Chapter 8: Matters Of The Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own la corda...if I did Len would have confessed already…

Note: My sincerest apologies for the late update!! My net service has been teasing me like Azuma teases Kahoko. Enjoy!

The pristine morning light came in through the open windows and translucent curtains, making the room glow in its magic. A certain red head woke up at the light falling on her shut golden eyes. Kahoko sat up on bed and looked at the time; 6:15 AM. She sighed. Just a couple of hours of sleep…man, what's happening to me? She thought worriedly. Even though the incident took place around four weeks ago, it was still fresh on her mind.

Warning: Flashback contains bits of lemon. For those who cannot digest such things, I would suggest you skip this part.

FLASHBACK

Her lips are so sweet, he thought as tasted her smile in his lips. He dropped his hand from her chin to caress her neck, as his other hand, holding the violin and bow, wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his tall frame. He did not give a care about all the people staring at them, but only to the girl who was in his arms at that moment.

Kahoko was shocked beyond comprehension. Has some ghost or devil possessed this guy? Oh my, that feels so good…she thought as she began to lose control over her thoughts. She mindlessly slipped her arms around his neck, taking care not to hurt him with her violin while doing so. He pulled her off the ground and to his height, tightening his grip on her waist.

After what seemed like eternity, they broke apart. Kiriya stared into her eyes, mesmerized. Then he moved to hug her as he whispered into her ears, "I know I am not the one in your heart." His words broke Kahoko from her reverie, as she hugged him tightly and snuggled into his shoulder, feeling guilty about her actions. He responded by tightening the hug, while running his hand through her unbound red hair.

It was almost an hour later that Kiriya walked Kahoko home. Her small hand was in his much bigger one, he had refused to let go of it earlier and Kahoko found out that she did not have the heart to refuse him. He looked ahead straight, not a trace of emotion on his face while Kahoko kept her head bowed, her mind a slurry of emotions. I am completely clueless when it comes to my own heart…I thought I liked Tsukimori-kun, but then why did I allow Etou to kiss me?? And it takes two to tango, I responded back! Kami-sama, what the hell is happening to me?!?!?!

"Kahoko."

His voice cut through her random thoughts as she looked up at his face. He smiled at her and gently ran his hand through her hair. Kahoko felt herself blushing at the contact.

"I am not asking you to go out with me, because I know you belong to someone else." Kiriya said, as she looked at him in shock. "Then why did you d...do that???" She squeaked out.

"Are you saying you did not like it? Because that's not the impression that I got an hour ago." he asked mischievously, as he cupped her cheek and brought his own near her face. She blushed at the sudden proximity and tried to remove his hand, but he read her thoughts faster. He slid his hand from her face to the nape of her neck as his right hand kept the violin case down on the pavement. He then pulled his right arm round her waist and hauled her against him. He looked down at her as she tensed up against him. "Relax. I won't do anything." He smiled down at her.

At his words, the tension in her disappeared. She gave a small sigh and rested her forehead on his chest, hands clutching his jacket front. "To tell the truth I have no idea of what I feel. If I really do like him so much then I shouldn't have allowed you to kiss me, no matter what.I…"

The rest of her words were drowned when his mouth descended on hers. He's really good…she thought as she found herself melting into a puddle in his arms. All sense evaporated under his gentle touch as he pressed his hand onto the small of her back. She gasped at the contact while he deepened the kiss. All too soon it ended as he withdrew and gently pressed his lips on her forehead.

"I am not the one to say 'I will wait forever for you' because I will not. But if you are ever in need of someone to confide in, I am always here for you." She stared into his gleaming red eyes before pulling his face down to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Eto—Kiriya." She smiled at him. He was surprised at her calling him by his given name but he gave her a hug in gratitude. "It's past 6 PM. You should go in before your family get's frantic. I will call you tonight, if that's alright with you." Kiriya said, letting go of her. She hesitated but then she gave him a small nod and took out her cell phone to take his number.

They exchanged numbers and he was about to leave when she caught hold of his arm. "Wait, won't you leave me home?!? You said you would!"

He gave a small chuckle as he turned back and turned her around. Her jaw hit the ground. They had been standing in front of her house the whole time. "Did we just…" she stopped in mid-sentence, blushing as she realized what she was about to say.

