Next, we have Len Tsukimori singing "Shape of My Heart" also by the Backstreet Boys. For those of you who voted for "Queen of My Heart," don't be too disappointed, as it will show up later in the story. Actually, in Len's polls, "Queen of My Heart" and "Shape of My Heart" tied for first place, but since someone else had "Queen of My Heart" as a firm first, I decided to give Len "Shape of My Heart."

Here's a link: youtube…com/watch?v=_6KW4C4Rh18

Guest: Thank you for the review! *laughs* I don't know if everyone is with me about Ryoutaro last chapter, but I'm glad you were! I hope you'll like this chapter too!

"Hino, you're playing too rapidly between measures 28 and 34," Len cut in as he signaled for her to halt. They were in one of the practice rooms for their weekly violin lesson.

"Oh!" her face flushed. "Sorry Tsukimori-kun!" Molding her face into firm determination, she stated, "I'll try it again." She lifted her bow. "It should be about the same speed as the intro, right?"

"Yes," he flicked his eyes at the window, gauging the fading light, "but you can leave it for now. It's getting late. Simply take note of it when you practice so you don't do it again."

"Alright," she nodded. Then she bowed. "Thank you so much Tsukimori-kun." She beamed at him. "With all the help you've been giving me, I've progressed so much." She smiled a little ruefully. "Though I need to get better."

"Do things at the pace you need to," he stated simply as he gathered up the score sheets. "If you rush, it will only make you sloppy."

"Ah, of course," she blushed as she wiped down her violin, properly chastised. "You're right." She smiled a bit ruefully. Even in this way, the difference between them was so huge.

He took in her expression out of the corner of his eye and sighed almost inaudibly. The sound was somber and troubled. He was leaving in two weeks. This was the second-to-last time. As he placed music in his violin case, he wondered if the violin would bring them together again in the future.

"Umm…Tsukimori-kun…."

He turned to see her holding out a box, her head bowed down so all he could see was the top.

"It's…it's just a little something to thank you for all you've done for me. I'm sorry it's so little."

For a moment, he just stood there; then he took the box and began to rip off the wrapping.

"Oh! Don't open it!" she cried with flushed cheeks. "It's really not much."

He pulled out a pair of solid-color, woolen gloves in a tasteful charcoal grey.

She blushed a little more. "You…you're always lending me a glove because I forget mine, so I thought I'd give you an extra pair…."

He examined them a little more closely. "Hino…did you knit these yourself?"

"Umm…yes," she admitted. She laughed a little in chagrin; she hadn't expected him to figure that out so quickly. "I must've done such a bad job of making them for you to notice…but the lady at the store told me this fabric is very warm," she finished a bit more brightly.

Much to her outward embarrassment but inward delight, he pulled them on immediately to check the fit. They were indeed very warm. The glove hugged his fingers snugly, giving him more dexterity than a pair from the store. Now he knew why for the last couple of months, it had seemed like she had been staring intently at his fingers. His eyes were just a little softer as he gazed down at her. "Thank you. They fit well."

She beamed back in relief, feeling pleased. "I'm so glad! I was a little worried they would be too big." She headed toward the door. "Shall we go Tsukimori-kun? I don't want to make you any later. You must have so much packing to do still." She looked a little guilty.

Before she could grab the handle, he snatched up her wrist.

Her eyes widened a little.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked pointedly.

She flushed. "Umm…well…."

With a sigh that masked an inward combination of an eye roll and a chuckle, he pulled out his now spare pair of gloves. Pressing the gloves into her hand, he reminded, "There's music waiting to be born from these fingers. Treat them with more care."

With a nod and a small smile, she pulled on the gloves. It was kind of nice to have an actual pair instead of just one. "Thank you, Tsukimori-kun."

~ (^o^) ~

Instead of turning off the lights, Len and Ryoutaro simply switched places: Ryoutaro moving into the background as Len took center stage.

He was dressed similarly to his predecessor in white jeans and suit jacket, but he wore a wide black belt with silver studs and a patterned, scoop-necked green shirt that was vaguely reminiscent of camouflage in color if not design. Finishing off the outfit was a silver leaf pendant on a delicate chain. While Routaro's clothes had shown off his solid, sturdy build, Len's clothes clung more to his body, accenting the elegance and strength of his willow-slim figure.

