Bridging the Gap

by beaple leone michaelmas

Chapter Eight: Acting on Impulse

A/N:

Hello again! My summer has officially started so I'm celebrating by updating my fics. I've been reading a lot of REALLY good Ghost Hunt stories lately, which are sadly still in progress, so I know how frustrating it can be to wait for authors to update. Though I seriously doubt anyone's happiness depends on this fic, here it is, updated. ::)

On a more 'serious' note, as one reviewer (Who Are We?) pointed out, there are a lot of OC's in this story. Sorry! ::X I'm sure it bothers some of you, but really, it can't be helped. Anyway, before you start reading this chapter, I suggest you refresh your memory of Tsukimori's friends [descriptions of them found near the end of Chapter 2 should you wish to check] because the following scene will make your head spin if you don't know Takishima and the others well. Enjoy! ::D

[WARNING: The chapter you are about to read is virtually useless. LOOOONG, too.]

Disclaimer:

I do not own La Corda d'Oro; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on Primo Passo.

Previously:

Chapter Seven: Man-to-Man

Tsukimori sighed, the first to drop his gaze. Standing up, he held the doctor's stare a second time and said, "Kaji, Aoi, you've only managed to confuse me more. But I must admit you've given me invaluable information. For that I thank you," he finished, bowing slightly.

"Ahhh, well, um," Kaji cleared his throat as he rose to his feet, a flush creeping up his neck. "I didn't tell you this for your own good, you know. I just want Kahoko to be happy, and I think – no, I believe – the only thing that will make her happy right now is getting back together with you."

Chapter Eight: Acting on Impulse

The two young musicians stood by the seashore, both lost in thought. Her face wore an expression of anxiety; his face was an emotionless mask. As the wind lashed against them, flinging her long, brown hair all over the place, he turned to look at her. It was one of those few times Sawasaki Erisu looked utterly, inconsolably troubled. Worry did not befit her.

The sun was setting rapidly, creating a deep, dark pool of red on the surface of the ocean. Feeling the sudden chill in the air, Erisu wrapped her arms around herself, sighing heavily.

Tsukimori Len's eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

His girlfriend turned to stare at him, an exaggerated pout on her lips.

"You've been AWOL since Christmas," she accused, half-playful. "And you only called me once in the past two weeks."

"I've been busy," Tsukimori replied in a low voice, turning to look away. "I'm sorry. I should have called you more."

"I actually don't mind," Erisu said, smiling slightly as she turned to gaze at the sea. "As long as we're together now, I don't mind."

As long as we're together…

Tsukimori cursed inwardly. This was even harder than he had imagined it to be.

"Erisu," he began, sharply turning to face her fully. "There's something I-"

To his surprise, Erisu had turned to face him as well, holding a hand up in front of him, her eyes filled with apprehension.

"Will you let me talk first?" she begged, voice uncharacteristically low. "I have a feeling if I don't get this out of my system now, I never will."

After a brief internal struggle to maintain a composed expression, Tsukimori nodded and let her speak.

"Six months ago," Erisu began, gaze trained away from Tsukimori, "I revived my research on Hino Kahoko. It was out of curiosity, I think, not jealousy. From the little I knew of her then, I didn't see her as the type who would end a relationship just like that. Her reason… did not satisfy me."

She sighed for a second time and irritably rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say is, the real reason she wasn't able to meet you is that she got involved in a car accident," Erisu said heavily, more quickly. "The car she had been riding on was registered to an Etou Akihiko, a violin teacher who had been giving Kaho-san in-house training for almost a year. His brother, a teenager named Etou Kiriya, had been driving Kahoko to the train station when the accident happened. She survived, but unfortunately, he didn't. The day she was supposed to meet you, Hino Kahoko was recuperating in a hospital in Mizuide in Saga-ken, unconscious."

Erisu frowned, looking at Tsukimori with a suspicious glance.

"Why does your silence tell me you've heard all this before?" she asked, more to herself than to him. "You don't look the least bit surprised."

"I've been doing my own research," Tsukimori replied, holding her gaze. "I spoke with Kaji Aoi-"

"The doctor-?"

"Yes," Tsukimori confirmed. "He's told me everything about the accident."

