The Seiso contestants go on a trip to California to experience a different musical way of life: marching band. How will they interact with their host students and what sort of adventure lies ahead for them?
I'm not sure where this story takes place in the general storyline of La Corda d'Oro.
Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda d'Oro; I am just another crazy fan girl of Tsukimori Len!
Medusa and Musical Madness
"Pikachu! Pika Pika! Pika Pi! Chu Chu! Pikachu Pi!"
Kahoko bolted up. What the heck was that noise? Was that a … a … Pikachu?
The noise abruptly stopped and the light flicked on. She looked over at Jennifer, who had a sheepish look on her face.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I forgot to warm you about my alarm clock. It's Pikachu," she said, stating the obvious as she held up a plastic Pikachu.
"It's okay," Kahoko said, flopping back down in her bed.
"You showered last night, but do you want another one now?" Jennifer asked.
"No, I'm good. I'll take mine tonight," Kahoko answered.
"Then you can laze around in bed for a little while longer," Jennifer said. "When I get out we'll get ready."
"Sounds good to me," Kahoko replied as Jennifer gathered some fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom. As she let her eyes close, a vibrating noise made them open again. Jennifer's phone was buzzing. She reached over and grabbed it. She didn't think Jennifer would mind if she picked it up. Who the heck was calling so early anyway? She looked at the ID and grinned: Alexis.
She picked up the phone. "Hey Alexis, Jennifer's in the shower. Want her to call you back when she gets out?"
"No, that's okay," Alexis said. "I was calling for you, actually."
"Me?" Kahoko asked in surprise. "Why?"
"It's Keiichi!" Alexis cried. "How do I wake him up?"
Kahoko laughed. "Um, I'm not really sure. Poke him maybe?"
Silence. Then: "I tried and he won't budge. Should I dump water on his head?"
Kahoko couldn't tell if she was being serious. "Put some food under his nose," she suggested.
"Great idea! Hang on a second."
She returned to the phone. "I am a freaking genius!" she proclaimed. "You know what I did? Do you even know what I did? I stuck some of my Flaming Hot Cheetos in his nose!"
"You did what?" Kahoko asked, shocked out of her mind. "Stuck … in his nose? His nose? Cheetos?"
"Yup," Alexis said proudly. "Then he pulled them out, sniffed them again, and asked if I had any he could eat. I love this guy! We're like kindred spirits of Flaming Hot Cheetos!"
Kahoko couldn't believe it. This girl was unstoppable.
"Okay, thanks for your help Kahoko! I got to go now. Keiich and I are going to eat some Flaming Hot Cheetos." With a click she was gone.
"Who was that?" Jennifer asked, toweling off her hair.
"Wow! You take fast showers!" Kahoko exclaimed.
"It's a talent," Jennifer replied, smiling.
"That was Alexis. She wanted to know how to wake up Keiichi."
"Ahhh. The sleepy kid who always looks like he's somewhere else. What did you tell her?"
"To put some food under his nose."
"Did it work?"
"Well, she put the food in his nose, actually."
Jennifer burst into a fit of giggles. "Let me guess," she said between her chuckles, "she resorted to her Flaming Hot Cheetos."
"How did you know," Kahoko asked in amazement.
"I think Flaming Hot Cheetos are the only things she knows how to eat," Jennifer giggled. "How did Keiichi take it?"
Kahoko smiled. "He asked for some to eat."
"He now has a best friend for life," Jennifer said. "Alexis probably fell in love with him the second he asked for some to eat."
Jennifer glanced at the clock. "If we want to get to school on time we better leave soon. You don't mind walking, do you?"
"I usually walk to school," Kahoko said. "So walking is fine with me."
"Cool. I eat while I walk. Do you like Pop-Tarts?" she asked with a wicked grin.
Filled with band students, the band room looked like … well … Kahoko couldn't quite find any words to describe it. A zoo perhaps, where all the animals were left to roam wild outside of their cages.
Band kids were everywhere. Some were sitting chatting excitedly about something that had happened to them, others were reading. Some guys were lounged against the lockers. One guy was sprawled on the ground and appeared to be in a deep sleep. Kahoko wasn't quite sure how he could sleep through all the noise. Girls were using the huge mirror to fix their make-up.
"Oh my god," Kazuki breathed from right behind Kahoko. She gave a little jump; not realizing Kazuki was next to her. When had he gotten here? "I don't know any of these people, but I love them all already! This looks absolutely fantastically amazing!"
Kahoko turned and realized all her Seiso companions were behind her, and that Jennifer had vanished.
"We're supposed to wait outside until everyone settles down," Azuma explained, seeing Kahoko's questioning look. "Then we're going to be introduced to the whole group. And seriously," he added, just so Kahoko could hear, "take that ridiculously idiotic expression off your face before then!"