He held himself with a kind of cool, aloof confidence and perfection that makes a girl want to muss him up a little so he'd be a little less perfect. But whereas usually most would skitter away in fear at daring to even think such a thought, here with the lights low and in casual clothes that were subtly compelling, many a heart wondered what it would be like to glimpse under the distant mask of the ice prince. What secrets were hidden under that frosty façade? What would it be like if the passion and dedication he held for his violin were channeled at least in part to a person? These and many other questions filled the minds of the audience as he wordlessly and unknowingly cast his spell.

As the music started up, Len felt his shoulders relax slightly as he raised his mike to his lips. "Hmm, yeah, yeah…." When he had first read the song, from the outset, he was displeased. "Baby, please try to forgive me." I mean, what the heck did he have to apologize for? If anyone should be apologizing it should be Amou-san for blackmailing them in the first place. "Stay here don't put out the glow." And yet again, he had to sing something that made him out to be a pathetic weakling. Wonderful. "Hold me now don't bother / If every minute it makes me weaker / You can save me from the man that I've become." And what was that supposed to mean? He was half-sure Amou-san was taking a potshot at his personality. "Oh yeah"

In unison, all five stretched their right hands to the audience as they bobbed in place, "Lookin' back on the things I've done," and brought it back to their chests, "I was tryin' to be someone." They lowered their heads slightly in remorse. "I played my part / Kept you in the dark." Many reached back as they beseeched, "Now let me show you the shape of my heart."

But over time, the song had grown on him. Especially with the countdown to his departure. "Sadness is beautiful." Hino had been changing him; he felt more deeply now. "Loneliness that's tragical / So help me I can't win this war." Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to find her, his eyes scanned the void before him. "Oh no"

He thought of those lithe, nimble fingers as they caressed the strings of her violin. "Touch me now don't bother," he smiled the way only the despairing can, making him look every part the tragic hero, "If every second it makes me weaker / You can save me from the man I've become." She had already saved him. She had opened up his world.

Together they step-touched with low snaps.

Lookin' back on the things I've done
I was tryin' to be someone
I played my part
Kept you in the dark
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

"I'm here with my confession." Despite his imminent departure, or perhaps because of it, he couldn't say how he felt about her. Even though it could be years before they saw one another again. "Got nothing to hide no more." So he closed his eyes and poured his soul into the words, praying that it could act as a kind of confession. "I don't know where to start."

"Hear me," he willed the command into his voice. "But to show you the shape of my heart"

Hearts stuttered and fell before him. This passion and wounded longing, was this the true face of the ice prince?

As they launched into the crescendo, Len's voice soared above the others. "I'm lookin' back on things I've done." They shook their heads. "I never wanna play the same old part / I'll keep you in the dark."

"Keep you in the dark," Len echoed.

Behind him, the others swung up their arms to reach out to the faceless audience as he and Kazuki sang, "Now let me show you the shape of my heart."

"Lookin' back on the things I've done," Ryoutaro, Azuma, and Keiichi began.

The other two joined in, "I was tryin' to be someone."

"Tryin' to be someone," Len called out.

"I played my part / Kept you in the dark / Now let me show," they crooned as Len cut in, "Now let me show you the shape of my heart!"

They spead out across the stage, each singing to a section of the room.

Lookin' back on the things I've done
I was tryin' to be someone
I played my part
Kept you in the dark
Now let me show you the shape of

"Show you the shape of my heart," he whispered as the lights faded to black.

Haha, I haven't written Len x Kahoko in so long. I've totally forgotten how. (x . x) Although considering that in recent days I'm not really a fan of them, maybe that was partially intentional. =/ I wonder if I made Len too emotional in the second half. =/ On the other hand, I probably made him too passive in the first. (x . x) Oh Len, why do I have so much trouble writing you in this kind of setting? I have no issues with you when you're just hanging out with the guys (and Nami)!

*sad face* I feel like my audience has been conspicuously absent this story. I'll need to work on that. Half the fun is the pack of squealing fangirls. XD The swooning, the sighing, the muffled screams, I miss writing about them. XD Well, we've got a surprise group number coming up next, so maybe I can get back to some of that.