It was such a vague statement that Erisu couldn't help searching his face for answers.

"Do you also know about-"

"Her illness? Yes," Tsukimori confirmed with a small nod. "Kaji explained that to me as well."

Even as Tsukimori's eyes shifted towards the sea, Erisu continued to stare at him, her expression thoughtful.

"That makes things easier then," she chirped in singsong suddenly, finally taking her eyes off him. "I was afraid I would have to explain everything to you bit per bit. Honestly, I was afraid you wouldn't let me finish my story. It's a relief to know you know the whole thing now…"

She was babbling, and they were both aware of it. An awkward silence followed, broken only by the waves crashing against the shore.

"Erisu," Tsukimori whispered. "I've been thinking a lot about-"

"I'm breaking up with you."

Shaken, Tsukimori turned confused eyes towards her, his lips parted in a small O of surprise. "What?"

"Let's break up," Erisu repeated, her hands balled into fists at her sides, voice cracking slightly. "Sever ties. Separate. Whatever it's called."

She caught Tsukimori's gaze, a questioning, pleading look in her eyes. And inexplicably, he understood.

Kahoko, I think, had been hoping you would fight for her, Kaji Aoi had said. Knowing that woman, I'd say she was waiting for a sign that you had to know. Maybe she felt you were giving up on her too easily, so she didn't think it was worth the fight…

Tsukimori took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

"I-"

Realizing that words were useless to express what he wanted to say, he merely gave Erisu a small, hesitant smile. Seeing her face crumple, tears threatening to fall from the rims of her dark green eyes, he slowly reached out for her, cautiously pulling her into a tight embrace. Words, he knew, would fail.

So he merely hugged her as she sobbed into his shoulder, patting her back comfortingly, relieved that somehow, he didn't have to say the words that would break her heart.

Her heart breaking, however, was inevitable.

"Pathetic," she suddenly muttered through her sobs, pulling herself away. "You're pathetic, Tsukimori."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Back to using last names, are we?"

"You know, you really should join the rest of them," she added, ignoring him as she turned away, her fingers valiantly trying to wipe her steadily flowing tears. "If you leave now, you'll get there before midnight."

He considered staying behind with her; after all, he had just broken heart. Yet the little social interaction he had with select people had taught him that crying was sometimes best done alone. He gauged this was one of those moments.

"Yes," he heard himself agreeing vaguely. "I think I'll follow them…"

"They're in Aozu, aren't they?" Erisu said with her back still turned, voice thick as she spoke in between soft sniffles. "With firecrackers and enough alcohol to fill an aquarium? Stupid kids. They'll never grow up."

Despite himself, Tsukimori felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards into a smile.

"I can't say the same for you," he noted with amusement, only to be rewarded by a snort from Erisu. Raising his hand, he touched her shoulder one last time.

As his fingers met her skin, she flinched visibly and shuddered away. "I'm telling you! Don't make this more difficult than it already is…"

Silent, Tsukimori drew his hand away, staring at Erisu for a while longer, unsure of what to do. Then, just as he was about to speak and apologize for ending things so impassively, a firm hand touched his shoulder.

It was Naoto-san, looking at him with a mixture of sadness and understanding. Upon seeing Tsukimori's knitted eyebrows, the older man smiled, and squeezed his shoulder.

With a nod at Naoto-san and a final glance at Erisu, Tsukimori slowly walked away from the seashore, his footsteps noisy as he stepped on and crunched tiny seashells interspersed with the sand.

XXX

Beads of sweat formed around Hino Kahoko's forehead as she bit her lower lip, frustrated. In front of her, Oribe Heiji was locked in heavy concentration as well, his eyebrows scrunched up as he tried to read the reflection in his opponent's eyes. Taking one deep, inaudible breath, Kahoko lifted her hand, fingers shaking from the pressure of weighing her options.

This one? No. The other one.

As she lifted the leftmost card, she saw Oribe's face fade into exasperation. With Oribe crying out in frustration, Kahoko peeked at the card she had chosen and grinned. Throwing a pair of aces on the table, she pumped one fist into the air as Oribe was forced to take her last card.