He chuckled. "Yeah we just made out in front of your house." Finishing her sentence for her, as she went a deeper shade of red. He took the opportunity to hug her from behind and give her a kiss on the neck.

"Good night Kahoko. We will talk later." He bid goodbye and went off in the direction of his own apartment.

Kahoko stood rooted to the spot as she took a deep breath and readied herself to go inside the house. Something tells me I am gonna have to think for a long time about this, she thought resignedly.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Why can't I simply decide who I like more? Whether it's Kiriya or Tsukimori-kun!" She shook her head for the umpteenth time as she sat on the bed gathering her thoughts. The incident with Kiriya happened over a month ago. Since then he had taken her out sometimes for a movie, sometimes to the amusement park or sometimes to his apartment to hear her play. Although she had perfected the piece he just wanted an excuse to be with her. They had not kissed after that, because Kiriya knew that he should not make things more difficult for her than they already were. She would talk to him at night and found him to be a really good friend but Kahoko just could not decide whether she wanted him as a friend or something more…

………………………………………………………………………

There were only one day left for the concert and the participants had been practicing very hard. Kahoko and Shouko were feeling particularly jittery because they had never done anything like this before.

Kahoko ran top speed to the station to catch the train to Tokyo central, taking care not to trip or fall in her hurry. They would be practicing at the Tokyo Opera House, before the concert tomorrow. The practice would begin at 2 PM after lunch and they hoped to reach by 12.30 PM. Everyone was supposed to be there by 10.45. The train was at 11 AM and it was already 10.40. Five minutes! Man, why I can't I get up early when it really counts?? She screamed frustrated inside her mind.

Nights seem to go away real fast and when she would wake up she would always feel tired. Days were spent in practicing at her aunt's apartment, alone and with the others, and nights were spent restless because often after talking to Kiriya late in the night, she would feel guilty about leading him on while still being unsure of her own feelings. Sure as hell, it was driving her nuts.

She drew away from her thoughts when a black car stopped in front of her and out from it stepped the man she least wanted to see at that moment--- Yunoki Azuma.

She groaned inwardly at his sudden appearance. Why does he HAVE to appear at my lowest moments???? She cursed inwardly.

Sensing her thoughts he smiled at her and said, "Good morning Hino-san. You are running late. Do you mind if I take you to the train station? It would be faster this way."

Kahoko sighed inwardly and nodded silently, knowing full well that he would create a scene in public and blame it on her if she refused. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Yunoki-senpai." She said in response. She got in the car and looked out of the window as the chauffer revved up the engine when Azuma spoke, "Seems like you can never be on time for anything, Kahoko. What were you doing last night, talking to your boyfriend so late that you forgot you had a trip in the morning?"

On hearing the first part of his sentence, her blood boiled. But all anger evaporated and she became numb on hearing his question. "Geez, Kahoko, you could have at least told me you were dating someone."

She slowly turned to look at him, her face showing no emotion, but her eyes betraying her. "What the hell do you mean, Yunoki-senpai? I am not seeing anyone, and if I did I would always tell you guys."

It was Yunoki's turn to stare at her sarcastically. "Would you now? That is good to hear. So, then, kissing a guy on the beach, in public, is just past time I assume?"

His sarcasm disappeared when she looked straight into his eyes, anger visible in her golden orbs. "What I do in my personal life is NONE of your business. And I don't think you are a very good person to judge me either, who sees me as nothing more than a toy to provide him with some enjoyment." The air around them seemed to fill with electricity.

She looked out of the window again, effectively ending the conversation. Azuma fought to recover from the intensity of her words. My, my…she does have quite a temper. But…why do I feel so restless? Maybe because she has never spoken to me like that…Should it matter? Heh, I don't know why I can't keep my rhythm around her. He smiled to himself and said nothing more. The rest of the journey to the station was engulfed in electric silence.

When Azuma asked her about Kiriya—she knew it was about him, because he definitely had seen her that day—she had enough. It was way too much, with her evident restless condition, that he should throw those biting remarks casually at her. She simply snapped. She did not know what came over her to react like that to an upperclassman, but she knew that she had enough of his teasing and that even he should know his limits.

……………………………………………..

Kazuki whistled as they entered the concert hall. It was beautifully designed and truly majestic. The low lights enhanced the beauty of the place all the more.

