V - Duet

A time to rejoice. A time to give thanks. And for the less fortunate, a time to forget.

Yes, the town festival was soon at hand.

And Sana couldn't wait. No, not for the food and games or the various activities, though those things certainly didn't hurt. Nor the time off from his schoolwork or duties at the apartment, though that was nothing short of an act of mercy. No, this was going to be… his first public performance!

Actually his second, counting the duet he performed with Nanaka at the honors recital. But it had certainly been a while. And it was unexpected, how it all came about.

It all started when Nanaka was asked to perform the dance of the mystical maiden at the end of the festival. The dance was to be accompanied by background music; a piano-violin duet (although the piano part was played with a keyboard). In years past, the organizers had asked a couple of local professionals to play the parts. But the piano teacher happened to be out of town, so instead of scrambling for another pianist – Nanaka had gotten the idea of having Sana and Asami play in their place.

After a brief demonstration, they were unanimously approved. Finally! A chance to put their practice to good use; and to learn a new piece. And Sana could only hope that there would be more opportunities for them to play in the future.

Of course, reality always had a way of sneaking in through the back door.

Response #1: (Aoi)

"Guess what! Asami and I will be playing a duet at the festival!"

"That's wonderful! Could you make the bentos tomorrow?"

Response #2: (His aunt)

"That's great, Sana. And don't worry too much about work; I know you need the extra practice time. Aoi and I will do the best we can for the next couple of weeks to make up for it."

"But…"

"I'm sure you'll do the right thing after the festival is over. I'm counting on you, Sana."

Response #3: (His mother)

"So, who will you be playing with?"

"Asami. Just someone from school."

"Oh, so it's a different girl this time?"

So maybe it wasn't perfect, especially the part where he had to get up extra early in the morning so he could work on lesson number three. But at least he had gotten the hang of this one pretty quick; he turned out to be a natural in the kitchen and the results were more than edible. Maybe he had some of the Oribe blood in him after all.

And the results were confirmed during lunch. Sana's bento was a colorful assortment of side dishes, neatly compartmentalized – next to the block of rice. Shuu's bento was colorful as well – but for very different reasons. Sana wasn't sure what it was supposed to be, but he was sure that it wasn't supposed to contain anything living – was Sana mistaken, or did he just see something move?

Sana turned his face away in self-preservation and Shuu did the same. "You know, Sana, you're lucky that you have Aoi-san to make lunch for you," Shuu started.

"Actually – "

"Yeah, it sucks to be stuck with this. But what can I do? I have to eat this and pretend I like it."

"Why not ask your stepmother?"

"I wish. She can at least make something that will go out the other end. But – " Shuu cast a glance – "she insisted. You know how it is."

Shuu had his full condolences.

"So – she still hasn't improved?"

The proof was presented right under his nose, and Sana's instincts took over, as he lurched backwards and nearly fell.

"I can't stand this anymore. I can't eat this. I'll be back in a bit."

So Shuu emptied the contents of his bento in the nearest wastebasket and hurried over to the cafeteria to buy himself some bread. Alas, his return was greeted by a certain person with similar-colored hair, who was standing with her arms crossed –

Ouch. That had to hurt – she didn't have to hit him there. She got a few more kicks in before she was held back by Asami and Nanaka – and it was a good thing they did, or Shuu might have had to make his own visit to the hospital.

The incident at lunch thankfully went unmentioned during rehearsal. Indeed, there were enough things to worry about, without having to add one more to the list. First of all, they needed to borrow a keyboard. The school was willing to lend them one, given the importance of the occasion – but actually playing it provided a whole new set of challenges. The keys simply weren't as responsive and the pedals didn't have quite the same effect; it required a different touch altogether to play it properly. But the plus side was that he could change the sound with a touch of a button; the keyboard even had settings for various Japanese traditional instruments.

