Fall Symphony
By Sofiana
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS (sob!), but this story is mine.
A Serenade
Fujitaka wasn't much of a musician – his head was too much buried in ancient tomes and his state-of-the-art laptop that his appreciation of music was limited to hearing his wife and son play the piano at home.
But whenever he touched the keys of his wife's piano, he felt a profound regret that he could not understand. Some time in the distant past, he felt he knew each note and key – but now it was relegated to a past life that he would never know. But it was a feeling that passed, and soon forgotten in his enjoyment of his family.
His family. He had never known what it was to belong to one until now. He had often imagined what his family had looked like, but he could never quite remember. Nadeshiko had teased him once before – and she was right. He had never known his original family. He would have liked to have known something of his past, but all he felt was only a faint regret – he was happy now.
"Tadaima, " he said softly as he came in the door. It was late, and he didn't want to wake up Touya or Sakura.
"Fujitaka-san! You're back!"
Typical Nadeshiko-san, who was always so exuberant that her feet couldn't keep up with her. Now was no different. She tripped on the rug, and Fujitaka rushed to catch her. He tried to juggle his wife and his briefcase, but failed utterly, losing his balance and bringing them both to a heap on the floor.
Not that he minded. Their entire relationship had been based on that auspicious day that they met under the tree when Nadeshiko had fallen down on him.
He lay where he was, entangled with his beautiful wife on the floor of the hallway, only rolling over slightly to make sure she wasn't pinned by his weight. She was much paler since he saw her last, and thinner.
But he didn't want to worry her. He teased her instead. "What was that for, Nadeshiko-san? Did you miss me?"
"You know I did. Baka." She pulled his head down and kissed him, her quiet happiness evident in the way she pulled her arms tight around him. "I love you, Fujitaka-san."
"I love you, too, Nadeshiko-san," he whispered back. They lay together quietly, savoring their closeness after days of being apart. But Fujitaka's inevitable worry soon came to the fore.
"Have the tests results come back, Nadeshiko-san?" he asked her quietly, looking into her soft green eyes.
She sighed and gave him a small shake of her head. "No, the results aren't back yet…Don't worry, Fujitaka-san, I'm sure it will be alright. All these photo shoots just tire me a lot."
"Maybe you should just cut back on some of them, Nadeshiko-san."
"Yes, I think I will. Besides, I think Sakura-chan and Touya-kun need me more now."
The lights in the house were all off except for the small glow of the lamp in the living room. She finally pulled him up and loosened his tie for him, before leading him toward the piano.
"Sing for me, Fujitaka-san," she asked him, her good humor restored.
He chuckled softly. "You know I don't sing, Nadeshiko-san."
"You sing to Sakura all the time!"
"That's just baby talk," he said. "How are Touya's lessons coming along?"
"He's doing fine, now stop changing the topic, Fuji-san. Sing for me," she urged him once more.
He could hear the tiredness in her voice, and he held her close to him, before sighing good-naturedly as he slid beside her on the piano. Nadeshiko's fingers started on a few bars of music before settling into a familiar melody.
Fujitaka's passable tenor joined in with words he directed at his wife --
Someday, when I'm awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
Yes, you're lovely
With your smile so warm and your cheek so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
And the way you look tonight
With each word, your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh wrinkles your nose
Touches my foolish heart
Lovely, never ever change
Keep that breathless charm,
Won't you please arrange it, coz I love you
Just the way you look tonight
The music faded away, and the last note hung in the air mingled with Nadeshiko's sigh.
"I'm glad you're back home, Fujitaka-san."
Fujitaka only pulled her close and pushed his worries aside.
Sofiana's Notes:
Gee. Was too much in a hurry last time to put in proper disclaimers and notes on the story… correcting that lapse here. This story was inspired by a 1000 word challenge at the Tsukimine Shrine LJ (Fall Serenade) – unfortunately I wasn't able to post it on the deadline. So, I'm posting it here for now. Hope you like it.
The song is "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra, but most of you would remember it as Julia Roberts' song in "My Best Friend's Wedding".