Disclaimer

La Corda D'Oro is not mine. It rightfully belongs to Kure Yuki and KOEI, as we all know. ^_^

---

Salut d'Amour

A La Corda D'Oro FanFiction

By: chocolateicecream301

CHAPTER 3

"Oi!! Kahoko!!! Hurry up!!" Alana shouted frantically at Kahoko, who just appeared in the lobby. She had been telling her to wake up around two hours ago, and she just woke up 15 minutes ago. It's not that she didn't understand why she needed more sleep. Her concert last night was really tiring, even she felt tired. But she must be in the venue on time, or else she wouldn't have time to do the sound checks and everything.

"Kahoko, come on!! We'll be late!!!"

"Sorry," Kahoko said, finally reaching Alana, "I was tired. Where's my violin?"

"Here," Alana said, showing the red violin case she's carrying, and then a bag, "Your scores are in this bag, just in case you need to review it or something. Your dress is already in the venue. I had someone send it there."

"Thanks," Kahoko said, "Let's go now then."

Alana nodded and led her to their ride – Kahoko's silver Ferrari. She went to the driver's side while Kahoko went to the other. So far both of them had stayed silent, Alana focusing on the road while Kahoko looked at the sight outside her window.

"Who's coming to the concert tonight?" Kahoko asked, breaking the unusual silence between them.

"Quite a lot of people," Alana said, "Oh, that's right. Aldrich Schwartz from Vienna will be coming."

"Eh? He's coming?"

"Yep, he came just to watch your concert," Alana said, "He seems to be fond of you. Maybe he'll offer you a tour in Vienna if you impress him. That will be a good experience."

"Haha, the first time he heard me play, he asked me if I wanted to be his student," Kahoko said, chuckling, "I declined it, because I couldn't leave Japan at that time. Before he left he told one of his acquaintances to teach me though. He was a very good teacher. The next time he came, he told me to debut in the classical music world."

"Oh, I see… So basically he's the one who made you into the great violinist you are, am I right?"

Kahoko chuckled, "Sort of, I guess…"

"Well, at least if you've taken up the offer, you can speak with this other student of his in Japanese. He had a Japanese student until this year," Alana said, "I heard he's quite famous. He returned to Japan recently. What's his name again?"

"Eh? Mr. Schwartz had a Japanese student?" Kahoko said, "Who?"

"I forgot his name," Alana said, before pausing for a while, thinking. Then she remembered his name, finally, "Ah!! Len! Tsukimori Len!!"

"Eh??" Kahoko said, "Tsukimori-kun??"

"You know him?" Alana asked in surprise.

"Of course I do!!"

---

"Eh, is that you, Len?"

Len turned around to see Aldrich Schwartz, one of his teachers when he was in Vienna. He's quite old, but his violin skills are still one of the best. He was glad that he managed to be one of his students. He had learned so much from him.

"Herr Schwartz," Len said, "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing great, Len," Schwartz said cheerfully. What a happy old man. "So you stopped in London first before going to Japan?"

"No, actually," Len said, "I came here from Japan. I wanted to visit an old friend of mine. She's supposed to be on tour here."

"Hmm… I see…" Schwartz said, "Oh! Do you want to come along with me? There will be a good violinist performing tonight! I came to London just to see her concert! And I happened to have an extra ticket!"

"Oh, really?" Len said, "What's her name?"

"Kahoko Hino, she's Japanese like you," Schwartz said again, "Do you know her? I think she's around the same age as you."

"Alright, I'll come with you," Len said.

"That's great!! You'll learn a lot from her," Schwartz said, winking, "She has things that you don't have."

'He seems to be fond of her…' Len thought as he walked beside his teacher, listening to him talk about his old friend…and long time crush.

---

"Ah!!!! FINALLY it's over!!!" Kahoko said as she threw herself onto one of the sofas in her changing room. She looked around the room and all she can see was flowers everywhere. She didn't even know how she ended up getting so many flowers. She can't bring those back home to Japan…

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in," Kahoko said, sighing. Like she expected, Alana appeared.

