Face the Music

Author: Erenoll

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews people!!!  Now, here's the third part! Hope you like it! Disclaimers apply. Oh and by the way, I may be changing the rating of this fic… why? Then read on and find out why! ^_^

Chapter III: Observations

"Do you know that there are over 700 bacteria growing inside your ears right now, Akira?" Nokoru asked, looking up from the paper he was reading. He grinned, amused at the look Akira gave him. "You had that headset on your ear for a couple of hours now," he continued playfully.

Akira's face scrunched at the comment. He turned his bright eyes to Nokoru and frowned, his face showing a mixture of disgust and curiosity put together. Apparently, Akira had been wearing the headset for quite a time now and Nokoru just had to say it to vex and tease the always genki youth that fine Tuesday afternoon. Realizing that, Akira took the headset off and settled it quite disgustedly on his table.

"Kaichou," he began, annoyed. "You know that I need that headset to finish my work," he lamented. "You have to stop saying that if you want to have good music for the upcoming Junior's Ball," he added.

"Ara," said Nokoru, putting the paper down. He picked up the pen beside him and placed his signature on the paper flourishingly. Next, he picked up his stamp and brought it down on the sheet lightly, creating a red kanji on the white surface. It was a sign that he approved the request. "Well you could always put it back and clean your ears later on," he murmured absentmindedly while his hand automatically reached for another paper.

Akira, this time, frowned with displeasure. "That is very disgusting," he said and made no effort to touch the headset again. To hell with the Junior's Ball anyway! Nokoru just raised his eyebrows and kept on reading, oblivious to what was going on with the younger student's head. Akira looked up and upon noticing the busy look of his Kaichou's face as his blue eyes darted from left to right composedly, obviously reading the paper, his dire mood flared a little. He just couldn't believe how the President could be so cool and calm about everything! There was a ball coming and that meant lots of preparations, lots of work. Everything was in a rush! The venue, the food, the music, invitations… he could go on!

Reina, who was sitting just a little away from Nokoru's desk, continually sorted out the stack of paper but with a light smile on her face. She listened on with much amusement. She couldn't blame Akira though. With the upcoming ball, everything was so hectic. And with Nokoru trying to sneak off from work here and there was enough to drive the two members of the Student Council nuts. Nokoru's slacking off was an added pressure for them. She bit her lower lip as if to keep herself from laughing. Well, going back to Akira, none other than that guy could manage to have that face while still looking cute and adorable.  Now, she was beginning to realize as to why the vast female population in the campus couldn't really get enough of them. Just thinking about that somehow brought her to a sudden conclusion that many ladies wished her dead.

It was quite surprising really. She never thought that her work could be this interesting—yes, that's the word-- INTERESTING. She heard some things about the trio but she couldn't exactly tell how true they were. One, she never expected the three boys to be THIS good-looking. Nokoru, with his very blue eyes and blond hair and fair skin, was really a stunner. Although he decided to wear his hair longer than how he used to during his elementary days, still it couldn't keep all the ladies' eyes off from him. He grew up rather nicely, standing 5 feet and 7.5 inches, quite tall for a Japanese Highschool boy. He was lean, not too thin but not too brawny either and he did not lose the casual elegance even with his towering height. He was neither lanky nor gawky. He carried himself just as what people would expect from an extremely rich and powerful Imonoyama.

It was rumored that Nokoru was a killer when it came to the ladies, a real ladies' man. It was said that the sweet, innocent-looking youth was not actually innocent at all. She heard disturbing things everywhere, most of it coming from the most beautiful and the prettiest women in their batch, who, she was sure, dated Nokoru Imonoyama for quite a time. What to make of those rumors, she didn't know but judging from the late and busy nights that he used to have… well…  She just came to a sudden conclusion that Nokoru, having been priding himself as a protector for the ladies, was unknowingly breaking hearts everywhere. 

