.
Kahoko shook her head as she smiled uncomfortably. "N-no.. I was just thinking about some stuff. Sorry to have worried about you," she denied as she waved her hands.
Her senpai looked disbelieving at her when all of a sudden, a hand held Kahoko's face gently and turned her face to the side. "K-kaji-k-kun?" Kahoko blurted out in surprise as the taller guy inspected her eyes carefully.
"I'm sure you're lying, look at those bags.. c'mon, can't you tell us what's wrong?" Aoi asked as he brushed his thumbs near her eyelashes.
Kahoko stepped back, breaking contact with Aoi and faced the two males standing before her. "Thanks for worrying about me, but there are some things that I should solve for myself right?" she said with a small smile.
Aoi and Kazuki exchanged glances as the girl went off to help out in the back. "Something's wrong, it's not like her," Kazuki said worriedly.
Aoi rubbed his head. "Well, if she wants to tell us, she will. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then we should leave her alone," he suggested while Kazuki sighed.
"I guess you're right,"
I can't get what happened yesterday out of my head. Should I ask Tsukimori-kun about it? She wondered. No! Baka! I can't do that; Tsukimori-kun will be angry if he found out that was I eavesdropping on him even though it was unintentional. What do I do..? As she slipped into the kitchen, coincidentally, the first person she saw was the other violinist. "Hino?" he questioned as he saw her enter.
Blinking several times before averting her eyes to the ground, Kahoko walked past him and towards her work counter. I can't look at him directly... Kahoko quickly fixed up whatever drinks that were ordered and placed them on the counter. "The drinks are ready," she called out.
Before anyone came to get them, Kahoko disappeared into the kitchen again and sighed. "Oi, Hino. What's with that sigh?" a voice called out.
Kahoko turned her head to see the tall pianist. "Tsuchiura-kun..." she said softly.
Ryotaro placed several dishes onto the counter as he looked at her. "Something on your mind?" he asked as he wiped his hands on a clean cloth.
When Kahoko didn't reply, Ryotaro turned to face her. "Like I said before, if there's anything bothering you, you can come to me to talk about it," he said as he leaned against the counter. "Talking about it might make you feel better,"
Kahoko sighed. I guess I can't really keep holding it in... "W-well... um, a friend of mine has a dilemma that she can't get out of," she lied.
Ryotaro blinked. "Friend of yours? You mean one of those girls that you're usually with in the Gen-Ed section at school?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, Mio," Kahoko lied. Sorry Mio, I'm using you for this!
"Well what about this dilemma? Why is affecting you?" Ryotaro asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kahoko smiled uncomfortably as she thought that she needed to word her words carefully. "Mio is a good friend of mine, so I don't want to see her troubled," she explained.
"Go on,"
"U-um, she saw a friend of hers with a girl she didn't know. That girl seemed rather close to him, calling him by his first name and all, which made Mio rather uncomfortable. S-so, she wants to ask him about it but is afraid that he'll be mad at her for spying on him," Kahoko said quietly as her gaze drifted to Len, who wasn't too far away.
Ryotaro blinked. "That's it? That is her dilemma?" he said with disbelief. "I thought it would be something bigger than that to be bothering you as well,"
"Well, do you have a solution?" Kahoko asked, almost desperately.
Ryotaro rubbed his head with the palm of his hand as his gaze drifted upwards. "Well I don't know this friend of yours well enough, but I'd say it'd be best for her to go talk to that guy about what she had seen. It's better than worrying about it, right?" he suggested. "She can't really help being at the scene when that happened, so if he's a good person, he wouldn't be too frustrated about it,"
Kahoko smile froze as she imagined herself confronting the cool Len. "Tsukimori-kun, last night, I saw you with another girl. May I ask who she is?" Kahoko asked.
Len's icy gaze met hers. "It's none of your business. Eavesdropping on other peoples' conversations is not taken kindly upon," he said.
