Author's Note: I remembered my scene break this time!

Chapter Twenty

Master of the Strings

"Thank you for coming with me, Yuna." Yasuko said as she opened the door to the music room. "I've had grand plans to join a club for the last few years, but I always find myself sitting outside the door until someone shows up to shoo me away."

"It's alright." Yuna said. "Emi told me I was doing the same work out as usual so I could swing by later and make it up." She didn't mention the disappointed look on her captains face when she told her she wouldn't be at practice. The mention of a later time to practice had been less of a request and more of a demand. Yuna had already called Nanako to tell her she wouldn't be home at the normal time. Her cousin had been more than happy to wait to eat a late dinner with her, but Yuna had been able to convince her to go to a friend's house instead. "So what's' your plan?"

"The culture clubs start tomorrow," Yasuko said. "and one of them is a band for beginners. So, my mom said if I found an instrument I wanted to learn she would get it for me as long as I promised to stick with it for the rest of the year." She ushered Yuna in as she darted to the back where all of the instruments sat piled up. "This is your music room?" It was smaller than Yuna expected, and seemed more like a storage closet than a music room. A pile of cases sat along the back wall, and Yuna wondered if anyone was able to find exactly what they were looking for on their first try. There was a bit of an empty space between those and the front, where a old, brown, grand piano sat in the corner like a kid that had gotten a time out. It was clearly old, with peeling wood and sloppy paint. Yet, as she moved closer to it, she saw that the inside was in perfect condition. Someone had taken great care in keeping it playing.

Yasuko began to ramble about various instrument choices as Yuna, not really listening to her friend, gravitated to the piano. Just like her time at the mansion, she slid into the wooden stool and let her gaze grace over the keys. When she was little, the grand piano had seemed so big and intimidating. Her mother had to go out and by a smaller keyboard to get her to practice. Over time, however Yuna learned to appreciate the grand piano's sound, and it was often the first thing she noticed in any room it was in. She hoped that Yasuko wasn't expecting much in terms of opinion from her, because her friend's voice was the last thing on her mind.

She tested out a few chords. The piano was just slightly out of tune, but not enough to bother her too much. It was possible it had simply been left alone for so long that it wasn't ready for her attention. Slowly, she ran through a C scale, hanging onto each note as she adjusted to this piano's sound. To the everyday person, it sounded just like any other piano, but Yuna had long since learned to pick out the subtle differences. The one at the mansion was newer, but this one had a certain charm to it. She heard Yasuko fall silent as she moved to a slow song, humming each note. The door opened and she glanced over without stopping. A young man she didn't recognize walked in, eyes falling. He wore the standard uniform, with a golden pin on his signifying him as a high scoring, third year student. His thick blonde hair and glasses gave him a regal sort of air as he stood in the doorway. In his right hand was a exquisite, black violin case with an intricately drawn gold rose on the bottom right side. Yuna's hands froze above the next chord as she glanced at Yasuko. "Please," He boy said, pushing his glasses up closer to his eyes. "Don't let my arrival stop you. I was actually rather curious who was playing." He moved to a table and sat his case down, flicking it open before she realized what she was doing. "And, if you don't mind, I would like to join you." He lifted the shimmering, wooden instrument daintily, as if taking a baby out of a cradle. He lifted it to his chin, arcing the bow in a very dramatic way. His face was calm as he waited for her.

She felt her face heat up, but she nodded and continued her song. After a few beats, he started to play. The sound form his violin was beautiful, and Yuna knew he had a lot of experience. She changed her pitch experimentally, and he responded instantly with his own pitch change. Smiling, she returned to playing with as much confidence as before. She felt Yasuko move beside her, but she didn't dare break her concentration to see her friend's expression. It had been a long time since someone had played with her like this. She had never been involved in band, preferring to practice on her own before she playing in front of anyone. her mom had gotten her to do a few recitals for a charity event at work, but it had always been her on that makeshift stage. The last time anyone had joined her was her father when she was younger. He had been a wonderful singer, and often asked her to play just so he could practice. But that was a long time ago, before work took over his life.

A few moments later they reached the end of the song, and the room feel completely silent. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, and she felt almost embarrassed. She got as excited to play the piano as other people did sprinting. She laughed, resting her hands in her lap as she turned toward her accompaniment. "I didn't know you played the piano." Yasuko said.

"Never really came up." Yuna said, smiling. The boy put his violin away, closing the lid with a soft click. "I believe we haven't met."

"This is Kyoya Ezakiya." Yasuko said. "He's in the top five of the third year students and president of the music clubs." Her friend bowed, surprising Yuna. "It's wonderful to meet you Senpai. I'm a huge fan."

He acknowledged her with a slight nod, before turning his full attention back to Yuna. "You are quite skilled." He said. "Most people when they look at this piano see an old piece of junk that is here merely for decoration. You made it sing."

"Someone's been taking good care of it." She said. "There were a few notes slightly out of tune, but nothing too terrible. Really all it needs is a new paint job."

He held out his hand to her. "As your friend said, I am Kyoya. No need to call me Senpai. As far as I am concerned, you and I are equals."

