White Rose of STARISH Ch. 2
And here is the second chapter I promised you guys. This chapter has some time with Otoya, Masato, and a very handsome kitty. Since I just posted the chapter, I can't post any magic at the pre-story A/N. Instead I will give the quote then get on with the story.
"Everyone loses sight of themselves. Don't worry about it."
-Ichinose Tokiya
On with the story!
ooo0ooo
The next morning, Aika woke earlier than her alarm feeling well rested. A small smile grew on her lips as she sat up in her bed and stretched her arms over her head. Any kinks that were in her back popped which had a satisfied sigh leaving her. She let out a deep breath before she made herself leave her warm bed then make it behind her.
It's a good thing I'm a morning person, Aika thought to herself while she pulled off her pajamas so that she could dress into her school uniform. She had just pulled on her dark stockings and was going to her vanity table when Tomo-chan finally rose from sleep.
"Morning Tomo-chan," Aika greeted with a bright smile while brushing out her hip length pure white hair.
"You have really long hair," Tomo-chan yawned when she saw her waves.
"Thanks."
Aika then went about separating her hair in half with some hair free to frame her face with the other hair to put into twin buns that resembled roses which had extra hair hanging down to her chest that she pulled in front of her shoulders. In the time that it took for Aika to do her hair, Tomo-chan was just buttoning up her school shirt with her hair already done. Not long after that they were both dressed with their school bags in hand and their shoes on their feet.
"Breakfast sounds really good right now," Tomo-chan said tiredly on their way to the cafeteria.
"You're not a morning person, are you?" Aika teased lightly.
"Only once I've gotten food in me," Tomo-chan grumbled. Aika said nothing else for the rest of the way. Once they had eaten, they both ventured to their homeroom where Ringo-sensei was waiting for them.
"Good morning," Ringo-sensei enthusiastically greeted the class to which Aika smiled at.
"Everyone here survived the fierce entrance examination battle, but your real battle begins today!"
Now that Aika had passed the entrance exam, she had a bit more confidence in her abilities. Which meant that she faced her teacher's words with her chin in her hand and a raised eyebrow.
"People in the idol course, raise your hand."
As told, the handful of students raised their hands.
"Then, people in the musical composition course."
Aika was among the others that put their hand in the air.
"I see. So we've got kids who aim to be idols and kids who aim to compose for the idols."
All the while Ringo-sensei was informing the class as to what the school year would entail, Aika listened attentively even if her chin was still in the palm of her hand. What really intrigued her was that at the end of the first term, she was going to be paired up with an idol from any class to write a song. However, she became more serious when it was mentioned that the graduation audition would consist of the same pairing and that the pair that won would have a major debut.
"Until the official pairs are decided," Ringo-sensei continued. "At the end of the first term, get to know a lot of people and search for your perfect partner! Oh, and one more thing. There's a very important rule! Romance in absolutely forbidden!"
No matter how many times Aika heard the rules, she was still shocked at the rule yet she scoffed to herself under her breath. She didn't have time for romance while studying here. She had to work her ass off to make sure she had the opportunity to write songs for Hayato-sama. Having a relationship was not worth her getting expelled from the academy.
"Now," Ringo-sensei said once the seriousness had ebbed. "Let's start with checking everybody's capabilities by having a recording contest!"
"I'm going to pair you up for this one time only," Ringo-sensei told the class.
"The idol course kids will write the lyrics and the composer course kids will write the music."
Aika grew anxious at being told that she was gonna be responsible for writing the music because she had never actually composed music before, but she was quick to be overcome with determination.
"I randomly drew lots to decide on the pairs," Ringo-sensei announced as he put the sheets up on the chalkboard.
"After all, in show business, luck is also part of ability."
While most of the class was a little unhappy with Ringo-sensei's words, Aika was scanning the list to see who she got paired off with. It looks like I'm with...she thought until her eyes landed on her name. Ittoki-kun?! A smile was quick to spring to her lips when she turned around to look at her partner. As soon as he realized who he was paired off with, he rose from his chair and turned excitedly to Aika.
"I'm paired up with Nanami," he cheered. "I'm looking forward to it!"
"So am I," Aika winked. "Let's both do our best."
"Right!"
"Okay," Ringo-sensei called out to settle everyone down. "As a reference point, let's listen to the best tune from last year. Accompanying on piano will be...Nanami Aika-chan!"
Aika's eyes widened at the announcement while she felt herself pale at the implication of all of the attention on her. She took a deep breath to somewhat settle her nerves before she rose from her seat and headed to the large piano in the back of the room to play the music.
"All you have to do is play the melody," Ringo-sensei told her when he handed over the sheet music. Her hands almost shook as she spread out the music on the stand then settled on the piano seat.
