Chapter 3.

The air was frigid when Kousei left the hospital. A lot of different feelings and thoughts swam around in his mind. Streetlights illuminated the path as he walked. Tsubaki ran up beside him.

"Hey! How are you doing? You need to be getting home earlier. Testing for highschool is coming up, not to mention that you need to practice the piano. The piano… Kaori always bugged him about that. Kousei desperately hoped that she could pick up the violin soon. However, with all the physical therapy, she hasn't been able to have much time to do what she wants. School work for her is taking up most of her time anyways. "Earth to Kousei? Is anyone there?"

"Oh sorry… I guess you're right. I'm just tired", he answered. Tsubaki knew that wasn't the whole story.

"I can't believe how much we've grown this past year. A lot has transpired. Even Watari seems different", she said.

"Yeah… I remember when we were children. You'd like to run around. I'd be dragged around. It was probably good for me to get some fresh air anyways. You taught me that I was not athletic", he chuckled. Tsubaki smiled.

"We can still hang out like the old times… They just won't ever be the same. Also… Tell me you've eaten!"

"I haven't", he grumbled.

"You idiot! This is why you will never make it to highschool. Come on, you're coming to my house to eat, you moron. You haven't grown up yet!" she commanded. This was the Tsubaki he knew. She was brash at times, but she always cared. Tsubaki practically threw Kousei into her dining room.

"Owww. Was that really necessary", he whined.

"Yes, wait here for a little bit. I'll go get the food." Moments later she came back with a tray holding two bowls of noodle soup and two cups of water.

"Eat up! You can't only eat egg sandwiches", she criticized. They didn't waste any time starting on their meal. It was warm in his stomach, comforting. Once the food was finished, Kousei brought his dishes to the sink to wash. The water was warm, and the soap was soft. Eventually, the dishes were cleaned.

"Bye Tsubaki! Thanks for everything", he thanked. This left Tsubaki to run upstairs to her room, her face red with blush. Ugh… What am I thinking? I'm not over him. My feelings haven't changed. I like a friend A for Kousei. Is this how he feels? Ruining a friendship isn't worth some minute feelings. Get a hold of yourself Tsubaki! He never saw you like that! It couldn't be helped. Her emotions swam around in her room, splashes and making a ruckus. She got ready for bed to try to clear her head. It worked a little bit, but there wasn't peace. Why do I like Kousei? Ugh… Feelings… What am I feeling? I can't control this. I wish I was like Watari right now. He would be as cool as a cucumber. She rolled around in her bed restlessly. Kousei's light had already gone off. It was late, still her mind was awake. Only after her thoughts tired her out, did she finally drift off to sleep. It was 10pm when she woke up. Her mother was already at work. It was Watari who trespassed into her house that disturbed her slumber. Tsubaki stommed down the stairs and glared at him.

"WATARI! What are you doing here!", she screamed. Then, Tsubaki threw her slipper at him, hitting him right on the head.

"Owww! Stop. Listen to me for a second." A burage of things came tumbling down at him, before she calmed down.

"I need to talk to you about something important!" he called.

"What's so important that you need to break into my house!?" she shouted. "We'll talk in a bit. There should be breakfast food in the fridge. Feel free to eat. I'm going to get changed." Once she finished changing, she found Watari at the table, calmly sipping on some orange juice. "What is it that you needed to talk to me about", she grumbled.

"You're not going to believe me when I admit this… I actually like Kaori, as in I wanted a long term relationship with her. It's just…"

"It's Kousei and Kaori, isn't it?" Tsubaki sat down in front of him, pouring her own glass of juice.

"Whenever those two are together, they seem to be in their own little world, as if nothing else mattered. Maybe I'm crazy. Would it be different if I were a musician? I feel like I can see it in their eyes. They like each other. Maybe I'm crazy though. It's just hard to consider the possibility of the person you like, with someone else", he explained.

"Watari… I totally know how you feel. They way Kousei played at that contest… He might as well tell the whole world that he loves Kaori. He ran out like a crazy person, looking as if his world would end. Kaori is his world. I wasn't the one to save him out of his darkness. Things will never be the same. It is really hard to process, even last night I was restless." Tsubaki licked the yogurt off her lips. There was a moment of comfortable silence between them as they thought. The sun's rays shone through the window panels.

"I knew I could count on you. Sooo, to recap, both of the people we like… like each other. What do we do now? I mean, is acting like nothing is wrong really the way to go? We can't live in the past forever", he said.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to figure it out. We need to move forward. Just like Kousei." Watari nodded.

"Let's hang out today. It'll distract us", suggested Watari. Tsubaki had no reason to disagree. They finished their dishes, and headed out the door.

"What are we going to do?" she questioned.

"We're both athletes… so maybe run or something."

"Hmmm. There is one thing I've been dying to learn! Follow me." she expressed. The two ended up in the middle of an alley. Watari was quite confused.