She shook his hand trying to hide her blush. "My name's Yuna Narukami."

"I believe I have heard about you... a transfer from the city right?" She blinked, confused. She had never seen him before, except maybe in pictures when Mr. Morooka gave his weekly "you'll never be as good as these students" speeches. Had she really become that popular that even the third years knew who she was? The thought was actually rather daunting. He, however, seemed to notice her uneasiness, and said. "This is a small town, and a new face is a welcome change. Especially one with talent like yours."
"You're not so bad yourself Senpai." She said.

"Have you joined a culture club yet, Narukami?" She shook her head. "Well I'm leading an advanced Jazz Recital club for people like you and myself that don't need to relearn the basics time and time again. We won't have as many members as other clubs, but you'll have a lot of freedom to practice what you want as long as you also work on a few required songs. I would also like to practice a duet with you for our grand recital at the end of the year, if you're interested."

"I don't have a piano at home to practice with." She said. "At least, not yet."

"That's fine. As a member of my club you'll have full, unlimited access to all three music rooms as long as the school is open. I can have a key ready for you tomorrow afternoon. I am available to meet on Wednesdays and Fridays for an hour after school if you need any help on the pieces."

That works really well with swim practice. Yuna thought. And if it's only an hour I'll have time to go to the TV world whenever we need to afterwards. The thought of having unlimited access to a piano, however, was the most enticing. Music was how she fought stress. Whenever she had a big test or life change, she always relied on music to get her through it. If she could play her own, it was even better. Practicing for one recital seemed like a minor inconvenience, and even that would give her some direction with her playing. All in all, Kyoya's offer sounded like a winning situation. "Sounds like fun." She said.

He nodded and set down his backpack on the table. "Here" He reached into the biggest pocket and pulled out a booklet of sheet music, handing it out to her. "This is what I've been working on. It's written for two violins, but I trust that you could adapt it to your own style in the next few months?"

She took it from him, glancing over the sheet. The piece was about ten pages long, filled with complicated bars, quick note changes, and dozens of symbols she hadn't seen in a very long time. Change it over to less complicated, background piano sound would not be easy. Though, she could probably manage. "I'll see what I can do." She said as the wheels in her head began to turn. She sat back down in front of the piano, resting the music on top as she clicked through a couple of chords absentmindedly.

"So Senpai." Yasuko said. She still had a look of awe on her face, as if she was meeting the richest man in the world. "What instrument would you recommend for a new, aspiring band member?"

He looked her up and down and with a deadly serious expression said. "The tambourine."

Yuna chocked back a laugh, but Yasuko looked like she had just won the lottery. "I hadn't thought of that one." She said. "That's for your advice!" Kyoya rolled his eyes as he picked up his violin. "It was pleasure to meet you, Narukami." He bowed his head slightly, before turning and leaving the two alone again.

"I think he likes me." Yasuko said. Yuna wasn't sure if she was serious, and her starry eyed expression didn't help. "Maybe I should learn the violin..."

"Notice me Senpai." Yuna muttered, but Yasuko ignored her teasing.

Swimming had become somewhat easier after four days of practice, and for that Yuna was grateful. She had been worried the first few days when she had come home completely worn out, even after she had taken breaks away from the TV world. But her body was adjusting- albeit slowly- to the fierce work outs, and she hoped by the end of the season she'd feel more willing to train as hard as Emi wanted her to. But for now, as she reached the wall on her last lap, she couldn't help but notice that her shoulders were aching. Even in the water, which pushed off a lot of her aches and pains until she was in the locker room, she felt tired.

But the last five of her flip turns had been a complete disaster, and her ego wouldn't let her stop until she figured it out.

She grabbed onto the wall and lifted her head out of the water, sighing as she pulled her goggles off. The concept of the "flip turn" wasn't that hard. Yui had patiently ran her through the steps over and over on their second practice, and bashed its importance into Yuna's mind until it was all she could think about. Yet, after an hour of practice with Yui, and a dozen or so on her own, she felt even less confident about it than she did before. She knew how to do it- the technique wasn't the issue- it was more the timing. More often than not, she would see the wall, go to flip and realize that she was either too far away to actually hit the wall, or too close and have to flail around like a dead-brain fish until she flipped herself over. Then there was the issue of power. Even when she did do it perfectly - which, arguably, was rare in its own right- she didn't really get any speed off of it. In fact, the turn itself took so long she'd had to stop a couple of times just to catch her breath. It was frustrating, and Yuna felt extraordinarily discouraged. Two straight weeks of practice and she still hadn't improved.

Why did she pick swimming? Because it was all that was available and it sounded like fun. She didn't think she'd be tearing her hair out about not being able to flip properly underwater.

"You look agitated."

She blinked in surprise as she snapped her head up. Crouched on the pool side in front of her, was a shirtless Akihiko. She felt her face heat up immediately. All he had on were a pair of black sweatpants with a thick white stripe on the sides. In his right hand was a pair of silver goggles. "Senpai." She said trying the catch the stuttering in her voice. "It's a surprise to see you here."

"I couldn't go work out this morning so I had to get it in tonight." He raised an eyebrow. "If anything, it's more surprising to see you here this late."