"Please start from letter A, after the 16th bar of the intro cut."
With her heart hammering away in her chest Aika's eyes tried and failed to find the mentioned spot on the sheet music.
"Where the repeat mark is," Ringo-sensei clarified. Through her nervousness, Aika's eyes couldn't focus on the notes fore they seemed to just blur together even if her shaking hands were able to find their way to a proper resting placement on the keys. It didn't help that a few of the students began to trash talk her even though she was in the room. That only served to make Aika even more nervous that had her hands all but a trembling mess. Ringo-sensei seemed to catch on to Aika's nervousness so he quietly asked for her to return to her seat.
"I feel bad for Ittoki-kun," one of her classmates commented. "He has to have her as a partner."
Aika's eyes widened in shock and guilt when Ittoki went on to deny the claim that the classmate had made. Am I going to drag Ittoki-kun down, Aika asked herself. I know how to read the music and to play instruments but I'm not used to playing in front of people. Maybe I can pull Ittoki-kun aside after class and explain to him, Aika thought while nibbling on her bottom lip. That way we can be on the same page. With her mind set, Aika sat through lecture and took diligent notes about what Ringo-sensei was lecturing about.
When lunch time came around, Aika told Tomo-chan to go on ahead while waiting for Ittoki-kun to come out of the classroom. As soon as she saw the redhead, she waved to him while calling his name.
"Ittoki-kun!"
"Hey Nanami," Ittoki-kun smiled warmly to the shorter white haired girl.
"I need to talk to you about our partnership," Aika told him.
"Ok, why don't we go over to the side a little bit more?"
Once the both of them were a good distance away from prying ears, Aika started to let out all of her feelings.
"I just wanted to let you know that while I have never written a song before, I know how to play the piano and read the music. Although I have never played in front of an audience before so I guess I kind of choked in front of the class."
Ittoki-kun's eyes softened at Aika's words while a smile unconsciously grew on his lips.
"It's alright Nanami," he assured her. "I've never written lyrics before now either. I understand that playing in front of people for the first time in hard so I understand completely."
A weight seemed to have floated off of Aika's back at Ittoki-kun's words and her own smile appeared to match his.
"Then I look forward to making a beautiful song together," Aika said while holding out her hand.
"So do I," Ittoki-kun grinned while taking her hand in his. Her skin is so soft, Ittoki-kun thought to himself when his fingers wrapped around her pale hand. Later that day after lunch and the rest of classes, Aika retreated into the library where she could study how to compose music rather than just reading the music. I have to make sure that the music I write will be a good fit for Ittoki-kun, Aika thought to herself. I want to tailor it so it is something that really speaks about his personality. She devoured books upon books about methods and examples about composing music that had half a notebook filled up with notes. Off to the side of where Aika was studying, Masato and Natsuki were watching how fired up she was.
"She's surprisingly positive, isn't she?" Natsuki asked his blue haired friend who was watching the white haired girl with a critical eye.
"I'm relieved."
Satisfied with what they had seen, the boys left Aika to her own devices. I still can't think of anything to write for this song, Aika grumbled to herself while she rubbed her forehead. But wait...I can just grab my guitar and Ittoki-kun can grab his and we can pitch chords to each other. That might actually work, Aika grinned to herself with a determined look in her eye. Maybe I can try coming up with a few starts for a song back in my dorm after a shower then I can turn in for the night. With her mind made up, Aika packed up her things and walked back to her dorm room. She couldn't help but hum to herself as she packed up her things for the bath. She made sure to grab her matching set of pale pink pajama set with white roses that was made up of a pair of shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top before she went to the showers. After about twenty minutes, Aika was back in her dorm with her hair braided into a thick braid down to the middle of her back. By that time, Tomo-chan had already headed to bed so Aika quietly settled at her desk with some composing paper. She tapped her pencil against her lips as her mind flooded with notes and chords for the acoustic guitar on one of her pieces of paper. She seemed satisfied with the composition for all of three minutes before she growled in irritation to herself. Instead of erasing the work she had on that first piece of paper, she took a fresh piece and started another composition on it. She only got about a line or two written down before she grew frustrated with that too. She made about two or three more papers that she was not happy with before she all but threw her pencil down on her desk with frustrated tears in the corners of her eyes. Maybe I can take my mind off of it if I listen to some new songs that were released, she thought to herself before she reached for her laptop. She was careful to plug in her earphones to the laptop then searched the internet for possible new songs that were released. One in particular caught her interest. It was a group of idols from Shining Agency who went under the stage name Quartet Night. This looks promising. She clicked on their debut single and the first notes rang out in her soul. Her eyes widened as their voices then sounded out amongst the music. Wow, she thought to herself as she watched the music video for the song. This is the work of professionals. I hope I can match their level of skill in time. As the video came to an end, she felt herself drifting off so she shut her laptop and removed her headphones. Maybe I can get out one more page of music before I turn in for the night, she tried to reason with herself before she let out a large yawn. This time she was able to get about two and a half lines of music written down before her head fell onto the desktop when her tiredness overtook her.