And Asami seemed to be – a touch on the picky side. To be truthful, both of them were. Asami first approached this like a concert piece, complete with the soloist's pose and bright, clear tone – before she had to be reminded that they were supplying the background music, and the dance was supposed to be the main attraction. Next, the coordination. It was a true duet, with each instrument weaving in and out as they took turns taking the lead. There wasn't anything particularly difficult or tricky about the piece, but it was still quite a challenge to get the timing down. Third, the settings. Both of them quickly agreed that the standard piano sound wasn't the best fit for the piece. They came up with some possibilities – but ultimately, they would have to run them by Nanaka. Asami fiddled around with the mute, as well, before deciding against it. And finally, the schedule. They had three scheduled rehearsals with the full crew; in between, they would have to practice as often as possible. Saturday would have to be cut short because of Asami's volunteer work and Sunday was near impossible, but they could meet during school days.

So it was going to be another busy couple of weeks.

Come to think of it, he'd had nothing but busy weeks since he came to Sakuranomori. But at least this one was for a good cause. Thankfully he was 2 for 2 when it came to good causes; the trip had worked out well and so had the birthday party, which gave him reason to hope. And this time around, he'd get to spend the extra time doing something he actually enjoyed, instead of having to bury himself in hard work.

Yes, he actually enjoyed playing the piano.

It sounded funny to him at first. It wasn't always that way; at first, it just another one of those things he was burdened with, so that he wouldn't have as much time to do something fun. He absolutely dreaded those hours he had to spend at the piano, and the lessons were about as pleasant as a trip to the dentist. And he was constantly reminded just how hard Aoi was working on the piano, and how fast she was improving.

But the turning point came when he flew through Bach's Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue and won the competition going away. Finally, vindication. Affirmation. A reward for his efforts. And it wouldn't end there. First, the honors recital – where every contestant who placed was asked to play (including Aoi, whose bright rendition of Mozart's Rondo in A major brought smiles to everyone's faces). And at the same time, a special request. The organizers of the competition asked him to play a duet with the winner of the violin competition in his age group. It was on short notice, but a couple of judges had wanted to see them on stage together, and the piece was a simple one – a duet arrangement of Pachelbel's Kanon in D.

And that was the first time he had met Nanaka.

They had hit it off right away. Perhaps a little on the shy side, but she was so gentle and pleasing – not to mention, quite easy on the eyes. As for their practices – they were in sync almost from the start, and she seemed to have an impeccable knack for timing. A piece that became easier and easier to play with each subsequent practice, to the point it became almost instinctive… even now, whenever he played this piece, he could still hear the violin in the background…

The duet was a huge hit at the recital. And Sana had taken the time to introduce her to his cousin and the twins – and soon, all of them were fast friends. It seemed as if she had been part of the group all along; Sana could still remember the time they spent at the hills and exploring the caves; their first and only spring festival…

And it all came to an end. A few short months is all it was; a seed that sprouted quickly and withered just as fast. And according to his mother, something best left in the past. Everything had changed – heck, she didn't even play the violin anymore, which probably had been the strongest link between them. Now, the violinist was another gentle and pleasing girl whose expressions were strangely familiar, as if he had seen them years ago…

Sana blinked. Was he just imagining things? He resisted the temptation to dig up the score for Pachelbel's Kanon – he was a little freaked by the thought. No, he had to focus. Work. That had been a constant theme ever since he had arrived at Sakuranomori, and he wasn't about to stop now. For there was a time when he had let his mind wander just a little – and that was what had earned him a one-way ticket to Sakuranomori.

* * *

Saturday.

Normally, the day that combined the worst of two worlds. A half-day of school, followed by a full day of work. Well, except for that day before he went on that trip – but even the dictator knew well enough to not repeat that stunt.

But everything was different this week. So he would be able to make a rare visit to the retirement home, along with Asami and the twins. There was a keyboard there, so Sana and Asami would be able play a few duets for the residents – including a sneak preview of the piece they would be playing at the festival. Nanaka then decided that this would be a good chance to demonstrate her part, so that meant that the full gang would be there. Aoi had long since been relegated to "special guest star" status.

