Second chapter, I own nothing, please review and don't flame me. Thank you for reviewing Paper Hearts Bleed Ink, Whispering-KAZE.
The next day, all participants for the concours were called into the music room. In the room already was one man 6'1 with long light lavender hair, black eyes, dressed in a yellow shirt, white pants and a white short sleeved jacket. Another man, 6'2 with short red hair, brown eyes behind round glasses, dressed in jeans, a black shirt, and green jacket, was there next to him.
"Hello. You've been called here because I would like to have you help me conduct violin classes for children." Shinobu Ousaki said with out preamble. He pushed his glasses higher up his nose.
"Violin classes?" Kaho asked perplexed.
"Yes. I've taught at the university but I've lost my ability to do so with younger people. Which is why I need help. I considered asking the Orchestra club but Hiroto Kanazawa suggested using the concours participants."
Said older man wrapped his arms around Tsukimori and Kaho. "I think it'll be a good experience. Just one favor."
Ryotaro, Azuma, and Shoko had to decline.
"Uh… it's alright with me but…" Kaho looked at len. He saw the look and sighed.
"Since sempai and sensei ask it…"
"Thank you!" Ousaki said.
"Hey, hey! I'm free too!" Kazuki said enthusiastically.
"And I also have nothing to do…" Shimizu said.
"Great, since Shimizu-kun is coming, we can make it a quartet." That got Shimizu's attention.
"A quartet? I'm coming!"
"Excelent. Kanazawa-sensei, can I borrow a viola?"
"Oh, so you can play the viola now? Sure."
"Hey, Ousaki-sempai, what about me?" Kazuki asked.
It was Kanazawa who answered. "You'll be needed for miscellaneous jobs."
"Huh! That's mean Kanayan!"
"There are a lot of kids, so it'll be a great help if you come." Ousaki said as a consolation.
"That's right." Azuma put in. "It seems like you'll quickly get along with the kids."
"Yunoki,Ousaki-sempai!"
"Miscellaneous jobs, in other words." Kanazawa said.
"Kanayan, you dummy!"
Kaho walked up to him. "There, there, Hihara-sempai! Let's do our best, okay?"
"Y-yeah. I'm looking forward to it, Kaho-chan!"
At the last words, Ryotaro and Azuma looked at Kazuki kinda strange-like. They hadn't heard anyone in the concours group call her anything but 'Hino' except for Shoko.
At the little school, the four with string instruments were left in the room with the kids while Kazuki had to go run errends. By the time he got back, the performance was over and Len made it clear that it hadn't been worth hearing. After all the kids had gone Ousaki packed away the violins, and noticed there were some missing.
"I wonder if they got left in the classroom."
"I'll go get them!" Kaho volunteered and ran off to the room.
Kazuki came to the car that everything was being loaded into and put the papers and various other things he was carrying into the back next to the violin cases. He looked around and didn't see a few people.
"Ousaki-sempai, where's Kaho-chan and Tsukimori?"
"They went to get the rest of the violins."
"I'll go help!"
He ran off before the bespecled man could protest. He ran up to the classroom and barged in willing to help, only to find Len and Kaho in the room, very quiet.
"What's wrong?"
Kaho put down the bow she was holding and ran past him without a word. He followed her and found her sitting on the swing, surrounded by the kids, and crying. The children were trying to comfort her and find out what was wrong but she didn't answer.
The next day, the day before the thrid selection. Kazuki met Ryotaro on the stairs to the roof.
"Tsuchiura, going to practice?"
"Actually, I made a tape of myself playing and I'm going to listen to it repeatedly." He held out a small disk.
A noise at the top of the stairs distracted the boys. It was Kaho, looking rather flustered.
"Kaho-chan? What's wrong?" Kazuki asked her concered.
"Ah, no, I was going to practice on the roof but then I decided to practice in the practice rooms instead." She said all this while passing them on the way down the stairs, not giving them a chance to talk.
"Hey!"
