Author's Note: Thank you all SO MUCH for all the great reviews. You guys are the Best! You really keep me going :)
I think that just about everybody wants me to do alternate endings and I agree that it's a great idea. But just to let you know that I'm still undecided. So much work! I don't want to commit myself yet when there are still several more chapters to go. We'll see how I feel after a while. Making Kahoko choose would be more realistic, wouldn't it? I think I know who she might go for, but you never know what will happen along the way...(for her and me)
Enjoy!
After a lovely date with Ryotoro...
Once she had changed into pajamas and climbed into bed Kahoko checked her phone for messages. There was one from Etou, asking if she would be into going with him to the opening of a new art gallery. He would be playing violin with the band. There would be appetizers there or they could go out for a snack afterward. The event was tomorrow night at 8:00.
It was late to be phoning him, but considering that the event was tomorrow night she decided to text him right away. "Thx. Yes, sounds fun."
Her phone rang two minutes later. "Hello?" she answered.
"Is it too late to call? You're obviously still up…" His voice seemed softer and more intimate on the phone.
"Yes, that's fine. It would be good to figure things out now."
He lay back on his bed, resting a hand comfortably on his abdomen. "The gallery and crowd will be a mix of Punk and Hippie. Do you think you'll be comfortable?"
"Really? Hmm…well I don't have any experience with that, but it sounds cool."
"A lot of them are friends of mine...and I'll be with you the whole time except for when I play two pieces with the band."
"I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm looking forward to hearing you play!"
"Uh, okay... Can you be ready for 7:15? I'll pick you up then."
"Yes, no problem. What's the name of the gallery, by the way?"
"Jagged Hole Gallery."
Once they had said their goodbyes, she immediately went on the internet to see what she could find out. The gallery had a website with photos of the space, the artists and their works, of the band, and a very professional photo of Etou with his violin.
That made her curious about him. She thought of him as just a high school student, but maybe he also had a budding career. From what she'd heard of his violin playing so far, he was certainly good enough. She did a search of "Etou Kiriya" violin. Several references came up, including articles in local publications, concert announcements and his very cool-looking website. What really interested her was where one of the articles stated that Kiriya's grandfather was the multi-millionaire founder of the popular Akemi laundry soap company. Instantly she recalled several television commercials involving cute children singing an iconic jingle. Everybody in Japan knew the words to this jingle, even if they were too embarrassed to admit it.
Suddenly Kahoko's intuition led her to wonder if this might be the reason that Etou-kun had such a large chip on his shoulder. What might he have gone through when he was young? Was he expected to be like one of the kids in the commercials? Would his family expect him to sing the jingles to their guests and business associates? Was he teased in school?
No matter what exactly he endured, it was obviously enough to make him adopt a persona that was the exact opposite of a cute kid in a soap commercial. Poor Etou-kun. He must have struggled to find his own identity. Kahoko knew that she would never ask him about it for fear of dredging up painful memories, but she wondered if he would ever voluntarily share his feelings with her.
She shut off her computer and fell asleep with new empathy for her friend.
She slept in late, which she figured was a good thing. When she had shaken off most of her drowsiness she texted Hihara. "I'm free tomorrow daytime or Mon eve. Want 2 get 2gether?"
The phone rang a few moments later. "Hello?"
"Hi Kaho-chan! I got your message. Would you like to go to the Aquarium tomorrow?"
"Yes! That's a great idea! Did you check the weather forecast?"
"Yep. It's supposed to be warm and sunny. If you like I can come to your house in the morning and we can take the bus and train together."
"Great. I'm not good at getting up too early, but I think I can be ready for 10:00. Will that give us enough time?"
"Yes, of course. From your house it will probably take us about an hour to get there. We can go to the amusement park, have lunch, go to the aquarium. There will be plenty of time to enjoy ourselves."
"I'll need to be home by suppertime."
"No problem."
"I look forward to it, then. Thanks! See you tomorrow at 10:00."
"See you then. Goodbye Kaho-chan!"
"Goodbye Hihara-sempai."