For a good half an hour, Aika dozed and dreamt of her seventh birthday with her grandmother. She had received a teddy bear as a present while she had put a little song together for her. By then Aika was rising from her doze to the feeling of a cat's tongue against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open to see the black cat from earlier on her desk.
"Hello there little kitty," Aika chuckled sleepily. "You certainly are a mischievous one."
He gave a small mew before he bounded off the desk and out the terrace doors.
"I'm guessing he wants me to follow him," Aika grumbled to herself while she rose from her desk chair. She slipped on her slippers then followed the same path that the cat had led her on to meet Hayato/Tokiya the other day. Just seeing the moon and stars reflecting off the water was a peaceful sight that settled her nerves. While gazing out at the water, Aika couldn't help but think about Otoya. The way he smiled so brightly and was always so cheerful. Like a sunflower, Aika thought to herself. Meanwhile, a certain redhead had stepped into the clearing and saw the fair haired girl looking out at the water. He couldn't help the awe that he felt seeing her bathed in the moonlight. Everything about her seemed to just glow under the light of the moon that made her seem like she was made entirely out of moonlight. She is so beautiful, he thought to himself before she began to sing a little tune to herself. That only seemed to cement in his mind that this girl was an ethereal, mythical creature that managed to blend in with the rest of society. The longer Aika sang on, the closer Otoya found himself walking towards her.
"That's a nice tune," he told her in a soft voice, afraid that saying anything louder would disturb the spell.
"Oto-chan," Aika let out in surprise with the nickname she had given him slipping from her lips. Both looked taken aback at the name that had them both blushing.
"I'm sorry," Aika began. "I gave you the name in my head, but I didn't want-,"
"It's fine," he assured her. While most people would have been offended at the name, he couldn't help but feel his chest warm.
"I'm sorry I startled you. What was that tune you were singing? I could feel it ring in my chest."
"It was something I came up with at my desk a few minutes ago."
"That is some fine composing. I think we might actually have the start to our song."
"You're satisfied with that?" Aika asked with wide eyes.
"Extremely satisfied."
They both shared a grin before Otoya gave a sigh.
"I actually came here because I couldn't come up with any ideas for lyrics ...but thanks to your tune, I think I can come up with some now. Let's see ..."
"Let's hope the futures that we make
That ride this melody
Overlap each other today …"
"Those are good lyrics," Aika smiled softly. "I actually had an idea about coming up with ideas for our song."
"What's that?"
"We could grab our guitars and we can play some chords and throw around some lyrics until we decide what will work."
"I like that plan," Otoya agreed with his own small smile.
And that was how it came to be that the two could be seen all over campus with their guitars strumming out new chords that they either kept or discarded. Every time that they would meet back up, Aika would show up with a dazzling smile and more added to her composition for the song. It was the same composition sheet that she had written after watching Quartet Night and she was not going to lose the magic the song held by writing the rest on a separate piece of paper unless it was to make a second page. They both laughed and sang together that had their friendship blooming beautifully. Or in Otoya's case, his feelings for Aika beginning to rear its head. One prime example was when one of Otoya's guitar strings broke and cut his finger. He let out a lep of pain and made to put his finger in his mouth, but Aika beat him to it. His face lit up with a blush as Aika reached into her bag and pulled out some bandages and some disinfectant to bandage his finger.
"Does it feel better?" Aika had asked him.
"Much better now," he assured her. Satisfied, Aika had returned to the song while Otoya couldn't help but have the moment play over and over in his mind. Even when he went back to his room that night, he kept looking at his bandaged finger. Before they both knew it, they were in the recording studio so that Otoya could sing the song for evaluation.
"I'm so nervous," he confessed to Aika before he went into the actual booth.
"Don't worry Oto-chan," she smiled up at him. "If you think it's too much, just look out at me and you'll be fine. I'm here for you."
A grateful smile graced his lips and Aika reached up to pat his chest since she couldn't reach his shoulder. As soon as the headphones were on his head and he was looking into Aika's golden gaze, Otoya easily started the song.
"Let's hope the futures that we make
That ride this melody
Overlap each other today
Unchanging and firm, like this phrase
I don't wanna be apart from you!"
Nanami, he thought to himself. I'm putting my feelings for you in this song. A song that we both made together. I hope that they reach you.
