Hmm…a lot of Keiichi-centric chapters in this story. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to make up for him being less present in the prequel due to his being sick for "My Christmas List." As promised, here is the revealing of the first of the final two blackmails from "Just a Little Holiday Blackmail."

Here's a link to the music video of Westlife's "Flying without Wings" (used for concept and choreography [a little] as well): youtube…com/watch?v=heEdqbVmytM.

A smile came to Keiichi's face when he saw her in the garden. "Hino-senpai…" he called softly in greeting as he walked up. But as she turned to him, his smile faded. "What's wrong…Hino-senpai…?"

Kahoko combed her fingers agitatedly through her hair. "I can't seem to find my violin. I could have been sure I left it around here."

His eyes widened in alarm. "I will help you look…."

The two of them searched the area but to no avail. Guiding her to a bench, they sat. "When…was the last time…senpai saw her violin…?"

She cocked her head to the side and thought hard. "Mmm…right after school ended. I had come out here to practice, but then the wind swept off some of my music, so I quickly covered my violin to go and get it. Then there was that big commotion in the quad and I got distracted," she gestured helplessly, "and now I can't find it."

His eyes suddenly went a bit dark, well as dark as those innocent orbs could look in his angelic face. "Have…you seen Amou-senpai recently…?"

"Amou-san?" Kahoko asked in surprise. "No. Why?"

He shook his head, serenity returning to his countenance. "No reason…." He thought of something. "Perhaps we can check…the Lost and Found…and the Orchestra Club storage room…."

She perked right up. "That's a great idea!" She laughed a little in embarrassment. "I should have thought of the Lost and Found earlier."

As they walked, he thought about her question. He had very good reason to suspect Amou-senpai actually, because she had done something similar to him.

Right after coming back from summer break, his cello had started to go missing. At first, it had only been a couple times a week, and he always quickly found it again (just not in quite the spot he thought it should be), so he attributed it to forgetfulness. It bothered him a little bit though. His cello was his most precious possession. He had always known exactly where it should be. But then again, he hadn't been sleeping well lately. Perhaps his brain was getting a bit muddled. He'd need to concentrate on getting better rest.

But as time went by, it started to go missing with greater frequency until its disappearance virtually became a daily occurrence. Sometimes he'd find it in the broom closet. Or in the gym! Places where it had no business being. He was definitely being pranked. There was no other explanation. He had tried making sure that he held his cello tightly to himself if he found himself beginning to drift off, but he was a deep enough sleeper that it didn't matter. Then he tried not sleeping at school at all, but it would just go missing when he was occupied with something else like reading, so that didn't help either. Not to mention that when he did finally drop off in complete exhaustion, he'd wake up even more disoriented.

He'd always find it again, but it was becoming quite worrisome. Not to mention that searching for his cello meant he had less time to play it, which was upsetting to say the least. How was he to achieve his goal of finding the perfect sound if he had no way to work toward it? And the hunt itself was stressful. He never knew where it would turn up, or if he'd even be able to find it again. Panic, helplessness, and deep-seated fear became a part of his everyday experience.

Then, one day, he had found an envelope in his shoe cubby. And as he read the note inside, horror that made his previous fears pale by far in comparison chilled him to the bone. "You've been very forgetful lately, haven't you? If you keep it up, your things will simply disappear. I'd like to help you avoid that, so come to Room 506 of the General Studies' Wing at 3:30 this afternoon and we'll talk about ways to help you keep better track of your stuff. – Nami Amou"

When he walked to Room 506 in a daze, his mind was in turmoil. Keiichi had a very retentive memory when he applied himself, and now that he wasn't frantically searching high and low for his instrument, he realized that Amou-senpai had always been nearby whenever his cello went missing. But why would she do this? He couldn't think of anything he had done to make her hate him. As he walked into the room, he absently wondered how she was able to disguise that she was stealing a cello. I mean it wasn't exactly a small instrument, and there was no reason for her to have it.

"Shimizu-kun?" Kahoko's voice broke through his thoughts.

Keiichi blinked to bring himself back to the present and turned to meet the eyes of his concerned senpai. "Yes…Hino-senpai…?"

"Is something wrong? You seemed really lost in thought there for a minute."

"I…was thinking about…your missing violin…."

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you for helping me Shimizu-kun. I really appreciate it."

As he nodded, he faced forward. "This whole time we've been walking together I've been spaced out," he realized in disappointment. "I need to treasure…the time spent with senpai…more carefully…" he murmured quietly, yet audibly enough for her to hear.

Her face flushed pale pink as she stopped to stare at him. "Shimizu-kun?"

Turning, he smiled briefly at her and walked up to the Lost and Found desk. "Hello…."

"Oh," the second-year girl on duty smiled at the sight of her customer. "Hello Shimizu-kun." She giggled. "Did you lose something again?"