It was good to be back.

There were several familiar faces among the bunch. The video game expert, who was now playing a racing game with a couple of his friends, with Shuu making up the fourth. And fourth was where Shuu would routinely finish, as the other three took turns ganging up on him. There was a particularly cruel moment when the three let Shuu take the lead, only to rear-end him during a crucial turn and send him careening off the cliff – and Shuu could barely refrain himself from throwing his controller. There were new faces as well; Shuri was talking to a couple of them and was describing her tennis exploits. Apparently, she had won a couple of local tournaments, and was expected to be a contender in the upcoming national tournament. And of course, the most memorable face of them all – Grandma Kaji, who was resting on a rocking chair, her eyes closed.

The conversation inevitably turned to the upcoming festival, and Nanaka was soon thrust into the spotlight, as the star attraction. People were clamoring for her to show them her dance – and that brought Sana and Asami into the mix as well, as they would be supplying the background music. Shuu volunteered to play the role of the narrator, a keyboard was brought in, and a little room was cleared for the performers. The stage was set.

The performance? Somewhat on the awkward side. After all, they had only one full practice together, and Shuu was a bit off with his narration. But they managed to get through without any major mishaps, and none of the residents seemed to care about the minor mistakes. A loud applause, words of praise, and wishes of good luck were given; even to a sheepish Shuu (who had to remind them that he would not be the narrator at the festival). Even Grandma Kaji managed to wake up from her slumber and manage a few claps, before sinking back in her chair.

Still, Grandma Kaji refused assistance as she got up from her seat and walked back to her room. Ah. So she was simply tired, after all, which a hot cup of tea quickly cured. But she still seemed a bit down, so Asami and Sana offered to play her a song – this time, a more up-beat one.

Kaji held out her hand. "No, that's all right. I was just thinking about the story of the mystical maiden. Do you know it?"

Only in broad outlines. There were cues like, "hope", "lonely moments", "memories", "betrayal", and "death". Obviously, this story did not have a happy ending.

"It starts with three people who knew each other ever since they were young. A boy and two girls. They were best friends for so many years. And as they grew older, they would only grow closer. Only, they started to notice that the boy was growing particularly close to one of the girls…"

Aye, the classic love triangle.

"But the girl – who had now become a young woman – had to move away. No one knew when she would be back; she said it could be many years. So, she gave a tearful farewell to both her friends. She told them to remember her, but to move on with their lives. Finally, she told them that she would treasure the moments they shared – but she, too, would find the strength to continue, apart from them…"

"And that night, she found herself underneath a large sakura tree. As the petals fell around her, she made a wish. That somehow, from this moment of sadness, a great joy would arise…"

"Then, from the shadows, the young man emerged. He had been looking for her all night. He begged her not to go, in vain. Then, he went down on one knee and told her something he had been meaning to say for some time…"

"The two pledged themselves to each other that night. She would do everything in her power to come back as soon as possible. And he would wait for her in the meantime. And they made a wish under the sakura tree; that nothing would prevent them from keeping the promise, that any obstacles to their love would be eliminated..."

"But the passage of time proved cruel. Try as she might, she could not return as soon as she hoped. And once she returned, she found her two friends smiling at her return, glad to see her back; and smiling at each other, for they were now engaged to be married."

This was going to get ugly.

"She tried to win him back. She appealed to the promise, the wish, they had made; the love they once had. She pleaded with the woman who had once been her best friend. But it was to no avail. And as the wedding day grew closer, she found that her former friend was with child – and she finally gave up. There was no going back; she would do her best to cheer them on and support them as a friend, even as she was being torn in two…"

"But even that would be denied. Just as the friendship was restored, and she found the strength to move on, her best friend grew sick and died. There would be no wedding, no child. The young man was inconsolable. And the young woman realized, with horror, that their wish had been granted..."

