Chapter 7: Impromptu

Christmas is supposed to be all about romance, but it had been years since I'd actually had a lover to share the holiday with. My girlfriends always seemed to get fed up with me a month or two beforehand, leaving me to face Christmas Eve alone.

This year was supposed to mark the breaking of the curse; I was with Yukari now. Even if she wasn't able to be with me in Tokyo, I figured that thanks to video chat, I'd at least be able to look into those mesmerizing violet eyes when I wished her a Merry Christmas. But thanks to my tendency to screw up every relationship I've ever been in, I appeared to be on the cusp of spending yet another holiday season as a single woman.

Yukari and I had been doing pretty well, considering we spent most of our time on opposite sides of the globe. We'd handled being apart as best we could: calling, video chatting and exchanging emails daily. We even made love on a regular basis, if you could call mutual masturbation via video chat "sex."

As far as I was concerned, the only thing lacking in our relationship was physical contact. Since Yukari had left Tokyo back in May, the only time we'd come face to face was in August, during Bon, when we'd spent four hurried hours in a Kyoto hotel. But I hadn't considered this a major issue. In spite of my frustration at not being able to hold Yukari in my arms, I considered our emotional bond more important. I'd convinced myself that our love was strong enough to endure even an open-ended separation.

But then Yukari left on her first major tour of our relationship – a four-and-a-half month, 40-recital marathon to promote the album of solo piano works she'd recorded over the summer. At first, we were able to keep up our daily contact, but soon our chat sessions decreased from daily to five days per week, then three, then two. Her emails tapered off, as well, from several per day to the point where I was lucky to get one every two days or so. And needless to say, our video sex had quickly dwindled to nothing.

Yukari never explained what was going on, other than to say that this particular tour was more challenging than usual, and that we'd get through the rough patch eventually. I accepted this at first, but as time went on, she seemed less and less motivated to hold up her end of our relationship. She started cutting our conversations short on the flimsiest excuses: too tired to talk, not in the mood, or whatever the reason du jour was. Sometimes she'd skip out on a chat or phone call altogether, even when she'd been the one to schedule it. When I managed to claim her attention for more than a few minutes, she came across as not only tired and distracted, but more interested in talking about herself than in hearing about what was going with me.

I couldn't understand why this was happening. We'd been doing so well, but now it almost seemed as though she was growing weary of the pressures of our long-distance relationship. Of course, the over-analyst in me ran with that idea, imagining an imminent break-up, or even – in my darkest, loneliest moments – that she'd found someone else.

By the time of our most recent chat, three days earlier, I'd had enough. Weeks of frustration spilled out as I complained about the increasing distance between us. Unfortunately, I'd been a bit more confrontational than I should have been, and wound up accusing her of not caring about me anymore. Predictably, Yukari reacted with anger, dismissing my concerns out of hand, and things escalated from there. After several minutes of emotional warfare, she hung up on me. Since then, my attempts to contact her had been met with deafening silence.

Now, at midday on Christmas Eve, two hours before dress rehearsal for the NSO's annual holiday concert, I sat with Lily at a tempura restaurant down the street from Asahi Pavilion, picking at my fried shrimp, wondering how I'd manage to get myself motivated to play that night. It was going to be an uphill climb, given that my world was falling apart around me.

"I just want to hear her voice," I said, my shoulders slumping as if weighted down with lead. "Why won't she answer her phone? Why won't she email me?"

"Because you were a bitch to her," said Lily, who sat across from me, and whose appetite appeared to be much better than mine. "I thought we'd already decided that. Or are you suffering from amnesia again?"

"I've sent I don't know how many emails and voicemails apologizing," I said, ignoring her subtle dig. "How many more is it going to take?"

Lily let out a weary sigh. She'd heard this lament almost hourly since "the Big Blow-Up," as she referred to it.

"No idea. But three days of complete silence is not a good sign. And since we're on the subject – not that you'll let me change it – you never told me exactly what you said to Yuzuki-san. Must've been really shitty to make her cut you off like that."

My shoulders sagged even lower.