"We stumble
We fall we go together
Towards tomorrow
Without you, even the normal stuff
Is just a mass of noise
Let's ask God to stop this time
Time leap and feedback
It's enough to make me sigh
I won't let 'em look away
I won't let 'em look away
Your eyes
Let's smile with everything we've got
And strive for tomorrow
Make a peace sign with 100% energy
At that time, I'll say
The word with two characters
My lost heart will fly
I'm charmed by you."
When the song was over, Otoya slipped the headphones off and left the booth only to receive praise from both Ringo-sensei and Hyuga-sensei.
"That was great Ittoki-kun."
"Great job."
"Way to go Oto-chan!" Aika exclaimed, throwing her arms around him to celebrate. Otoya couldn't help but laugh at her infectious laughter and cheer.
"Why don't we go get some ice cream?" Otoya suggested as he wrapped his own arms around Aika's small shoulders.
"Let's!" she agreed at once.
ooo0ooo
The day after next, Aika stood in a large group of people to try to find out her score for the recording test. Nerves bubbled in her stomach and her hands fidgeted while her eyes quickly scanned the boards. She finally found her name with a score of 87 next to it. I passed, she sighed in relief before she was tackled by her best friend and roommate.
"We did it!" she shouted with joy, her arms squeezing Aika to her chest.
"We both passed!"
"That's great!" Aika grinned when Tomo-chan pulled back slightly to see the shorter girl's face. They both laughed while hugging the other, both so relieved that they had passed.
"Nanami!" Otoya called when he had spotted the fair haired girl.
"What did I tell you about calling me that!" she returned with a good natured pout. Unseen by Aika, Tomo-chan gave a teasing smirk when she let her go. She was going to question her later when they got back to their room.
"Eh, Aika-chan," he amended on his way over with a sheepish look that quickly morphed into joy.
"We did it, didn't we?!"
"Yes, we did Oto-chan!" Aika confirmed while throwing her arms around the taller male.
"Listen everyone!" Ringo-sensei called out to all the students. "For those who didn't pass the test will retake it next week."
"This time take the bull by the horns and do everything you can to pass," Hyuga-sensei added.
"Before class," Ringo-sensei continued on. "Kids who are in the idol course, pick up training materials at the office, okay?"
"I better get going," Otoya said to Aika who released her hold on him, much to his reluctance.
"Me too," Tomo-chan added. "We'll see you in the classroom Aika."
Aika gave a little wave before she turned to make her way to her classroom. I'm so happy I passed, Aika thought to herself in glee. I wasn't so sure that I would be able to pass the test and excel here, but passing has given me new confidence. I'm sure in time I will meet Hayato-sama and compose a song for him. Speak of the devil, she thought when she ran into Hayato himself in the corridor. Their last meeting flashed through both of their minds, and Aika couldn't help but wince a little at how she phrased her words.
"I'm sorry for how I spoke to you last time," Aika bowed to the blue haired male. "I do not regret what I said, but I realize that the delivery left something to be desired."
"What is the point of apologizing now?" Tokiya asked with his eyes closed. "Do you wish to curry favor with me so you can meet my brother?"
"No," Aika answered with almost grit teeth. "I realize that I can be rather rude sometimes and I wanted to apologize when I saw you next. If I wanted to meet Hayato-sama, I would get a backstage pass to his next concert."
Tokiya felt a rush of surprise at her words yet he didn't let his face change from his indifferent mask.
"You are an unusual girl," he commented before he left her alone in the hallway.
"What does he mean unusual?" Aika huffed to herself. Rather then dwell on his words, Aika continued on her way to her classroom. Seeing as though the idol course people were getting their materials, she expected that half the class was missing. What she was not expecting, however, was the words that were written on the board. Suspicious connections, Aika read in shock. What do they mean? I don't have any connections in the academy. Aika distantly heard Otoya and Tomo-chan return, but didn't quite register them until they rushed forward to erase the words on the board. Natauki and Masato were the next people to come through the door and they were shocked when they read what was on the board. Masato was angry with the class for bullying the girl while Natsuki didn't like the frown that marred her full lips or her brow.
"Good morning-pu!" Ringo-sensei greeted the students while he breezed past Aika.
"Please take your seats."
"Don't let it get to you Aika-chan," Otoya insisted while Tomo-chan had a hand on her opposite shoulder.
"Let's get down to business," Ringo-sensei continued on as Tomo-chan steered Aika to her seat.
"Today I'll be giving you your next song for homework. I'll be giving students who didn't do well before a second chance."
Aika's face paled even more at her teacher's words. That would only make everything worse.
"Ai-chan," Ringo-sensei tried to call on her that fell on deaf ears.
"Nanami Aika-chan!"
"Yes?" Aika jumped at the use of her teacher saying her full name. She quickly stood when he approached her seat.
"Here, if you please."
