Chapter 12
"The Prologue" by Yunoki Azuma
Raily felt someone or something soothingly rubbing her hair.
"It's okay, honey…"
It's better than okay… it feels really good… Raily snuggled some more. Is this the beach water washing my hair? Sigh. So relaxing.
"…I'm so sorry,"
That voice.
Mom? Raily instantly opened her eyes and found her mom looking down at her with tears in her eyes.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Raily sat up and asked, concerned.
"Oh, Raily…." Ayane just pulled her daughter close and hugged her tight.
"Mom?" Raily was looking around her and realized she wasn't on the beach anymore.
She was back on her boring air-conditioned room in the Yunoki household. But… how did she get there? She was very certain she didn't walk home because she didn't have any idea how to get there.
"Mom," Raily pulled back and looked at Ayane. "How did I get back here?"
"Takashi and I came to get you, Rai." Ayane sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You were lying unconscious on the beach."
"I passed out?" Raily frowned."But how did you know I was in the beach?"
"A sensei told Azuma-kun, and he quickly called Takashi." Ayane took Raily's hand. "Raily, honey, can you tell me what happened in school?"
Raily looked down and noticed she had changed into a kimono. "Nothing, mom. It's nothing."
"Raily, it's not nothing. I could tell you were crying before you passed out on the beach." Ayane used her free hand to pull Raily's chin gently so they can look eye to eye.
Trying hard not to look the other way, Raily bit her lower lip so that it wouldn't quiver. "I'm just tired."
"Of school?"
"Of everything. I just… I think I wanted to get away for a while." Raily sighed.
Ayane nodded. "I understand. But, Raily, what you did was dangerous. You don't know your way around here yet and you could've gotten hurt."
Too late, mom. It already hurts. Raily smiled ruefully. "Is Takashi mad?"
Ayane shook her head. "He was worried, honey. Everyone was."
Raily sighed again. "What time is it?"
"It's 4 pm," Ayane then added with a smile. "Friday,"
"Friday? You're telling me I slept practically for a day?"
Ayane nodded. "We let you sleep in. I thought you might need the rest."
"Still feel tired, though." Raily muttered.
Ayane patted Raily's hand. "Well, you have the weekend ahead of you, so you'll get more time to rest."
Though Ayane tries to smile and look enthusiastic, Raily could tell that her mom was still worried for her.
"I'm fine, mom. It's just a phase, really. You know, new kid in school and all." Raily joked. Only deep inside it wasn't a joke. What those music department students were doing to her was not funny at all.
"Do you not want to be in Seiso anymore?" Ayane asked gently.
Raily swallowed. "It's just… not how I expect my high school life to be, mom. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, hon. Listen, I'll get you some food now, okay? And then I'll ask Takashi about other schools you can transfer too."
"Thanks,"
Ayane smiled reassuringly before she left the room.
Feeling extremely gutted, Raily leaned back on the wall and looked up at the ceiling. What am I supposed to do now, Donna? ... Should I transfer?
As if on cue, Raily suddenly heard a knock on her door. She froze, anticipating.
"Raily-chan?"
Raily sighed when she heard Azuma's voice. She had hoped for a second there that it was Donna who would come for her. Foolish hope.
"What is it?" Raily called out weakly.
"May I come in?"
Raily hesitated but then Azuma did partially save her. "…Come in."
The door slid open and Azuma went inside with his kimono and padded slippers. His long hair had been tied up in a low ponytail and as usual, even at times like these, he had a smile on his face as he greeted her.
"Hey," Raily responded .
"Raily-chan…" Azuma started.
Raily sighed. "Would you like to sit? It looks like you have something very long to say to me."
Azuma sat on the chair near her desk. "I came to apologize."
Why is everyone apologizing? Raily turned to look at her soon-to-be-stepbrother."You know it's not your fault."
Azuma shook his head. "Tatsuko… and the rumors-"
Raily frowned. "Who the hell is Tatsuko?"
"She's... the so-called 'President' of my fan club."
"The senior who bitched me?"
"She is a senior, yes. And also the leader." Azuma replied.
"Right, I remember her." Raily exhaled loudly. "But it's not all you, Azuma. I'm sure you've read the texts. There was a 'RAILY IS VIOLENT TRASH' and a 'SHE CAN'T READ NOTES' too."
"I've heard about what they did in your class the past few days," Azuma clenched his fists underneath his long sleeved kimono.
"Of course you did, you know everything," Raily then realized that being mean to Azuma won't really make her feel any better. "They're right, though. I don't fit in there with those who have talents."
"That's not true. You're really good, Raily-chan, and you'll learn a lot in Seiso-"
Raily shook her head. "C'mon, you know fully well I don't belong there."
"That's not the case…"
"Oh yeah? Tell me then. What happened in school today while I was gone?"
Azuma thought back. "Well, nothing unusual."
"M-hm. No loud horrays! because they've got rid of me?"
"No," Azuma would personally skin those girls alive if there was a hooray! heard from any of them.