"Sure is grand…" Ryotaro said, looking around the opera house.

"Uhm…Kaho-senpai, have you performed before in something like this?" Shouko asked her upperclassman nervously. Kahoko, who was looking up awestruck, examining the delicate woodwork on the ceiling, replied, "Not in this level actually. I used to do my sister's accompaniment when I was still playing the piano, so we took part in many competitions, but never in this level."

"You mean for your older sister or for your cousin, Daidouji Yukina?" asked Nami, who had accompanied them that morning. She was covering the entire event for the school's Journalism Club.

Kahoko looked at her, and answered with a smile, "Both actually. Onee-chan's best friend would do her accompaniment most of the time, because I would be doing Yukina's almost always."

Nami looked at her thoughtfully and asked her, "Any plans of continuing with the piano, Kaho-chan?" Kahoko seemed somewhat shaken by the question and then shook her head warily, aware that all the participants as well as the teachers were looking in her direction.

"That's a shame, because from what I heard, you have inherited your father's innate ability at the piano." Nami said, further heating the situation. "And you were what we call a prodigy. Which also means that you can still play, is that right?"

"Wha…where did you hear that??" Kahoko shrieked out. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. "Old records." Nami said simply. "I did some digging but I eventually found out that you were good at the piano, way too good to be exact."

Everyone simply stared at her open mouthed. They had never expected Kahoko of all people to be so talented at an instrument, the same Kahoko who knew so little about music.

"I think I have embarrassed you enough, Kaho-chan. We should continue with the practice, right Kanayan?" Nami said to Kanazawa, who simply nodded.

Kahoko simply sighed and wondered what was to come next, given that the school's prime reporter was delving into her past. She knew that Nami would not give up so easily and that she would be pressing for more details once she got back from practice.

……………………………………………….

"Oh man that was hard!" exclaimed Kahoko as she leaned back tiredly into her bed. They were staying at a hotel, courtesy of the school, and she was sharing the room with Shouko and Nami. It was past 8 PM and they had been practicing for six hours non-stop.

"So, Kaho-chan, wanna give me a full detail or should I dig more?" Nami asked Kahoko mischievously. Kahoko groaned in response and covered her face with her hands while Shouko kept silent. Does she not care for how much this could hurt Kaho-senpai? Shouko thought silently. Nami was sitting on Kahoko's bed, hell bent on getting her to admit her hidden prowess.

Kahoko sat up and gave Nami a challenging look. "Prove to me that your details are correct. Then I will tell you what you need." Nami gave Kahoko a toothy grin and said, "Certainly. I do not have any problem whatsoever. Though I should have known that you would not go down so easily."

Nami got up from her bed and went to the overnight travelling bag she had kept beside her own bed. After rummaging for a couple of minutes, she pulled out a folder and a couple of CDs. She beckoned Kahoko and Shouko to sit on her bed while she opened the folder. Kahoko looked at the contents of the folder scandalized: her elementary school file.

"I was visiting my grandmother in Okinawa after exams got over and I went to your old school, Kaho-chan. It was marvelous truly, the amount of information I unearthed." Nami had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"H…How could you just go and rummage through my files huh? The student council would never have allowed this!" Kahoko asked disbelievingly.

"Well, the present elementary student council board knew of you of course, but they told me to visit the high school student council board, because the members there had worked with you when you were in the council board. Am I right?" Nami asked, Kahoko merely nodded in response while Shouko was stunned to silence.

Nami read from her file. "Name: Hino Kahoko. Class: 5C. Talents: piano and equestrian. Currently a member of the Clamp School Elementary Student Council board. Designation: Vice-president and chief advisor to the president. The president of the board at that time was Imonoyama Nakoru-san, am I right?"

Kahoko asked in a small voice, "Nakoru agreed to this? I don't believe it."

Nami answered, "Well, I told Imonoyama-san that you had taken up the violin, and that I had heard of you playing the piano. He is an absolute feminist I tell you. He began to talk about your talents, after I promised him not to print this in the journal without your consent." Kahoko looked at her in surprise. "A promise I wish to keep. You are my friend first Kahoko, even though I would love to print this out as this can catapult me to heights unbelievable."

