Composición del Sol
Chapter 3: Gymnopedie No. 1 – Erik Satie
Re-cap:
She poked her head in through the crack and her eyes widened in shock at the display before her. Never in her entire life had some across something that would stun her silent for a solid minute. Her mouth and throat felt dry and all she could do was stare at the contents of the room.
It was a sight to behold. Allene had seen a lot in her travels. She had visited the homes of her favourite artists. She had seen many orchestral performances. But of course, those visits and sights were limited by the restriction of a glass or velvet rope or hundreds upon rows of seats.
But there. There, right in front of her, was a line of magnificent grand pianos. Each of them being of a different make and model. She could only keep her eyes on them, finding herself unable to look away. It wasn't until her hands made contact the smooth polished wood of one of them that she realized the contents of the rest of the room, and how far she had wandered in. Upon display were hundreds of different instruments, each carefully displayed. There wasn't even a fine layer of dust or dust particles in the air, as she could tell that the staff made sure every room was clean and pristine on a daily basis.
She ran her fingers on the smooth ivory of an Imperial Grand Bösendorfer, admiring the exquisite make of the luxury piano.
Surely this family and estate were no normal one. She could see the crafted names of Bechstein and Stuart & Sons, and there at the end were a Kawai and Yamaha.
As if by natural instinct, she sat down at the Bösendorfer and laid her hands on the keys.
Satie sounded magnificent, and she felt the warmth of the sun through the windows flow through her as she played. If she were to die at this moment, it would be no problem. The slow piano music echoed throughout the large room, bouncing off of the walls and through the opened door.
*~*O*~*
Sasagawa Ryohei liked music. He liked listening to music when he trained, or in the car. Maybe the classical stuff was more of Gokudera's thing, but he still liked it and appreciated it. So when he heard a slow and soothing sound come through one of the lesser-used hallways, he paused and followed the sound to its origin.
That origin being the girl they picked up the night before, now seated in an empty room that didn't feel… well… empty.
He pushed the door open some more and leaned on its frame, watching her entire upper body sink and rise with the movement of her arms, stretching across the keyboard.
Without hesitation he left his place and walked towards her, hands shoved into the pockets of his newly pressed Armani suit. (It was actually the third one this week. The first having been destroyed by Gokudera, and the second by Hibari. It's really not his fault if he offered to buy them drinks after they came home from missions. It's what he and Yamamoto usually do. But of course, those two with their personalities more sour than umeboshi reacted negatively to his offer and attacked without hesitation. Assholes. If you're so tired from a mission it just means you need to train yourself to the extreme even more.)
So Ryohei found himself staring at the girl who Tsuna informed him to be his age, and who he was assigned to watch over (note: spy on and observe), and how her eyelashes kissed her cheeks as she breathed deeply, feeling the vibrations of the sounds as they echoed throughout the room.
She sighed in contentment as she stopped and let her fingers rest on the keys, enjoying the moment's silence until he spoke up.
"Why'd you stop?" he asked in a rough, slightly raspy English.
He was answered with a loud clang of keys and a shriek. The girl clutched her chest as if she'd had a heart attack.
"¡Dios mío!"
He put up his hands and backed away, before scratching the back of his neck, "Ah suman suman, sorry! But why'd you stop? You sounded extremely good!"
"S-Sorry. You just scared me. I—" she calmed herself down in deep breaths, wiping away at the sweat on her brow and looked up into steely grey eyes, tanned skin and stark white hair. She found herself staring at the man in his insanely bright orange button down shirt complimented by a fitted and well-tailored suit. She traced the curve of the scar on his forehead, and the furrow of his brow. She knew that she was staring but she couldn't help it.
Her mouth went dry as she tried to talk.
"Ah, uhm…" she held her hand out, "Allene…"
His eyes darted around as she stared at him before introducing herself, and he shook it, bringing himself out of the confusion of being… observed. Wasn't that his job?
"S-Sasagawa Ryohei. I mean. Ryohei Sasagawa. An extreme pleasure to meet you!"
They shook hands and he was the first to take his back, wiping his sweaty bandaged palms on his jacket. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Allene blinked and rubbed her eyes, shaking her head out of whatever stupor she was in.
"Lo siento Señor Sasagawa," she apologized, the foreign name rolling off of the tip of her tongue awkwardly, "I did not mean to stare."
"Ahhhh it's okay. So… Sawada told us that you're a musician…" he replied, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
"Sí señor, I studied music for most of my life, and I've been on a five year long journey in hopes of creating a masterpiece…"
*~*O*~*
As Allene told her story, Ryohei found himself intrigued by the girl. Of course, he's had his fair share of encounters and experiences, but listening to the tale of someone who deviated from a normal lifestyle to pursue an outdated artistic endeavor was almost just as interesting as certain villains he'd encountered in the mafia. He laughed as she told him stories of strange encounters in her travels, and marveled at her ability to survive off of one baguette for a whole week.