"Yeah, it was. I don't really feel like talking about the details, though."

With a wry face, Lily abandoned her chopsticks to her plate.

"It's probably better that we don't," she said. "You're only going to feel worse when you hear what Gumi told me this morning."

Something in the way she said it set off alarm bells in my head.

"What now?"

"They're thinking of changing their plans for this week. They may even fly directly to Seoul."

My heart sank like a rock in a pond at the news. Yukari's tour had a ten-day break scheduled between her appearance in Seattle on the 21st and the next stop in Seoul on New Year's Eve. She and Gumi had planned to arrive in Tokyo on Christmas Day for a five day layover on their way to Korea. The four of us had been looking forward to it for weeks.

"Wait, what? They're not coming tomorrow? Are you sure?"

"Well, Gumi didn't say that in so many words," Lily replied. "But when I asked about flight times and all that, and she got really, I don't know, evasive. Told me that things were no longer set in stone. She wouldn't have said that if Yuzuki-san wasn't thinking of canceling. And there's only one reason she'd bail, other than being sick, which Gumi says she isn't." She shot me an annoyed frown. "This is all your fault. Why'd you have to be so pig-headed? Now it looks like I won't get to see Gumi until God knows when." More softly, as if to herself, she added, "Merry fucking Christmas to me."

Lily wasn't simply spouting random bitterness. Her unlikely long-distance relationship with Gumi had grown far more intense than either of us had expected. Understandably, Yukari and Gumi's upcoming visit was a huge deal to her. But while I understood her disappointment, it still hurt to hear her accuse me of being self-centered.

"You don't have to get nasty about it," I retorted. "Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I know you were looking forward to seeing her, and I feel bad that it's probably not going to happen. But you're not the one who's in the process of getting dumped." I swallowed hard. "Please, Lily, don't be mad at me. I don't want to lose you, too."

My appeal to Lily's compassionate side worked. After glowering at me for a few seconds, she relaxed.

"You are not going to 'lose' me, dipshit," she said, her slight smile carrying a hint of left-over annoyance. "God, when did you turn into such a drama queen? Okay, so you're frustrated. I get that. But I think you're overreacting. You've got no proof Yuzuki-san's going to dump you. From everything Gumi's told me about her, she thinks you walk on water. Why would that change all of a sudden? There must be some other reason for all this, something she's not telling you."

Lily had been bludgeoning me over the head with the same argument for the past three days. From the beginning, I'd known deep down she was right, but I was too stubborn to admit it, or perhaps too embarrassed.

"She's been putting space between us for weeks," I countered. "And now she won't even talk to me. I'm one step away from the ax. I can't believe you don't see it."

"What I see is you with your head up your ass," Lily pressed. "But for the sake of argument, suppose you're right, and she's thinking of kicking you to the curb. You're giving up much too easily. Didn't you learn anything from what happened back in May? If you really love her as much as you say you do, how come you're not fighting for her?"

The words drilled into what was left of my pride like a dentist working without anesthesia.

"I've tried, but how can I get anywhere when she won't talk to me? I don't know what else to do." I slumped even lower in my chair. "Why did I have to lose my temper like that? God, I really effed up."

"Big time," Lily said. Then her smile broadened. "But you know what they say: the first step toward recovery is to admit you're an idiot."

"I'm pretty sure that's not what 'they' say," I countered, rolling my eyes at the bad joke, "but never mind. What do I do now?" I looked up at her hopefully. "You helped me pick up the pieces last time. Any chance of an encore?"

"Of course," Lily said with a sly wink. "I'm always willing to screw with your personal life. And I already have the answer for you, 'cause this is practically a replay of what happened back when you guys first got together. All you two needed to do was talk it out in person, am I right?"

"Well, yeah. So?"

"So we need to figure out a way to get you two in the same room, the way we did last time this happened. Problem solved." With a satisfied nod, Lily reclaimed her chopsticks and filched a shrimp from my plate. "Consider this a down payment on my reward."

"My God, it's so simple," I said, my words dripping with sarcasm. "All I have to do is toot my magic mouthpiece and teleport straight to L.A. How did I not think of this before?"