Now, there was the quiet, reserved and aloof Takamura Suoh. According to Akira, Suoh came from a family of Ninjas. She heard that their family was actually the number 2 family in Japan. What that meant? She didn't know? Maybe it meant that they were the second richest or famous family in Japan? After all, political figures would always beg the Takamura Family to protect them and that meant big money… but then again… that was where she was wrong. It turned out that the Takamuras only choose the person that they would protect and right now, in this very office Suoh made his choice.

Standing 5 feet 8.5 inches, lean and pleasing to the eye, Suoh was, just like Nokoru, an eye candy for the women. He had this unusually blue hair, its length flattering the sweet contour of his face, its exotic color complimenting the shiny hue of his golden brown eyes. He, just like Nokoru, had a horde of females everywhere he went. But that's where the similarities end. Suoh, unlike Nokoru, always wore a serious face. He seldom laughed and would always pester and push Nokoru to do his job, his favorite pastime. He was not particularly fond of sweets and would always pass whenever Akira would bake a cake or two… (that is, until Akira and Nokoru would pester him to try some. Over genki-ness could be a bad thing _). Unlike Nokoru who was used to dating here and there, Suoh had a steady girlfriend. She couldn't even figure out how this Reiko girl could handle him quite well.

And there was her dearest Ijuin Akira. Just thinking about him brought a smile on her face. Unconsciously, her eyes landed on Akira's 6 feet and 2 inches frame. He was busy arranging his desk. After shuffling his papers inside his drawers, he stood up, unaware that he was being observed. He walked towards the refreshment table and prepared their usual early 2 o'clock tea that would always consist of his delicious milk tea and scrumptious apple pie or, on certain occasion, strawberry cake.

Although she liked Akira the best, there was little to know about him. The young man was cheerful and sweet and open but that's it. To read who he really is was quite hard since Akira had this mysterious air about him. Even though he would laugh and tease and play all day, Akira had this certain distance. She had this funny feeling that he was not as he seemed to be, that Akira somehow led a double life. Crazy as it seemed but that was what her inner guts told her. But putting all those things aside, the one thing that she liked about him was his sincerity. It didn't even surprise her that Akira and Utako were still going out. They were together since their elementary days and still going stronger. Although Utako had this weird tendency to snap every single minute, Akira would handle her quite well, giving all the understanding and all the love that he had. Just thinking about it made her all tingling inside…

She hated it.

To sum it all up:

They're cute? Yes.

They're gay? No…

Attached? The two were… one was available but still questionable…

All in all, the three were not actually what the girls she knew deemed them to be. They had their own flaws as well. They were not gods of the universe. They were just human beings! She just couldn't get why everybody was so psyched about them… sure they are special and good looking and—

"A penny for your thoughts."

She blinked and looked sideways only to see Nokoru looking at her, smiling. She hurriedly fixed a small smile on her face and looked away, busying herself with her sorting. She could still feel Nokoru's eyes on her and it annoyed her to hell. She looked up, this time irritated.

"Don't look at me," Reina grouched.

"Why not?" asked Nokoru curiously.

Instead of answering, Reina just looked away and decided to ignore him. She shifted her seat in order to hide her face from his gaze. She couldn't stand being stared at. It makes her very uncomfortable and uneasy. She knew she was not pretty. She didn't like people staring at her especially at her face. At the corner of her eye, she saw Nokoru still looking at her thoughtfully. She pursed her lips and shifted again, this time completely hiding her face from his view. When she was sure that Nokoru could see nothing but the back of her head, she relaxed. Humming to herself, she continued sorting out the paperwork, her hands working monotonously.

Nokoru decided to sit there and watch. He was thinking about the past couple of weeks she had been here with them. Honestly speaking, Reina wasn't someone you could call "really" helpful. She would sit there on her little desk, shuffle paper all day until two in the afternoon, have tea and leave for the conservatory, go to her classes then come back at five in the afternoon to shuffle some more papers. Nokoru couldn't really tell if Reina was indeed concentrating since he descried three to five errors each and every single day. He knew Suoh wasn't at all pleased but he was tolerant. Even he didn't mind the mistakes. They were easy to correct anyway.