The crowd around them erupted in cheers and catcalls, the name-calling coming mostly from Sato. Kahoko stood up, and was instantly pulled into an enthusiastic hug by Nami, Mio and Shouko – as though winning a game of Old Maid equated to getting a gold medal in the Olympics. Meanwhile, Takishima, Shimizu, Hihara, Tsuchiura and the still obnoxiously jubilant Sato were taking turns putting lipstick marks on Oribe's face – his punishment for losing.

"Satoshi! Not there! Don't you dare put squiggly lines on me, you moron!" Oribe was shouting as he kicked his friend, his hands rendered useless as Tsuchiura Ryoutaro pinned them behind him. "You'll pay for this in the next round!"

"What makes you think there's a next round?" Takishima Makoto inquired mischievously.

"So you mean there's no next round? What is this - a setup?"

Laughing heartily with the rest, Sato Satoshi pleasantly handed Nami's bright red lipstick to the girls.

"Your turn!" he told them, grinning evilly.

As Kahoko surveyed the damage the guys had done, however, she felt further vandalism was impossible. They had already covered every possible portion of Oribe's face, such that even his eyelids had traces of lipstick behind them.

"Um, I think I'll pass," she said, laughing weakly, her hand held up.

"Me, too," Takato Mio and Fuuyumi Shouko said in unison, prompting them to look at each other and laugh.

"I really don't like the idea of wasting my lipstick even more, so no thanks," Nami said, playfully sour. "However, I think there's one person here who deserves the honor of making Oribe suffer…"

Following her gaze, the rest of the group looked at Kobayashi Nao, who was staring back at them solemnly and sullenly.

"Hmm, that's a good idea, Nami," Takishima agreed. "Kobayashi-san, if you would deign to vandalize our friend Oribe's face, I'm sure it would make him very happy. Very happy indeed."

Scowling at the leather-clad conductor, Nao took the lipstick from Sato and glared at Oribe as though this was all his fault. Gulping, Oribe merely blinked back at her, still unable to move now that Hihara Kazuki had joined Tsuchiura in restraining him.

With a heavy sigh, Nao raised the lipstick to her mouth and began applying it.

Stunned into silence, the rest of her friends simply looked on, frozen, as she smacked her lips together and handed the lipstick to Nami. Before anyone could say anything, she had walked over to where Oribe was standing, immobile just as the others were.

In one swift movement, she stood on tiptoe, hand on his shoulder, and planted a kiss on his lips.

Utterly amazed, no one dared to move or make a sound; it seemed as if they had all ceased breathing, their eyes focused on the unlikely scene before them. Oribe, out of character, was standing in open-mouthed shock, his hands limp at his sides because his guards had been so astonished they had involuntarily released him. Nao, for her part, was staring at him determinedly, a mad sort of fire dancing in her eyes as she challenged him to make a move and prove, against everyone's belief, including hers, that for the first time in his life he was serious about a girl.

They would have gone on staring at each other - their friends staring at them, too - if Yunoki Azuma and Fujioka Rumi had not turned up wearing mildly confused expressions.

"What's going on?" Yunoki Azuma inquired calmly, trying to interpret the shock on his friends' faces. "What's happened?"

"Uh, Yunoki-senpai?" Tsuchiura, the first to recover, managed to say, tearing his gaze off the couple in front of him. "You've arrived. Um. Y-You have the fireworks?"

"Yes, we left them in the car," Rumi said, her eyebrows still raised in confusion. "We were hoping some of you could help us get them…"

"W-We'll go help!" Nami suddenly exclaimed, her eyes darting to Nao and Oribe every few nanoseconds. "Takishima, come on. Time to be useful!"

Distracted, Takishima scowled at Nami, who had grabbed hold of his wrist and was now dragging him forcefully towards the direction from which Rumi and Yunoki had come. The rest of the men followed, except Oribe, who, upon having his consciousness finally drift back to reality, frowned at Nao, and in one fluid motion, tugged at her hand, leading her to the woods near the villa.

Still shaken, the women stared at their retreating backs, until Kahoko finally croaked out, "Why… don't we prepare the food?"

"Food…" Mio repeated, as though the word was unfamiliar, her eyes oddly glassy. "Yes."