Lily's chopsticks, which were heading for my plate again, froze in mid-air.

"Ia, you're a genius."

"Huh?"

"Seriously, the idea's brilliant. Just catch a plane to Seoul for New Year's Eve and meet Yuzuki-san after her concert. Apologize to her – preferably on your knees – and bam! All that's left is ass-slapping, hair-pulling make-up sex."

"I'm not sure how you got all that out of what I just said," I replied, eyeing her with bemusement. "Seriously, ass-slapping?"

"Ass-slapping and hair-pulling. Get it right."

"You're such a pervert," I said, belaboring the obvious. "But that aside, I just can't go running off after her. For one thing, I'd need Masami-san's help, like last time. I'll never get anywhere near Yukari without her. But I don't want to ask her, because she was so uncomfortable getting involved before."

This appeared to take a good deal of the wind out of Lily's sails, but to her credit, she still put a brave face on things.

"Okay, you've got a point. Gumi's pretty anal about not getting involved in her boss' personal life. But we can still make it happen, Ia. Airfares to Seoul are really cheap, even during the holidays. Our passports are current, and we don't need visas to get into Korea if we're only going to be there a few days. Plus, we don't have a gig on New Year's Eve this year, so we've got the time to spare. And if Gumi won't help us, we can always wing it, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I interrupted. "'Hope for the best.' Same old game plan, huh? And who's this 'we' you keep talking about?"

"'We' means 'you and me.' What, you honestly think I'd let your shapely ass fly off to Seoul alone?" Lily clucked her tongue with evident disapproval. "Bitch, please. As it is, you get in enough trouble in Japan whenever I'm not around to keep an eye on you. Besides, if you got to see Gumi, and I didn't…" – she made a show of curling one hand into a fist – "…well, I'd be forced to knock your teeth in. And then how would you earn a living, hmm?"

"You never cease to amaze me," I said, shaking my head, though I was unable to keep from smiling. "That's not a compliment, in case you were wondering. But getting back to this harebrained scheme of yours: you expect me to hop on a plane, show up at the venue, and hope I run into Yukari while she's leaving?"

"Why not? You kind of did that when you got her autograph in Nagoya, right?"

I had to grant the point.

"Fine, but this plan of yours is still a long shot. No, scratch that – it's completely crazy. But I'll say one thing for it."

"What's that?"

"It's the only workable plan I've got. If I sit around and do nothing, I'm going to wind up single. I don't want that."

"We'll order the tickets online after lunch," Lily said, swiping another shrimp and dipping it into the tempura sauce. "Don't worry, Ia. Everything'll be all right."

"I believe you," I said, although I suspected her confidence was as naive as ever. Still, knowing she had my back made me feel a little better. "Thanks, Lily. And sorry for getting clingy – I know it bothers you when I do. "

"Nah." Lily smiled – with a bit too much calculation, I thought. "If I had ¥1,000 for every time we've cried on each other's shoulder over the past seven months, I could afford to hire a well-hung stud to fan me and feed me grapes. Or maybe a hot lesbian would be better. You know, to share with my bestie."

I couldn't help chuckling, partly out of exasperation.

"Hey, will you cut it out with the raunchy jokes?"

"Sure, just as soon as you stop reacting to them," Lily countered, her smile far too smug. She gestured toward my plate. "You going to eat the rest of those?"


The NSO's Christmas Eve gala was one of those white-tie fundraiser events, the kind where the social elite pay many times the usual ticket price to see and be seen. This year, NHK planned to air the concert live, and in an attempt to engage the less-sophisticated TV audience, Maestro had stocked the night's program with crowd favorites: Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture, Ravel's Boléro, and Orff's Carmina Burana. Between them, the three pieces required a huge orchestra – supplemented by more than a dozen outside musicians – along with the full chorus of the Opera of the Kansai, a boys' choir, and a collection of percussion instruments that filled a good quarter of the stage. The orchestra had even topped things off by flying in three internationally famous operatic soloists for the Orff.