"Alright," she said as she took the stack of sheet music from him. After taking a quick glance at the scoring, she walked over to the piano and settled onto the bench. The harsh whispers were quick to spring up again, but Tomo-chan and Otoya were having none of it.
"Aika, don't-," Tomo-chan began only for Otoya to shout.
"Everyone, be quiet!"
"Otoya-kun," Ringo-sensei scolded him lightly. "Please refrain from talking."
Feeling a little better at having the support from her friends, she managed to play a couple notes before the whispers came back full force that had her faltering with the notes before her blurring and dancing about the page. Even her hands began to shake at the amount to stress she was putting on herself to read the music correctly, but she was close to her limit. Gritting her teeth in irritation and anger, she rose from the piano bench only to run from the classroom.
"Wait, Aika!" Tomo-chan called after her to no avail. Aika kept running and running until she came upon beautiful grass and trees just outside of Academy property where she all but collapsed onto her butt.
"What is that matter with me," she groaned to herself in anger. "I can read the music and play the piano. Why should the opinions of other people matter so much to me?"
A growl left her as she pulled her knees up to her chest and harshly rubbed her forehead against her knees. A meow was what had her easing her hold on her knees so that she could look up to see that same cat who came to her last night.
"Hello little kitty," she greeted him with a small smile, her arms opening up to invite him over. The cat was all too happy to come over and Aika was quick to scoop him up and hold him close to her chest. She then rubbed her cheek against his forehead that had the small cat purring contently.
"You always know when to find me when I need someone," she sighed into his silky black fur.
"Thank you Cecil."
The cat in her arms jumped slightly at the name while Aika looked down in surprise.
"Do you not like the name?" she mused thoughtfully. "I spent so much time looking up a name to give you. A Japanese name doesn't really seem to suit you."
The cat in turn licked her face to ease her rambling.
"So I take it you like the name?"
A meow was given in agreement.
"Alright. Cecil, it is."
In the back of her mind, Aika realized just how crazy it was talking with the cat, but she has witnessed first hand just how smart animals actually were. It was then that Cecil started meowing again.
"Are you hungry Ce-chan?" Aika asked him when he rubbed his head against her chest.
"Meow."
"Alright," she chuckled, placing him back down on the ground. "Wait here and I'll go grab you something."
He looked up at her with soulful green eyes as she jogged away from the field to the store that the academy housed on campus. Let's see, she thought to herself while browsing the isles. He'll probably want some fish so I should grab some of that. After picking up a few things for the cat to nibble on, Aika saw that Masato from her class was browsing the calligraphy brushes.
"Masato-san, I didn't know that you did calligraphy," Aika commented, coming over to stand by him.
"I've always wanted to give it a try, but I've never really had anyone to teach me."
"Nanami-san," Masato greeted. "I wanted to speak with you. Would you mind stepping outside with me?"
"Sure," Aika answered with a slightly confused smile. "Just let me pay for this."
Masato joined her on the way to the register so that he could pay for the brush that he had been eyeing when Aika ran into him.
"Are you okay?" he asked once they had stepped off the main path.
"Yes," Aika replied with less cheer than she had in the store.
"It's tough, isn't it?"
"What?"
"Even if you're told not to let it get to you, it's impossible."
"A little, yeah," Aika admitted softly. "But I was naive."
At this Masato turned to face her.
"Everyone has been studying here all this time, but I came here just because I love music. I should have-,"
Aika abruptly cut herself off with a bite to her plump bottom lip. Masato was curious as to how she was going to finish her sentence, but she only dropped into a bow towards him.
"Thank you for your kind words. If you'll excuse me, I have to get going."
There was no hiding the tears that fell down her cheeks as she jogged off and Masato couldn't help but feel for her. Even though he could tell that the words of the class had really gotten to her, she didn't want to burden anyone else with her problems. While it was a noble thought, it would also be her downfall.
Back at the spot where Aika had left Cecil, she began looking for the cute cat.
"Cecil!" Aika called for him. "Cecil! I brought some food for you!"
She couldn't seem to find the cat anywhere and she had just resigned her search where she heard a beautiful melody being played on a saxophone. An unconscious smile rose to her lips as listened to the music until it stopped. A meow called her attention to the now found cat who was looking up at her with his large eyes.
"There you are," Aika giggled fondly at the feline. "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find you. I have your meal."
Aika carefully sat on the ground and pulled out the fish so that he could feast. She watched Cecil eat with contentment and ran her finger along his back to soothe both the cat and herself. When he had finished eating, Aika wrapped up all of the trash then stood.