Frowning at Mio, Rumi took her hand, gave it a squeeze and slowly led her to the tables laden with food. Exchanging an amused look, Shouko and Kahoko began to follow them, chatting quietly.

"That was quite the surprise," Shouko noted calmly, although her eyes were glinting happily. "You think they'll make a good couple?"

"They're polar opposites in terms of personality," Kahoko said slowly, thinking. "But yeah, I guess they could work out. If Nao gets past her distrust of him, that is."

"And if Oribe-san is serious."

"Oh, I think he is," Kahoko replied sincerely, nodding slightly to herself. "From what Takishima's told me, he's never pursued any other girl… this… persistently before-"

She suddenly felt the air pressing in on her, the shock making her breath irregular. The world began to tilt to one side, and everything around her changed, becoming darker, edges softening. Sensing her body weaken, Kahoko flung an arm out to hold on to something to steady herself – but there was nothing. As her knees gave way, she closed her eyes, expecting to hit the ground as she often had in previous occasions.

Before her face made contact with anything solid, an arm had held on to her.

"Kaho-senpai?" Shouko's voice, panicked, asked in shrill tones. "Kaho-senpai, what's wrong?"

"Oh my God," Mio called out, sounding very distant. "Kaho-?"

"What happened?" Rumi's authoritative voice inquired, as another hand help Kahoko up, the grip tighter than Mio's.

"I don't know…" Shouko replied, sounding close to tears. "She just… fell…"

Kahoko tried to open her eyes. Even after she had them open though, she still couldn't make out the shapes in front of her. Everything seemed very hazy.

"I'll take her to the villa to rest," someone – the voices were becoming more difficult to distinguish now – said. "The two of you go on to prepare the food."

Before Kahoko could protest and say that she could walk up to the villa herself, someone gripped her shoulder and encircled her waist, leading her slowly toward Aozu. In between breaths, Kahoko tried to say things, to say she was all right, but her companion would only shush her mildly, and lead her on.

Before she knew it, she was sinking into a soft couch, her sight slowly becoming clearer, and her breath coming at more regular intervals.

"Rumi?" she asked weakly, seeing the silhouette of someone kneeling close to her, watching her. "Rumi-san?"

"Sssh," Rumi chided softly, putting a hand on her shoulder to silence her. "Don't talk. You're only straining yourself."

"But I'm all right now," Kahoko said, convinced of the truth behind her words. "Really, I'm fine, it was nothing-"

"Don't. Move."

Perhaps sensing that her charged would attempt to sit up, Rumi had Kahoko pinned to the couch. Seeing the serious look on Rumi's face, Kahoko tried to explain, "No, really, I'm-"

"Try to get some rest," Rumi told her, keeping her grip tight. "You're in no position to join the festivities right now, but if you regain your strength, maybe you can join later."

Kahoko pouted. "At least wake me up in time for the fireworks."

Even in the dark, Kahoko could see Rumi smile.

"Of course," she said, cocking her head to one side as she continued watching Kahoko. "Of course we'll wake you up."

Cracking a small smile, Kahoko closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. Despite all that she had told Rumi, she was, in truth, strangely, inexplicably exhausted.

Even as sleep began to envelop her, she could still feel Rumi's hand holding her own – the grip strong, but soft at the same time.

XXX

Kahoko had a very weird dream.

In it, Mio and Sawasaki Erisu, her "frienemy", were playing Old Maid, both wearing jester hats that jingled each time their heads moved. Just as the two were getting down to their last cards, Kahoko, who had been eagerly waiting to see who would win, suddenly found herself in a large, brightly-lit performance hall like the ones used by large orchestras. Onstage, however, was not a group of musicians; it was Takishima Makoto, standing in front of a table filled with all sorts of wasabi containers imaginable.

Takishima grinned at the audience, which consisted mostly of adoring old women fawning at his every gesture, before saying, "Ladies and ladies, witness the greatest show on Earth. I, Takishima Makoto, will now swallow an entire table's worth of wasabi to prove… well, to prove Amou Nami WRONG!"

Still grinning in that creepy, unchanging way, Takishima took one particularly tall bottle of wasabi, unscrewed it, and stared at it as though sizing it up. Before he could bring the bottle up to his mouth, however, the lights flickered and switched off, plunging the entire hall in darkness.