Many musicians complain about these holiday concerts, which require hours under hot lights in formal concert attire. But not me; even when I'm forced to wear a floor-length black dress that makes me look like my grandmother, it's still a rush to perform for an audience, and that goes double when I get to play music that challenges me, which was certainly the case that night. So even though I normally would have sunk my teeth into this particular concert, for once, my heart wasn't fully in my work.

My thoughts had been on Yukari the entire day, from dress rehearsal all the way until the end of that evening's concert. The questions tormented me: had she even read my emails? Did she realize how sorry I was? Did she even care anymore? My conversation with Lily hadn't removed my anxieties – it had only blunted their edge. I'd done my best to stuff them deep inside, but by the final curtain, the smile I'd plastered on was beginning to peel around the edges.

"Nice job on the Berlioz, Ia," Lily said as we stripped off our sweaty concert dresses in the women's changing room. "Those cornet trills at the end always give me the shivers."

"Thanks. I've always thought they were a nice touch."

My reply lacked the usual conviction, but Lily didn't seem to notice. She kept right on jabbering, riding the adrenaline high that so often comes after a particularly exhilarating performance.

"Man, what a night! We totally rocked Boléro, didn't we?" Clad only in her bra and thong, she spent a few seconds beat-boxing Ravel's distinctive rhythm line, thrusting her hips for good measure. "And Carmina – totally sick. Can you believe we actually got paid to play a solid hour of music with dirty medieval poetry for lyrics? If Orff was here, I'd give him a lap dance just for writing the damned thing." Her voice rose to an exultant yell. "God, I fucking love this job!"

"Hey! Language!" came a voice from the next row of lockers.

"Sorry," Lily called back before grumbling, "Who does she think she is, the cursing police? I mean, this is a changing room, not the Main Hall."

"Yeah, you never swear on stage," I said, smiling for the first time in hours.

"Oh, shut up."

"Fine," I said, playing along. "I won't ask what your plans are for tonight."

"My plans are for you and me to drown our sorrows in Cosmos. Or whatever your pleasure is."

"I don't recall agreeing to go drinking with you," I said, frowning at the prospect.

"You didn't. It was a sudden inspiration. Remember last spring, how we planned drunken-chick-flicks night, but it got canceled? I've rescheduled it for tonight."

"And if I don't want to, what then?"

"You haven't got a choice. We're going to get incredibly drunk while we watch I Give My First Love to You for the thousandth time, and we're going to blubber through the last ten minutes like pre-teen girls. Because at this point in our miserable, lonely lives, a good cry'll do more for our souls than hours of masturbation."

Lily punctuated her announcement with a grin so wide she could have eaten a banana sideways. God, this girl – no one else alive was as good at pushing my buttons as she was. Normally, I would have let loose with a suitable retort, but I wasn't up to bantering. Lily's attempt to cheer me up had only made me think of Yukari, and that had sent my mood into a crash dive of regret. Had the promises we'd made to each other on that Sunday in May turned out to be mere wishful thinking after all?

"I get that you're trying to cheer us both up," I said, my voice warbling the way it always did when I was on the verge of tears, "but can we maybe do something that doesn't involve a hangover?"

Lily's smile vanished.

"Whoa, sorry, babe. I was just screwing around. Hey, are you okay?"

I leaned against the lockers for a moment, head hanging.

"Not really," I sniffled, wiping at the tears that had chosen that moment to escape. "But I will be. Give me a minute, will you?"

"It's cool. Take all the time you need."

"I miss her already, Lily."

"Stop talking as if it's over," Lily said, gently caressing my shoulder. "You don't know that it is. Listen, how about we hang out at my place tonight anyway? You can crash there if you want. No booze, I promise."

I wiped away the last of the dampness from my eyes, embarrassed at showing such weakness, even to Lily.

"Sounds good. I don't want to spend tonight by myself."

"Neither do I. Let's swing by Lawson on the way. We'll need at least a gallon of ice cream to get through this."


A modest crowd had gathered outside the Pavilion's staff entrance: diehard classical music fans, bundled up against the winter chill, waiting for the guest vocalists to make their appearance. The sight conjured memories of my magical first weekend with Yukari, when she'd signed autographs for a similar crowd while I stood off to one side silently worshiping her. It seemed like eons ago.