Kahoko shook her head at the thought. No, that'll make it even worse! I don't want him to hate me like he did in the beginning, after all, it took a lot of considerable time to even make him crack a smile. "Hino?" Ryotaro called out as he looked at her strangely.
"A-ah well, I'll let Mio know what you said and h-hopefully things will work out for her," Kahoko lied with a nervous smile.
As Ryotaro was about to say something, Len interrupted the two, "Do you mind? You're in my way," he said coldly as he stood in front of the two.
"Sorry, T-tsukimori-kun,"
The two stepped aside as Len reached for the blender. He poured several tropical fruits and quickly made a milkshake. "Hmm... not bad, it seems like you actually know how to use electrical appliances in the kitchen now, eh, Tsukimori?" Ryotaro smirked.
Len gave the green-haired male an icy look. Before any more words could be exchanged, Kazuki's head popped in the kitchen. "Len! There's a cute girl asking for you," he called out.
There was the usual sigh as Len went out of the kitchen with Kazuki. "This I have got to see," said Ryotaro with a grin as he headed out after them.
A small frown appeared on Kahoko's face as she went after them as well. As she stepped into the public area of the cafe, she could hear a familiar cool voice saying, "I'm busy, go home,"
Kahoko blinked as she saw the same girl from yesterday night standing in front of her. "Oh c'mon Len, don't be so cold; I came to see how you were doing. You looked rather tired yesterday, so I was worried," said Miyaji.
Len looked rather exasperated. "I am fine, so please don't bother me at work," he replied.
"Tsukimori-san, you shouldn't be so mean towards girls, you know?" said another voice from behind.
Everyone turned as they saw a smiling Aoi coming from the back. "Ah! Kaji-kun, long time no see," said Miyaji.
Aoi nodded in return. "I agree, it's been a while, Miyaji-san," he replied. "Would you like anything to drink?"
Miyaji shook her head. "No thanks, I'm fine. I was at the beach when I stopped by," she explained as she turned back to Len. "Well that's good, as long as you are okay. I'll see you later then,"
As she left the cafe, Ryotaro raised his eyebrows. "What was that about?" he wondered out loud.
"Kaji-kun, how did you know her?" Kahoko asked as she faced the blond.
Aoi smiled. "Miyaji-san goes to my school, Fujijo Gakuen. She's also in our year as well. At our school, Miyaji-san is famous for violin playing, though of course, I love your violin playing even more, Hino-san," he explained.
"Violin playing?" Kahoko repeated softly.
"Ah, yes, now I remember," said Azuma who was a few steps behind Kahoko. "Her father owns a chain of resorts around here and was also once in a very high position in Tsukimori-san's father's music company, right?"
Len ignored them as he headed in the direction of the kitchen. "I guess that's how those two know each other," Kazuki remarked.
In the evening, back at the hotel: Kahoko decided that since it was still light out, she would practice her violin on the empty beach. I'm sure glad that I brought my violin with me, since everyone else seemed to have brought their instruments with them as well. Besides, even though the concours is over, I wouldn't mind if practicing would have my skills improve, if by just a little. Kahoko thought as she got off the elevator and stepped into the lobby. There, a soft sound could be heard.
Kahoko blinked. A violin? Being drawn in like a fly to a venus-fly trap, the music was soft and angelic, sounding like the player had years and years of experience. As Kahoko approached, she realized that the music was from a cd playing in the lobby. She then approached the clerk who was behind the counter. "Excuse me, but may I ask who is the violinist on that cd?" Kahoko asked.
The clerk looked rather surprised but smiled at her. "Such a gentle sound, isn't it?" he said. "The violinist has been playing ever since she was very young,"
"She?" Kahoko repeated.
The clerk nodded. "Yep, the daughter of the man who owns this resort and many others; Miyaji," he told her. "She is quite famous around here for her gentle nature and playing,"
Incredible... she's level with Tsukimori-kun. So far there hasn't been anyone in our age group who could rival his skills. Kahoko thought rather sadly as she tightened the hold on her violin case. "Thank you," she said to the clerk before exiting the resort and headed down to the beach below.