Kahoko, shocked, stood up. She expected the old women around her to rise as well, perhaps even panicking that the lights had suddenly died. But there was no activity, no sound, and even the chairs around Kahoko had suddenly vanished. Feeling confused, but not exactly scared, Kahoko moved forward, walking on without a specific direction, until she saw a bright light pooling around a figure sitting up ahead, hunched over something.

As she approached the figure, she dimly registered his dark, expensive-looking clothes, his self-assured posture and his altogether imposing air. But of all the stranger's features, there was one that captured Kahoko's attention the most.

That hair, she told herself. I know someone with that hair.

Raising a hand, reaching for the man, she felt him stir and turn his head to look at her. His cerulean blue hair was uncharacteristically windswept, but even so, Kahoko thought he still looked positively dashing. Especially with those topaz eyes looking at her - her only.

"Len?" Kahoko whispered, reaching out.

To her surprise, he caught her cold hand with his strangely warm one. In fact, his touch seemed rather realistic. Much too realistic for just a dream.

With a small gasp, she realized she wasn't dreaming. He really was there, sitting on the couch where she slept, watching her with quiet topaz eyes as the moonlight illuminated him and the rest of the room.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" she cried, instantly pulling her hand away. "You're supposed to be with Eri-chan… somewhere..." Her disoriented mind tried to process exactly what Takishima had said about him not being there, but in the end, she was still too sleepy to think straight.

"I decided to celebrate here-"

"No, no," Kahoko interrupted, waving his reply aside. "I mean, why are you here in this living room-?"

Watching me sleep…

"You were the first thing I saw when I entered the house," Tsukimori replied, unfazed. "I was wondering why you were here when everyone else seems to be having fun outside."

Kahoko frowned. Judging by the sounds of laughter and party music coming from the garden, it did seem as if the others were having fun. It was a miracle she had slept through all that noise and merrymaking.

Still, she thought, sneaking a suspicious glance at Tsukimori as she sat up properly, hugging her legs and trying to sit as far away from him as possible. What about Erisu?

"She told me to come here," Tsukimori suddenly said, as though reading Kahoko's mind. "She's in Nagoya right now, at her family's villa."

Although he had spoken in his usual monotone, with emotionless eyes, something told Kahoko something was very wrong. Before she could properly ask him exactly what had happened, however, the door to the garden opened, and a pair of footsteps broke the silence.

"KA~HO~KO!" Nami shouted in singsong, prompting both Tsukimori and Kahoko to snap their heads to her direction. "KAHOKO, WAKE UP!"

She looked positively drunk, her face red in the glow of the moonlight, a carefree grin on her face. With her was Takishima Makoto – the two of them seemed inseparable these days – watching her in a highly amused way, a small smile on his face as he reached for her hand. His face fell, however, when he saw Tsukimori.

"Len?" he said in a low voice, unsure. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Nami asked, distracted. Following Takishima's gaze, she saw Tsukimori, who had risen to his feet, her jaw dropping promptly. "Tsukimori Len! You're not supposed to be here."

"Well, I am," Tsukimori replied calmly. To Takishima, he said, "I was wondering if I could join you."

Upon hearing this, Takishima's expression suddenly turned angry - definitely angrier than Kahoko had ever seen him. Tsukimori, however, looked as if he had been expecting this reaction, and responded to the sudden change in his friend's mood merely by standing a little straighter, his gaze suddenly wary.

Feeling the tension emanating from both men, Kahoko decided she had to step in.

"Sorry for making you guys worry!" she cried suddenly, pushing herself off the couch and bounding up to a very confused Nami and a positively seething Takishima. "I'm fine now though, so no worries. Are the fireworks about to start?"

She put an arm around Takishima and Nami, pulling them gently towards the garden. Mercifully, Takishima did not shake her away, although he didn't seem too eager to leave either. Encouraged, Kahoko turned to smile at him, only to see that he was still glaring at Tsukimori. Desperate, she turned to Nami, who, upon taking one look at her face, understood what she wanted to do.

"Come on, Ma~ko~to," Nami said as she moved away from Kahoko and took both Takishima's hands. "Didn't you say you wanted to see the first fireworks lit?"