"Kahoko, guess who I'm bringing along with me…" Alana said excitedly, making Kahoko turn around.

"Who?"

"Hello, Kahoko, long time no see!" the aging violinist, Aldrich Schwartz, said cheerfully coming into the room. But that wasn't why Kahoko was surprised. She was surprised to see who was trailing behind him. Alana had to nudge her to make her come back to the world of the living.

"A-Ah!! Yeah, long time no see, Mr. Schwartz!!" Kahoko said, before a frown appeared on Schwartz's face.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Aldrich?" Schwartz said.

"Oh, yeah…" Kahoko said, "Hello then, Aldrich."

"That's much better!!" Schwartz said, smiling widely. Then, he turned to his ex-student. "Well, then, Kahoko, this is Len Tsukimori. He's Japanese too. He came here to meet an old friend of his or something, but then I ran into him somewhere in the city and he ended up going to your concert!"

"Mr. Schwartz," Alana started, "I think they've known each other for quite some time now. No need for introduction. Kahoko's facial expression was hilarious when she saw him."

"Hey, Hino," Len said, "You've improved a lot since I left."

"Y-Yeah…" Kahoko said, "It's all thanks to Aldrich…"

"Hey, don't talk about me in some alien language!!!" Schwartz said when he heard Kahoko say his name.

"Sorry, Herr Schwartz," Len said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Schwartz," Alana said, "Your student was just saying that Kahoko had improved a lot since he left."

"Oh, so you've heard her play before?" Schwartz asked. Len was a bit reluctant to answer so Kahoko had to.

"Yes, we were in our high school's concours together as competitors. I was still such an amateur at that time," Kahoko said, "After the concours are over, he teaches me…sometimes."

"He taught you??? Wow, I've never thought that you're the type to teach someone else, Len," Schwartz said, "With your attitude, you would have scared poor Kahoko away…"

"It's alright!! I'm already used to it," Kahoko said, smiling.

"So, Kahoko, you have nothing planned for tonight, or do you?" Schwartz asked, and Kahoko shook her head. "Then do you and your manager want to join me and Len here for some late night dinner?"

"Sure," Kahoko said.

"That would be great, Mr. Schwartz," Alana said.

"Alright! Then it's settled," Schwartz said, smiling widely, "We're going with my car."

"Please wait for a second," Alana said, "I'm going to tell someone to take Kahoko's car back to the hotel first."

When Alana came back, the four of them left the place together. They headed to a high class restaurant – which was located near the Yunoki Group-London building, Kahoko noticed. That's when she had a feeling that she'll be dead if Azuma was there, especially because she was with Len. She was glad that luck was on her side this time. Azuma wasn't there, when they arrived anyway. She sighed in relief as she sat down on the chair.

"So, Kahoko, how have you been?" Schwartz asked while the four of them were waiting for their meals to come.

"I've been okay," Kahoko said, "Busy as always though."

"I see that friend of mine had helped you improve a lot," Schwartz said, "Your techniques are much better now than before. When I first saw you it was already good, but it's gotten better."

"Ah, thank you," Kahoko said, a tint of pink slightly evident on her cheeks, "How about you, Aldrich? How have you been?"

"Me? I've been busy teaching this cold student of mine," Schwartz said, "I'd prefer to have you as my student! You're more lively and cheerful, unlike this stoic ice prince. You'll never get a wife if you continue to act like this, you know, Len."

"I don't need any, Herr Schwartz," Len said coldly.

"Don't be like that," Schwartz said, "Poor little Kahoko will be heartbroken!!"

"Eh??" Kahoko said, surprised.

Len blushed slightly, but tried to act nonchalant, "No she won't. Her heart belongs to someone else after all."

"You…know?" Kahoko said. She thought Len didn't know about her relationship with Azuma.

"So it's true then? You and Yunoki-senpai are together?" Len asked, while Kahoko just nodded. He sighed heavily in disappointment. "Good then. Congratulations."

"How did you know anyway?"

"Amou's article," Len said, "I think by now the whole Japan knows about it."

Kahoko blushed again, while Alana was just watching the scene, sipping her drink.

"Okay," Alana said, "Now you can start speaking in English again. He will feel left out."