"I couldn't go to practice today so I had to make it up." She sighed. "Been working on these stupid flip turns for an hour."

"Do you need help?"

Help? From Akihiko? Yuna wasn't so sure there was much he could do. In her mind, the only way she could perfect the ever illusive flip turn was to do it, and most likely fail, over and over again. And in the water, there was no really no way he could work through it with her, without causing a very awkward situation. "Your couch showed you how to do it, right?"

"Yeah... once. But when she asked if I understood it I couldn't say no." Yui had been in a very bad mood that day, and Yuna wasn't sure expression her confusion over something she had called "the simplest of movements" would have changed that fact. Instead, she had feigned knowledge and just tried to time her turns when Yui wasn't looking.

"Once for a brand new skill? Does she think you've been swimming all your life?"

"Well I haven't really told her otherwise." It was more likely that Yui thought anyone who dared to work with her was already a pro swimmer. The only reason Yuna still was following her work outs instead of Emi's was because she was the only one left on Yui's side and she didn't want to offend her.

Akihiko sighed. He probably thought she was pathetic; a girl who put up with anything just so she wouldn't let down someone else. Her mother had always joked that her need to keep others happy would kill her someday. As Yuna grew up, she began to realize how true that idea might actually be. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "She wants me to be a champion, I don't want to let her down."

Akihiko shook his head as he stood up. "I'll help you." He pulled off his sweatpants and Yuna felt the blush in her face rise by at least 20 degrees.

"Senpai?" She had expected normal swim trunks, not a dark blue Speedo. Quickly, she turned her gaze away, trying to hide her distress. She had to hand it to him; he had a very nice body. However, he was also a few years older than her, and it was a body she hadn't imagined seeing up close. Did he have no shame?

The look on his face said no. In fact, he looked more confused at her reaction than anything. "What's wrong?"

"You're wearing that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" He seemed completely un fazed by the situation he had put her in. "I've learned that I can move a lot more quickly through the water when I'm not being bogged down by extra fabric. It's like gliding through air."

"I'll take your word for it." Slipping his goggles on, he jumped into the lane next to her, popping out of the water next to her. She ducked under the water for a moment to avoid being splashed in the face, almost hesitant to come back up.

"The idea of the flip turn isn't hard, but it can be challenging to put the pieces together." Akihiko pushed off of the wall, stopping himself a few feet away. "It's important to remember to keep your body as tight as possible until you complete the turn, or you will be underwater for too long." He took another couple of steps back. "You also need to make sure you have plenty of air when you go for the turn, but don't come up for a breath at the last second, or you'll slow yourself down. It's better to work it into your normal strokes." She nodded, watching him. "Now, when you reach the end of the line before the wall, is when you want to get ready to turn. Going into the summersault, you're going to tuck your chin against your chest, sweep your arm forward, and flip yourself just before you reach the wall." He pushed off, taking two strokes before he flipped over, just as he had said. He pushed off, and floated to the surface. "Just work on that part. Don't worry about turning over to continue your stroke until you feel comfortable with that."

"I'll try." She pushed off the wall like he did, taking a few steps back to match where he started. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off into her strokes. Keeping her eyes on the line, she tucked her chin under the moment she hit the top. Hoping she wasn't too far away, she flipped over, keeping her body as tight as possible. Her toes brushed the wall, and she forced herself off the wall just like Akhiko had. She floated on her back for a moment, staring up at the ceiling.

"Not bad." She sat up to glance at Akihiko.

"I feel sluggish." She said. "I'm not close enough to push off."

"A little bit of a stronger kick before the flip and you'll be able to reach the wall."

"An extra kick?"

"Yeah. Like a dolphin kick. Just a quick one, enough to propel yourself that extra last few inches."

"You can do that?"

He laughed, and she couldn't help but smile back. "Yes you can do that as long as you flip immediately after." He smiled. "How about we run through them together? I'm assuming you've already done your laps for the day?"

"Don't you want to work out, Senpai?"

"I finished that already."

"Then why did you have your swimsuit on?"

"In case I wanted to go swimming." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yuna, however, wasn't sure if he was being completely honest. Akihiko seemed like a man that knew his workouts well in advanced. He probably had vivid dreams about them every night. With as much as he talked about it, it was very unlikely he had come without a plan. "How about this." He said. "If you run through 15 more flips just like that, I'll pay for your dinner when we get back to Inaba."

Though she wasn't as driven by food as Chao, it did sound extraordinarily enticing. After working out for almost two hours, the hunger was setting in. "Aiya's." She said, hopeful. Akihiko nodded. "Ramen?" He nodded again. "And some chicken?"

"Do you need protein today?"

"I always need protein."

He grinned. "You should try protein shakes. I have at least one ever day."

Yuna grimaced. Anything like a shake- or anything with milk in general- made her sick. She had never gone to a doctor about it since her parents were too busy. After awhile she learned to just avoid it when she made her own meals. "Maybe a little bit." She said, quietly, hoping he wouldn't hold her up to it. "Alright, Senpai. I'll take your deal, but only if you'll do them with me."

"Deal."