Dazedly, Takishima shifted his gaze to Nami, whose grin had begun to fade.

"Takishima," she said, suddenly serious. "It's almost midnight. We're only wasting time here. Whatever it is you want to talk about, can't it wait a few minutes?"

She gave his hands a visible squeeze, and with a jolt, Kahoko realized that what started out as a joke had become something more.

Why is everyone pairing off tonight-?

"You're right," Takishima agreed, breathing heavily and taking one last look at Tsukimori. "Come on, Nami, Hino-san. Let's have a blast!"

Kahoko laughed when she saw his old grin return. Nami, meanwhile, frowned, saying, "You have the corniest sense of humor, I swear-"

"Heeey. That's not fair!"

As she, Takishima and Nami began walking toward the garden, Kahoko glanced at Tsukimori. He was looking at the three of them silently, rooted to the spot. Upon seeing Kahoko staring at him, worried, he gave her a faint smile, before nodding and gesturing that he would follow them soon.

Smiling faintly back at him, Kahoko tightened her grip on Takishima's arm, allowing him to lead her outside.

"There they are!" Hihara exclaimed in his usual loud voice as he saw the three people approaching. "We wondered what took you so long. What happened, Kaho-chan?"

"Ahhhh," Kahoko trailed off, unsure of exactly what had happened. "I… didn't eat lunch."

"And why didn't you?" Nao asked accusatorily. Kahoko tried her best to downplay the fact that she was standing close, far too close, to Oribe.

"I was too excited?" she offered. "I didn't feel like eating?"

"Why you-!"

Before she could protest, Tsuchiura had started ruffling her hair, an exasperated look on his face.

"That wasn't very nice, you know?" he told her, voice low. "Next time you feel like torturing yourself, think of us, all right? I swear one of us almost had a stroke when he heard you had collapsed."

He threw a dirty look at Hihara, who promptly flustered and coughed rather throatily.

Laughing nervously, Kahoko distanced herself from Tsuchiura as subtly as she could; after all, she had vowed to stay away from him. Seeing the hurt look in his eyes – so he had noticed – Kahoko said out loud, "I'm sorry, okay? I promise to try and eat properly from now on – even if I have to eat chocolates after every meal just to boost my appetite."

Amidst the disbelieving snorts that followed Kahoko's declaration, Shimizu suddenly said, "I think I see Tsukimori-senpai."

As one, the people in the garden turned to look at the villa, from which Tsukimori was, in fact, emerging.

"He's not supposed to be here," Sato said, frowning, speaking mostly to himself. "What's he doing here?"

He exchanged a meaningful look with Takishima, who merely sighed heavily and, with forced cheer, clapped his hands together and said, "It's a few minutes to midnight! Are the fireworks in order?"

This prompted curses from several guilty parties – mainly Tsuchiura and Hihara, who had been assigned to handle the pyrotechnics. As Tsukimori turned to join the group, Sato raised an eyebrow at him; he replied to the nonverbal question by shaking his great blue head. Purposefully standing close to Kahoko now that Takishima was busy with preparations, he saw confusion etched on her face, as though she found his behavior weird.

Personally aware that he was, indeed, acting rather strangely, he chose to stay quiet, accepting the champagne Mio offered with a simple nod of his head.

Across the courtyard, standing beside Nao, Oribe was staring at him blankly. Yunoki, who stood nearby, was trying to focus on a discussion with his fiancée, failing each time as his eyes darted towards Kahoko and Tsukimori standing so close together. Shimizu was, as always, lost in his own world, although a frown was on his face as he distractedly watched the rest of the group crowd around the fireworks. Tsuchiura, meanwhile, seemed unable to focus on what he was doing, leaving the entire task to Hihara, who was animatedly working with Sato and Takishima. As he raised his eyes, his gaze met Tsukimori's, and a look of understanding passed between the two men.

Suddenly, Tsuchiura's face cracked into a bittersweet smile. Shaking his head, looking very much like an old man, he stepped aside, taking a good look at his wristwatch.

"Any minute now!" he announced, his deep voice booming. "Ten- Nine-"

"Eight! Seven!" the rest followed suit. "Six! Five!"

"Four!" Nami called out of turn, laughing hysterically as she carelessly threw her arms around Mio and Nao.