"Oh, that's right," Kahoko said, "Sorry, Aldrich. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Schwartz answered simply, gaining a surprised look from Kahoko.

"Tomorrow?? Why so soon?"

"I'm busy, you know," Schwartz said, chuckling, "I came here just to watch your concert. I came here just for you."

'Now that reminds me of someone I know…' Kahoko thought, before she turned to Len and asked, "What about you, Tsukimori-kun?"

"Well, I don't know," Len said, shrugging, "I think I might be staying for a few days."

"That's great then!! You can watch my concert tomorrow!!" Kahoko said, clapping her hands together in excitement, before turning to Alana, "Alana, can you prepare the tickets for me? One for Tsukimori-kun and the other for Azuma-san."

"Alright," Alana said, "VIP's?"

"VVIP's," Kahoko said, "Make sure they have the best seats in the concert hall."

"Got it," Alana said, jotting them down on her big book of Kahoko's schedule.

Right after that, the waitress came with their food, and they started to eat while catching up with things.

---

It was 5 PM and Kahoko was in her changing room getting ready for her concert, which will start in two hours. She was in her private changing room, staring at her own reflection in the full-length mirror in front of her. She hasn't changed her clothes and hasn't done her hair either, but she was done with her make up. Then she took her dress which was hung inside the small closet in the room. It was just a simple tube dress, a long one at that. The outer layer of the dress was made by lavender-colored chiffon fabric, but the inside layer was light blue, so it gave a nice mixture of colors, especially waist down.

"Hmm… You look like you could use some help," a voice whispered to her ear seductively, making shivers travel down her spine, "Want me to take your clothes off for you?"

Kahoko can feel blood rushing up to her face. Her face must be really red right now. She turned around, seeing none other than her smirking boyfriend Yunoki Azuma standing before her. He was looking as handsome as ever. He wore a white suit – really all white except for his gray tie and black shoes.

"So, what's your answer, Kahoko?" Azuma asked with his seductive dark voice. Kahoko was glad that she wasn't pinned on the wall. Yet, anyway. "Yes or no?"

"No, maybe next time," Kahoko said. If she was pinned onto the wall or something else right now, she wouldn't have been able to say no. He's just hard to resist.

"Alright, then," Azuma said, chuckling, "Next time. Keep your promise."

"Sure, sure, whatever," Kahoko mumbled, heading to the bathroom to change. Then she came out wearing her dress. She looked so beautiful in that dress, so beautiful that the Yunoki Azuma almost gawked at her.

"Can I help you with your hair instead?" Azuma offered, looking at her messed up hair. He definitely had to do something with it.

"Uh…" Kahoko said, hesitating, "Well… Yeah, but…"

"No buts. I will do your hair, and that's final," Azuma said before he took the comb from a table inside the room. Then he started combing her hair gently. Once he was done combing, he asked, "Do you have a ribbon? Or hair tie, maybe?"

"Yeah, I do," Kahoko said, then pointed at a table, "They're over there."

"Alright," Azuma said, going over to the table, taking what he needed from there. When he went back to Kahoko, he took a small strand of her hair from the left side of her head and started braiding them. After that one is done, he tied it, and took another strand from the other side of her head. He tied it again once he was done, and tied both braids together behind her head. Now it looks sort of like a half ponytail. "There you go."

Kahoko looked at herself in the full length mirror, "Wow. I look beautiful."

"Of course you do," Azuma said, chuckling playfully, "I was the one who did your hair anyway."

"I like the hair," Kahoko said, "Thanks a lot for that, Azuma-san."

"You're welcome, Kahoko," Azuma said, "Well, I have to go now. Good luck. I'll be watching."

"Thank you," Kahoko said, smiling sweetly at Azuma. He smiled back at her and gave her a quick peck on the lips before going out of the room.

After Azuma was gone, Kahoko took her violin, which was put down on the table. She started playing some random songs to warm up. After she's done warming up, she started practicing harder parts of the songs, and before she knew it, it was already half an hour before the performance starts. She sat down on the couch – gracefully, because she didn't want to ruin the dress – and closed her eyes. She does this to concentrate. She had to get everything else but the songs and how she will interpret them out of her head. She imagined the songs one by one, and right when she finished with her last song, someone knocked on her door.