"Hino's been acting strange lately." Ryo stated. "Do you know why?"
"No. She's been like this since Ousaki-sempai's favor. I think something happened between her and Tsukimori."
"Tsukimori?" He looked up the stairs, his face hard and started marching up double time with Kazuki trying to catch up or find out what was wrong. He threw open the door to see Len practicing, until he turned around. "What did you tell her?" Ryo demanded.
"'Her'?" Len quiried.
"Hino! It's Hino! She just ran down from here looking incredibly upset."
"She hasn't come up here." Ryo and Kazuki looked at each other in confusion. "Besides, whatever's happening to her is none of your buisness, is it?"
He didn't have to react before Ryo grabbed him by the collar,glaring daggeres of pure hate at him.
"Tsuchiura!" Kazuki exclaimed in surprise.
However Len remained somewhat calm. "Why? Why do you become so heated when it comes to Hino?"
Ryo and Kazuki both reared back in surprise. Ryo let him go with a curse and looked away.
"Better yet, I'm the one who'd like to ask."
Both green haired boys looked at him sidelong. Then left in silence.
The next day, the third selection. In the girls' room, they were talking about the outfits. Shoko wore a yellow skirt and shirt that was off the shoulder but looked adorable on her. Kaho worw a blue dress that was sleeveless and had a white front.
"You look so cute, Shoko-san!" This was said by a girl with long light brown hair in a ponytail and was still dressed in a uniform, she had a camera in her hands. Amo Nami turned to Kaho. "Don't you think so Hino- san?"
Kaho'd been in a daze but woke up at the sound of her name. "Eh, uh, yeah, that's right! You always were cute clothes, Fuyuumi-chan!"
"Good for you! Those type don't suit me." Amo said.
The boys' side was more sedate. The only one really energetic was Azuma. Shimizu was tying his bow sleepily and was almost tying it in a knot, and Azuma had to tie if for him. Kazuki, Ryo, and Len were silent and deep in thought. The door opened and Ousaki came in. He was dressed in a red tee-shirt, white jacket, and kahki pants.
"Are you all done with your preparations? I think it's about to start."
"Ousaki-sempai?" Azuma said. "Why are you here?"
"Since I've been watching the all the selection so far, I was invited to help Kanazawa-sensei today."
"I see. It's much appreciated."
"Its an easy task!" It was then he noticed the mood. in the room. He leaned over and whispered in Azuma's ear. "Did something happen? The atmosphere in here is a little strange."
"I wonder…?"
Everyone gathered backstage, and the usual greetings were said. Then the first name was called.
"Performer # 1, from the Music Department, 3-B Hihara Kazuki-kun! Performing a Schubert composition, "Serenade."
They all wished him luck as he and his accompanist walked out on stage. But, he didn't play like he usually does. He was off tempo, hit three wrong notes and ended before the true ending. He bowed, walked off stage, and collapsed against the wall.
"I'm sorry. My feeling weren't quite in harmony with it. That was terrible."
"Performer # 2, from the Music Department, 1-A, Shimizu Keiichi-kun! Performing a Faure composistion, "Sicilienne."
Shimizu play well but not strictly to the score like he always did. Even though it was beautiful music, it was noticed. It seemed indecisively heavy, and unstable. He ended his performance, bowed and walked off the stage.
"Performer # 3, from the Music Department, 1-B Fuyuumi Shoko-san!"
She played beautifully and for once, she had more confidence. And it showed in her music. Kaho envied her, and the others who've been playing since they were kids. The music was different and soothing. After she finished she bowed with a big smile on her face and back to the others who all congradulated her.
"Performer # 4, from the Music Department, 2-A Tsukimori Len-kun! Performing a Ravel composition, "Tzigane."
He played near perfection, with gusto and panache. But it was not the same as his usual. And when he came back, Kanazawa said as much. Len was not happy with his performance and believed that he could have played it better.
"Performer # 5, from the General Education Department, 2-5, Tsuchiura Ryotaro-kun! Performing a Chopin composition, "Revolutionary."