"Ever since then, every year, she would scatter sakura petals across her friend's grave. And pray that her friend's sacrifice would not be in vain, and that the evil spirits responsible for her death would be forever destroyed."

End.

"I'll come and see you all at the festival. Especially, you, Nanaka – "

Wait, since when was she here?

"I know you'll do a great job with the dance. I'm counting on you. You really remind me of my granddaughter – she was the type to never quit, no matter how hard things got. I see that in you, Nanaka. Go. Be grateful that you're still young and alive. And become that person that I know that you can be."

"Thank you. Is there anything I can do?"

Sana had to hand it to her; Nanaka had really improved since the last visit to Grandma Kaji – even if she was a bit robotic.

"Just one. Please, could you try playing the violin?

"I'm sorry, but I haven't played for a long time – could you ask Asami to play?"

"Please?"

Nanaka gave in, and Asami somewhat reluctantly lent her the violin. The pose was still good, and so was her form, but the sound – well, she really hadn't played for a long time. But Sana could give Nanaka credit for one thing: she was no quitter.

* * *

Darkness. The shimmering effects from the keyboard. A subtle, gentle sound from the violin. And then, a single light – preceding the mystical maiden, returning to this world to tell her story. One could almost sense her sadness through her motions – the tragedy that had befallen her life. Yet not without hope, for if she could prevent just one person from repeating her mistakes, or console just one person who was living in sadness, her purpose would have been served…

Everything was running smoothly so far. Nanaka was clearly in her element, while Sana and Asami were on cue. The narrator was holding his own. Now all they needed – was an audience.

Ah, the dress rehearsal. Or rehearsals, to be fair. They had already gone through the entire program three times, probably closer to five if they included all the bits and pieces they worked on. After a brief food break – considering it consisted of convenience store rice balls, "dinner" was much too kind a word to describe their meal – they were at it again. And there were several changes in the meantime. The timing. Keyboard settings. Tone from the violin. Nanaka also ad-libbed a few times in between; some of the changes were rejected while others were kept. This went on until sundown – and it quickly grew dark afterwards, for it was a cloudy day.

This was the moment everyone had been waiting for; the chance to make a full run. The campfire had been lit within the concrete circle. The torches were also lit, one by one, as the dance continued. And at a climactic moment, Nanaka would approach the campfire, and the torches would surround her, filling her with visions of fire –

Nanaka stopped. She stood still for just an instant – then toppled to the ground.

"Nanaka!"

"Yatsushiro-san!"

"Are you all right?"

"Help!"

"Everyone, get back. Give her some room."

That last voice was from her uncle, who shooed everyone back. Meanwhile, her aunt came to her side, and attempted to wake her up – and Nanaka soon came to. But she was in no condition to continue, so the rehearsal ended early. They would have to take their chances at the festival itself – if Nanaka recovered by then.

And that was the topic of discussion between Nanaka's uncle and aunt.

"What do you think we should do?

"We might have to cancel. It was my mistake. I should've known something like this might happen. But after all she's overcome, and all the work she put in… I thought she could do this."

"Dear. There's no way you could've known."

"But I should've guessed. Losing her parents in the fire. Seeing her house burn down. The fire must've really scared her. It must have brought back all those painful memories…"

A knowing nod. Nanaka's days at the mental hospital; the nightmares that plagued her for some time afterwards – even now, she was hanging on by a thread.

"Should we tell her what happened that night?"

"No, we shouldn't. And even if we do – what do we really know? Nanaka was the only one to see it first hand. Isn't that why we asked the police to close the case? The circus wasn't doing anyone any good; look what it did to her."

"I understand, but…"

"What is it?"

"I don't think we can hide it, even if we wanted to. She knows. She knows everything. You haven't heard some of the things she says in her sleep. At some point, she's going to figure it out. Then – "

"Then we're going to have a lot of problems. I guess that leaves us with no choice. We'll have to cancel. We just can't take any more chances – "

A knock at the door – and the couple froze. Just how much had she heard? This could turn out badly, if they weren't careful…

"Were you talking about me?"