"Miss Hino, it's time," a man's voice said.

"I'm coming," Kahoko said. She straightened up and took a deep breath. Then she let it out again. Inhale, exhale. A few more times of doing that, and she's done. She put a sweet, bright smile on her face and walked out of her changing room.

---

Azuma went inside the concert hall and walked over to his seat. When he got there, he was surprised to see the blue-haired violinist Tsukimori Len sitting next to his seat. He didn't even know that Len was in town. He was confused, or surprised, or whatever, but didn't show it on his face. His poker face intact, he walked over to Len, or more like the seat next to him.

"Is that you, Tsukimori-kun?" Azuma said politely, making Len turn to him. He didn't need to ask to know whether it was him or not, but he just did that to start a conversation. "Oh, it is! What a surprise to see you here out of all places…"

"Yunoki-senpai," Len said politely, "Long time no see."

"Long time no see, indeed," Azuma said, "What a coincidence for you to be seated right next to me."

Len just nodded slightly and looked at the empty stage. Well, it wasn't empty, not exactly. There was a black grand piano there, in the middle of the stage, although it was a bit pushed to the back because the main performance wasn't the piano but the violin. He just continued to look at the stage, until Kahoko came out from the backstage. Everyone gave a big applause, and she bowed deeply before positioning herself to play.

---

The concert was done. It was really successful, Kahoko played beautifully. Her music was quite addicting. Once you hear her play, you'll want to hear her play more. Azuma stood up from his seat, smiled and said a goodbye to Len before going out of the hall. He was going to go to Kahoko's changing room again, but suddenly his phone rang.

'Damn. A business call at a time like this…' he thought before picking it up and head to another direction, away from the crowd.

While Azuma was answering his call, Len had already reached Kahoko. She was trapped between a crowd of people and a wall. He could hear them congratulating her for her success tonight. He could also see some reporters from music tabloids or magazines, taking pictures and everything. He walked over and approached them. It turns out that it wasn't that crowded at all, it just looked crowded from afar. He reached Kahoko without any effort. But right when he was about to say something to Kahoko to make her notice him, one of the reporters accidentally hit him from behind, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. His hands were against the wall, balancing himself, but he was expecting his face to hit the wall as well. It didn't happen. Instead, he could feel something soft and warm against his lips. He opened the eyes that were closed, preparing for the impact of falling forward. To his horror, the soft and warm thing was Kahoko's lips. He accidentally kissed her. He took a few steps back in horror, but the reporters had already taken more than enough pictures to publish in tabloids and magazines all around the world. He sighed, panicking inside. 'What on earth am I going to do now???'

---

He saw that. Yes, he saw that little scene between those two violinists. He saw him, Tsukimori Len, kissing his Kahoko, in front of all the damned reporters. He froze at the sight, and he still wasn't able to move anywhere although Len had pulled away from her already. It was fortunate that he wasn't in the crowd, since his façade was falling in a frantic speed. He was shocked, disappointed, heartbroken, and angry at the same time. He doesn't even know what expression he has on his face right now.

'How dare he…' Azuma thought, seething in anger, 'And Kahoko… Just letting him kiss her like that… Unforgivable… Both of them…'

He turned around and took his phone out, calling his chauffeur, ordering him to come immediately. He came after around three minutes of waiting, which seemed like a whole year for Azuma. He quickly went into his car, without even waiting for his chauffeur to open the door for him and everything.

"Head home," Azuma said. There was a slight trace of venom in his voice, but his chauffeur didn't pay attention enough to the tone of his voice to notice it. He just sounded a bit stricter than usual to him.

"Yes, Azuma-sama," his chauffeur said, driving the car towards Azuma's house.

---

"He still won't answer the phone…" Kahoko said dejectedly after once again reaching Azuma's mailbox. He hasn't answered any of her calls since last night. She sighed and threw herself back to the bed. "What happened to him?"