"What more did Nakoru tell?" Kahoko looked at her, slightly relieved. Nami answered, "Well, he said that you were a champion at equestrian, something you loved to do. Your cousin brother, Suoh Takamura, who is also in the council, was only beaten by you. In fact he showed me a couple of video tapes of you performing in a competition representing the school. It was prestigious one as well, and you won it, despite that being your first competition solo."

"I never performed solo before third grade, mostly because I felt that I was not trained enough. Dad convinced me to take part, and well, Suoh and Nakoru backed my decision. It will be denial to say I did not like it because I truly loved the moments I performed. I felt like I was made to perform." Kahoko answered, opening up, while leaning back on the headboard.

Suddenly a crash on the door made the girls turn around. The door opened wide, revealing the boys, who had been listening in. Kazuki had lost his footing and had crashed on the door while the others fell on top of him because they had been leaning on him. Kanazawa, who was standing behind them, merely scratched his head and sighed.

"Too curious for your own good, eh? Well, since you are here, why don't you join us?" Nami winked mischievously in Kahoko's direction, who looked back at her in absolute shock.

"Uhm…Nami-senpai, what are these?" Keiichi asked Nami, nodding towards a large envelope inside the folder, once all of them had taken a seat.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me Shimizu-kun! These are the pictures that were taken during the competition Kahoko participated in third grade, during the equestrian competitions and well…just pictures. Imonoyama-san was kind enough to give them to me. Half of them were taken by him, as I got to know…by the way, how come you are on first name basis with him? Even he addresses you as Kahoko- senpai!"

Kahoko smiled at her. "Well, we have known each other for quite a while, he really did not appreciate calling by last name. We are friends after all." Kazuki shifted a bit uncomfortably in his place on the floor on hearing that.

"So you are still in touch with him, ne?" Nami asked, handing the pictures to Keiichi and Kazuki.

"Yeah, though he hasn't contacted me in the past month. They have got exams right now, and well, being in the student council does take up a lot of their time." Kahoko answered.

"Whoa! This is a surprise!" Ryotaro exclaimed looking at the photographs. The pictures included shots with her horse, Kahoko smiling up gaily at the camera standing beside it. There were also group photos of the school's equestrian team. There were also shots of the four members of the student council. Kahoko's hair was a lot shorter and her messy bangs were held away from her face by a white hairband.

"Wanna see the shots from the competition? Imonoyama-san let me have a copy from the original video tapes." Nami asked, and not waiting for a reply, got up and switched on the DVD player. She completely ignored the shocked look on Kahoko's face. Shouko tried calming her down by rubbing her back, to little avail.

The screen came alive with the camera first showing the filled hall and the MC announcing Kahoko's name, who was the last competitor. "That was in the first round." Kahoko mumbled, looking at the screen.

They watched in awe as Kahoko's younger self strode in and bowed to the crowd before taking to the piano. Dressed in a light purple dress and ballet shoes, she didn't look at all tense. Taking a deep breath, they watched as she closed her eyes and touched the black and white keys. Soft notes of Fur Elise emanated from her touch. Everyone could sense the passion and yet the calmness about her when she played on it. Four minutes and fifteen seconds of pure bliss and stunned silence from the crowd and the people in the hotel room.

The crowd broke into a standing ovation to the young performer, who looked absolutely stunned by the attention. Then she gave a heartwarming smile as she bowed to the crowd once again, taking her leave. Then the screen returned to the menu options as it showed the selection of events recorded on it. Nami turned to check the atmosphere of the room and laughed. Everyone was gaping at Kahoko, who was rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed, with a tiny smile on her face.

"Want to see the finals? It's even better!" Nami exclaimed while she pressed the play button. This time it was a recording of the entire competition, with Kahoko performing second last. This time though she looked a bit nervous. The students watched as the camera drifted backstage where a blond haired boy was trying to calm down his jittery senpai, which was Kahoko. Then a voice came from behind the camera, "Kaho-senpai, you don't have to win, you just have enjoy what you are going to play. No matter what you place, you know we are rooting for you."

The girl gaped at the camera in disbelief before a warm smile graced her lips. "Thank you so much for saying that, Akira-kun. I will try my level best."

