Chapter 14

Allo Spuntar Del Giorno [At Daybreak]

The concours would be held in three rounds with three themes. The participants would be given one week to prepare for their performance and would be judged by chosen people. The organizers chosen by the school were Hino Kahoko and Tsukimori Len. And the participants were carefully selected by the school administration and they've come down to four:

Nakashi Mizuumi, violin

Yukushi Keisuke, violin

Takenaga, Rai, flute

Haji Nanako, cello

Before the concours would start, the school takes the organizers and the participants to a beach trip. "Hino-sensei, why are you so silent?" Mizuumi and Nanako asked, noticing Kaho had not yet spoken any word since the start of the trip.

"I'm just thinking of something…"

"I bet Hino-sensei's thinking of Yunoki-sensei." Nanako teased. Well, everyone was aware of Kahoko's engagement with Yunoki and no one is an exemption.

"You're missing him, aren't you sensei?" Keisuke seconded.

"Oh really?" Kahoko smiled, trying to erase the question that has been bothering her ever since that night at the Yunoki mansion. Are you really marrying him? Len's voice echoed in her thoughts. She looked his way. Len was sleeping at the front seat, handsome as he had always been.

"Sensei, tell us how Yunoki-sensei became your boyfriend. I mean, you never told us you had one." Nanako insisted. Kahoko just smiled.

Len could hear them pretty clearly. He was not sleeping after all. Well, how could he when the passengers were all noisy? As he closed his eyes, his mind was evaded by the images of Kahoko. She was standing in front of him in her blue dress, wearing that sweet smile. Then it was tainted, two strong golden eyes preyed on her.

Kahoko is mine… It claimed.

"Tsukimori-san, we've arrived." The driver informed as he opened the door of the van, letting the other passengers out.

Len opened his eyes, the bright sun rays flowed straight to him. He took a deep breath and smelled the saltiness of the air with barbeque grills. This is the beach indeed.

"Sugoi! [Wow!]" Nanako and Mizuumi chorused.

"Kakui! [Cool]" Rai and Keisuke exclaimed.

"Subarashii! [Wonderful!]" Kahoko's eyes were smiling. She was hopeful that even for a moment here, she'll forget the wedding event that she did not want to happen.

Kahoko, are you really okay? It was all he could do, watch her from afar.

The door in Yunoki's office opened silently as Azuma read, signed and approved documents and reports. " Cam, please don't disturb me with just anything… I have to finish something." He ordered, thinking it was his secretary. He did not even dare take his eyes off his paper works.

"I'm not here to just give you a coffee, sir." He recognized it and immediately looked up to affirm hi intuition. He smiled deceivingly.

"Why are you here, Kaji-san?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"Indeed… A word of gratitude you want? I already paid you, didn't I?" There was that certain mockery in his tone but his visitor did not say a thing. His visitor placed a check on his table and said, "I'm returning it. Our company does not need your money. I just wanted Tsukimori Len to suffer and not toy with Kahoko."

"Really? How noble but it still won't hide the fact that you've used her for your selfishness, Kaji-san." Yunoki uttered.

"I'm getting her back." Kaji declared. Yunoki laughed deviously and uttered, "Getting her back? Was she ever yours Kaji?"

"Kahoko's not yours either."

"Whose is she then? Besides, what if she learned about our little game?" Yunoki smiled.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just stating possibilities. Or maybe, you would want Kahoko to live in a world of deception? Now, if you would mind, the door is open." Kaji flashed a fierce look towards the smiling Yunoki.

"By the way… No one could get Kahoko except Yunoki." Kaji slammed the door. Yunoki won the game, well he always does.

"Hino-sensei, you look hot." Mizuumi complimented. Kaho blushed.

"Sexy." Nanako seconded.

"Gorgeous." The two chorused, making her blush all the more.

"Arigatou…[Thank you]" Kahoko thanked her students as she joined them in the living room of their cabin, wearing a white two piece.

"Sensei, wear this." Nanako placed a big sunglass on Kahoko.

"Now we can go out and have fun!" Mizuumi excitedly said as they dragged Kahoko outside.

In the boy's cabin…

"Tsukimori-sensei… Uhm… Well, could… Are you… not coming with us?" Keisuke stammered.

"No." Tsukimori briefly answered, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"Could we go now, sensei?" The two asked permission.

"Fine. Just be sure you're not going to give me headaches." He coldly uttered.

"Hai." They chorused and joined the girls on the shore, bringing their surf boards.

For lunch, they were grilling outside the cabin. "Is Tsukimori-sensei not coming down?" Nanako asked. The two boys looked at each other and then shrugged, not really sure what to say.