"Three! Two!" Kahoko saw Shouko and Shimizu exchange a quiet, simple glance that nevertheless spoke volumes. She saw him lean towards her, saw her standing on tiptoe to meet him-

"ONE!" A fresh bottle of champagne burst open in Yunoki's hands, spraying foam on him and a genuinely ecstatic Rumi.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

On cue, fireworks burst into multicolored lights in the dark sky above them, momentarily blinding Kahoko and causing her to shield her eyes. Laughing at herself, she forced her gaze up again, just in time to see a beautiful arc of gold and green erupt, putting the stars to shame. A minute or two into the show, however, Kahoko realized she could watch fireworks anywhere – what she might never be able to see again was the expression on her friends' faces. Grinning, she pulled her eyes back down to Earth.

Before she could properly look around though, she found her gaze being drawn to Tsukimori, as though magnetized. To her immense embarrassment – which she hoped did not show on her face – he was looking at her with those eyes she had seen a lot of lately, although the expression in them was new, unfamiliar.

The look of undisguised bliss.

"Happy new year," he whispered, his voice audible even with the noise of the fireworks, the stereo blaring, their friends' laughter.

"H-happy new year," Kahoko stammered, sure that her cheeks had burst into flame the moment he spoke. Mentally kicking herself, she tore her gaze away, turning to the rest of her friends just as a blur appeared beside her, walking swiftly towards Tsukimori.

It was Takishima. If he had looked angry earlier, he looked murderous now.

Without a word, he grabbed Tsukimori by the elbow, pulling away from the crowd. Tsukimori, who was visibly frowning, didn't seem to be struggling. After a moment, he flung Takishima's hand away, causing the other to glare at him even more venomously.

As Kahoko motioned to interfere, however, the noise overhead stopped, and someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her away.

"Come on, Kaho-chan!" Hihara Kazuki said, a bundle of energy as always. "Let's dance!"

"B-but, Kazuki-"

Unable to hear her objection over the noise of the stereo – which apparently had been switched to maximum volume – he took both her hands and twirled her dramatically around the makeshift dance floor. Momentarily forgetting Tsukimori and Takishima, Kahoko involuntarily let out a delighted laugh, which prompted Hihara to catch her and dip her so low she could see the sky and the last of the fireworks. Thinking she was going to fall, Kahoko struggled to right her bearings, an action that caused her knees to buckle, catching Hihara off guard. As both of them fell on top of the grass, Kahoko still deliriously happy, Hihara turning so red he looked ready to emit steam, the dancing pair of Oribe and Nao tripped over them, and overbalanced.

Trying to avoid collision, Tsuchiura, who had been standing nearby with a can of beer, hastily stood aside with a yelp, bumping into Rumi who whirled around only to have beer flying into her face. Initially shocked and horrified, she blinked several times, causing Tsuchiura to stammer an apology. At the sound of Yunoki bursting into laughter, however, Rumi's face broke into a grin, and she lifted a fist to hammer at her fiancé, who mischievously wrapped her in a tight embrace.

Watching the disastrous events she had caused, Kahoko stood up groggily, tears leaking out of her eyes as she doubled over laughing. She saw Nami standing nearby, and raised a hand to steady herself. Her friend, however, was staring at something up ahead, her eyes round and panicked.

"Oh my God," she saw rather than heard Nami say.

Before Kahoko could ask what was wrong, she saw Oribe rush past her, followed by Shimizu and Sato. All three of them looked horribly serious – too horribly serious for New Year's Eve. Seeing where they were headed, Kahoko's blood froze. Farther on, almost near the villa, stood Takishima and Tsukimori. As she watched, horrified, Takishima landed a square punch on Tsukimori's face, hitting him so hard he fell.

The most disturbing fact of the matter – aside from best friends, two normally rational people, dueling physically – was that Tsukimori did not even bother to defend himself.

Hihara and Tsuchiura ran past Kahoko just as Shimizu and Sato managed to restrain Takishima before he could take another swing. As Tsukimori slowly pulled himself up, spitting blood and sporting a split lip, Oribe placed himself between his two friends, holding his hands up to separate them.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he shouted, looking very much unlike the easygoing guy he usually was. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"Ask him!" Takishima yelled, pointing at Tsukimori, finger shaking – but not out of fear. "Ask him what he's done!"