Another thing that he noticed about her was how she was with them. Usually, Reina would just sit there and work. She would, once in a while, say something, usually about a certain document or ask questions but to make an effort to be extra friendly, she didn't even bother to. She was like a robot, somebody who was programmed to do this or that in a timed manner every single day. Of course, like any normal President would do, he checked her background in the school files one night and was quite surprised to find out that she was without a mother. They were in a car accident six months ago and he later found out how she was struggling to maintain her scholarship.

In the academic department, he found out that Reina was not good but he was able to read good recommendations when it came to her playing. Apparently, Reina was one of the three prodigies of Clamp. The school had high hopes for her. Other than that, he couldn't find anything more. Family background was normal though he was well aware of the financial standing of her father. Her family was struggling but all in all, the future looked bright for them, Nokoru mused, placing his fingers on his chin.

"Under consideration," he heard her murmur, setting the paper to her left. "Approved," she continued setting the other sheet to her right. "Flat out no," came her soft voice again upon setting her eyes on the next sheet. She placed the last paper in front of her and started again. It went on and on till Akira interrupted her with tea.

She looked up. "Oh, is it 2 already?" she asked quite surprised at how fast time flew by when you're busy. She stood up and made her way towards the coffee table at the center. She took her normal place at the single couch while Nokoru took his place at the middle of the large sofa while Akira busied himself with serving the tea.

He looked at the two of them, sitting there quietly. Nokoru had this thoughtful look on his face and Reina was just sitting there, doing and saying nothing. Her eyes were blank as if she was thinking of something. They looked like an odd couple to Akira's eyes. To be quite honest, the scene was very strange for him. Considering that Nokoru was a lady charmer anywhere he went, he wondered as to why everything was a little bit different with Reina. He couldn't say the girl was shy since she would tease and kid around with him. She was little bit off with Nokoru but with Suoh, there was coolness, which has surprising. In short, she would tend to ignore, although unintentionally, everybody around her. Akira secretly wondered if she was born that way.

"Where is Suoh anyway?" Nokoru asked as Akira placed himself beside him. He thanked the tall youth as he was handed his own cup.

"He's still in his Judo class, I think," answered Akira, this time handing Reina her cup of delicate porcelain with hand painted flowers on them. Reina thanked him softly and took a tiny sip of her tea, thinking how she could best Akira when it came to the cooking department. She couldn't even make a decent tea lest make edible dishes, she thought with amusement.

"Is it really your habit to smile alone?" Nokoru asked noticing the flicker of a smile that grazed her face. She looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Come on, why don't you let is in on the joke?" he coaxed.

"I just thought of something," she replied. She licked her lips and set her cup down. She then took the little fork sitting in front of her and reached for her cake. Carefully, she took a bite size and shoved it insider her mouth. Unwillingly, her eyes turned to Nokoru only to see him gazing at her hands again. She frowned slightly and decided to ignore him.

"What were you thinking?" Akira asked, his bright eyes wide with curiosity. With that, Reina laughed a little.

"I was just thinking on how I could beat you when it comes to cooking," she replied truthfully. She paused and took a sip of her tea. "And I just came to a sudden conclusion that you're unbeatable." Then she took her cake again and smiled at Akira. "This is really delicious," she said before taking another bite.

Akira smiled with genuine pleasure, his cheeks flushed a little, as he watched the appreciative smile on her face. Nothing could make him happier. Just seeing how the people around him enjoy his cooking was enough to make him content. It made everything worth it. Just then his thoughts were interrupted when Reina placed her empty cup down and stood up.

"I have to go," she declared, walking to her desk to gather her things. She took her bag and her textbooks and made her way towards the door. "It's 2:30 already I'm late. I'll see you later." She turned to Nokoru then to Akira, nodded and exited the room quietly.

