Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro. Yuki Kure does. I simply own this original idea and anything non-canonical.

Pairing: Keiichi/Kahoko

Summary: Sleeping isn't the same as dreaming, and existing isn't the same as living.

Author's Notes: Yokai no Miko wanted a Shimizu/Hino fic, so I finally got around to finishing this one. Shimizu is becoming quite a popular boy::bows:: Hope you like.

Lovers III – Dreamers: Shimizu and Hino

In the beginning

Keiichi does not dream. He sleeps too deeply at night, and too lightly during the day, to remember them. On the rare occasion when he does dream, they are black and white and meaningless abstractions. Sleep is only a way to combat exhaustion, and imagination does not exist nor compare to the waking world.

So Keiichi does not dream.

Kahoko dreams of ordinary things. She dreams of going to school or cleaning her room or walking through downtown Tokyo at night. Her memory is sharp, and she remembers at least one dream she had that night, but they are quickly forgotten because she considers such things to have little importance. She considers her life to be of little importance.

So Kahoko dreams only of ordinary things.

In the middle

Keiichi still does not dream, though he begins to remember. He sleeps deeply but his mind is filled with the echoes of violins that cannot be silenced. He smiles as he thinks about the music that emanates from her fingers, the delicate tones that she can summon from his soul, and the songs that make him think of lyrics composed of only her name. Worlds begin to harmonize, and it's possible that a violin can make a cello sound deeper and richer.

Keiichi does not dream, but he thinks that now might be a good time to start.

Kahoko still dreams of ordinary things, though once upon a time such things were not ordinary. She dreams of holding a violin under her chin or twirling the bow between her fingers or reading the newest piece of sheet music that Lili has given her. There is a voice, soft and slow and a little bit sleepy, that can touch her heart because she has touched his. They share memories and secrets in those nighttime visions.

Kahoko dreams of ordinary things, but she begins to marvel at the wonder of it all.

In the end

Keiichi has always dreamed. He knows now that his mind has been full of so many things, most relating to music and many of them to the woman in his arms, yet he let them become buried beneath inflexible notation and unwavering paper. Now, he allows his mind the chance to open itself and accept the beautiful imperfections of the heart.

Kahoko's dreams were never ordinary. She knows now that she has always loved music, but her childish, selfish interests kept her from finding those inner songs. It was only because of a magical blessing, and the touch of someone who's always offered his quiet support, that she is free to fantasize about innumerable, wonderful melodies.

He now lays behind her in their bed, his arm curling around her waist and his knee slipping between her thighs. She gently presses against him, her hands holding him in place as she lets out a contented sigh. They fall asleep together, heartbeats falling into an even tempo as they drift into their own separate dreams.

And they smile, because there are no dreams that can compare to what they hold in their arms.

Author's Notes (02/11/2008): I'm glad I finally managed to get back to this fandom. I can't promise I'll be able to do much more updating, as my slightly larger fic is taking over my brain, but I have three more stories that I'll be putting up in the coming weeks.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading these shorts; I admit that they've been a great deal of fun to write.