Shattered Chapter 4
I still don't own La Corda D'Oro
Distraught - Five
"So what happened to Ka- Hino-san" Len said and thought 'I can't say Kahoko in front of him…' Tsuchiura looked up and whispered "She's missing…" "What!" Len responded with.
"So what are we waiting for?" Len said irritably. "What are you talking about Tsukimori-kun?" Tsuchiura answered confused. "Well we're obviously going to go look for her." Len said matter of factly. Then grabbed Ryotaro's hand and pulled him down the stairs. They grabbed they coats and started running towards the door. Meanwhile Len's mother called after them to ask where they were going only to see the door close behind her son and the talented pianist. She let out a sigh and returned to her guests while thinking 'What was that about and what could they be up to…'
Once outside Len turned to Ryotaro and said "We'll start with the cemetery, you did say that she was attending a funeral" "Eh, yeah that sounds like a good idea…" Len let out a long sigh and asked "So which cemetery was she going to be at, the one on the east or west side of town?" "Crap…" Tsuchiura said as he bit his lip. "I don't know…" "Well that's a huge help." Len said sarcastically. Tsuchiura blushed and then heatedly said "Well it's not my fault. She was really upset about the funeral and it wasn't a subject I wanted to broach because she was so affected by it." Len glared at him coldly making him shut up and then matter of factly said "I'll go east, you go west." Then he whipped around and was leaving again before he could even get an answer.
Len's Perspective
It started to rain… 'Sheesh, knowing her she'll probably be coatless and freeze to death if I don't find her soon.' I thought as I was sprinting towards the graveyard. What I would do if she wasn't there I didn't know yet but I just had to find her…
When I finally reached the graveyard it was to dark to see if she was some place near the back so I had to walk along isle by isle… As I walked by them I glanced at some of the names and mumbled some of them to pass the time "Aiko… Sen… Anya… Yurika… Keira…" …and such. Towards the back I came to a grave which was under a dead cherry tree. It was in a place where no rain hit it but still it was wet, 'tears' I thought and it had flowers laid on the smooth dirt which hadn't been overgrown yet. I looked at the date of death and saw that the person had died only 2 days prior. 'This is possibly the funeral she attended. That would also explain the tears and flowers.' I told myself. I was near the back by now so I could see that she wasn't there, but instead of feeling relief for her not being in such an empty area I only felt anxiety and my worry strengthen. Anything could happen at this time of night…
'Where the heck could she be! She's worrying me to sick…' I thought anxiously. I leaned myself against the cherry tree and shivered slightly. I sighed and thought 'It's freezing out… and if I'm even cold I don't even want to think about how cold Kahoko is.' I heard the wind rustling through the leaves from some far away tree and looked up, through the dead brittle branches of the cherry tree, at the dark clouded sky.
'Where could she be…? Where would she seek haven from sadness and worries…? Where is it that she loves…? Where is it that she feels at ease…?' I ran questions after questions through my head but couldn't think of where she would go. I ran my fingers through my blue hair, it had become a habit for when I was worried, and yes I was extremely worried at the moment.
Then it suddenly hit me 'The Park! Of course, she loved that place and it contained a lot of pleasant memories for her.' He remembered avidly how she had overcome her fear to play the violin in front of people there. But there was one place in particular that she loved… it was hidden by the trees and bushes but he knew where it was. It was a small area with two trees. One dead cherry tree and another which bloomed yearly, their branches intertwined like the sound of two violins playing one melody: perfectly. Yes she would climb them nimbly at times and just gaze from boughs around her unseen by other people's eyes. They were called the tragic lovers since they had been sown together and only one had lost its live after a lighting strike. And underneath these two trees was a fountain. The fountain was music related which he had always liked after she had shown him her secret place. 'Yes, that's where she would go…'
I was running again, but this time towards the park. It wasn't as close as I would have liked but that didn't matter at the moment. When I finally arrived I was out of breath. 'Sadly I'm not Hihara-sempai the sprinter or the one who always has enough energy to conquer the world.' I thought amusingly but didn't dwell on the thought. I was here for one reason, Kahoko. Yes if it weren't for her I might have been an ice-block, as everyone called me, for the rest of my live. But she melted me and I was only capable of showing that side to her. I wanted her back, no I needed her back. She made me who I am. I couldn't loose her. I stepped through the bushes and saw her. She was soaked and sobbing. I stood there hidden by the darkness and the shadow of a big oak tree…
Kahoko's Perspective
I was in the park crying my broken heart out. Usually I could control myself. I would shed a tear or two and then hold the rest in. I would come to terms with myself and wouldn't allow myself to cry, maybe it was my pride. I knew it wouldn't change anything and it would be easier if I just got over it. But this time I just couldn't. No matter how hard I tried it, I just couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I gulped for air and kept whispering through my tears 'Ren… Ren… No, Ren…No…' I just couldn't stop. I needed him; he had always been there for me even if he was far away. I just needed him so badly…
I felt the throbbing pain in my wrist again but I didn't care. The pain felt good, it brought me back to reality. It gave me a slap in the face reminding me that he was really gone and I couldn't change it. I should have been worrying about myself but I didn't. He was all that mattered. I let out a shaky laugh as I thought 'I should be used to it by now… If I ever did cry this mcuh it should have been the first time, right? Not now the fifth time someone major has gone….' I whispered "Fifth" into the deserted area and then returned to my thoughts 'Yes the fifth. First it had been father. I barely remembered him just that day…' I mentioned "Father…" full of pain quietly into the darkness… and relived that day once again.
