Alex pried herself out her sister's hug. "Alright! I think that's enough!"
"Spoiled little shit! You get to live it up out there in Japan while I have to slum it down here."
"You're so sweet Lexi, I think that's what I'll miss most about you."
"Oh shut up. And eat something on the plane will you?" Lexi playfully shoved the red head's shoulder. "I can almost count your ribs through your shirt and your boobs are still bigger than mine. Just for fairness sake I expect you to have a gut by the time you get back."
"Fine, fine. I'll see you soon".
Lexi retreated before Alex was enveloped into two lean arms. The oldest brother Abe towered over her, almost bent at a ninety degree angle to rest his head on Alex's shoulder. He stayed silent for a while, as per usual.
"When can you come home?"
Alex's eyebrows angled upward as she pet his head. "I don't know."
"You let me know if you ever need help, you know I'll come running. I'll be there." He squeezed her again before letting go and muttered quietly. "Give me an excuse to come see you, please."
"I will, no worries. And I'll call as often as I can. Maybe I'll get a deal for you too." Abe smiled, but he knew it was wishful thinking. He didn't have the kind of potential star power that Alex had. She was a beautiful young girl; short and wavy dark red hair in an edgy bob with the family's great big pale grey eyes and a body ready to give any girls who could see it a complex. So upon self published music videos going slightly viral on the internet, thanks to the help and production of Abe and a little bit of family connection, none other than Mr. Suoh took it upon himself to properly foster her newly found career, while finishing her education first.
Abe pondered whether or not she was being taken advantage of by being separated from what was left of her family as their younger brother cried at Alex's feet.
"Don't leave Alex! I don't want you to go! Lexi's gonna kill me!"
"Hey! Get over here you little brat!" The boy looked back at Lexi before Alex pulled him up and into a hug. She smoothed his cowlick down and kissed the top of his head.
"Don't worry Artie. She'll keep you safe, she owes Mom." Alex pressed her lips together to hold in a sob. "I love you all so much."
A sob fell through anyways and she smiled, wiped her tears and beamed. "I miss you guys already."
She waved sheepishly before grabbing her bags and hustling her way towards the awaiting plane. Even though the chairman had told her that the small charter plane wouldn't leave until she was ready she didn't want anyone to wait on her account. Before long the plane took off and Alex watched her home town on Maui get smaller and smaller. Not long after that it was just a speck on the water. The ocean below her had always seemed big, especially when she surfed it, but now, it seemed like an endless barrier from all security.
Alex fell asleep for most of the ride. She woke up much later after one of the flight attendants told her to ready herself for landing. Alex shook the sleep off and took in the sight of her new city, far different than her old hawaiian town and without a beach in sight. She dreaded a summer without the beach.
Stepping off of her airplane she was greeted by a man with a sign bearing her name, "Alexandra Sterling" She came to him and laughed nervously.
"Is that really necessary?" She muttered.
"I suppose not miss, but it's nice to meet you". He walked her to a limousine, carrying only her instruments while she carried the rest. "I was a fan of your father."
Why bring up my father? She thought bitterly, but only gave a weak, polite smile. She sat silently in the backseat, trying to focus on the sound of the wind rushing by over her fathers' music playing gently through the speakers. I did this all myself, he has nothing to do with it. Though she had no idea where they were or when they would arrive, she sat at the edge of her seat waiting to be able to escape. Soon enough the thought of her father abandoned her thoughts as she was filled with wonder at the city before her.
Alex felt like she was in an entirely new world. And the Academy, oh the Academy was Olympus. No mere mortal can ever set foot on it, just the rich and powerful. The stunning pink buildings, bright green grounds, lovely looking people walking around. The place was magnificent. Hell, she'd spent ten minutes just driving past the perimeter of the thing. She'd only noticed when she glanced to the driver and saw the clock while he glanced nervously back at her. He stopped abbruptly, still a ways away from the entrance but in sight of the thing, and wordlessly left the cab of the car. Alex got up to look around and watch him head to the trunk, where he began to half hazardly through her things out on the street.
"Wha-" She fumbled with the door before almost tripping outside of the car. "What the hell, man! What are you doing?"