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"It's called parkour. Basically, we jump around and do cool flips and stuff."

"Oh! I've heard of that. It looked so cool. Definitely up my alley. Pun intended", he laughed. Tsubaki could only roll her eyes. "Let's start small and try to scale the side of this building." Watari was the first to leap into the air, grabbing onto a metal pipe on the side. He used the momentum along with the pole to climb up the side of the building. Pretty soon, he was standing smugly on the top of the building. There was no way Tsubaki was going to let him outdo her. Before he knew it, she was on the top of the building beside him.

"Is this even legal?" she wondered.

"No idea. You've always wanted to do it. It looked fun. Lighten up a bit. We can explore the cityscape by rooftop. Not everyone gets to. Let's go!" There was a wooden plank on the roof. Tsubaki lifted it up and made a bridge to the adjacent roof top, which was slightly taller. "Pretty good for a girl", he taunted as he sprinted across the wooden plank. Idiot! He doesn't get to get the best of me! This was a great use of their Saturday, hopping around the jungle of roof tops. Tsubaki's stomach growled.

"Let's get some lunch", she said. Watari couldn't agree more, for his stomach was also growling. As they strolled on the sidewalk, there was a vending machine that had egg sandwiches. Tsubaki couldn't help being reminded of Kousei. She was determined to not let her feelings get in the way of her having a good time today. Hanging out with Watari wasn't as bad as she thought. They soon entered a cafe.

"I'll have a turkey sandwich with iced tea", she ordered.

"Hmmm… I'll have a bacon, letus, tomato sandwich with water", Watari said to the waitress.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you", they replied. It seemed like this cafe had just recently opened. Hanging plants were hung near the windows that allowed the sun's rays to light up the room. It was quite busy. They were lucky to get a table. The aroma of home cooked food flooded everyone's noses. It truly was a bright place.

"How's hanging out with the world's most handsome guy?"

"Not that great", remarked Tsubaki.

"Oh come on! You look like you're enjoying yourself, or at least distracted from Kousei… sorry."

"It's okay. How are you feeling about Kaori?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure Kousei and Kaori won't date right now, but they are connected by the string of fate. It's just a matter of time. This is the first time I've really felt real heartbreak. I'm happy for Kousei. He's gotten better because of her, but I guess I'm not used to him shining so brightly. I kinda thought I'd help light his world", he expressed. Then, the waitress brought their order. Tsubaki took a bite of her food, and Watari sipped on his water.

"Look how much things have changed. I wanted to believe it so badly. I wanted everything to stay the same, but people change. Kousei's happy, even if it isn't me he wants. Even if they never become a thing, we are growing up. I'm not the same person I was, neither are you", she added.

"I guess you're right. Now… Let's finish lunch up!" After lunch, they decided to part ways and go home. Time passed like a cool breeze. Moments rush by like the subways on the streets. Some things fade like the snow on the ground, while some things stay the same like the bark on the trees. At this point, the sun was gone, only to be replaced by clouds. Snowflakes started to float down from the sky. Not one of them alike. One landed on Tsubaki's hand. It was beautiful, but it inevitably melted away into a tiny droplet of water. The flurries of snow got more intense as she made her way home. By the time she was inside her house, the snow was really tumbling down. Tsubaki noticed an all too familiar sound. The tapping of keys into notes. Kousei was practicing the piano. It was comforting, but she knew it wouldn't last forever. No matter how hard she tried to keep things the way they were and to stop time. Life moved on without her, whether she was ready to move on or not. Her mother wouldn't be back for another few hours, so she decided to watch TV. Overall, it was a relatively relaxing day. She considered doing parkour with Watari again sometime. By now, Kousei's music could no longer be heard. I wonder how Kaori is doing? Is she getting better?

"I'm home", responded her mom.

"Hi mom! How was the day?" Tsubaki's mother closed the door with a whirlwind of snow coming inside.

"It really is coming down. Work was okay, nothing much. Your father will be coming back to visit soon. I'll start on dinner, can you help me?" Tsubaki nodded. It was just the two of them, cooking dinner. Kousei never got this privilege. They laughed together, as they joked around while cutting the veggies. The house was filled with warmth and love. Time passed quickly, and so did their cooking. Bowls of steaming rice were placed on the table along with some braised pork, veggies, and fruit. "So… Tsubaki, what did you do today?"

"Watari was bored, so we hung out. Kousei was busy practicing the piano", Tsubaki vaguely explained.

"What did you and Watari do?"

"We tried parkour. It's kinda hard to explain, but it was really fun. After that, we ate at a cafe that opened recently. I wish Kousei would've gone with us, but he probably wouldn't like parkour. It's an activity more suited for athletes", she chuckled.

"Ohh… I see. You seem to be a bit tired from school with the testing coming up. Why don't we just relax and rest tomorrow? Maybe we'll watch a movie. You and I… Does that sound good?" her mom suggested. Tsubaki couldn't agree more.