She spent the rest of the day relaxing and pampering herself. Going on all these dates was tiring. Since her Mom and sister were in Tokyo all day, she had the house to herself. She put on a face mask, gave herself a manicure and pedicure, watched a romantic comedy on TV, had some ice cream while she chatted with Mio on the phone. After that she took a nap.
By dinnertime she had already laid her clothes on the bed. She had no experience with punk or hippie styles and she didn't want to take the concept too far, but it might be fun to exercise a little creativity so at least she wouldn't stand out too much. Etou-kun was so creative himself and she wanted to rise to the occasion for him. She had an off-shoulder charcoal linen blouse with lovely sleeves that were slim in the upper arm, then flared out gracefully at the elbow. The empire waist was drawstring, below which the blouse draped loosely. The charcoal color would make her hair glow. Her beloved pair of flattering grey jeans and a bit of makeup would complete the picture. Digging through her sister's jewelry box she found a pair of earrings of Moroccan design with red beads. Then she remembered a hand-embroidered fabric bracelet she had bought weeks ago, not knowing what she would wear it with, but loving it anyway. On her other hand she would wear silver rings on 2 of her fingers.
Her makeup was simple. She applied smoky black eyeliner and pale plum lipstick. She put a bit of mousse in her hair to make it fuller and give it more shape.
She was pulling on her black boots when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to see Etou, looking quite striking. He had a ragged t-shirt on under a multi-zippered jacket. He was wearing skinny black jeans that had a couple rips and some splattered paint. On his feet were these amazing wrap-around boots, a miracle of engineering that involved laces and tabs. His hair was defying gravity even more than usual.
His eyes widened as he drank in the sight of her. He was speechless for so long that she began to worry. "Do I look okay?"
"Uh, yes. You look…really amazing." Truth to tell, he thought she looked extraordinarily beautiful and he was looking forward to showing her off. "Are you ready to go?"
She was feeling relief and embarrassment as she grabbed her bag, a black shawl and her keys. "Ready!" She locked the front door.
In the car he stared at her again and she couldn't help but ask once more. "Are you sure I look all right? I didn't really know what…"
With an admiring smile he leaned over, covered her hand with his and kissed her cheek. "You're perfect. You look beautiful…I can't wait for my friends to meet you."
"Oh!" Now she was really embarrassed, but satisfied that at least she wasn't going to embarrass him. "Thank you."
He found a parking spot about 3 blocks away from the venue. After helping her out of the car he offered her his hand and they walked companionably down the street. Throughout the evening she would be continually surprised by how attentive he was to her. He certainly seemed to be trying to make sure that she was at ease.
When they arrived at the gallery there was a large poster of 'Etou Kiriya with And Band'. Inside, the building was very alternative. There was a 'jagged hole' in one of the walls, a few metallic sculptures hanging here and there, graffiti that began on the polished concrete floor and crawled part-way up a wall, a chandelier made of dolls heads and silk flowers. The band had already set their instruments up in one corner. Etou excused himself to go talk to them. "Help yourself to some snacks. I'll be right back." He strode away with violin case in hand and Kahoko made her way to the table. In spite of being in such a unique situation with mostly older people, she decided to stuff down her nervousness and try to grow from the experience.
As she put some appetizers on her plate, she stole a few peeks at the people around her. Really, there was such a variety of looks, and she decided that she actually did fit in…somewhere in the middle between the people with black leather and piercings… and the nouveau-hippies wearing paisley and flowers.
Etou was certainly popular with this crowd. Several people said Hi to him and a couple of them seemed ready to get into a conversation, but true to his word he excused himself and returned to her side. While Kahoko munched on snacks he told her about his association with the band and the venue. When she was finished munching he asked "Would you like to meet my friends?"