My hopes of escaping into the night were dashed when Lily and I ran into a group of former conservatory classmates who happened to be waiting in line to get autographs from the visiting soloists. Ever the social butterfly, Lily soon had their attention monopolized, while I gradually receded to the periphery, absorbed in my regrets. After a few minutes, I excused myself, retreating a few meters away to a nearby retaining wall. I'd just pulled out my phone, intending to compose yet another email apology to Yukari, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you play trumpet for the NSO, right?" said a whispery, barely audible voice. "Please, would you mind signing tonight's program?"

I turned to find a woman standing a respectful distance behind me. A few centimeters taller than me, she was wearing a bulky, calf-length coat of gray wool. The brim of her black fedora was pulled so low over her eyes that I couldn't get a good look at her face.

"Um, sure," I said, putting the phone back in my pocket and setting down my trumpet case and garment bag. "I'm flattered you asked. Most people ignore everyone but the principals."

The woman handed me the program and a pen, saying, "It's for my friend. She's a huge fan of yours. I tried to get her to ask you in person, but she's too tongue-tied."

The request seemed a bit unusual, but in the end, a fan was a fan, so I wasn't about to refuse her.

"What's your friend's name?" I asked "How do I write it?"

"Yuzuki," a different voice said, this one not only perfectly audible, but instantly recognizable. "It's written with the characters for 'join' and 'moon.'"

My head snapped upward to find a second, shorter woman standing next to the first. Her coat was black leather, and instead of a fedora, she wore a black skullcap and horn-rimmed glasses.

The pen dropped from my hand, hitting the sidewalk with a loud clatter.

"Yukari," I said, barely managing to whisper that holiest of words. "Oh, my God, Yukari!"

Her smile radiated the same warmth as always, but it also carried a hint of uncertainty.

"Merry Christmas, Aria-sama," she said.

"Hello Akasaka-san," added Gumi, who had by now flipped up the brim of her fedora. "Surprised?"

I stood rooted in place, shaking like a leaf in the wind, unable to respond with more than a nod. I gazed at Yukari, drinking in the sight of her lovely face, until my eyes filled with tears and I couldn't focus on her any longer. Then the combined effects of fatigue, depression, and the shock of her sudden appearance got the best of me, and my knees buckled. But before I lost my balance completely, Yukari caught me in her arms.

"It's okay, Iacchi," she whispered into my ear. "I've got you."

"Sorry," I kept mumbling over and over. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't cry," Yukari said, pulling out of our embrace. She produced a tissue from her pocket and began to gently dab at my eyes with it. "Please, I came all this way to see you smile."

"Oh, Yukari," I choked out, "Can you ever—"

"Get away from her, you bastard!"

The new voice's owner shouldered her way in between us: Lily, spitting like a wildcat. She shoved Yukari away from me, then stabbed a warning finger at her.

"You'd better back the fuck off, or I swear, I'll kick your ass 'til I smell shit."

Afraid she'd follow through with her threat, I grabbed her coat from behind, hissing into her ear, "Lily, don't! Get a grip!"

Lily took a closer look, then gasped.

"Yu—…mmph!" Fortunately, I clamped my hand over her mouth before she yelled out Yukari's name in her astonishment.

"You want to start a riot or something?" I whispered. Lily shook her head. "Then don't make a scene. No one knows it's her. Let's keep it that way."

"Oh, damn," Lily said after I pulled my hand away. "I'm sorry, Yu-…erm, 'Glasses-girl-san.' It looked like you were some random guy harassing Ia."

Yukari giggled.

"It's the hat, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that, and it's kind of dark over here." Lily's brow furrowed as her brain caught up with reality. "Hang on, if you're here, then where is—" She froze in mid-sentence, her eyes locking onto Gumi, who had been standing in the background, watching events unfold with amusement. "…oh my fucking God!"

Lily promptly launched herself into Gumi's arms. Luckily, her viola case remained firmly slung over her shoulder, or it would have been an expensive hug indeed.