Wanderlust.
German for the strong desire or impulse to travel or wander the world. It was something she had realized of herself as she attended university in Spain.
Ryohei listened attentively, but raised his eyebrow as the girl stopped and apologized for rambling so much.
"Eto…" Ryohei scratched his cheek, "it's alright! Ano…"
"¿Y tu? Do you have any hobbies or the like?"
Allene noticed a strong spark in his eyes as he raised his fists and got into a strange stance. He punched the air vigorously; he shifted his body and his feet, his eyebrows furrowed, eyes focused, and face hiding all but his passion.
"Boxing is my life, along with being part of this family!"
Passion lingered in his eyes as he straightened himself out, and Allene found herself being captivated by the way the sun shone on him, brightening his already stark-white hair, reflecting off of the small beads of sweat that ran down his tanned skin.
Allene caught herself staring, and was absolutely grateful that the man across her didn't notice. He was too busy continuing on about boxing, and she giggled to herself.
Ryohei noticed the small laughter and leaned in close, asking out of pure curiosity, "What's so funny?"
Caught off guard by the abrupt action, the girl immediately put her hands up and shook her head.
"It's not funny, per se, it's just amusing and enlightening to see how passionate you are," she smiled.
Captivated by the girl's accent, Ryohei felt a little something in his chest as she said the word 'passionate'. He ran a bandaged hand through his messy hair, shrugging sheepishly as the girl continued to giggle.
"Ne, will you play more piano for us in the future?"
"If Señor Sawada wishes for me to do so, then I am at his command. I am more than grateful for this opportunity. And to have access to such a beautiful array of instruments, ¡Ay dios mío!"
*~*O*~*
Un Sospiro – Franz Liszt
The way that the girl's fingers glided over ivory keys was enchanting. The melody enticed you, keeping you focused on the sound and how it echoed graciously throughout room and its perfect acoustics. Ryohei noticed just how much Allene was connected with the piano through how her body sunk and rose with each change in note, arms extending from one side of the keyboard to the other.
Without hesitating, the man turned around, having noticed the presence of another, an ability gained through rigorous training and experience out in the field. He nodded to his companion, who walked swiftly and quietly, avoiding any unnecessary noise that would take away from this honest to god peaceful experience and lord knows that they needed it.
Liszt sounded absolutely incredible on the finely tuned piano, preserved perfectly through continuous upkeep.
As the girl played her final chords, she came to relax and let her fingers rest on the keys, eyes closed as she took a deep breath.
The girl calmly turned to face her new friend, only to be greeted by one of the most terrifying glares she had ever experienced since she told her abuela that she would be leaving home for a very long time, and would in fact, not marry the handsome young village boy from down the street who sold flowers in the day and performed as a singer in the local tavern at night.
Gokudera stood above her, his eyes studying her every move (which at this point was absolutely nothing, as the girl was scared stiff). As much as he hated to admit it—which was a whole lot, mind you—this girl was good. Not just good, but good. Good enough to perform at the next evening event the family was supposed to have in just two weeks time.
Ryohei broke the awkward silence by shoving Gokudera hard. He was returned a flurry of Japanese curses as Gokudera straightened his suit out.
"Oi, introduce yourself, tako-head! Don't be so damn rude!"
"For fuck's sake, you didn't have to push me to tell me that."
Allene stared blankly at the two of them, taking into account that while they were obviously friends, there was an animosity between them that could not be dispelled.
"Ahem, mi llamo es Hayato Gokudera, understand?" the man scoffed.
The girl only smiled brightly in hopes of finally being able to converse in her native tongue with someone, only to be shut down as Gokudera shook his head.
"English, por favor."
"That is fine, Señor Hayato. I am Allene, it is a pleasure and honor to meet you."
"That was Franz Liszt, was it not?" Gokudera asked, tilting his head towards the Bösendorfer, a nostalgic look in his eyes."
"¡Sí! Do you play, sir?" the girl answered, excited at the recognition.
"Ehh… no," Gokudera's eyes shifted. Just as he opened his mouth to change the subject, Ryohei spoke up.
"EH? C'mon tako-head, don't lie! Tell her all about your childhood!"
"HELL NO."
*~*O*~*
Laughter echoed throughout the grand room as Gokudera concluded his childhood trauma. Allene felt tears at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to stay on the piano bench without falling over. Ryohei laughed boisterously, his loudness only amplified by the room's acoustics. Gokudera could only feel his rage rising and stomped out of the room, cursing the two of them in a mixture of Japanese and Italian.
Ryohei paused and called out to him, but Gokudera merely flipped him off as he disappeared from sight.