"Yes!" she nodded enthusiastically. She was curious to meet anyone that he had affection for, since she had until recently found him to be such a gruff cynic. He put his hand warmly at the center of her back, guessing that she might want to feel his presence in this unfamiliar situation. He directed her to meet the band members, then several artist friends, and a couple guys that he'd been friends with since grade school. Everyone seemed surprised to see her, but were very friendly and even flattering. Etou introduced her as a friend, although some were skeptical about that. One of the young women called her 'gorgeous' and whispered in Kahoko's ear that it was rare for Kiriya to be seen with a girl. "You must be special. This morning he informed the band that he would only play two of the five songs tonight. He obviously did that so he can spend more time with you." Kahoko was dismayed that Etou-kun would make that sacrifice for her, but schooled her facial expression. He probably wouldn't want her to know that he had done that. When her escort looked at her with his deep, dark eyes, what he saw in her face was affection.
He introduced her to two of his longtime buddies; a couple of guys his age. They had recent news about a mutual friend of theirs and were dissing the guy. Kahoko was impressed that Etou was the more mature of them, saying "We don't know the whole situation, though...and we should remember that it's none of our business." One of the guys looked embarrassed and changed the subject by telling Kahoko that she was cute and asked if she and Kiriya were an item, 'cause if not…' He was interrupted when Etou put his arm around her possessively and nicely told him to back off. He steered her away, whispering in her ear "I know his track record. Trust me; you don't want to date him."
It was time for the band to play and he took her to a corner near the front, that was hidden from view of the rest of the room. At the entrance to a small side room was an art installation of a loveseat, made entirely of welded cutlery. There was a card on it that said 'Reserved', which he removed. "I'll see you in about 20 minutes." While she was waiting for the music to begin, she turned on her phone to check messages and listened to one from her Mom and sister. They had decided to stay in Tokyo to see a play. Either they would be very late getting home or they would find a hotel. It was a stroke of luck for Kahoko, who had been wondering how she would explain the guy with spiky hair who was driving her home.
She seated herself comfortably as the house lights were dimmed. One of the band members introduced Etou and the crowd burst into applause. He obviously had some dedicated fans. The lights dimmed some more and the avant-garde violinist was the only one that could be seen in the spotlight as he began weaving a meandering melody with his violin. The notes were often seemingly-unrelated to each other, and then suddenly he had woven them together and introduced clusters of sweet harmony. He was mesmerizing to watch...and listen to. A few times when he opened his eyes and looked up, Kaho could have sworn that he was looking at her. He worked the melody into a grand crescendo and then let it subside, the end of which was interrupted by the drummer's insistent beat. The rest of the band was suddenly playing, with Etou playing stunning violin solos throughout. 'His technique is as good as Tsukimori-kun's...' Kahoko thought to herself '...and he's composing it himself!' .
After his two pieces were over, Kiriya packed up his instrument and came to her. She felt a wee bit star-struck watching the charismatic performer approach her. As he sat next to her he couldn't help but check her face for a reaction, which surprised him. Why should he care what anyone thought of his music? When she smiled brightly he felt suddenly at peace. He impulsively put an arm around her shoulders as the band began the next number. After a while he found her hand and interlaced her fingers with his, resting them on his thigh. During the rest of the performance he softly stroked her hand and fingers.
Half an hour later it was over. "That's basically it" he said as music yielded to silence and then applause and crowd noise. "We don't have to stay here. Do you want to go somewhere for a drink or a snack?"
"Hmm, thanks…but I shouldn't stay out too late tonight." She had to get up early in the morning and she was already carrying a large sleep debt.
"Then maybe a bit of fresh air before I take you home?"
"That would be nice."
On their way out, a couple more people wanted to talk to him, and someone else invited them to an after-party. He politely turned each of them down, saying that he and his friend had other plans. He strapped his violin on like a backpack and held the door open for her. They began walking slowly along the twinkling street, inhaling the fresh night air, enjoying the contrasting silence. She was lost in thought, musing about how much her life had changed in two weeks, about the new kinds of experiences she was having, about how much she was growing and her self-esteem was increasing. He was studying her profile, planning to find some way of kissing her.
She suddenly turned to him and piped up "Etou-kun; your violin playing is amazing! You are so skilled and talented…and creative...so unique. I don't know very much, but I think that you must be a master at what you do."
Although his face was in shock, he was pleased with her praise. She was a sincere person and her words carried extra power because of the purity of her intention. Ordinarily he might have shrugged off the compliment with a 'what would you know' attitude, but instead he accepted it graciously. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it."