"I'm glad you're on our side, Blondie," Gumi chuckled.

"Shut up and kiss me," Lily said, practically climbing up her girlfriend's formidable chest to get at her lips.

Gumi deflected the attempted kiss with obvious reluctance.

"Not here. There'll be plenty of time for that later. We're attracting too much attention." Sure enough, in the aftermath of Lily's display, our conservatory friends were staring at the four of us with active curiosity. "Yukarin, we've got to get out of here. If anyone sees through your disguise, there'll be bedlam."

"I got what I came here for," Yukari said with fire in her eyes that had my insides on the boil. She wound her arm around mine, pulling me to her. "This is no place for a reunion, anyway. Let's split up the way we planned."

"Got it. I'll call you tomorrow, then." With a smirk, Gumi turned to Lily and took hold of her arm. "Come on, Blondie. You and me, we've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I can only hope you mean that in the lewdest way possible," Lily replied, her face a mixture of adoration and lust. As Gumi dragged her off, she called over her shoulder to me, "Better cancel those airline tickets! I'll email you later!"

I barely had time to grab my own belongings before Yukari was pulling me by the hand in the opposite direction.

"Uh, Yukari? Where are we going?"

"To your place, if that's okay."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. Yukari didn't seem to notice; in fact, she appeared to be too preoccupied to engage in meaningful discussion. That was fine by me. As much as I wanted to begin clearing the air, I wouldn't have been able to hold up my end of a conversation. My mind was still in too much of a jumble.


After several minutes of silent walking through the quiet streets of Ark Hills, we came to the Metro station I usually used on my daily commute. Since it was almost 23:00 on Christmas Eve, the platform was practically deserted.

"I think we're safe now," Yukari finally said. "So I can finally greet you properly."

With that, she pulled me behind a nearby advertising marquee, yanked off her glasses, and swept me into her arms, fusing her mouth to mine.

Her kiss was forceful, almost desperate, as if she was afraid it would be our last. And I gave in to her without a fight, as always, molding my body to hers, devouring the lips I'd craved for so long.

"Tell me you still love me," I gasped when we finally pulled apart. "And that you're not going to break up with me. Please, Yukari, before I fall to pieces."

Yukari gently touched her forehead to mine.

"I do love you, Iacchi," she said, her lower lip trembling. "There's no way I could ever stop, not when I've built my dreams around you. When I think of how I almost ruined everything, I…"

Her words, and the two tears that suddenly rolled down her cheeks, pierced me like spikes. I tucked my head against her shoulder, struggling to keep my composure.

"Oh, Yukari…will you forgive me for doubting you? Please say you will."

Her answer came without a moment's hesitation.

"I already have – no strings attached," she murmured into my ear. "The question is, will you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you, but for what? I'm the one who hurt you!"

"Yeah, I'll admit you did," Yukari said, her face clouding further. "But it was my fault you were so unhappy to begin with. This latest tour's had problems from the start – recital tours always do, but these have been way worse than normal. And there was some personal business I was trying to take care of, as well, stuff I couldn't really tell you about at the time." When I opened my mouth to interject, she held a fingertip to my lips. "Not now – it's too complicated. I'll explain later, I promise. Anyway, I didn't want you to worry about me, but I wound up making things worse. I pushed you away. After our fight, it finally sank in how lonely you were, and that I was the reason for it. I decided that I needed to apologize as soon as I could, before it was too late."

"Then why didn't you answer my calls and emails? When I didn't hear from you, I thought you were going to…" – I bit back on a sob – "…going to dump me."

"I was an idiot," Yukari said, her tone heavy with embarrassment and regret. "It didn't seem right to say I was sorry in an email. Neither did a phone call. 'You've got to do it in person,' I told myself. It seemed so romantic, you know? To hop on a plane to Japan and surprise you, I mean. I never stopped to think of how you'd take not hearing from me for so long. God, what was I thinking? I've done one dumb thing after another since this tour started. Not much of a girlfriend, am I?"