"Well, duh. They won't do that if you're there." Raily said blatantly. "The right person to ask must be Tsukimori."
"Raily-chan, about the concours…"
Raily shrugged. "Please tell Kanazawa-sensei I'm quitting."
Azuma had a feeling she would say that. "I know you feel really upset now, but can you please go to the training camp this weekend? It's just one weekend."
Raily had only one word for that. "Why?"
Azuma studied her for a moment until he came up with the right words. "You are a violinist, Hanami Raily."
"Huh." Raily rolled her eyes. "Everyone with a violin can be a violinist, man."
"Are you certain about that?" Azuma asked in that calm yet manipulative voice of his.
That got her thinking. And Raily thinking meant Azuma got to her. He grinned secretly and pushed some more.
"Are you certain you want to let a big opportunity like this go to waste, Raily-chan?" Azuma continued. "Don't you want to see for yourself how good you can become?"
Raily shook her head, slowly. "That doesn't matter to me."
It doesn't, huh? Azuma could feel her hesitation and he knew it took just one more to convince her.
"And your friends back at the North. They bade farewell to you, knowing, believing that you can achieve something great. Isn't running away the same as… letting them down?"
As soon as Azuma said that, Raily had a sudden flashback of her last day with Donna. As that scene played in her mind, Raily remembered that Donna did believe in her. "Show them what a real violinist can do." Was what her best friend said.
Seeing her zone out like that, Azuma speculated that she was really hesitating now. He sensed something interesting is definitely about to happen in the training camp this weekend.
"I hope you'll think about it, Raily-chan… Kazuki, and I-- and also Tsuchiura-kun will be waiting for you tomorrow."
"…Tsuchiura?" Raily looked at Azuma in confusion.
Azuma smiled. "He called me just a while ago, asking if he can speak with you. You were still sleeping so I told him to call again later." He got up his seat. Of course, he didn't mention that Tsuchiura had prodded him to help convince Raily to go to the camp. Well, Raily didn't need to know that, not yet anyway.
"Oh, and also your date. Let's not forget about him." Azuma chuckled when he saw Raily really widen her eyes in shock.
"Tsukimori… he-… he…. He wants me to go tomorrow?!" Raily found that hardly believable.
"He sees you as a comrade, it seems." After their talk on the rooftop, Azuma knew fully well that it's not just camaraderie that blue-haired boy is feeling about Raily. But, since Azuma found developments intriguing to the bones, he decided to leave that part out too and just enjoy the show that's about to enfold.
First, Tsukimori's talk and then that call from Tsuchiura. Hmm. Very intriguing, indeed.
And the show will all start tomorrow at camp. Azuma thought of another interesting idea . "Ne, Raily-chan, maybe you can finally ask Tsukimori-kun to be your date during camp. You do get to spend the whole weekend together, after all."
Raily glared at him so hard a normal person would go running back to his room to hide. But of course, Azuma wasn't a normal person. So he was just pleasantly laughing inside as he watched Raily turn vicious.
"Why can't you shut up about that?" Raily snapped. "You know that I was just distracted at that time so I told that Diamond person that Tsukimori will be my date."
"Raily-chan… is he not your type?" Azuma asked suddenly.
Raily blushed at that. "W-what are you talking about?"
"Tsukimori-kun's a fine man. Rich, handsome, talented… what is missing, then?" Azuma had finished interrogating Len in the rooftop and since he's got nothing better to do at the moment, why not do some questioning on Raily's side?
"It's none of your business, Azuma!" Raily sputtered. "What I look for in a guy does not concern you at all."
"But, Raily-chan, did you forget? I'm going to be your nii-san soon." Azuma smiled widely. "Of course I should know what kind of man my future brother-in-law would be."
"Get out!" Raily grabbed a pillow on the bed and threw it at him. "Get outta my room!"
Laughing incessantly, Azuma finally excused himself from Raily's room.
If Azuma was all happy-happy. Raily on the other hand, found herself no longer gutted, but confused. She till couldn't get over that mystery dude who talked Nami Amou into following her outside of school the other day.
Tsuchiura. Could it be that he was the one who sent Amou?
Or… Tsukimori?
HELL, it can't be Tsukimori. That I'm sure of…
Raily got up the bed and paced around the room. "Urg. Fine, fine. Damn it. I'm going tomorrow! But that doesn't mean I'm going back to Seiso. Or that I'm getting back at the concours. No way."
When she was finally satisfied with that resolution, she got her violin case and checked the pockets for the reply slip that needed to be signed by her parents. She'll have to talk to her mom about that. Well, and Takashi 's just been Ayane and Raily for a long time, and so she found it really strange that there's now someone who's soon going to replace his cheating bastard of a dad.
She just hopes that her mom made the right decision in marrying Takashi. Because going to Seiso… Raily felt that it wasn't a very good idea.
End of Chapter 12
To all my favorite readers,
TRAINING CAMP PART I will start in the next chapter, :D please be patient in waiting for it!
Thanks thanks! Don't forget to review!
-Katelyn