"I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but I have to go practice," Aika said to the cat. The cat gave a sad mew at her words but he stepped back dutifully and watched her walk away. Aika didn't waste any time heading back to the academy so that she could reach a piano to practice on. When she entered the room, she took off her blazer and vest then loosened her tie so that she could unbutton the first few buttons of her dress shirt. Satisfied that she could relax a little bit more, she ran her fingers along the ivory keyboard then let her fingers rest in the starting position. Let's see, Aika thought to herself as she prepared to play. Playing "Tender Rain" from Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii usually warmed me up so I lined up my fingers to play the first notes. As per when she had played in the classroom, Aika was only able to play a handful of notes before the chalkboard rose up in her mind's eye that had her hands shaking and the page swimming before her eyes. She let out a huff of frustration as she tried to force her hands to move, but they only locked up further.
"God damn it," the fair haired girl hissed. "Why won't my fingers move?"
Aika's little breakdown was then interrupted by Tomo-chan who burst into the room via the door.
"Aika!" she exclaimed when she saw her. "Where were you all this time?!"
Aika quickly hid her hands behind her back to hide her tremors while she looked guiltily towards her roommate and best friend.
"I was looking for you everywhere!"
"I'm sorry," she apologized when she realized how she had worried the redhead. Tomo-chan let out a little exasperated sigh when she saw that Aika had been practicing.
"You were practicing."
"Yeah."
"Aika, you can't let that bother you," Tomo-chan sighed.
"Thank you," Aika smiled at her words. "But I'm alright now."
"If you say so," Tomo-chan relented when she saw how determined Aika was to keep herself upbeat.
"Why don't we go back to the room and play some cards?" Aika suggested while she gathered up the sheet music from the piano.
"We can even get some snacks."
"Sounds like a plan," Tomo-chan agreed, if only to go along with Aika's wishes.
The next morning, Aika rose early so that she could eat breakfast before heading to a practice room in hopes of getting in some practice before class started. C'mon, she urged herself with frustration. You've been playing piano since you could walk to the bench and hold yourself up. Why can't you play now? Filled with determination, Aika managed to strike less notes than before when her hands seized up again. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and decided to sing in hopes it would calm herself down.
"Kyou umareta
Kanashimi ga
Sore he maiageru
Sora wa mezame
Kaze wo yobi
Kono mune wa furueru,"
As she sang, Aika could feel herself relaxing and her hands started to die down with the shaking. Thinking that she had solved the problem, she went to place her hands back on the keys only to hit the same block. She grit her teeth in frustration and anger at herself when the door opened to reveal that Masato had found her. Her golden eyes widened in surprise at his presence while the slight tears in her eyes did not escape Masato's notice.
"You don't go to class, but just practice on your own?"
"Masato-san?"
Aika then quickly shoved her hands under the keyboard so that the blue haired male couldn't see the way her hands were shaking. She was both ashamed and angry at her herself for showing such weakness at such a simple task. Understanding blossomed in Masato's chest at the way the petite white haired girl was suffering.
"I used to be the same way," he offered her to which she looked at in shock.
"When I was a child, I couldn't eat in front of my father. He was extremely strict. The relationship between us was no more than that of head of the family and heir. But even as I was, there were times when I found peace. Whenever I was with our old butler, I even managed to forget the painful things in my life. He also taught me to play piano."
Since Masato had opened up to her, Aika couldn't help but want to return the favor.
"When I was little," she began softly. "I had poor health so I was sent to live with my grandmother in the countryside. She dearly loved music so she taught me to play the piano and I taught myself other instruments in my vast amount of free time. Playing and learning was so fun."
While Aika was reminiscing about her past, Masato took this as an opportunity to come forward and stand beside her in front of the piano. His left hand rested in his hip while his right hand came forward to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" that had Aika looking on in surprise. What is he doing, she asked herself both at the tune he was playing as well as his close proximity. The more that Masato played, the more Aika was reminded of when her grandmother taught her to play the piano. Her lips unconsciously pulled up into a soft smile that had Masato also smiling slightly. When the song ended, Masato started playing the song again that had Aika's hand rising to tap out the notes along with him. However, Aika was not conscious of the fact that she was able to play without her hands freezing up.
"I-I played," Aika let out in shock right before her hands cramped up again. Masato kept his face neutral as he placed his hand over Aika's on the piano keys that had Aika jumping slightly.
"It's okay," he assured the petite white haired girl he sort of caged on the piano seat.
"Remember how it was when you first starting playing."
"Right," Aika said as she subconsciously leaned back into Masato's chest. Masato wanted to push her away from him because she was getting too close for comfort, but he let her take at least some comfort in him. In Aika's mind, she was thinking back to what she had felt when she was first learning to play the piano. It was always so fun to just strike a few keys to make a beautiful melody.
"It was fun," Aika admitted softly. "I always felt like I didn't need anything else but the notes that I played. I loved it so much."