The door was opened, and Nanaka came inside.

"I'm fine now. Please let me perform at the festival."

"But, Nanaka – "

"Look. I can do this. Weren't you the one to tell me to keep looking forward? To not let anything hold me back? I'm sick and tired of letting everyone down. And I'm sorry for being such a disappointment, Uncle. So can't you give me this chance? Please?"

"Nanaka, it's not about that – "

"If it's not, then let me do it. This doesn't bother me. If anything goes wrong, it's on me. I won't blame you for it."

"Still – " A pleading look, but Nanaka refused to back down.

"All right, you can go ahead. But we'll have to make some changes. And we'll try to arrange a brief run-through tomorrow afternoon. It that's OK with you, then you can perform at the festival."

Nanaka bowed silently before leaving the room – and the couple sighed. It looked like they had dodged this bullet – but how much longer would their luck hold?

* * *

So this is what a festival looked like from the other side.

It's funny, how he never realized that when he was a kid. Back then, he would dress up in traditional clothing and play all sorts of games all night long. Like the goldfish game, which he could swear was rigged, as the fish would tear through the paper every single time. Or the pin game, which would almost invariably end with a single upright pin mocking him – and unlike real bowling, he would not be given the chance to make the spare. Or the basketball game, in which the rim seemed to repel every shot he took – was the ball filled with magnets or something?

The rifle game was one of the few games he had "won". Although, calling it "winning" was a bit of a stretch. He was given five shots to hit five targets, each one in increasing difficulty. The prize for hitting all five was a giant stuffed Yeti-chan – which Nanaka had been eyeing ever since the beginning of the festival. So he had decided to play the role of the shoujo hero and go for it – after all, the hero never missed, right?

Alas, he ended up playing the role of the comic relief, instead. But he did manage to hit one target, so he was left with the cheapest of prizes: the flower bracelet, which he embarrassedly put on Nanaka's wrist. Not his brightest moment – but at least Nanaka didn't mind too much, though she just had to tease him about that throughout the night.

So yeah, he never had much luck with the games back then – nor with the food, which tasted good at the start but eventually ended up on his clothing and made his stomach go sour – nor with the souvenirs, most of which lost its luster by the next day and all of which mysteriously disappeared once he moved away from Sakuranomori. But at least he had been lucky enough to be on the other side of the counter in those days.

But this year, he had been railroaded into helping out at one of the stands. Asami's church had decided to put up a booth this year, and someone had the bright idea of having music going in the background. And between Asami's sweet smile and gentle voice, and the chance to play the keyboard – he hadn't been able to say no. So instead of having fun with the rest of his friends, he was stuck in a suit, playing songs like "Amazing Grace", "Great is Thy Faithfulness", and "A Mighty Fortress is our God".

The only bright side to all this was that Asami hadn't skipped out on him; she was handing out flyers and talking to a number of people. And once in a while, she even forwarded a hymn request (probably from one of the members of the church), which at least shook him out of the monotony. But it was long and tedious work for the most part – it almost reminded him of home.

Speaking of home, there was another reminder. Aoi and the often-mentioned but never-seen friends of hers; they seemed to be in good spirits. Then, his aunt and her unofficial troupe of single moms; they were all carrying bags and were on the lookout for bargains. And other familiar faces. There was a more extended visit from Hinako and her parents; it seemed that they were members of this church. And of course, the twins, who were still under the watchful eye of their father and stepmother – and they seemed to be having a miserable go of it.

Nanaka was one of the few faces he hadn't seen; the others had been kind enough to stop by. But that was no surprise; she had been in really bad shape the night before, and was probably resting up for her dance (which, miraculously, had not been canceled). Speaking of which – there was an hour left before the program, which meant that his shift was up.