"I had a high fever the day before I remember. The first time I went on stage, I was hooked. I loved every moment of it and worked very hard for it. When I caught a fever, I was afraid—not that I would not win, but because I could not perform to the best of my abilities. To me performance and consequently enjoying myself mattered more than winning. If I had given my best in something and enjoyed it at the same time, I would sleep happily that night even if I didn't win. I guess I just needed a few words from Akira to calm me down." The present Kahoko said.

"Ejuin Akira, right?" Nami asked. Kahoko nodded in response. "He was the treasurer of the student council at that time and well, one of my closest friends, even though he was three years my junior. He's also the current treasurer of the high school council."

"I met him there. In fact he says that he was very upset when you stopped playing the piano." Nami said, hoping she would reveal something more.

"Well, he plays the double bass, and we would play in quartets sometimes. He loved the way I played, and I taught him to play the piano. The reason I don't know much about music is because I gave up when I was nine, so I dropped the chance of learning more."

They turned back to the screen which showed Kahoko again, entering and taking her place on the piano. Everyone stared in shock as she played Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca with ease and grace. The piece was not easy for a seven year old, with the quadruple stops and all, but she played with absolute precision. And one could tell that she was enjoying every moment of it. Three and a half minutes in heaven.

"So! Are you sure you will not continue with the piano, Kaho-chan? I personally think you are better at the piano than at the violin!" Nami said with her usual bluntness after the recording was over.

"Well, I had three years of practice before I even participated in a competition, so I was better at it." Kahoko responded somewhat uneasily.

"We should go for dinner now, it's getting late ne?" Ayame cut in from the doorway. Standing beside her was Hamai Misa, a look of surprise on her face. Her eyes pierced Kahoko's for a moment and then seemed to soften as she turned away from the door.

…………………………………………………………………….

"I used to help Yukina with her singing. We used to tune in together. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun." Kahoko told them. It was long after dinner and the three of them were sitting in the balcony, enjoying the wonderful spring air.

"Do you think your father would have liked it that you gave up something you loved so much and were so good at, Kaho-senpai?" Shouko asked her.

Kahoko remained silent for a while before answering. "I believe not. To tell the truth I did play the piano recently. It was at my aunt's place. And I will admit this: it felt as exhilarating and wonderful when I play the violin."

"You shouldn't stop. You should take it up again. Even though you will not give up the violin, which I know already, it will greatly improve your music." Nami said. Seeing the astonished looks of her room mates, she shrugged and said, "It's human psychology. Once you do something you loved and return to your daily work, it will seem a lot more fun than usual. It's simple really, nothing much to explain."

"It's getting late. We should turn in. After all it's gonna be a big day tomorrow." Nami said looking at her watch.

"You guys go ahead. I am gonna stay here for a while." Kahoko replied, leaning on the rails. The other two nodded as they got up. From the door of the room Shouko called out, "Don't be too late, Kaho-senpai."

Kahoko smiled at her kouhai. "I will be there soon, Shouko. Thanks." Shouko smiled in return.

Kahoko turned her gaze over the city skyline. Tomorrow's performance is for someone special. Someone who has helped shape my music to what it is today…she smiled thoughtfully to herself.

Author's note: This chappie took a bit of thought. Writing lemon is hard, I have no idea how people write M rated fics! :S There will be an epilogue, people…I haven't given it much thought but I have gotten positive responses for it mostly so I will be making one. As for the music, I mentally debated with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata but ultimately decided upon Rondo Alla Turca because Beethoven's piece was seemed to fit Tsuchiura's character and Mozart's piece seems to suit Kahoko's personality better: joyful yet intense. I mentioned the characters of Clamp School Detectives here because I felt that through them I could explain Kahoko's talents and past better. My freaking net service is truly driving me mad. To pass time I have been proofreading the story, this being the 8th time I have done so. Please R & R…the green button wants to feel your touch ;p. Happy Reading!!

P.S. A big shout out for all the people who have reviewed my story:

C. Isabel, emjhey, sagitariusleo, yuuyeuko, Debatri, Jhorokak, Soumi, Trisha R., animeswissmiss( I left the dots out of your pen name since the stupid server doesn't recognize it), oreofudge 'DD, Pathetic Rainbow, stellar24, MixedAznChik, Shiraiyuki, TomeOfTheNightSky, Titpom1.

Sukhriya!