Upon hearing the door shutting close, Nokoru murmured, "So much for being very friendly." He stood up and mechanically made his way to his desk. He sat on his chair once again and was about to take another paper from the pile when an idea struck him. He looked at his watch and grinned. Akira let out a soft "uh-oh" upon seeing the grin on his Kaichou's face. It only meant one thing.

"Kaichou," he said, deciding to leave the teacups and saucers all cluttered on the table for a while. He walked cautiously to where Nokoru was seated, his head full of premonitions of something not good.

"Suoh won't be back till four, right Akira?" he asked. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door. He was walking casually, his right hand inside his trouser pockets. He was whistling happily and Akira had this sudden feeling that the President decided to play truancy again.

"Anou, Kaichou," Akira began, immediate going after him. When Nokoru was about to open the door, Akira immediately placed his long arm against it. Nokoru frowned slightly. "Takamura-senpai will be furious if he finds you gone again," he remarked.

"Na, Akira," he began soothingly. Then he smiled, his sweet, winning smile. "Daijobu," he said, waving his left hand in dismissal. "I'll be quick. Suoh would never know that I left." Then he leaned closer to the other younger man that Akira was quite taken aback. The genki boy blushed a little, stumbling backwards, loosening his hold on the door. "Not if you tell him, that is," Nokoru whispered, smiling enigmatically. Then taking the opportunity, Nokoru pulled the door open and stepped outside, leaving Akira stuttering behind him.

"Demo," Akira began, getting his composure back.

"Ja!" Nokoru said, waving his hand in goodbye. And before Akira could go after him, he quickly dashed towards the hallway away from the office. He was going to his favorite place now to think, thoughts of paperwork, deadlines, a would-be-angry-Suoh and a near-to-crying-Akira already out of his head.

Quite pleased with himself, he whistled cheerfully and shoved his left hand inside his left trouser pockets and continued on his way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Reina smiled with genuine pleasure as the familiar scent of old rosewood wafted through her. It was ten minutes after 2:30 pm— she was right on time. She was standing inside the conservatory, surrounded by instruments everywhere, with music. At the thought, she felt all giddy and tingling inside. She only felt this pleasant and safe feeling when she was inside the conservatory. Somehow, being in here, making her music, she knew she would be able to create an invisible shield around her to protect her from the harsh reality of everything. Sitting there and letting her fingers do most of the work would help her create a haven of security that nobody could obliterate.

With those thoughts, she immediately placed her book bag on the nearby desk and proceeded to the grand piano. She sat down, lifting the cover up, her fingers already eager to touch the shiny and smooth ivory keys before her. Her eyes lit up. Somehow, Clamp's grand piano still never failed to amaze her. Even before she first set her eyes on it, the urge to play and use it never did leave her fingers. In her opinion, Clamp School had the best conservatory in all of Japan. It had everything. From the rows and rows of shiny violin to the glossy wooden cellos, from the three grand pianos and not to mention the complete set of traditional Japanese drums sitting quietly in the corner, the list could go on!

Smiling to herself, she forced such thoughts from her mind and sat down before the piano. Closing her eyes momentarily, she took a deep breath and placed her hands on the white keys. Opening them slowly, her hands began to move with sure, fluid motion. She decided to play Beethoven's Gertrude's Waltz, one of her first pieces, for exercise. After that, she played her second Beethoven favorite, Fleur de Elise. Gradually, the pieces got harder and harder until she was already playing Chopin's Opus 64, No.1 in Db Major.

She closed her eyes, feeling the music around her. This was one of the hardest pieces she ever played. Hearing the intricate resonance of the connected but complicated notes made her remember all the frustrated days and months of practice to learn just this single piece. Evidently, this was her entrance piece in Clamp. In order for her to obtain the scholarship, the requirement was to play one of Chopin's most difficult pieces. They were three vying for the scholarship grant, three masterpieces to pick from and she was the 'lucky' one to pick this opus.