With those words, Masato stepped back to let Aika gather herself to play the song. The first few notes were Aika's fingers hitting the keys in a stiff manner but when Aika remembered the feeling of Masato's hands on her hands and his warmth against her back, her hands took on more confidence to play the song perfectly with a little added flair. When the feeling of playing welled up inside her chest, Aika opened her golden eyes with a large smile on her face.
"I played the song!" she exclaimed happily. "Masa-chan, I played!"
Both kind of froze at Aika's words, feeling shock at what was just said. Masato wasn't sure of what to make of the nickname that Aika had given him while Aika was freaking out trying to think of how she could apologize.
"I'm sorry Masato-san," Aika told him with a bow of her head. "I have a habit of making nicknames for others and I didn't think before I spoke."
While Masato was thinking about the nickname, he found that he didn't mind it. Usually he didn't want people to shorten his name like that unless he was very close with them. Something about this fair haired composer drew him in like the mysterious moon that hung in the night sky.
"It's fine," Masato dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I already said that you could call me whatever you like."
At his words, Aika beamed at him that had his heart giving an extra beat.
"Then you can call me Aika-chan," she insisted.
"Before I didn't have a dream," Masato told her before turning to face her. "But, I want you to listen to something."
"I'll gladly listen Masa-chan," Aika assured him while scooting over and patting the piano bench next to her. Masato gave her the smallest of smiles as he sat next to her and began to play a song on the piano. The first notes washed over Aika that had her smiling while she leaned a little closer to him.
"Wipe your tears
'Cause someday it'll get started
The future will shine
Glistening as if from a thaw
Your dreams always feel like
Knocking on the mind
Like shivering in the cold darkness
On a corner of asphalt
Don't be afraid pure heart
Flowers always face up
I don't want you to ever forget
That smile is like the sun
So full of feelings
Like an endless flood of love
I want to let me be by your side
Let's share faith with each other…,"
The last notes of the song rang out that Aika basked in until they were gone.
"That was beautiful Masa-chan," Aika praised. "I'm honored that you would share that with me."
"I'm happy you agreed to listen to it."
"How about I play you something in exchange?" Aika offered him. "I usually play this when I want to warm up before playing a piece."
"I'd be happy to hear it," Masato agreed.
Aika then took over the ivory keyboard where she began to play the first notes of "Tender Rain".
"Ah, ah ah
Kyou umareta
Kanashimi ga
Sora e maiageru
Sora wa mezame
Kaze wo yobi
Kono mune wa furueru
Anata no mamoritai
Unmei ni sawaritai
Koboreta namida
Mune no kubomi wo
Yorokobi de mitashitai no,"
As Aika played, Masato could practically feel the magic of the music in the air that drew everything that could hear the notes to her. He had half a mind to liken her to a siren.
"It's a tender rain
Anata no moto e
Kono uta ga
Todokimasu you ni
Doona ni tooku ni
Hanareteitemo
Shinjiteru tsutawaru koto
Singing in the rain
Ame no shizuku ga
Utsukushiku
Kagayaiteyuku
Kanashimi zenbu ga
Kieru sono toki
Sekai we ugokidasu no
Please come the tender rain
Come tender rain…"
As the last notes of the song rang out, Masato couldn't help but be impressed with the skill that Aika displayed.
"What did you think Masa-chan?"
"That was impressive," Masato answered. "You are skilled."
"Thank you. I think I've gotten the courage to play for Ringo-sensei now."
"I'm happy."
"Is that the time?!" Aika shouted when she checked the time on her phone.
"Tomo-chan is gonna kill me if I don't show up for lunch."
"I'll walk you to the cafeteria," Masato offered when Aika stood from the bench.
"Really?" Aika asked. "I don't want you to go out of your way."
"I'm sure," Masato assured her. "We're heading the same way."
"Okay."
Aika was all too happy to scoop up her bag and all but skip to the cafeteria with Masato by her side.
"Aika!"
Aika barely got the chance to turn towards Tomo-chan before all but tackled her.
"Where were you Aika?"
"I was practicing," Aika offered with a sheepish smile.
"All that time?! Geez Aika."
"I'm sorry Tomo-chan."
It was then that Tomo-chan realized that Masato was right behind Aika. An eyebrow rose to question at the second addition, but she didn't say anything about it. She would just add that to what she was going to ask Aika about later.
"What are you going to get for lunch?" Tomo-chan asked, wrapping her arm around Aika's so that she could pull her towards the lunch counter.
"I think I'll get tempura shrimp," Aika said while letting Tomo-chan pull her away.
"I'll see you later Masa-chan," Aika called over her shoulder to the blue haired boy who now stood to the side of the doorway. Once the girls had their food, they found a table to sit down at to talk.