Kahoko sighed. This was the Azuma she knew.
Jennifer motioned them inside and they entered. "And here they are: the Seiso music students!" she announced to a huge round of applause.
"Please, introduce yourselves and tell us a little about you," Jennifer said.
"I'm Kazuki!" Kazuki blurted out excitedly. "I play trumpet and I am extremely happy to be here! Everyone looks so much fun!"
"He's a cutie!" a girl said from the back. Kazuki blushed.
"I'm Azuma," Azuma said with a small bow. Kahoko heard a few girls gasp. "I play flute and am honored to be here. I hope to enjoy my stay."
"My name is Ryo," Ryo said. "I play piano as well as soccer."
"I love your hair!" someone called out.
"I'm Sh-Sh-Shouko," Shouku stuttered out. "I play clarinet and …" her voice trailed off.
"Oh my gosh, she is so adorable!" a girl squealed. "I just want to pick her up and put her in my pocket!"
"Chill out Jessica," someone called. "Don't scare her away from your section before she's ever met you!"
Shouko blushed.
"My name is Len," Len said briskly. "I play violin."
"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" a girl whispered to her friend from the back of the room, trying not to be overheard but failing miserably.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" another girl asked, directing the question at Len himself.
"No," Len answered, indicating by his tone of voice that that was to be the end of the girlfriend questions.
A dreamy sigh echoed throughout the room. Most of the girls thought Len's coldness was a major bonus to his good looks.
"My name is … Keiichi … I play the … cello … pleasure to be here …" Keiichi's sleepy voice flowed across the room.
"I want to put him in my pocket too!" yelped the girl Kahoko recognized as Jessica.
"Jessica, shut up!" someone groaned.
"You wanna a fight, Boots?" Jessica demanded, standing up. "I can take you!"
Boots sniggered.
"Sit down Jessica," someone yelled at her.
She sat down.
Kahoko smiled to herself. They sure were an animated bunch in the morning. She realized it was her turn to introduce herself.
"My name is Kahoko and I play the violin," she said.
"You play the violin too! Are you Len's girlfriend?" a girl asked excitedly. "That would just be so cute!" A few other girls nodded. They seemed to have forgotten Len had just said he didn't have a girlfriend.
The violin romance story flashed across Kahoko's mind. "No, we are not dating," she said.
The girls looked a bit disappointed.
"Alright, give our guests a break," Edwards said. "Grab all your stuff! We're moving up to the field!"
"Our show this year is Medusa," Ian said as they made their way up to the field. "You know, that Greek character?"
Kazuki nodded.
"How do you portray Medusa in your music?" Len asked.
"Our shows are pre-made," Scott explained. "The music is written to sound Greek and mysterious, and the marching sets are designed to tell the story of Medusa. Medusa is not only portrayed through the music, but through the marching and props as well."
Len nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. I keep forgetting you move while you play. It's very different from what we do back at home."
"Is it difficult to march and play at the same time?" Azuma asked.
"At first it can be a little tricky, but with practice you're fine," Brandon said. "Marching is just like walking, except you roll your feet and keep your toes pointed up every time you step forward." He demonstrated. "Here, you guys try," he said.
Kazuki pointed his toes up as he walked.
"Nice Kazuki," Jennifer said. "Now roll your feet more. It's got to be smooth."
"If it's not smooth then your body will bounce," Jen explained. "If your body bounces then you can't play your instrument because your mouth keeps moving."
"Like this?" Azuma asked. Alex glanced at his feet.
"Nice job," he said approvingly. "I think you've just about got it down."
Kahoko looked over at Len, who seemed to have it down. "Am I doing it correctly?" she asked him.
Len glanced down. "Roll your feet more."
"Keiichi's got it down!" Alexis said excitedly. She turned her head towards Shouko. "You're pretty good at this too Shouko," she smiled.
Shouko gave a shy grin. "Thanks," she said.
"And here we have our practice field!" Ian announced. "It's got a few holes and some spots are just nasty when it rains, but other then that it's alright."
"We have to go to warm-ups now," Jennifer said. "Feel free to sit on that bench over there and watch. Heck, feel free to walk around to different parts of the field to get a closer look. Just watch out when we're on the move," she grinned.
Kahoko laughed.
"Sounds good to me!" Kazuki exclaimed. The Seiso group went and sat on the bench while the Del Oro students warmed up.
"Their sound is quite nice," Len commented, listening to them warm-up. "They have a good balance."
Ryo eyed the keyboards warming up. "What do they called the keyboard section?" he asked. "What was that word?"
"Pit," Azuma supplied.