Frantically, Oribe looked at Tsukimori, demanding an explanation. The latter, however, merely cursed and wordlessly turned on his heel to walk up to the villa, marching with heavy footsteps past Hihara and Tsuchiura.

"Tsukimori-"

Tsuchiura put a hand to his shoulder, a gesture which the violinist rudely brushed off.

"YA, TSUKIMORI!" Oribe bellowed, hands balling into fists. "You don't brush friends off just like that-!"

"No, let him!" Takishima interrupted, shaking himself loose of Shimizu and Sato. "He always walks off because he's a coward. He left his girlfriend in Japan because he was afraid to take risks. Now, he's exiting a relationship the easy way out-"

Tsuchiura and Hihara jumped in front of Tsukimori as the latter whipped around viciously to respond to the accusation.

"It's not as if you're fit to give advice," he snarled, eyes glinting ominously. "When you've never taken a relationship seriously. Not since Ruriko-"

"Don't you dare use that against me!" Takishima retorted, pointing another accusing finger at Tsukimori. "At least she knew what she was getting into. You should never have allowed Erisu to hope in the first place!"

At this, Tsukimori stood rooted to the spot, eyes deadening; the comment had hit home. Expression carefully wiped blank, he turned his back again and resumed his walk to the villa. There was no one who stopped him this time, as everyone was too shocked by the implication of Takishima's words.

That means… he and Erisu… broke up?

Holding Nami in a deathgrip, Kahoko realized her heartbeat had speeded up tenfold. A wave of emotions had cascaded into her consciousness, leaving her helpless, lost and utterly confused. On the one hand, she pitied Erisu, who was still human despite her flaws, and despised Tsukimori, who had apparently ended things so coldly. On the other hand, however, she couldn't deny there was a tiny part of her that felt something akin to relief. Was it… hope?

A frustrated yell interrupted Kahoko's thoughts. Takishima had thrown his hands up in anger, stomping away opposite the direction Tsukimori had taken. As Sato made a move to follow, Takishima put a hand up and, obviously fighting for calm, said, "Just. Let me think."

As Takishima walked away with several pairs of confused and worried eyes fixed on him, the atmosphere of the party transformed drastically. Everyone now stood awkwardly around each other, some searching for answers in each others' eyes, others avoided inquiring gazes.

Suddenly, the music stopped. As one, the group turned its eyes towards the stereo, where Yunoki had his hand on the switch. Given the weight of the incident that had just taken place, he looked disturbing calm and collected – a polar opposite to the rest of them. Placing his hand back down, he caught Rumi look at him in worry; he gave her a small, reassuring smile before he turned to his friends. Seeing that they were all agitated and bewildered, he smiled at them serenely as well, before his gaze landed on Kahoko. As her eyebrows rose in reaction to the intensity of his stare, he suddenly smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said simply. "They'll fix things on their own."

"You're probably right," Oribe agreed, although he didn't sound too sure. "It's just that they've never fought before – not this violently…"

Kahoko looked away from Yunoki. It was eerie the way he had kept his gaze on her the entire time he had spoken. Why did he look at her like that? Did he think she was the cause of all this commotion?

Trying to smile at Nami, who was looking at her with worried eyes, she told herself it was not her fault. It was not her fault.

But knowing that Yunoki Azuma was still staring at her made her feel inexplicably guilty, a mood that lasted the rest of the day. What a kick-off to the New Year.

A/N:

CHEEEEEESY. Sorry! ::X

Re: story-related things, I need help, guys! ::X What do you think Tsukimori would have in mind to make himself closer to Kahoko? A date? The be-her-friend inside job tactic? Moreover, do you think he was OOC, the way he dumped Erisu so readily? What do you think he feels about it, guilty or apathetic? Finally, what does Kahoko feel about le breakup? Do you think she's acting too hopeful? Too heartless? Too unbelievably selfish? I really don't know. ::(

PS:

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, especially those who have said that they like BTG very much! Thank you thank you THANK YOU SO MUCH! ::D There's still quite a bit to go through, though. ::X