It was a beautiful performance, much more direct than usual but still beautiful. He finished, bowed, and left with out a word. However, when he got backstage, he saw Kaho looking down.
"Hino? What's wrong?"
"Performer # 5, from the General Education Department, 2-2, Hino Kahoko-san! Performing a Tchaikovsky composition, Melodie."
She didn't answer Ryo but walked on stage with her accompanist, Mori-san, and started playing. As she did, self-doubts and anger at herself for not being real came up. She begged the magic violin to help her get to the other's level, even if only for a few moments. Lili tried to calm her down.
"You can't force those emotions into the violin! What's wrong, Hino Kahoko?!"
She didn't hear him, or if she did she didn't listen. She played, begging for more from the violin and then the strings broke. She was in shoke, the other participants and Lili were the same. She slowly lowered the violin and bow, bowed, and ran off stage, and out the door, ignoring the protests form the others. She ran straight to the girls changing room and fell to her knees, cradleing the violin. Lili then appered.
"Lili! What happened? Why did it break?"
"The violin is basiclly a reflection of your heart. You kept putting in emotions that niether you nor the violin couldn't handle and the strings broke."
At these words, Kaho held the violin closer. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to the violin. "How could I do such a thing?" She started shaking as if about to cry.
"I'll fix it right away!" Lili waved his wand and the violin glowed pink but when the light vanished, the srings were still broke. "What!" He kept trying but it didn't do any good.
"Enough, Lili." Kaho muttered in defeat. "I never deserved this." She packed away the violin, and changed back into her uniform. She could hear the other girls trying to get in. She opened the door.
"I'm okay." She said in answer to their worries. "I'm going home now, okay?" She left for home. As she left, she ran past Kazuki, Ryo, and Len without even seeing them. Kazuki tried to stop her but Ryo put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Let her alone. She just wants to be alone."
"Right." Kazuki watched her go, wishing he had something to say.
The next day, Kaho was late to class, she'd slept late, and made it just in time. She stopped quickly at her desk infront of Mio and Nao.
"Sorry I'm late!"
"Just as long as you got here." Mio said. "You ok?"
"Of course! Hey, how bout we go to that cake shop after school?"
"Are you sure?" Noa asked. "Don't you have practice?"
"What? Don't you guys wanna hang out with me?"
"Of course!"
The rest of the day, Kaho was happy and cheerful, like she'd been before the concours. At the end, she left long before she had in the last few months. Kazuki and Ryo watched her leave from the music room upstairs.
"Do you think she'll be ok?" Kazuki asked.
"She just needs a few days, I think she'll be fine." Ryo answered. The other sighed, picked up his trumpet, and left for a practice room.
The rest of the week progressed much the same. Kaho left early everyday, the boys would watch, and she went back to her life before the competition. Finally Ryotaro got fed up with watching her leave. He caught her as she was about to leave for Kareoke with her girl-friend.
"I'm sorry, she has a previous engagment with me." He dragged her by her elbow, before she could she could say a word, out to the yard. She finally yanked her arm back and wrapped in around herself in attempt to warm herself in the cold air.
"What is the matter?" She shivered a little in the cooling weather.
"What's happening? If you don't keep up your habit of practicing everyday, your skills will deteriorate. What's wrong?"
Kaho didn't answer right away. "It has nothing to do with you, does it Tsuchuira-kun?"
He pulled back. She turned to leave,but he grabbed her shoulder. "'Nothing to do with me'? Because of you…" He saw the hurt in her eyes and didn't continue. She pulled away from him and ran off to find her friends. He sighed as he watched her leave.
Kaho ran to find her friends and instead literally bumped into Kazuki. She ran around him, not listening to him calling her. She found Mio and Nao, put on a happy face and went to Kareoke with them, but didn't really enjoy herself. She couldn't enjoy herself.
End of Second chapter. Will update ASAP. Thank you watching this weeks segment of 'Love at First Fall.' Please review!