He through the last bag out and returned to the driver's door, looking back at her to tip his hat. "Welcome, from the Ayanokoji klan."
"Excuse me? What the hell's that supposed to mean? Get back here!" Alex tried to run after the rogue limousine only to be shot back with dirt and gravel in her face. She did her best to pile everything on top of her rolling luggage cases and chugged forward aimlessly. At the very least, hopefully she'd eventually find the entrance.
The place was like a maze, or maybe she was even more directionally-challenged than usual. Eventually she figured that she was on the other side of the gated property and was maneuvering her way through the buildings. She wondered around aimlessly. Even if she could somehow get to her phone and drag all of her stuff around, she wouldn't know who to call. Everything had happened so fast, only a few months after her first video went online she had gotten a call from old Uncle Suoh congratulating her on a successful project and asking that she fly across the pacific to come work with him. She hadn't even had his number saved-
A deafening ring sounded above her, a common, simple melody. It was noon. She sighed in defeat and slumped to the ground next to her luggage. She was supposed to be settling in to her new home by now. She thought to herself that she should probably find someone, anyone, to help her contact Uncle Suoh. As if on queue, she noticed a young girl, around her age, with long brown hair and wearing a school uniform strolling past some flower beds nearby.
"Hey! Hey!" Alex started running towards her. She turned just in time to watch Alex slip on a patch of mud right before her.
The girl tried her best to be polite but couldn't help but laugh just a bit before helping Alex to her feet. Alex's cheeks burned bright red and she did her best to scrape flecks of dirt off of her baggy shirt.
"Are you alright? That didn't look fun."
Alex nodded and smiled. "Yeah I'm fine, no worries. I'm sorry, I must have scared you."
"Oh no, just a little surprised." Haruhi smiled politely. "Did you need something?"
"Oh! Yes! Please! If you could let me know where I could find some kind of office or something? Where anything might be, really... I get lost so easily its embarrassing."'
"No I get it. I get lost around here too. It's way to big. I can't imagine how these rich people could possibly need so much space..." The girl paused. "No offense!"
"Oh I'm not!" Alex waved her hands 'no'. "I got a... scholarship to go here. I'm just as surprised by this place as you." They both giggled. Alex sighed, "I'm glad not to be alone, but I really gotta get going."
"Oh!" The girl's eyes lit up. "Why don't I just walk you there?
They chatted over the extravagance of the school, their astonishment at their scholarships (why the hell was the education here worth so much?) and made crude guesses as to the attitudes of their soon-to-be-fellow classmates. At the end of the too short walk, Alex abruptly hugged the girl.
"I really appreciate not being alone in this. Thank you." The girl blushed and place her hands on Alex's shoulders.
"For what? Making fun of rich people?"
Alex chuckled. "Sure. Could I get your number or email or something?"
"Crap, I don't have a phone! I'm so sorry."
"Haru-Hi!" A sing-song voice called out.
"That's my dad, I'm sorry. I have to go before you get attacked.
"Attacked?"
"It was really nice talking to you!" The girl ran off, waving at Alex until she rounded a corner. Alex frowned, feeling her eyes well up. Alex was an introvert, she enjoyed all the solitude she could get, but that was much different from having no one around you for support. Alex was used to her house filled with family and even though she spent days in her room at a time, she had no idea how she would survive living alone in Japan, nevermind at this elite private school full of people who may as well be a family with this stranger dropping in. Stop it. Stop overthinking everything. It's only your first day, you cannot drive yourself crazy already, she thought to herself before taking in a deep breath and opening the door to what appeared to be Chairman Suoh's office.
Inside, a handsome older man sat behind expensive furniture Alex wouldn't dare to guess of the type. A charming smile settled on his face upon seeing her. "Alexandra, my dear, is that you?"
"Yes, Mr. Suoh. I'm sorry to bother you, your campus is beautiful."
"Oh don't worry over a few minutes, I take it as a compliment that you were lost in the beauty of the place. How was the flight? Everything to your liking?"
Welcome from the Ayanokuji clan.
Alex sheepishly glanced to the side and back to Uncle Suoh. "Yes sir. Everything has been perfect. But I'm afraid I've lost track of my driver, and now I don't know where I'm supposed to be living."