A soft smile of satisfaction lit up her face when she moved her fingers against the keys slowly but surely. Then with a flourish, her fingers hit the last note, concluding the wonderful masterpiece flawlessly. After the difficult piece, Reina, just as she would normally do everyday, was about to stand up to get her music assignment indifferently when suddenly she head a soft applause behind her. Startled, she whipped her head around only to see Nokoru standing there, awed.

Nokoru, upon being discovered, placed his hands down. "I was on my way to the old Clamp Clock tower when I heard the music. I couldn't help but follow it," he explained, walking towards the still surprised Reina. He could tell by the look of her face that she was wondering if he had followed her or something. "That was the best playing I've ever heard," he added, standing a few meters away from her rigid form.

Reina, quickly regaining her composure, granted him one of her rare small smiles. "Thank you," she said, sitting on the piano stool once again. Nokoru, in turn, leaned casually against the piano, his white, long finger, settling themselves against the smooth keys. He smiled at her as he felt the flat, glossy wood of the ivory against his fair skin. Reina suddenly found the cellos sitting on the corner interesting as her eyes turned quickly to it, refusing to meet Nokoru's cornflower blue eyes once again. It was quite clear that the young man was about to start a conversation. Then true to her thoughts, Nokoru began to speak.

"Opus 64, No.1 in Db Major by Chopin is the most difficult piece there is," he began, his eyes landing almost reluctantly on her hands. "How on earth could you play it so well? You were better than most of the piano soloists I heard before," he added, bringing his eyes to her face once again.

"You know that?" she asked. She turned to him, questioningly, her violet eyes meeting his blue ones. "I— I mean the piece," she stuttered. Well, he caught her by surprise. Most people her age didn't know those anyway. It was seldom for her to meet someone her age who really liked listening to classical music lest get nuts over it.

"Well, I've heard about it," said Nokoru. Then he took a deep breath, his eyes turning heavenwards, as if searching for a lost memory. "My mother, when she was still alive, would listen to it every night." Then he smiled, brining his eyes back to hers once more. "It was one of her favorite from her collection."

Upon hearing that, her face softened. "Oh," she said, turning away. "I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured. Of course, everybody in Clamp School heard about how his mother bravely fought her bone cancer for two years. Almost everybody attended the services when she died. Unbeknownst to Nokoru, she was there too. Just thinking about that made her remember the pain the death of her mother brought her before. It was quite surprising how Nokoru handled his mother's loss rather nicely. Just knowing and seeing him these past couple of weeks didn't exactly painted a lonely creature still grieving for a lost loved one.

"No, that's okay," he said, smiling brightly again. "It was the past. My mother would always tell me that it was not good to dwell in the past. We should always look to the future, you know." When Reina regarded him silently, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm just curious," he began, once again his eyes settling unwillingly on her hands. "When did you start playing? I mean when did you start leaning how to play?"

"When I was five years old," she replied, looking at him then hurriedly looking away. She just couldn't stand staring at someone who was so good-looking, just couldn't stand the thought of that good-looking person looking at her imperfection, her face. She knew she had problems with her confidence and self-security but she couldn't help it.

"That was a very young age," Nokoru commented, ignoring her insecurity.

"It was the only thing that I could think of doing," she continued, this time standing up. She walked towards the desk and reached for her book bag. Opening it, she extracted a thick book from it, no doubt containing her piano lessons for the day. Then she laughed softly, remembering. "My mother, she was the one who got me into this. Then before I knew it, I was so into playing that I forgot things such as Arithmetic, English, Social Studies and the likes still exist, you know." She walked back to the piano and sat on her stool once again, arranging her book before her.

Nokoru laughed. "Yes, I know what you mean," he replied, remembering the many times he would tend to forget that the words 'paperwork' and 'deadline' really existed in the dictionary. Studying her, he frowned slightly. "What's that?" he asked curiously, looking at the bizarre complex notes printed on the paper. For his eyes, they were like a tangle of black notes that didn't make any sense.