"HEY!!!" Alana said, barging into the room without permission, holding a magazine, showing her the front page. "How come I wasn't informed about this??"

"Eh? What?" Kahoko asked cluelessly, but when she looked at it, her eyes widened.

"Good reaction," Alana said sarcastically, "'Len Tsukimori and Kahoko Hino caught in a hot make out session'. Good headline, isn't it, Kahoko?"

"B-But… It wasn't a make out session!!! We weren't making out at all!!!!" Kahoko said, flustered. 'This might be why Azuma-san is not answering my calls…'

"Then what were you doing?" Alana said, "Whatever it was you two were doing, it's obvious that it involves kissing."

"It was just an accident, Alana!!" Kahoko explained, "He fell forward because a reporter hit him from behind accidentally!! I saw it!!"

"Well, don't tell that to me," Alana said, "Tell that to the whole world, or at least to people who read these articles anyway. Tell that to Yunoki-sama too."

Kahoko slumped on her bed, "Damnit… This is all because of that reporter!!!!!!! ARGH!!!!!"

And now, Hino Kahoko the violinist is officially out of her mind.

---

"Ms Gold!!!" Kahoko practically shouted when she entered the Yunoki Group-London building. She didn't tell Azuma to give her a promotion the last time she came here, so Gold was still there.

"Ah, if it isn't Ms Hino," Gold said, knowing why Kahoko is here, "Mr. Yunoki is in his office."

"Can you please tell him that I'm here?" Kahoko said, "I need to talk to him, fast!!"

"Alright," Gold said. Then she called Azuma to tell him about Kahoko. After a while, she hung up.

"Can I go?"

"Sorry," Gold said, "He told me to ask you to leave, Ms Hino."

"WHAT???" Kahoko said, taking her own cell phone out and dialed Azuma's number. No answer. She called him again. Still no answer. Again. No answer. She called him again, again, and again, but it's the same. He didn't answer any of her calls. She decided that she'll call him one last time, and then she'll give up. But when she was about to press 'call', Azuma himself appeared in the lobby. He quickly went over to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her to a secluded corner in the building.

"What do you want?" Azuma said venomously, looking at Kahoko in pure disgust.

"Why are you so mad at me?" Kahoko asked, "I called you a million times, and you never picked up!"

"Why should I?" Azuma said coldly, "I have better things to do than to answer a call from someone who had a hot make out session with someone other than her boyfriend in front of the reporters."

"It was just an accident, Azuma-san!! I swear!!!" Kahoko said, trying to explain the situation at that time, "A reporter accidentally hit Tsukimori-kun, he fell forward, and accidentally kissed me!!!"

"I didn't see that, so I choose not to believe it," Azuma said darkly, "I saw the kissing."

"Are you saying that you don't trust me??" Kahoko asked in disbelief.

"Basically, yes," Azuma said, "I'm done with you and your annoying acts, Kahoko."

"A-A-Are you… By any chance…are you…b-breaking up with me?" Kahoko asked almost inaudibly. She was close to tears.

"Yes," Azuma answered coldly as he started to walk away. Kahoko ran to him and grabbed his arm.

"Azuma-san…" Kahoko said, tears in her eyes, "P-Please… Don't do this…"

Azuma shoved her away and continued walking. Kahoko just leaned on the wall, her eyes closed. The tears she had from before had dried, and now none would come out.

---

Len stared at the magazine he was holding. A big-sized picture of him and Kahoko 'kissing' was printed on the front page. It was all an accident, and it wasn't supposed to happen. Though he can't deny that her lips felt…nice, it was still wrong. She does have a boyfriend, and her boyfriend used to be one of his respected upperclassmen in high school. He sighed.

'This is all my fault,' he thought in frustration, 'If their relationship breaks because of this, I would most definitely kill myself.'

Suddenly he felt his phone vibrate from his side. He took it and saw the caller's ID. It was Kahoko. Why would Kahoko be calling him at a time like this?

"Hello?"

"T-Tsukimori…kun…" Kahoko said in between sobs, "Tsukimori-k-kun… I-I…"

"Hino? What's wrong?" Len asked in worry.