"So Aika, why were you and Masato-kun coming into the cafeteria together?" Tomo-chan smirked as she swirled her udon in her bowl.
"He was helping me practice," Aika smiled.
"Ooh, was there a little romance happening there?" Tomo-chan teased that had Aika choking on her melon soda.
"There was no such thing," Aika denied at once, her cheeks turning pink. Tomo-chan made to talk more, but was interrupted by Natsuki, Otoya, and Syo coming up to the table. Natsuki was in a pink apron with a tray of burnt treats on a try while Otoya and Syo were trying in vain to hold him back.
"Natsuki-kun?" Aika questioned in confusion. "Oto-chan?Syo-kun? What are you three doing here?"
"I heard that you were feeling down so I made cake!" Natsuki exclaimed happily while moving the tray forward a little. Aika raised an eyebrow at his words while the other two swiftly shook their heads in warning. It didn't take long for her to get the message and turn to face Natsuki.
"I'd be happy to accept a cake," she smiled, much to the disbelief of the boys.
"Yay!" Natsuki exclaimed in joy while placing a cake in front of the white haired girl. Aika took a fork off of her plate and took a bite of cake from the foil. Here goes nothing, she said in her head before taking the bite. Oh my god, she gagged in her mind but forced herself to swallow and give a big smile to Natsuki.
"Thank you so much for the cake Natsuki-kun. I can really taste your feelings."
"I'm glad. Do you feel better now?"
"I do," Aika answered honestly although she really wanted to go brush her teeth and scrub her tongue about fifty times. That seemed to be enough for Natsuki because he left the table while Otoya and Syo stood still in shock. When Natsuki was gone, Aika grabbed her melon soda and chugged the whole thing down to try to get the taste out of her mouth.
"How could you smile like that after eating that?" Otoya asked in disbelief.
"I couldn't just hurt his feelings," Aika explained bashfully. "It seemed like he put a lot of effort into making them."
"You'd make a good actress," Syo commented offhandedly.
For the rest of the day, Masato dedicated time to further help Aika get over her issues with playing the piano. The two sat next to each other on the piano bench with their hands brushing each others ever so often when they both played at the same time. Every time it happened, a small blush would appear on Aika's pale cheeks and she would look up at Masato with warm molten gold eyes. In those times, Masato could feel Aika slowly capturing more of his heart. This girl in certainly something, Masato thought to himself while he watched the drive and passion that Aika displayed with her playing. It makes me want to watch her all day, he absentmindedly thought to himself. Due to their practice for the rest of the day, Aika felt confident about going back to class tomorrow and playing the song.
"Are you sure Nana-Aika-chan," Masato amended when he saw the look Aika was giving him.
"Yeah. I have to face my fears sometime."
Masato gave a nod at Aika's words and decided that if Aika was confident, then she was ready.
ooo0ooo
The next day, the students in class who had bullied Aika the day before couldn't believe the skill in which she was playing when Ringo-sensei called her up to the piano. Aika on the other hand couldn't shake the feeling of Masato around her back with his hands on hers while she played her heart out for the sheet music. Tomo-chan, Otoya, and Natsuki couldn't help the smiles that rose when they saw how Aika was playing in front of the class. Masato couldn't help but feel proud with how Aika was conducting herself in front of everyone. It is nice that everyone can see her skill now, Masato thought while he watched her. Later that day found Aika beside the lake she had come to like on campus with Masato beside her.
"Thank you Masa-chan," Aika sighed.
"I'm the one who owes you thanks," Masato said.
"Why?"
"Back then, I didn't know if I should follow the path that my parents had decided for me. But you were singing, and it looked like you were having fun from the bottom of your heart. That song was as warm as the spring, brimming with gentle sunshine."
"You mean when I sang with the children?"
"Yes."
"Then I guess we did favors for each other," Aika smiled. "And our feelings of gratitude are mutual."
"I couldn't agree more," Masato confirmed. Both were content to watch the way the water rippled the water, but a few feet behind them, Ren was watching the two with a frown on his lips. So that's how it is Hijirikawa, Ren thought to himself.
ooo0ooo
So there we have it lovelies. The second chapter. What did you think about Aika and her interactions with the boys? I'm not gonna lie, I did model Aika off of myself with a few tweaks to give her her own identity. As for the subject of STARISH, who is your favorite member? I myself can't pick just one. I love them all equally, however I am drawn to Ren's voice because he is the same voice actor for one of my favorite characters Undertaker from Kuroshitsuji. I would love to hear from you guys about how you got into the anime or the game and what your thoughts are about it whether it be about the franchise itself or the story. I am all for lengthy discussions about the things I love. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to drop a review or shoot me a pm. Remember, reviews are magic!
-White Wolf