"That sounds terrible, my dear. How could that happen?"
Alex shook her head. "Oh no sir, I just wanted to have a look at my new campus is all... then I got a bit lost." Alex laughed nervously. "Now I've been carrying my luggage all around the grounds."
"That just won't do, I'll have someone take them to your home first thing."
"Thank you, sir."
"Alexandra my dear girl, you must call me Uncle Yu. I know we haven't seen each other in quite a long time, but none the less you have family here. "
That put Alex slightly more at ease and she nodded. "Okay, Uncle Yu. Thank you. For everything."
"The pleasure's all mine, my dear. It is lovely to be able to see you again." A faint frown developed on his face. "I apologize that I haven't been able to come pay my respects to your mother. She was a wonderful woman."
Alex's smile faded as well and she nodded somberly. "I know. Thank you Uncle Yu, that's very kind."
"Of course, my dear. And I want you to know that my door's always open should you need it, don't be a stranger. And I know of your particular... history. Should you ever need any support I can't give you don't be afraid to ask, I can have anything you need here in an instant."
"Thank you, Uncle Yu".
"Well." Once again Mr. Suoh charmed her with a smile. "Here's where you'll be staying for the next three years. After that, we'll just see what happens." He elegantly scripted an address on a nearby sheet of the fanciest paper she had ever seen and handed it to her. "And before I forget, I have a son you may see around the campus, he's also a foreigner if you find yourself needing common ground among others. You are never alone, my dear." Alex found herself almost brought to tears by the support.
"I appreciate that Uncle Yu. You have been nothing but kind to me, I can't thank you enough." Mr. Suoh stood to shake her hand but she hugged him instead, hiding her tears in her sleeve as he patted her back. She composed herself enough to let go. "Thank you again, Uncle Yu."
"Alright, Alexandra. Enjoy your weekend before school. I'll see you soon, hmm?"
"I'll see you soon." When Alex stepped outside, the sky was turning pink. It nearly blended into the color of the buildings. Alex once again wondered around the campus, luggage in tow, losing herself among the rose bushes and cherry trees around the campus. It seemed almost magical, like a fairy tale, that she would be surrounded by such things on a daily basis. And people would walk past them without a second thought, like they were so used to such beautiful scenery. Alex scoffed at the thought.
The sun had set by the time Alex made it back to the front gate. She couldn't believe how fast the time has passed, but there was so much about the school to take in, and she hadn't even stepped inside any of the buildings! She pulled out the sheet of paper with her new address and loaded it into the maps on her phone. She felt lucky to find it was in a residential area near the school.
On her short twenty minute walk she had been lost for fifteen of those minutes, but she finally found her way to her building. She wondered if she might have any classmates to walk to school with, but remembered that they were all rich and probably lived on campus or were driven to school every day. She set to work unpacking her luggage, a job sloppily and tiredly done, and finished by shoving her instruments into the closet. She was tired and worried and stressed and what she wanted most was to talk to her mom. But she couldn't. She could call all the rest of her family, but not her mom. She hadn't been able to for a while. It was because of that she had given up on unpacking in depth and having to look at all the pictures she brought with her. It had been a hopeful idea at the time, that when she was alone it would remind her that all her family was just a phone call away. But now it just reminded her they were across an ocean.
She needed fresh air is what she told herself, but she ripped off the plastic case on a pack of cigarettes and stepped outside. The familiarity of the cigarettes was not one that would remind her of her family. They made her feel like new, like an adult who didn't need other people, who was able to handle all of these new things around her. She wandered around the unfamiliar streets and pretended she was someone else.
"Oh hey!"
Alex snapped around, both hands pressed into her pockets. She could feel the cherry of the cigarette burning into her side through her jacket. It was the girl from earlier. "How did your meeting go? I didn't make you too late did I?"
"What are you talking about? I wouldn't have made it there without you."
"Aww, no." The girl blushed. "...Anyways do you live around here?"
"Yeah, it's so close to the school, I feel so lucky."
"Nice. I know this place doesn't look like much but all the people are nice. You know, because I live here."
"Of course. I'm glad to see that."
