Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do I own DN Angel?

Do I have a funny way to say this disclaimer?

Losira: No.

Me: Precisely.

…

Science wasn't very bad, in truth, but I swear I was in the middle of a bomb field. I was glad when the bell rang at the end of the block, even though I knew I wouldn't remember anything. As students streamed past me towards the door, I noticed that not one of them even attempted to talk to Krad. Not, of course, that I cared. I slipped through the crowds like a trout in a stream and headed up to the second floor for history, glad that the new guy wasn't following. I slipped into Mr. J's room with a sigh of relief and found my seat between Risa and the window.

"Hey Sira!" Risa chirped, "I haven't seen you in ages!" I laughed.

"It's only been a week," I said, "but yeah… It does seem like forever." I pulled out my three-ring binder and scribbled down the notes I'd write down tonight, and Risa and I talked about trivial things until the bell rang. She told me how much she liked the brown contacts I'd chosen for the day, and joked about me getting some Halloween lenses and wearing them to school. I rolled my eyes and laughed again, knowing that I'd never end up doing it. It sounded like fun, but I was too shy.

The class was called to order.

…

I slipped down the stairs into the basement, quietly going to the woodshop. I breathed in the sawdust the way a chef might smell a fine spice. Almost instantly upon stepping into the classroom, a thick coating of sawdust settled onto my shoes and I waved at Darren, who waved back. I trotted eagerly over to our bench, where we were working on our projects. I was trying to build a grandfather clock (our teacher had almost fallen out of his chair when I'd suggested my project to him, but he'd given me the go-ahead after a bit of convincing) and Darren himself was building a large coat rack for his mom.

Before I get to when the bell rings, I suppose I should explain the shop to you. You did not sit in this class. Everyone chose a 'bench partner' at the beginning of the year, and the two of you would each have half of your bench. How it was divided didn't matter. Darren and I had quickly teamed up; he'd noticed I didn't really know anyone else in the class and I was thankful. Some people asked me if we were dating, or if I liked him, but the answer was always 'no, we're just friends,' or something to that point. And it was the truth, we knew it both ways. Darren would talk idly of who had caught his eye, and though I never did tell him about Satoshi, I'd sometimes laugh and say 'her? Really?' and he would try to defend himself while I continued to laugh. We were friends, and I didn't want to be anything else. He was handsome, I guess, but he wasn't the right one for me.

The bell rang as I pulled several long boards from where they had been stored over the break and walked over to get some sandpaper. I was almost done with the initial sanding, which was always the worst, and I was glad. I wasn't very far in the project because we'd only started about two weeks ago.

"Hey Darren," I said, puzzled, "You're really quiet today. Is something… is something wrong?" I shouldn't have asked; I knew he wouldn't want me prying in his business, but… he was worrying me. He hadn't moved after he'd waved to me, and he was normally to work as soon as he got here.

"It's nothing," he said, but his voice was dull and I saw that he was fiddling with the same piece of copper tubing he'd been playing with this morning. I wondered again if it was a Celtic knot, and part of me wanted to ask him. Then he sighed and stuck it resolutely in his backpack, and went to search for sandpaper. I watched his retreating back for a moment, and then slowly began sanding. He'd tell me in time. I was sure of it.

…

It was almost the end of class when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Darren. I glanced at him, but he looked down at his shoes. What was wrong with him? I opened the text as discreetly as possible. It's… it's about Cindy. I smiled, then giggled, trying to stifle the laughter that was threatening me. I glanced up at him, and he stared back at me. His eyes were filled with hurt.

I instantly realized my mistake. "I'm not laughing at you," I said quickly. "It's just… ironic. She likes you, ya know."

"I'm worried about what everyone else will think," he said. I'd never known Darren to the so shy about anything before. He brushed his dark hair out of his brown eyes, and looked at me. Y'know… it's just that we're both so different."

"So what?" I asked, "I don't think you should care about it that much." I planned to say more, but just then our teacher called for us to put our boards away and clean up. I picked up the pieces of oak and put them in the back of the room (the only place they would fit). Then Darren and I headed up to band. I played the flute and the piano when it was needed, and Darren was a percussionist. Cindy played French horn. Just before I headed in, I said, "Darren Braddock, you shouldn't care what anyone thinks." Then I went to unpack my flute and see what Mr. Cladwell had for us to play.

…

As I pulled my folder out from the cabinet it shared with the other folders, I quickly opened it to see if we'd been given anything new to play. To my delight, three new pieces of music greeted me. The first one I looked at was a prettily titled piece called 'Ammerland', which looked to be a bit repetitive, but interesting anyway. The second was called 'Sailing Songs', and was a full three pages long and looked quite difficult. Joy. The third piece in my folder was for the piano, and I flexed my fingers eagerly in anticipation. I was a bit of an anime nerd, and when I had sent in an anonymous request to our director that we play (or at least attempt) this song, I never would have guessed he'd be able to make an arrangement for it, much less give me the sheet music for the instrument it originated from! There were other pianists in the band, of course, so I hadn't expected this…

But 'L's Theme' sat there in my folder like a thing from a dream. I glanced up and saw Cindy and Darren both staring at me, and I grinned. Cindy rolled her eyes, and Darren started tapping out the first strains of the theme on a set of bells.