She sounded so sad that I almost started crying even harder, but I bit back on the impulse. I didn't want to shed any more tears. It was Christmas Eve, and I was in my lover's arms, so why should I have been anything other than ecstatic?

With a long, shuddering sigh, I pulled back to wipe my face on the sleeve of my jacket, willing my emotions to cooperate.

"Wait," Yukari said, producing yet another of her seemingly inexhaustible supply of tissues. When she held it out to me, the two of us looked at each other for a moment, then began to giggle in spite of our tear-stained faces.

"Do you ever run out of those?" I asked.

Yukari shrugged.

"Not usually, but I just might tonight. You're really working your way through my supply."

"Well, excuse me for being such a crybaby," I said, pretending to be offended, but with only marginal success. "Geez, what's with us and all the drama? It's like we're high school girls. We're supposed to be adults."

"'Supposed to be,'" Yukari echoed, looking unusually thoughtful. "But this doesn't feel like an adult romance. It never has. Our feelings, emotions, all that stuff, they're way more intense – almost like it's first love. I mean, I can't speak for you, but when it dawned on me that I might lose you over a stupid argument, it turned into a life-or-death kind of thing. Adults don't normally think that way."

"It was the same for me," I said. "And it scared me, because I'm not usually like that. Lily even calls me 'Ice Queen Aria.' But whenever I'm around you, it's like my ice melts, and the emotions leak all over the place."

"That sure was true when we were fighting," Yukari said with a chuckle. "Man, I've never seen anyone spiral like that. And I hope I never see it again."

She was smiling at full power now, and the summer-sun brilliance of it burned away all the fear and uncertainty that had been weighing me down for weeks. Wiping the last of my tears away, I tried to match that smile with one of my own, but my effort was weak and waterlogged by comparison.

"I did not spiral. Much."

"Uh, yeah, you did," Yukari chuckled. "Did you know that your cheeks get all red and puffy when you're mad? If I hadn't been so pissed off, I'd have thought it was cute."

"That does not make me feel any better."

"Hey, I was only teasing," Yukari said, gently kissing the tip of my nose.

"I'm so glad you came to Tokyo." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close again. "I was afraid you wouldn't after what happened. From what Lily said, I thought I was going to have to follow you to Seoul. She even talked me into buying plane tickets for the 31st."

"Oh, was that what she was talking about?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I was going to meet you outside the concert hall and beg you to forgive me. Sound familiar? But I guess you beat me to it."

Yukari smoothed the bangs from my forehead, then softly pressed her lips to it.

"You wouldn't have had to beg, Iacchi."

"But I would've anyway," I said, gazing into her eyes. "I'd have crawled across broken glass to get you to take me back. That's how much I love you."

Yukari answered my declaration with a series of passionate kisses that turned my mind fuzzy and my legs to rubber. She wouldn't stop, nor would I let her, until the next northbound train arrived.


A/N:

− Thanks again to my editor, Gray Voice, for patiently waiting for me to finish this story, and for treating this chapter with his usual painstaking care.

− Originally, I planned to divide Tokyo Intermezzo into seven chapters. Unfortunately, the final chapter turned out to be much longer than any of the others, so I've broken it into two pieces. The story will now end with Chapter 8, which is in beta review as of this writing, and should be published within a week or so, provided my and Gray Voice's schedules permit.

− The 2009 Japanese movie I Give My First Love to You (Boku no hatsukoi wo kimi ni sasagu) is a teen drama about a romance between a boy with a terminal heart condition and his childhood-friend-turned-lover. Lily wasn't kidding about those final ten minutes – they're devastating. You can find the movie on YouTube or a number of other streaming sites. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy when you watch.

− For the Chapter 7 playlist, click on the YouTube link on my profile page. As with Chapter 6, there are no performance scenes, but three classical works are referred to in passing: Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture, Orff's Carmina Burana and Ravel's Boléro. (The Ravel is also included in the Chapter 1 playlist.)


DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Vocaloid characters appearing in this story. They're the intellectual property of the various software companies. This story constitutes "fair use" of these characters as provided for under applicable U.S. and international copyright laws.


This story may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the author.