The girl was taken off guard at the genuine optimism coming from Alex simply because she lived nearby. She sidestepped around the topic, hoping to chat with Alex longer. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but... you're a foreigner right?" Alex nodded. "Where are you from?"
"I'm American, from Hawaii."
"How did you get a scholarship here? I thought they only did one a year?"
"Yeah, I think that's usually the case. It's weird to talk about, but long story short, Mr. Suoh noticed that a few songs of mine got a bit popular back in the states... and he wanted to take ownership before anyone else I guess..." Alex's gaze feel to the ground, she still felt embarassed, like she didn't deserve any of her so called fame. She refused to recognize it. "So here I am."
"That's so cool, what kind of music is it?"
"I don't think it's super unique or anything, I think it'd just be considered pop 'cause I don't wail on guitar or anything, but it's a bit darker. I went to some really dark places in my songwriting, but maybe people just didn't listen to the lyrics."
"That's cool, do you play any instruments?"
"Oh yeah, a few. But mostly guitar."
"You should teach me sometime."
"Yeah, that'd be fun."
They sat in the cool silence of the night, the brush of the wind made Alex give into a shiver. The girl noticed and placed a hand on Alex's arm. "It's getting late, can I walk you home?"
When Alex got back into her apartment, alone once again, the silence enveloped her. It exhausted her, and she decided to skip dinner and head straight to bed in the clothes she was wearing. She didn't get any sleep all night, but when she stepped outside the next morning, she found a small case of chocolates along with a note welcoming her to the neighborhood.
I have one person. I'm not alone. I'm not alone.
I'm not alone.
I still feel alone.
Alex fell asleep for the rest of the day. She knew it was foolish of her to stay up the entire night and have no repercussions, she was a sleepy girl, but she wasn't exactly doing it on purpose. Fortunately for her it was dreamless sleep. Not that she found herself terrified in slumber, more often it was regretful. When Alex finally woke up in the late afternoon she decided she might make good on her promise to Mr. Suoh, that she create something to be proud of.
She couldn't do it.
Her mind was blank. Or, devoid of anything of value to what she had set out to do. All she could think of was how empty the page in front of her was. What was she supposed to write about? Her depression was always the first thing on her mind, the umbrella idea for all the rest of her ailments that she pretended she could manage without the help of her family. But who would want to listen to songs about that? People would be bored with her in seconds. No one else wanted to hear about her problems when they all had problems of their own.
Maybe she needed to play something. Yeah. She slid her guitar out of its case, and out fell a handwritten note.
Darling-
She recognized the beaten classical guitar in the nondescript case similar to her own. This was her mother's guitar. And that was her mother's handwriting. And these were the last words her mother could say to her.
That was the kind of inspiration she needed, a ballad for her dead mother. Of course! People can relate to that, she didn't even have to be explicit about it she could just use the emotion.
Of course she didn't though, and took off outside her house, running blind through burning tears.
What the fuck am I doing? Where am I going? What's happening?
Alex's lungs were burning. She could taste the salt in the tears that reached her sobbing mouth. She knew if anyone was out and about right now she probably looked like a horror story, young girl with messy, blood red hair and a face like a monster. She laughed to herself, and once more when she thought about how she looked if she was also laughing hysterically.
When her legs stopped running and her feet were rubbed raw, she looked around to find herself down a fruit-tree lined pathway toward a building with filigree doors open wide. The sky was once again bright pink with the sun set, and Alex wondered if Mr. Suoh somehow payed the sky to always have vibrantly pink sunsets around the campus.
If so, Mr. Suoh needed his money back, because a crack of thunder gave Alex a jump, and she headed through the doors to avoid a drenching. For a while, she tried to sit out the surprise-storm. The sound of the rain was soothing and the rain-pattered glass of the windows felt cool pressed to her forehead as she watched the gardens outside being assaulted by the rain. But then, and she thought she might have been hallucinating, she could hear piano music gently dancing down the hall. The wild part was that the tune was familiar, a simple melody, but beautiful none-the-less. A sour note played and Alex winced. The piece was a duet, and they were playing the second part wrong. She smoothed down her hair, remembering that she looked insane, and stepped into the room with the piano. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a small table lamp beside the piano. It was the only furniture out in this gigantic beautiful room, so the notes echoed hauntingly.