Reina turned to him, her eyebrows raised. "Oh this?" she asked, gesturing at the book. "This is my assignment. I should learn this new piece by tomorrow," she added.

"Looks quite difficult," Nokoru murmured his eyes fixed on the notes inquisitively. He never learned to read them anyway. Even with his superior intellect, there were just some things he couldn't do. How could something as tangled and jumbled as this create something beautiful and pleasing?

Noting the look on his face, Reina just had a sudden idea on what was going on inside his head. Giggling a little, she shook her head. "It may look like that but I guarantee you it would really create something beautiful once it's learned and played skillfully." Then she turned to it as well. "I used to think that way too every time I would be handed a new piece."

Nokoru smiled, looking at her. "Then why don't you prove it?" he said. Reina turned to him, confused at the comment. "Let me hear its beauty then," his eyes gesturing her hands to move and play.

With that, she shook her head. "I'm afraid you won't like it at this time," she answered, laughing a little, quite amused. "I haven't gotten halfway through it and I haven't mastered it yet."

Hearing that, Nokoru straightened up and slid his hands inside his pockets once more, a sign that he was leaving. Reina looked at him, this time wonderingly. "Then I'll leave you to yourself," he said walking towards the conservatories double doors. Reina turned around as well, her eyes following his retreating form. "You need to practice," he added.

"And why may I ask?" she couldn't help but ask. Then she raised one eyebrow at him. "And coming from you?" At that, Nokoru stopped and turned to her. He gave her one of her charming smiles.

"Why, you need to practice, Reina-chan," he began, his voice smooth and knowing. "Because the next time I see you here, you will have to make me hear the beauty of it, ne?"

"And what makes you think that I would play for you?" she answered back, her words cutting but not unkind.

At her answer, he smiled lazily. It was a kind of smile that would make a girl blush, that would make a girl weak in the knees. It was a smile that never failed Nokoru to get what he wanted. She felt a sudden jolt against her chest, her eyes reluctantly meeting with his sparkling, languid ones which were fast on its way to becoming kind of sexually appealing. They stayed on his for a couple of minutes till she could feel herself melting with a hotness she once felt during an escapade in her first year with a dirty video tape. As much as she didn't want to, her eyes surprisingly remained glued to his. Aware that hormones were already raging inside her pubescent frame, she hurriedly turned away, forcing out a frown to suppress the heat emanating from within her. And the fact that for the first time, he addressed her using her first name!

Nokoru swallowed hard upon noting the look that met his gaze. He breathed hard upon feeling a row of sweat forming on his brow. Noting the rising and falling of her generous chest and the slightly parted lips, he could tell the Reina was feeling the same way as well. But— did she see the way his tongue unconsciously slid across his lips? How about he forming sweat on his brows, his hands all feeling suddenly clammy? Well, it was a good thing that she turned away just in time, he thought. How could someone drive his teenage 'urges' with just a look? He didn't mean it to be this way and he was as sure as hell did not plan to feel this, but when she looked at him— it was just too much, it was unexpected. Clearing his throat, he fixed a smile on his face, hiding the sudden urge. Well it was normal, right? He was, after all, seventeen, he convinced himself.

After the tension, awkwardness followed. Nokoru stood there and for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say. Reina, on the other hand, decided to just sit there and do nothing. She refused to look at him for fear of that 'feeling' surging up once she looked at him again.

"Well, you got me curious now," he commented finally, an attempt to break the ice. "It is just fitting to satisfy one's curiosity, ne?" When Reina stared at him silently, obviously lost for words, he took his hand out from his pocket and raked his fingers against his hair. He sighed. "Fair enough?" Then without waiting for an answer, he continued on his way. He knew that his being there was worsening the complicated but embarrassing situation they just had. He stepped out of the room leaving the still silent Reina to stare at him, obviously thinking about the unusual thing that happened to them a while ago.   

End of Part II