I sighed, smiled to myself, and went to unpack my flute. No doubt I'd have a lot of work to try and perfect this 'Sailing Songs'. I had never liked sixteenth notes.

I slipped the flute case and my bag under my chair, and took my seat. I was second chair in the flute section, and was perfectly happy with that. Cindy, always with that self-diagnosed inferiority complex of hers, was never happy being second best at anything, and had quickly risen to first chair in the French horn section –quite a feat for a freshman. Darren really didn't care much about where he was in the percussion section, and I never asked him, but he was good at what he did.

I began playing quietly through a scale, holding my notes out to be sure they didn't quiver. Then, as I neared the top of the scale, Lindsay, who was first chair of the flutes, put a tuner on my stand. I didn't take it as an insult –I had grown to learn that she was quite a perfectionist, and upon finding I was playing a bit too sharp, I adjusted the flute accordingly.

"Thanks," I said, giving it back to her. She nodded, and her brown hair (tied in a high ponytail) bobbed.

"Anytime," she said. "Why don't you buy one of these?" I shrugged. To be honest, I didn't care whether or not I was in tune when I was at home, or in practice. We always tuned individually before concerts, and that was all that mattered to me.

"I guess I just never think about it," I said. I was saved further explanation when Mr. C called the class to order.

"Hello class," he said, "I hope you all had a wonderful break, and I'm glad to see you all here." He paused, scanning for any absences, and made a small note. "Well, most of you anyway. Darren, where's Devin?" I had forgotten he wasn't here, but sure enough, his seat in the clarinet section was empty.

"He's sick," Darren said. Cladwell made a sympathetic noise, then closed his attendance book.

We played a few scales for warm up, and then we got to the real deal. "Alright everyone, pull up 'Ammerland'," Mr. Cladwell called. I sighed, but figured that it would be at least two or three days until we began play 'L's Theme'. It was probably for the best anyway.

We had band for a full block, which was eighty minutes, and I loved the first forty minutes of that. We ran 'Ammerland' several times, and after the initial sight-reading, we stopped often to pick out problems –mainly with the dynamics. When Cladwell (we all called him that) told us to put our music away for a moment, I glanced up, puzzled, and then felt a jolt of excitement.

Walking through the band doors, with a beautiful, sleek viola held in one hand, was Satoshi. His eyes scanned the room quickly, and I tried not to look at him. In fact, I stared resolutely at my stand until Cladwell spoke. "I received a request to play a song called 'L's Theme' a week or so before the break, and upon listening to it, decided that it would be a brilliant piece to attempt to play. The arrangement is rather simple, I think, so it shouldn't be too hard to master, and I have made sure that all," here he looked at Cindy, "instruments have a chance at the melody." It was a common complaint that I was subject to listening to several times a week, but I couldn't blame her. The French horn section never did seem to ever get much of a melody. I glanced back the shock of orange hair I used to identify my friend, and felt a wave of dread swoop over me.

Krad stood behind Satoshi, his blonde hair slowly beginning to fall out of its long ponytail. In his left hand he held the strangest violin I had ever seen. It was a solid matte white, with sparkling gold-tone strings. The bow matched the main body, but the horsehair on it was a creamy gold instead of the sparkling color of the strings. The tuning keys seemed to be slightly silver. It was obviously a custom job, and I wondered briefly how much it had cost.

"Losira!" I was snapped back into reality by Lindsay, who poked me lightly with her flute. "You're playing the piano for this piece, aren't you?" With a start, I realized I must have spaced out. I wondered what Cladwell had said during my brief space mission, but quickly brushed it off. It probably hadn't been important; an explanation as to why Satoshi and Krad were here, perhaps. I already knew why. 'L's Theme' had a big violin part. Violin and piano.

"Oh, um… yeah…" I could feel myself blushing as I hurriedly stood up, fumbled my flute onto my stand (otherwise I was certain I'd sit on it when I returned), snapped up the sheet music for 'L's Theme', and slipped past Satoshi and Krad (resolutely looking at neither of them) to the piano. I settled onto the bench, and glanced at the band. The piano was situated so that I could see most of the band from my place on the bench, and they could see me. I was thankful that no one spared me a second glance.

I watched Cladwell count us off rather slowly, my fingers itching with the urge to play –

– And promptly started about twenty beats too fast. My eyes flickered away from my music as I heard the band slowly fall away, and eventually stop, but one instrument kept pace. The quavering tones of a white violin kept perfect time with the piano as Krad continued playing. I nearly stopped. I almost stopped playing and walked back to my flute. But then I realized something amazing.

Krad was playing a tune he'd probably never seen before. But his eyes were closed. I was caught so off guard that my fingers slipped from their keys and created a very unmusical sort of 'BONG' noise. I heard Darren give a low whistle. Even Satoshi looked rather impressed. I apparently wasn't the only one to have noticed this strange display of talent.