The cafe only needed helpers during the day and not during the evenings, so that left Kahoko and the others to spend their evenings in luxury. It was still quite some time before the sun was about to set, so Kahoko took out her violin and began to play.
Schubert's Ave Maria... the first piece that made me acknowledge the beauty of the violin and its sound... Kahoko thought as she moved her bow up and down. The piece that Tsukimori-kun played during our second encounter. As she thought back to the events that happened earlier in the day at the cafe, the encounter with Miyaji, Kahoko's left hand clenched unconsciously as she felt a pang in her heart. I've tried so hard to play like Tsukimori-kun, why can't I move any closer to where he is?
Why is the distance between the two of us so far? Is it because they've played since they were little while I started not so long ago? Kahoko's music became rougher as her thoughts blinded her from her violin. "Hino," a familiar voice called out.
Kahoko paused in her bowing as she already knew who it was without turning her head. It was the guy who filled the majority of her thoughts. "Tsukimori-kun," she said softly.
The blue haired male stepped down onto the soft sand to stand behind her as his facial expression was unreadable. "What was with that playing? Your left hand was applying too much pressure on the strings while your bow was not parallel to the bridge," he said.
Kahoko lowered her violin, so that it now hung loosely from her grip down at her side. She turned to face him so that her eyes met his. "M-my mind was elsewhere," she explained as her gaze drifted away from his.
Len frowned visibly. "I can see that. Your mind was elsewhere during today as well," he said quietly. "Do you think that even though the concours is over, you can slack off?"
"No! I'm not slacking off! I-it's just that I'm not in the mood to play today," Kahoko argued.
There was no reply as Len stepped closer to the shore. "Look at the horizon," he murmured.
Kahoko raised her head as she looked at him strangely. "What about it?" she questioned.
The cool breeze blew past the two of them as Len looked rather peaceful as he looked at the setting sun. "If you are worried about something, look at the sunset and forget about them, even if it is just for a moment," Len said quietly as he placed his hands in his pockets.
Kahoko blinked as she looked at the horizon, which just 1/3 of the sun was remaining. Pink, orange yellow and even bits of purple blended into each other. The part where the sun was touching the ocean glowed, making the ocean look like a sea of gold. It was rather soothing as seagulls flew, calling to each other and perching on the cliffs nearby. The waves gently washed upon the shore, ticking her bare feet. Kahoko was able to finally relax; the first time during the day.
It lasted only a few moments, though as Kahoko's mind was now empty, it was good enough. As the last bit of the sun was gone, Len turned for the direction of the resort. "Let's go," he said coolly.
No matter how good Tsukimori-kun and Miyaji-san are, I'll try even harder to reach them with my own way. Even if it was impossible for someone like me, it is better to have tried than to have never tried at all would be what Lili would say if he was still here. A small smile lit Kahoko's face as she thought back to her little music guardian. Len's retreating figure stopped moving as he waited for her at the top of the steps which led down to the beach. His facials expression read that he was waiting for her to move from that spot. Kahoko's smile widened as she took her sandals and went after him.
"Coming!"
A/N: Hope the ending was okay. I like ending chapters with peaceful events, though I'm not sure whether they are realistic. I don't know Miyaji's first name, since not a lot of info is known about her at the moment. Also I don't know her real personality, so I gave her one. She'll probably be a lot different in the manga, but I hope you don't mind. There wasn't a whole lot of LenxKaho moments here and that reason was because Kaho felt rather uncomfortable around him since she accidentally listened on his conversation with Miyaji early in the chapter. I also decided to make Miyaji Len's childhood friend and to-be Kaho's rival since we can all agree she really needs one. Anyway, hope you liked it and don't be afraid to criticize me in any parts where you didn't like.