Suddenly he took both her hands in his. "You were great tonight. My friends really liked you…I'm glad that you came…"
"Thank you…" she said shyly. "I like your friends too." Then her attention was riveted to his face, which held a kind of restrained emotion. Then she recognized that look; that look that she had seen a few times in the past few days; the intense look that a guy gets when he's thinking of kissing you. He spoke softly with feeling. "You look beautiful…" He drew nearer, holding her gaze. Then abruptly he was looking up and down the street before tugging on her hand. Before she knew what was happening, they were in a dark alley and she was in his arms. He was slowly stroking her back and hair as he held her to him. With her ear resting over his heart she could hear his voice taking on extra depth. "I keep thinking about that kiss." And then he was lifting her chin.
He held her face in his hands and softly stroked her mouth with his thumbs. It was an incredible sensation. She noticed the tender look on his face before she closed her eyes to better appreciate his subtle touch. Then his mouth was warming hers. One of his thumbs continued to tickle the corner of her mouth as he kissed her. His other hand was at the small of her back, holding her against him.
When he found one of her hands and brought it to his face, she remembered this same gesture from their first time in that practice room. She caressed his face as he kissed her. It felt very, very intimate. She could feel his need for closeness and she felt privileged to be invited into his vulnerable space.
This aching need of his; to be near to her, to get lost in her sweetness. She was the polar opposite of him and he was coming to the conclusion that he might be addicted to her. The more time he spent with her the more he wanted to uphold and protect her softness. Being with her was bringing out the softness in him, and right now he couldn't get close enough. He could easily make love to her right there, submerging himself in every part of her that would have him.
She was surprised when he abruptly relinquished their kiss and squeezed her tightly in his arms. "Mnnn…" he uttered from deep in his throat as he hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and listened to his beating heart. He touched his forehead to her shoulder.
"Is it…is it like this with the others?" His voice sounded different now, a little defensive.
She stepped back to look at him. "The others?...Oh..." The other boys. She wanted to be careful about how she said it. "As well as you, there's someone else that I'm becoming close to…but Etou-kun, I've become very fond of you. There's something special about you. I like you a lot." Her eyes welled up and her voice caught; "It's going to be a very difficult decision."
It was the right thing to say, apparently. His face softened once more and he hugged her to his chest. The two violinists held onto each other for a long time.
Finally he felt reality impinging on his awareness. "You need to get home?"
She regretfully let go of him and looked up. "Yes."
He led her by the hand back to the car and they drove home in silence. She was reviewing what she had said to him, glad that she had found an answer that didn't hurt him more than the situation already did. What she told him was the truth, except that the 'someone else' that she was becoming close to was potentially 5 other guys! But it was true that her feelings for Etou-kun had a special feeling of depth. He was a big surprise to her. He had such a tough shell, but inside was an affectionate and tender-hearted guy. If she didn't choose him, she would be very sad to lose their special connection.
At her house he turned off the engine and gazed at her with eyes that might be at once sad and appreciative. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Goodnight, Hino-san. Thank you."
"Goodnight, Etou-kun."
Before falling into a deep sleep she had the sense to set 3 alarms so she would get up in time to get ready for her date with Kazuki.
Author's Note: Sigh...I guess appearances can be deceiving. It seems that Kiriya is rude and flippant and critical with most people he doesn't know, but with those that get under his skin he's actually a generous friend. And he's a very tactile, sensual guy. Touch is a need of his, because it turns off his critical brain. Kaho is the only person in his life that he has elected to express that with.
I kind of think that Azuma and Kiriya grew up with similar family expectations and pressure. Azuma cooperated and Kiriya rebelled...although I'm just making this stuff up :) It's one theory.
Kaho's date with Kiriya is based on a date I once went on with my first boyfriend. He was into punk, and took me to this cool alternative art gallery one night. He was a drummer, introduced me to his friends from a dance studio that he used to play for. I remember that I had fun dressing up a little punk, although I can't remember exactly what I wore.
Next Chapter: It's all about Kazuki's date with Kahoko. What can I say? It's sweet :)