The boy playing it was tall and statuesque. She saw the barest hint of sweat drip from a lock of his wheat-gold hair. His body was all angles and tension, and you could hear the lost frustration when his fingers banged on the keys. She softly padded to the piano, eager to ease the tension with the accompanying melody.
The boy remembered playing this for his mother, a long time ago. She loved it. She'd sit and hug her blanket around her frail body with a content look on her face. It never seemed right to him though, something was always missing. But she always told him it was perfect.
"It's beautiful."
"Thank you."
"You play it so well."
"No I don't. You taught me good, but I must have forgotten something."
"You've learned all you need to."
"What do you mean?"
"You can't play it alone."
That was almost ten years ago. He'd heard her playing it before, it sounded exactly as he played it, but it never seemed right. It was a soft melody, but every so often a note was missing, an intentional blank space for someone else to fill.
The boy didn't remember when it started raining, he didn't remember when the sun went down, but before he knew it both had happened when he heard the rest of the song. He lost focus on playing when an accompanying melody that he wasn't playing had started to ring around his ears. He closed his eyes and continued to play in time with the other player, lost in the euphoria of finally playing such an important song perfectly. And it was perfect. It had felt like being with his mother again, and he almost believed she would be the one sitting beside him when he opened his eyes.
In the dim light of the lamp beside the piano he studied the stranger beside him. She seemed familiar in an impossible way, he couldn't place where he might have seen her before. She had wine red hair, a small upward sloped nose and pouting petal pink lips. Her eyes were an incredibly familiar grey that almost reflected the blue of his own as he stared deeply into them.
A tear had began to fall down her cheek and on impulse he reached to wipe it away. She flinched at first but then leaned into it.
"That was a lovely song. I'm so happy to have played it with you."
The girl blushed and nodded. "It was my pleasure. I'm sorry if I startled you."
"Not at all. But, what are you doing here this late, princess?"
Alex was startled by the air of this boy she sat next to. From the tone of his voice to the genuine smile wrinkling the sides of his eyes, she nearly lost ability to speak. "Well, I couldn't let you play that alone. It's a duet after all."
The boy was disappointed in the answer, Alex could tell, but regardless his expression remained gentle. "Of course, I thank you for that, my dear. I have to ask, where did you learn the song? I've been looking for the full version for years, but I've never been able to find it. And as you can tell", the boy motioned to the piano. "My own attempts at accompanying the melody were fruitless."
Alex giggled. "It was a good attempt. And I can't tell you how nice it was to be able to play that song with someone else after so many years."
The boy bowed his head. "It was my pleasure." The boy stood, took Alex's hand and kissed her knuckle. "As much as I have enjoyed our little musical session today, I believe the campus is locking it's gates for entry soon. I would be more than happy to ensure your safe return to your home, if you'd allow me the honor, princess."
Alex took the angelic boy up on his offer, and though she was glad not to suffer through the short walk home in the rain, she relished the chance to be doted over by the boy. The ride was brief, Alex lived only a few minutes away by car. She had the boy drop her off at the street corner, and ran into the wrong apartment building first on purpose to mislead the boy to soothe her own paranoia, then once more on accident. By now it was dark, and she excused her idiocy by that.
Alex set her alarm for school the next morning, then double, triple, and quadruple checked for good measure. She did not want to be late for school on her first day.
This is a story I've been brainstorming since I was in 6th grade. I just started college, and I miss making indulgent things for myself, especially the winding little plot I made for my character. Point being, this is mostly for me, but I would love for others to enjoy this too. Anyways, I cut a bunch of stuff (from my own story) that I found excessive, plot lines I didn't want, dialogue that sucked, stuff like that. It's by no means a perfect story, but I'm happier with it. The story is a retelling of the anime, and it used to literally be a rewrite of the episodes, but I don't think that's necessary anymore, but it will try to follow the general timeline of the anime.
I'm also putting together some of my old chapters as I had like 15 chapters before I even got to the first episode, and I don't like that, so there will be a MILLIOn changes.
Thanks for reading, reviews are super super appreciated. Pwease give me that sweet sweet validation.