"I-I… A-Azuma-san…" Kahoko couldn't even make full sentences.

"Where are you right now?"

"I-In the h-hotel…" Kahoko said.

"Wait there, I'll be over in a minute," Len said, before hanging up. He quickly went down to the lobby of the hotel he's staying in and hauled a taxi. Luckily Kahoko's hotel wasn't far from his. He arrived in about 5 minutes or so. Once he was there, he went to the receptionist and asked for Kahoko's room number. Once he got it, he headed there quickly, worried about Kahoko. He rang the bell once he arrived. Kahoko opened the door crying.

"T-Tsukimori-kun…" Kahoko said, crying, while Len looked at her in worry and confusion.

"Hino…" Len said in the gentlest voice he could muster, "What happened?"

"A-Azuma-san… H-He…" Kahoko said after Len was inside and the door was closed, "A-Azuma-san…b-b-broke up with me…"

She can't believe this. Azuma broke up with her over a stupid article about a stupid accident between her and Len. It's all just a BIG misunderstanding that he didn't want to clear up. He didn't even give her a chance to explain herself. No, she explained herself but he chose not to believe it. He chose not to believe her.

"H-He d-didn't want to believe me… H-He said he s-saw the k-kiss…" she continued, "I-I explained t-the situation… H-He doesn't trust me… He d-doesn't t-trust me…"

Len was surprised. Well, not really, but he's still surprised. He didn't expect Azuma to not believe Kahoko. He thought he was better than that. He thought that Azuma would trust Kahoko. Though he might not trust her fully, since there was evidence and he saw it with his own eyes, at least he could try to understand. He could have tried to listen to her.

"H-He s-shoved me a-away… He d-doesn't want me a-anymore… I-I'm t-trash… I m-might as w-well d-disappear… H-He doesn't w-want me anymore…"

"Stop muttering nonsense, Hino," Len said, hugging Kahoko to give her some comfort. He was annoyed enough with Azuma's attitude, and now he had to hear Kahoko call herself trash and wish to disappear from this world, "Calm down, will you?"

"T-Tsukimori-kun…" Kahoko said, her sobs ceasing.

"Look, I'll go talk to him tomorrow and clear up the misunderstanding," Len said, sighing, relieved that Kahoko had stopped crying, "You can do whatever you want, but I think you should go back home to Japan. You wouldn't be able to continue your tour like this."

"T-Thank you, Tsukimori-kun…" Kahoko said, smiling at Len sweetly, "It's really uncharacteristic of you to help me out like this."

Len felt a blush creep onto his cheeks a little and looked away to hide it, "I-It's alright."

---

Len bursts into the lobby of Yunoki Group-London building, dragging a poor reporter behind him. He was the one responsible for everything. He was the one who accidentally hit him, made him fall forward, made him accidentally kiss Kahoko, took a picture and made an article, and ruined Kahoko and Azuma's relationship. He headed straight to the receptionist. Once he reached her, he banged his hand on the table.

"Where is Azuma Yunoki's office?" Len asked coldly, glaring at Gold for no reason at all. She was really terrified.

"U-Upstairs…"

"Upstairs where?"

"6th floor…"

"Take me there," Len said icily. Gold just nodded in response, forgetting everything else because of the fright. She was supposed to ask his name and what he wants from Azuma, and then call Azuma to notify him about the guest. She didn't do them and instead called the two escorts, scared that Len might break her neck or something. The escorts came in a minute and escorted Len to the special elevator.

---

Azuma sighed. He had an overload of meetings since yesterday. He even had to stay in his office until around 12 AM to finish looking over documents he needed to see because he didn't have time to do so. He leaned back on his comfortable chair. Maybe he was a little too rash on Kahoko yesterday. He shouldn't have been mad at her without knowing what really happened. He should have listened to her explain and consider the possibilities of it. Maybe the reporter did hit him accidentally, but he didn't arrive fast enough to see it happening. He's never like this, he considers all possibilities. But then he caught the sight of the disgusting magazine. He stood up in irritation, forgetting everything he had in mind until a second ago, took the magazine and threw it as far from him as possible. He turned around and looked out of the window. Suddenly, he saw the elevator door open from the reflection on the glass.