Flashback
I was sitting in a tree smiling and singing some nonsense words to myself. I was so happy; he was going to be getting back today. I ran inside for the hundredth time to ask my mother how much longer till father would be back. I had made a gift for him with my brother, not the older one, I had two. And had asked the whole family hundreds of times: "Will daddy really like it?" I was four and completely exuberant and hyper. It had been two months since I had seen him. I remembered mother trying to explain to the three of us that he had had to leave for some business trip. I let out a sigh and started running in circles. "It's no fair! He should have taken me along!" I whined and said "what is this important business trip about anyway…" I once again ran in the house but this time it was different… Mother's face was white and she was crying; mother almost never cried. She dropped the phone and collapsed and starting whispering "No" over and over again. I was scared. He never did come home… Later I found out that the plane had crashed…
Flashback End
'Yes… then it had been Ai-Rin. She was my first best friend but she…' My tears only got stronger and stronger. 'She had been my first best friend. We said we'd be bffs and always be together no matter what, but fate hadn't been so kind to us…' "Ai-Rin…" I sobbed…
Flashback
I was still small and happy. Ai-Rin and I were going to go to the zoo together that day. We had made a list of all the animals which we were going to visit and in which order. "Hey, Ai-Rin should we see the lions or zebras first?" I asked happily. "Let's save the Lions for later since they so pretty and golden!" Ai-Rin said after some thought and hugged me. "Wah, I can't wait Kaho! It's going to be soooo much fun!" "Yup! And our parents said we can spend the whole day together!" I said while hugging her back. "We'll have to go again and again! Ok!" Ai-Rin whispered into my ear and I whispered back "Yup! That's a promise." But that promise was one that we were never able to keep. After our trip to the zoo the next time I saw her was at the hospital. She was in a coma so I wasn't even able to talk to her. I remember the tears running down my face when later I had found out that she had died… It didn't make sense to me that so many important people in my life could just disappear.
End Flashback
'After Ai-Rin, had been my grandmother. I would always visit her on my vacations and I used to love to sit on her lap with one of my brothers and listen to her tell us stories. Then one day I found out that I would never able to sit by the fire again in her lap and gaze up at her with awe, be entranced into a dreamlike state by her endless tales, be tucked into bed at night, kissed on the forehead and have whispered in my ear let the stories guide you in your sleep my dear… I was told I could never spend vacation with her again… "Grandmother" I whispered once again and looked at my cupped hands which were overflowing with my tears…
Flashback
I walked into my mothers study with one of my brother's hands in mine and looked at my mother who had her head in her hands. I could see the tears that ran down her wrists onto the water stained letter she had been writing before the call had arrived. She looked up and saw us. She came over and hugged us and whispered into our ears: "Gomen, You won't be able to visit Grandmother anymore… She'll be sleeping for a long time now…" I felt the tears prick my eyes when I suddenly understood what had happened…
End Flashback
'Next had been him, Len. I was about to whisper the words when I stopped myself. I, I wouldn't say it, not here. I remembered him suddenly not being there anymore and then the letter arriving. That had hurt so much; I always knew that Len was cold but he had never been so cold to me…
And now Ren…
Flashback
We walked out of a concert and we both smiled at each other. "Ne, wasn't that a beautiful concert?" I smiled and poked him in the stomach "Of course you twit." I said teasingly. I loved being with Ren; I always had. He was able to make me forget all my worries and just let me be myself. We talked and laughed and reminisced about our pasts, we were having fun. And I was feeling better than I had in weeks. He was telling me about the time he had spent in Europe away from me, since we were 14, even though we had talked daily. I was finally being myself again as he called it. I only laughed at that but we both knew that it was true. Then we were crossing the street and then it all happened so fast… A drunk driver was swerving uncontrollably around the corner, towards us. Ren saw it and seconds before it hit us he pushed me out of the cars way not giving himself enough time to escape and I heard him say "I love you…" but his last words were lost as he was hit and I landed someplace on the sidelines. I remember screaming "NO!" with all my might and then feeling glass shards cutting my skin… Then it was black and only black.
Flashback
'Yes, it was my fault… that Ren was dead…' "Ren…. My fault…" I whispered incomprehensively.
Authors Note:
Gomen it took longer then I thought to upload. Sadly I had written half of this chapter but my parents shut down the computer, there fore deleting it, before I could save it… *Sigh* but it still came out pretty well So what do you guys think? I had fun writing the flashbacks and gomen I said Len and Kaho would meet this chapter but I decided to make it so that he only see her in this chapter… please review, review, review! And Arrigato for all the story alerts and reviews till now!