"You continue grilling here. I'll call him." Kahoko volunteered. She knocked at the door three times but no one answered her. She found it open. "Tsukimori-san…" She called as she entered. No one answered, the cabin seemed abandoned. She called a second time, still silence was the answer. She decided to go out when…

"What do you want?" Len appeared before her. It surprised her.

"Uhm…" She stuttered. "Uhm…"

"What is it?" Len asked coldly.

"We're eating lunch already." She quickly went for the door as soon as she finished the sentence, not even asking Tsukimori, if he would eat with them or not. And as soon as she was out, hot flush formed around her cheeks.

He's so hot… She thought, as an image of Len half-naked came to her mind.

"Hino-sensei, is Tsukimori-sensei coming down?" The students called from below.

"Uhm…" She did not ask him. But then the door opened. Tsukimori stood behind her, now wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts. "Are you not going down yet, Kaho?" He asked as he walked pass Kaho to go down.

"Yeah, I'm coming." And they ate their lunch. In the afternoon, Len joined them at the seashore. HE sat down under an umbrella, reading a book while the others played beach volleyball under the heat of the sun with Kahoko as the referee.

She seems happy, but is that really what she feels? Is she not wearing a mask? Is she really okay? He thought as he stole glances from under his book.

Kahoko was doing the same thing as well. When would that ice wrapping around him melt? When would his expressionless stoic eyes turn into an expressive glance that will tell us a thousand of emotions we never saw on his face? If only…

BOOGHSH! The ball hit her head, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Gome Nasai, Sensei." Keisuke and Rai apologized.

"Sensei, Daijobu ka [are you okay]?" The two girls chorused, worriedly. Touching her head, she smiled and said she was okay. Len went back to reading his book.

They had a fancy dinner at one of the restaurants there and after a little chit chat , they went to their respective cabins to sleep.

Kahoko's dream…

She was wearing a long white bridal gown as she walked down that long red carpeted aisle. But she suddenly started running. She was running away from something she could not see. She was running away from something she did not recognize. She was running away and yet she does not know why. For all she knew, the abnormal pounding of her heart, that sense of fear and danger she felt made her run faster. She saw a big chateau in the middle of a forest, those that she always sees on the television. She opened the rusty gates when she heard a loud gunshot, making her rattle. She ran into the house and the end of the stairs stood an old woman, looking fierce and angry.

"You don't belong here!" She was slapped. PGGSH!

[End of Kaho's dream]

Kahoko was gasping when she opened her eyes. It was at daybreak, 3:00 am probably. She decided to go out of the cabin since she was not able to go back to her slumber. Cold breeze met Kahoko as she went to shore. And to her surprise somebody else was there. It was Tsukimori all alone under the midnight azure. As she came nearer, she realized he was playing Camille Sansong's Swan. Hearing the notes produced by his violin, she felt like floating, dancing, and ascending up the heavens like an angel. Then it ended.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"You have not even seen me, how did you know it was me?" Kahoko asked.

"You don't have to see to know who or what it really is." Tsukimori uttered as he sat on the sand.

"May I join you?" Kahoko asked. He just nodded coldly, not looking at her. His eyes were fixed at the dark horizon, the vast sea and the unending heavens. Tsukimori glanced at his watch and Kahoko presumed he had something else to do.

"Hino-san, have you ever seen a sunrise?" Tsukimori asked, breaking the deafening silence.

"Plenty of times." She answered giddily, wondering why he asked. "Why ask, Tsukimori-san?" He did not say a thing so she dropped the subject.

"This would be my first time to see one." He shared. Kahoko looked at him and he looked at her as well. Their eyes met, bringing back the memories they've shared in the past and hoping that there would be more memories to share in the future. Kahoko smiled. He's still my cold-hearted violinist after all…

That smile might not be mine, but for as long as it remains painted on her face, I would be…. Tsukimori thought.

"Tsukimori-san, look! There's the sunrise." This was the first sunrise they shared.

The daybreak I've never seen before, I know share with someone I care for… The crossroad that brings back the past and would bring the hope of tomorrow… I would forever remember it… what's wrong with me? Is this really me? It's unusual I think of something like this but I guess I like it… Tsukimori thought.

Thanks for reading this chapter. To all the reviewers, thank you so much. Please do keep those reviews coming. It is really appreciated To all those who added this to their favorite list and alert list, thank you so much. See you in the next chapter everyone.

So would Len's ice finally break? Will Kahoko and Len realize something they never realized? What will Yunoki do? How do you think of Kaji here? More surprises in store in the upcoming chapters