'Huh?' he thought, turning around, 'Why didn't Gold inform me about this?'

Len stepped out of the elevator and let go of the reporter. He approached Azuma quickly and punched him so hard until he was thrown over to a cabinet next to him. He walked over to Azuma again and grabbed his collar, pulling him up.

"That one was for Hino," Len said icily, "And this one, is for my own irritation."

He punched Azuma again, this time even harder. Azuma was stunned. What on earth did he do to him to gain himself two hard punches????? When he snapped out of it he quickly pushed Len away.

"What's your problem??" Azuma asked, irritated. He couldn't even put his mask back on. He didn't do anything, and yet, he's getting beaten up by Len.

Len shook his head while gritting his teeth. He sighed, and striked Azuma once again until he met the cold marble floor of his office, "This one is for your stupidity!!"

"What stupidity?" Azuma said, "I didn't do anything to you, did I?"

"No, you didn't do anything to me," Len said, irritated, "But you made Hino cry rivers last night, and that's enough to gain you ten more blows from me!!!"

"Oh, so it's about her," Azuma said, "Why are you so annoyed about this anyway? Doesn't she like you better than me?"

Len gritted his teeth again, "That reporter kneeling down over there, he's responsible for everything. You, explain this to him."

"I-I'm sorry…" the reporter started, "I was trying to ask Miss Hino a question… Because I was struggling to get to the front I accidentally hit Mr. Tsukimori and made him fall forward… I didn't realize that he fell because of me, so I took pictures and submitted the article to this magazine… I'm really sorry…"

"There you go," Len said, "Hino did nothing wrong. It was nothing but a mere accident caused by an idiotic reporter."

Azuma froze in shock. So Kahoko was telling the truth after all. It was just a big misunderstanding, and a big accident. He didn't trust her, and to add to that he got carried away. He remembered that he shoved her away really hard yesterday. He quickly stood up and looked at Len.

"Thank you, Tsukimori-kun," Azuma said before running to the elevator, trying to get out of his office as fast as possible, leaving Len and the reporter in his office. He completely forgot that they couldn't get out of the room without his fingerprints or the escorts.

'Well, at least it's all cleared up…' Len thought while throwing himself onto the couch in his office, making himself comfortable until he finds a way to get out of this floor.

---

chocolateicecream301's Notes

Yay!!! It's done!!! Aren't we all glad that I managed to update right on time? XD When I finished writing I realized that there are more Len x Kahoko scenes that Azuma x Kahoko in this chapter. Oh well, at least it's all done. One more chapter to go and I'll be gone again, for how long I don't know. I still don't know what to do after this fic is done. Maybe I'll republish After A Dream, which I deleted because of how sucky it was, or maybe I'll publish a new series instead. Or maybe I'll start writing Len x Kahoko…oh what the hell am I talking about?? Scratch that, I'm never going to write Len x Kahoko. I might write a Len x Amou though… An unlikely pairing, isn't it? :P

Okay. I think I made everyone OOC in this chapter. Especially Azuma. *sighs* I'll just tell you this. IT IS NOT MY FAULT. It's all C_V's fault. She made the outline, and I already edited it a bit. Azuma was supposed to slap Kahoko, which is very unlikely to happen in reality. I'm not just blaming her because I didn't want to take responsibility or anything, she told me to say that it was her idea. Sorry again for the OOC-ness of the characters, it was put in to make the story more interesting. The sorry comes from me, but if you wanna complain to anyone, complain to C_V, okies? I'll give you her email, her phone number, her address…no wait I don't have her address. Well, you can stalk her anytime you want. (just kidding :P)

This week's birthday is Neon-Fantasy's!!! Woooot~ Happy Birthday Neon!! Now you're officially 10 years older than me and 4 years younger than Uruha :P Old woman. Haha… Kidding, kidding, don't kill me and don't smack me please DX Lolz…

Alright, I should stop here before my A/N turns into a chapter of its own!!! Thank you for reading and please review even if the chapter sucked!!! Love you all!!! ^^