"Yeah, that's the word." Ryo watched them in amazement. "Look how fast they move their hands! And some of them have two mallets in each hand! That looks like a challenge! I wonder if it hurts their fingers," he said, still staring. "As similar as they seem, these keyboards look a lot different from the piano. I wonder if they'd let me play one later …" his voice trailed off as he continued to watch the quick motions of the players' hands.
"They don't have any flutes," Azuma mused, staring out at the field. "They just seem to have piccolos. I bet that's because it's easier to hear a piccolo on the field."
"Have you ever played the piccolo?" Kazuki asked Azuma curiously.
"Once or twice," Azuma replied. "I don't own one of my own."
Shouko was gazing intently at the clarinet players. "I wonder …" her voice trailed off as her mind followed her thoughts.
Keiichi was watching the girl leading warm-ups. "Her arm motions are so fluid," he said dreamily. "I wonder if she would be good with a string instrument. Perhaps she could teach me how she moves her arms … and maybe it would make my playing smoother …"
Kahoko looked at the girl Keiich was talking about. "What is she called?" she asked. "Something to do with a drum, I think …"
"Drum major," Len said. "Her job is to conduct the group as they perform."
"Sounds hard," Kahoko said.
"It is," Ryo agreed. "She controls the tempo on the field. Seems like that'd be a lot of pressure. She has to keep the whole group together."
Kazuki pulled his eyes away from the trumpet section and looked over at the color guard. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Look at them go! How do they do that? I wonder how heavy their equipment is. Do you think they'd teach me how to spin and toss a flag? What about the rifles? I want to touch a sabre too!"
Kahoko watched some girls spin a flag a few times, and then expertly toss them in the air. She was impressed when they all caught them.
"I think I'd be too scared of getting hit to ever toss a flag," she admitted.
Alexis trotted over. "Hey guys! We're going to do a full run through of our show now! I hope you enjoy it!" She ran back on to the field.
"I can't wait!" Kazuki exclaimed in anticipation.
The drum major climbed on to her podium and raised her arms.
"They're starting!" Kazuki hissed excitedly. "Oh man this is going to be great!"
"So, what did you guys think?" Jennifer asked after practice as they made their way back to the band room.
"That was amazing!" Kazuki cried. "I wish we did stuff like that!"
"The drum solo after the ballad was intense," Ryo said. "The pit moved their hands so fast to keep up! I can't believe they were all doing sixteenth-note runs at that speed!"
"I enjoyed the blending of music and marching to tell a story," Azuma said. "For our contest back at home each performance has a theme, and I'm kind of curious as to what a marching show would look like based off our themes."
"Fluid and graceful arm motions," Keiichi said with an blissful look on his face. "Fluid and graceful …"
"I enjoyed your performance very much," Shouko said. "It was beautiful."
Kahoko agreed. "Do you ever run out of air? It seems like this is a very physical activity."
"It take a lot of air," Jennifer said. "Actually, during some parts of the show one of us will stop playing and just work on getting their breath back. We do it subtly so no one in the audience will notice."
"I look forward to seeing more of your shows in the future," Len said.
"Oh my god! Was that a compliment? Len complimented us! Oh man!" Alexis squealed from behind. She and Jennifer gave each other a high-five. "Oh yeah!"
Kahoko was surprised to see a slight twitch on Len's mouth. If her eyes didn't deceive her, it almost looked like he was holding back a small, very slight smile. Len smile? She had only seen him smile maybe twice in the whole time she had known him. Maybe the California sunbeams (or girls) were softening him.
A bell rang.
"Ahh, time for brunch," Alexis said, shoving her trumpet into her locker. She grabbed Keiichi's sleeve. "Come get food with me from the cafeteria. We have to be quick. Brunch is only ten minutes and the lines for food can get long."
A group of girls formed around Len and Ryo.
"We heard all about you two," one girl said.
Len got a strangled look on his face.
"Excuse me?" Ryo asked.
"It's so tragic how you let that huge misunderstanding tear you apart," another one put in sadly.
"Misunderstandings?" Ryo choked out in confusion.
Len looked as though he were losing his cool.
"But don't worry, we're here to help mend the rift between you. You guys will be friends again in no time," a third added confidently.
Ryo and Len both turned to look at Jennifer. She glanced outside. "Wait for me Alexis! I'm coming with you to get food!" She bolted out the door. "I'll be back to get you for second block Kahoko!"
Len's mouth was twitching again, and the corners were definitely down.
Kahoko thought back to Len's almost smile and shook her head. She must have been seeing things.
Oh man I love the Ryo and Len duo. They're so much fun to write about! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and get ready for the next one! The Seiso students are going to attend classes with their host students! Until next time!