"That was impressive," Cladwell said at last. "Have either of you two played this song before?" He glanced at me, and I felt myself blush. Again.

"Um… I've played it once or twice," I said meekly. His gaze swiveled to the cat-like violin prodigy who stood to my right. Odd… when had he gotten there?

Krad just shrugged. "It's a pretty simple melody to memorize," he said at last. I heard a small murmur rise from the class when he spoke, and noticed most of the murmurs were those of a definite feminine persuasion. I almost shuddered in disgust. Krad's smooth, low, purring voice did nothing but give me the creeps.

I glanced back miserably at the clock, and saw that we only had five more minutes. Cladwell followed my gaze, and sighed. "Alright everyone, please pack up. I'd like to start work on 'Sailing Songs' tomorrow so please practice that a bit tonight!" I quickly stood up, straightened my shirt out, and walked over to my flute, which still sat on my stand. I was packed up and ready to go in a moment.

"Losira," Cladwell said calmly, "would you come here for a moment?" I froze, and glanced over at him. Sure enough, Krad stood over by the director's podium, his strange violin still held in one hand. Satoshi had disappeared. Sighing a sigh of utter resentment, I slowly made my way to Krad's left. His far left.

"Yes sir?" I asked as I readjusted my messenger's bag. The strap had a way of cutting into my shoulder when it wanted to, and I'd come home with a thin red line on my shoulder several times before.

"I hate to call you out like this," he began, and I instantly knew something was going to go horribly wrong. "Especially you, Krad, since you're so new, but after what I saw today… the two of you are both extremely talented. I was wondering if you would consider doing a brief duet towards the end of the song." A small part of me tried to die right then. In fact, a large part of me wanted to die right then.

Krad shrugged. "Sure," he said. "It's quite the honor… Sira?" I bristled visibly when he used my nickname, but I didn't care if he saw. I just was beyond caring.

"I –" Suddenly my voice cracked and I continued hurriedly. I wasn't going to cry, no, but I was almost positive if I stayed in this room I would start pulling my hair out. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like a plan." It would be easier to agree, and I needed out of there. The bell rang a moment later, and I hurried off.

Actually, rushed off was a bit closer. Cindy had to jog to keep up with me, and she had the longest stride of anyone I knew. Of course, I didn't know many people; I kept to myself most of the time.

"Sira," she said, "slow down. I want to walk with you, not try to keep up!" Her bright orange hair, almost the exact color of hunting gear, swished around her shoulders, and I finally slowed. "That was really awesome, what you did," she continued, "I mean, any eejit can have photographic memory, but you…" she trailed off and grinned. "That's the talent. Actually learning the piece, I mean." I grinned back. Even though Cindy didn't always know what to say, and frequently distanced herself from society for no particular reason, she was still a pretty awesome person who could almost always make me smile.

"So are you eating with us today?" I asked. When I said 'us', I meant Riku, Daisuke, and Risa. Sometimes Dark would stop by to hang out with us (which I couldn't stand on most days) and other times, very rarely, Satoshi would stop by for a quick chat. Cindy ate with us most days, or rather, sat with us, as she rarely ate in front of people. However, there were rare days when she would simply, and I have no better word for it, disappear. I always made a point to ask her where she was, and she always said she had been right in the cafeteria. One of those days, I got up, searched the cafeteria, the girl's restrooms, the school stores, and checked with all of Cindy's teachers and her councilor, and didn't find her. I also barely escaped a week's worth of detention.

Yet when I saw her next, she said: "You looked awfully worried about something when you left at lunch today Sira. Are you alright?" My jaw had dropped. I had asked her where she had been, and she said simply that she had been there. The whole time. Without leaving, or hiding. She had simply been sitting on her own that day, trying to collect her thoughts. I hadn't seen her. How had I not seen her?

But I was startled out of my reverie when Cindy replied. "Yeah," she said, "I need to be around you… I feel like I want to slip off though." Her eyes had taken on a misty, faraway look. We walked in silence almost to the cafeteria, where she put an arm on my shoulder.

"What is it Cindy?" I asked. She suddenly seemed very troubled, and beckoned for me to follow a few paces away.

"It's not really that big a deal, but it is under wraps for the time being," she began. Then she cupped her hands around my ear and whispered, "There's going to be a talent show in two months." I blinked in surprise.

"That's awesome!" I exclaimed. Cindy knew I hated being given only a few weeks to prepare –I was strange like that. "Are you…?" I trailed off, and she picked up.

"I'm singing," she said. "But no more about that until after school; I was just dying to tell someone…" She grinned and then we walked into the cafeteria, to the table towards the back, where we always sat. To where Risa and Riku and Daisuke were waiting for us.

Where this story really begins.

…

AN: … Honestly, I can say I forgot about this. I didn't even remember I had the document half-started until… I think three days ago. *sigh* Well, this is awkward. Please review!