He shook his head and indicated Kahoko. "Hino-senpai…did…. Has anyone turned in…a red violin case…?"

"Actually yes, about twenty minutes ago." The girl pulled the case in question out. "Is this it?"

Opening it, Keiichi inspected the contents. Recognizing the golden cord, he nodded. "Yes. Thank you…very much…" he bowed.

Returning to Kahoko, he held out the violin case with a smile that brought the beauty of spring to the frigid winter. "Here you are…Hino-senpai….."

~ (^o^) ~

The first thing everyone saw was white smoke billowing across the stage floor through the black. Then, slowly the lights came on, revealing a lone, blonde figure against a blue backdrop. With the smoke and the blowing wind rustling through his hair, it was as if the back of the stage had dropped away to let in the open sky. And if this was the sky, then Keiichi was the sun, with his golden hair and light yellow vest glowing over the rest of his all-white ensemble.

Then, with a crackle of static, he snapped open those windows of sky and lifted his microphone to his lips. "Everybody's looking for that something." The clouds slowly parted before him as he strode forward. "One thing that makes it all complete." He looked solemnly out into the dark. "You'll find it in the strangest places / Places you never knew it could be." He had certainly found that to be his experience.

As he placed his microphone into its stand, the others slowly carried mike stands onto the stage, forming a line at the foot of the risers. "Some find it in the face of their children / Some find it in their lover's eyes." He smiled softly as he thought of the senpai who had helped him find the music waiting to be born inside him. "Who can deny the joy it brings / When you've found that special thing / You're flying without wings"

As they step-touched with their arms loosely by their sides, he thought of his life. "Some find it sharing every morning." Before, he thought all he needed to be happy was his cello. That was all he lived for. "Some in their solitary lives." But her music had reached deeply within him and opened his awareness to another human being. "You'll find it in the words of others / A simple line can make you laugh or cry." She was his muse.

They stopped and the back four twisted around. "You'll find it in the deepest friendship." He closed his eyes and belted, "The kind you cherish all your life." His smile shone brighter than any star as he thought of how she had opened up the world of music for him. "And when you know how much that means / You've found that special thing"

Spreading their arms out, all five sang out, "You're flying without wings."

Alternating gesturing and holding their stands, they continued on. "So, impossible as it may seem / You've got to fight for every dream." Hearts skipped a beat as the breeze tousled their hair, making them look deliciously windswept. "'Cause who's to know which one you let go / Would have made you complete"

Pulling his mike back to his mouth, Keiichi's voice rang out over the others' ahs, "Well, for me it's waking up beside you." Waking to the sight of her face was one of his favorite things. "To watch the sunrise on your face." The auditorium sighed in dreamy rapture as he beamed sweetly. "To know that I can say I love you / In any given time or place"

He closed his eyes with a serene look and placed his hand on his chest. "It's little things that only I know"

Pulses scrambled as all five guys reached out. "Those are the things that make you mine"

His senpai picked up the ahs again as Keiichi sang over them, "And it's like flying without wings / 'Cause you're my special thing."

They all spread their arms out again as they uttered the signature line. "I'm flying without wings"

He shot the smile that melted girls to puddles of mush. "And you're the place my life begins / And you'll be where it ends"

"I'm flying without wings"

"And that's the joy you bring." Just like his cello playing, Keiichi's voice was warm as he thought of her. "I'm flying without wings"

As the music faded out, they stepped to the right and bowed to loud, cheering applause.

Wah! I'm so sorry for doing that to you Shimizu-kun! Please forgive Nami and me! m(_ _)m But seriously, you're so go-with-the-flow that serious action needed to be taken! (T_T) I'm such a terrible person. Well, now all we have left to reveal is Azuma's blackmail and we'll know all. (^_^)

Haha, I just realized that maybe part of the reason people wanted Keiichi to sing this song is because it's not terribly romantic. XD And here you get a Keiichi x Kahoko chapter. XD

To tell the truth, I don't really like them together as a couple either, but in order to adhere with anime canon, I needed to write it. It's not really that I have anything against younger guys with older girls since some of my relatives and friends are that way, but I just can't get into the idea of Keiichi x Kahoko that much. Everything, and I mean everything, is about music when it comes to him. You ask him about how real flowers grow, and he starts talking about Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers." He notices how tall Ryoutaro is and the next thought he jumps to is that being taller would make playing the cello easier. *shakes head* That boy seriously lives in his own little world, and because of that, I think he kind of puts her on a pedestal as this glorious, untouchable being.

Although…looking over this chapter again, despite that just about every romantic thing that I wrote in here came along with some kind of musical reference, I can't help but wonder if Keiichi's chapter ended up more romantic than Len's. (-_-;) Oi vay.