An hour seemed to be plenty of time to walk around for a bit, but not according to Asami; she wanted to eat first and use the rest of the time to warm up (food had been brought to them just as their shift was ending). So he was obliged to follow her lead – not that he minded. Asami was a pleasant person to be around, really. And it had always been that way. Ever since their first meeting during lunch – the case of mistaken identity, which was soon smoothed over – then learning about their shared love for music – and later that week, their first practice – it had seemed so easy. Natural. Effortless. Just like the dry run that they were now going through. And even though Asami had her practice mute on and the keyboard volume was set to low, he knew – they knew – that they had this one down. They were responding to each other's cues and motions, and could almost visualize Nanaka's form, as she glided through the night air; the underlying story, and the tears that were shed in the face of tragedy…

The actual performance seemed almost anticlimactic. A few moments of intense concentration. Observing Nanaka's motions and listening for cues from Asami and the narrator, and responding accordingly. And at the end, placing the finishing touches with a few soft, almost imperceptible taps, as the violin faded away and Nanaka disappeared from view – and it was over. And judging from the applause, they had been a success. Nanaka naturally got the loudest applauses, and even received a couple of bouquets of flowers. Sana and Asami were brought forth from the shadows and they, too, received an applause.

The festival started to disband afterwards. Booths were now being taken down, while most of the people were starting to head home. And he, too, was considering going home; he was searching for Aoi and his aunt, when he felt a tap on his shoulder –

"Nanaka?"

Needless to say, this was not the face that he was expecting.

"So, Sana, what did you think of the dance?"

Well, what could he say? He was paying so much attention to his own music that he hadn't seen a lot. He didn't think she had been out of rhythm, but he was mostly concerned about synching with Asami, and hoping that Nanaka would go with the flow.

"I was wondering what you thought about the last-minute changes. Uncle decided to bring in lanterns instead of torches in that scene, and the steps were a little different – I wasn't sure, and I was wondering what you thought about it."

Again, he was the wrong person to ask. He hadn't really been paying attention to the scene – and even if he had, he would have been viewing it from the wrong angle. But he couldn't say these things, of course; this little word called politeness demanded that he should answer something like this:

"I'd like to see it again. Could you show me?"

Nanaka was practically beaming upon hearing those words – and Sana couldn't help but feeling a little scared. The feeling only grew as Nanaka acted out the climactic scene, while humming the music; somehow, she starting to take on a certain ethereal quality, until –

SQUEE!

A sudden sound, and Nanaka rushed into his arms, holding him tight. Sana quickly steadied her and pushed her to the side – he had almost dropped the keyboard from sheer surprise.

"It's all right, I think it was just a squirrel – "

Somehow, the words just weren't registering.

"Nanaka, I thought your dance was really neat. Hey, let me know the next time you're performing!"

Judging from her reaction, it looked like he was 0 for 2. Was there some kind of magic words that he was supposed to say? He decided against "Open, sesame!" and opted for the more conventional, "See you around!". If something had gone wrong, he would just have to figure it out next time.

Sana looked for Aoi and his aunt, but they were long gone – they must have left during his little detour. There was only one familiar face left, and that was Asami; she was helping with the cleanup at her church's booth. She was quick to ask him for help, and he was quick to accept. And in a few minutes, everything was taken down and put away.

Satisfaction. Contentment. Joy? Feelings that lingered, though it had been a busy night for them, and they never got the chance to enjoy the festival. A sense of accomplishment? No, it was more than that. Calm. Peace. A radiance that engulfed them, and filled their hearts with hope…

And those feelings were only intensified as Asami pulled Sana into a hug. And ever so briefly, it was returned. Was this how it was supposed to be? Was it meant to be? A moment, a realization. A vision that became clearer and clearer, and finally took shape as Asami spoke –

"Thank you, Hidaka-san."

A simple nod.

"It was fun, wasn't it? We'll have to do this again. I'll see you on Monday. And…"

And?

"I'll tell you later. See you at school!"

Boy, that was a cruel tease, and he should have told her so. But a smile and a little wave was all he could manage, as they parted ways. The end of an eventful day – and hopefully, there would be many more. After all, it was a promise.