It took about a minute for the two to calm down from laughter, and Allene smiled weakly, "I would have loved to hear him play, though. It's always a shame when people give up a talent of theirs."
Ryohei, having experienced the need to give up passions and dreams, not only through his personal life but that of his lifelong friends put a hand on her shoulder, "It is, but sometimes life's just that way."
Allene looked up to him and gave an understanding nod. The two sat in a knowing silence for five seconds, until Ryohei realized that his hand was still on her shoulder. It felt so small in his large hands. Her petite stature was reminiscent of Kyoko's, but this girl was taller by a good few centimeters, her shoulders thin, but broader than the average Japanese woman's.
Ryohei muttered a quick apology as he removed his hand, and Allene simply laughed, saying there was no need for one.
They continued to sit in silence until a low growl disturbed the peace and quiet. Allene's eyes widened and she bit her lip as her face turned red with embarrassment.
Ryohei let out a very loud laugh, "Was that you?"
The girl nodded meekly, "I… yes… It's been a while since I ate a full meal. And last night's incident was due to a dish I should have left alone…"
"Well then, what are you waiting for? It's still lunch time since lunch runs so damn long here in Italy, let's go find something in the kitchen!"
*~*O*~*
Minuetto – Luigi Boccherin
Allene could hear Boccherin play through her head as they travelled the beautiful marble halls, decorated with antiques. Botticelli angels flew through her head as she stared at collected paintings that served as an establishment of the homeowner's wealth. Violins played in her head as they continued down the long halls, having long since tuned out Ryohei's rambling. She went in and out of paying attention to what he was saying, and it's not as if she did it on purpose. There was something about kids and then something about future apologies, but her mind wandered as her eyes followed the painted ceiling, something that existed as if it were a relic of the Italian Renaissance.
Eyes glued to the ceiling, she was barely able to follow Ryohei at this point, her mouth hung slightly open as her pace slowed. This leisurely observation was halted when something small landed in her mouth.
Something that was small, sweet, and tasted like artificial grape flavoring.
Curious, she finally looked away from the ceiling, and in direct line of her vision was a pair of… cow horns?
Standing before her was a beautiful young boy, with eyes that reminded her of the Mediterranean Sea.
"Uhm… Did you just eat my candy?"
Confused, the girl nodded with hesitation, taking into account the tenor's beautiful voice. The boy scrunched up his face for a split second and muttered to himself before taking a deep breath.
Their awkward interaction was interrupted by Ryohei suddenly appearing out of nowhere, throwing an arm around the young boy.
"Allene," Ryohei spoke in rough, accented English, "this right here is Lambo Bovino, one of the youngest members of our family!"
Allene smiled and extended her hand to Lambo, who looked absolutely uncomfortable under Ryohei's weight, curly hair slightly out of place. The boy took her hand, and instead of shaking it like most normal adults would, he brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"Signorina Allene. Piacere di conoscerla."
"Ne, Lambo. Come with us to the kitchen! We're just about to get lunch!"
"Ano, Ryohei-nii, I don't think that's such a great idea…"
Allene noticed that either Ryohei did hear what Lambo had to say and ignored it, or didn't hear him at all. Either way, this piqued Allene's curiosity. The boy protested Ryohei's invitation, but was dragged along via Ryohei's almost-chokehold on the Thunder Guardian.
The small group of three made a turn and straight ahead was a grand pair of double doors. There was a small, sinking feeling in Allene's stomach, but she considered it as something more due to hunger than to Lambo's ignored warning.
And lo and behold, as they entered the kitchen, she honestly wished they'd listened to the begrudging boy.
*~*END*~*
A/N: Hi.
So if you don't know, I'm also writing another RyoheiOC story (sob I'm sorry) but anyway. This one's definitely supposed to be happier and much lighter than the other one. I'm also including a lot of main/recurring characters since this takes place in Italy.
Apologies for my messed up internet Spanish and Italian. It's been like 7 years since I last learned Spanish and I don't know any Italian lmao. I'll be adding in some German (that I took a few years ago and still have some knowledge retained) when we get to more music-related chapters.
Since it's much more light-hearted, I'll be sprinkling into dashes of their younger personalities (i.e. when KHR wasn't giving me mad sad feels and when it was pretty shounen and slice of life), so the adults might seem a bit OOC.
Also, all the tracks I have listed are mainly the songs I listen to while writing whatever snippets below the title. I actually really love classical music and opera lmao so that's a key element in this story, but it's not the only music that'll be present. And there isn't really a track listed at the beginning of the chapter because the track is also the chapter title LOL.
T_T I do have a chapter planned that isn't in any proper alignment with current events because I had originally started writing this story in 2010 lmao. So things are gonna be a little outdated, and there's also gonna be some anachronistic events/shit happening.
Thanks for being patient and waiting for updates (for those who are following), and I really would like feedback on my writing!