It had been several hours since Athrun had spoken to the wolves. Giving me a quick run down on the fact that the wild wolves were on our side, I couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease; we now had a strong ally. However, anxiousness still filled my heart as I wondered whether or not it would be enough. Not only were the captives of the Lab numerous, but they were also strong, stronger than the average wolf. And so, Athrun had taken it upon himself to coach and train these wolves so they would know what was in store for them. I sat down underneath the shade of the trees and watched as the wolves lunge at each other, snarling and baring their teeth. Though everyone was now on friendly terms, it still seemed as though they wanted to tear each others' hearts out.

But I shouldn't have been worried; Athrun clearly knew what he was doing. He moved flawlessly, dodging each and every attack while countering with his own. His attacks were enough to throw one off his feet, but not severely injuring them. I sighed; it seemed that everyone had a part to do, but me. As I leaned against the tree, strangely, I felt a pair of eyes watch me. Turning around, I saw a young wolf looking at me curiously. On a closer look, it appeared that the wolf was a female, as she seemed less muscular.

She had a lighter coat than the rest of the wolves. It was like a honey-brown, which was highly unusual for a wolf. As I met her eyes, I realized that she was studying me the way that I was doing to her. Swallowing nervously, I reached out a hand towards here. “Come over here, girl,” I said gently as the wolf watched my movement.

She didn't seem the type to attack. The wolf seemed rather curious as she slowly approached my outstretched hand, though cautious at the same time. “I won't hurt you,” I said again in the same tone, recalling Athrun's words.

“Not matter what humans say, wolves are rather intelligent and can understand parts of human speech. It's the humans the refuse to acknowledge that fact,”

Slowly, the she-wolf made her way over to my hand and finally, when she was just an arm's reach away, she placed the top of her head into the palm of my hand, similar to what I've seen dogs do in the city. Gently and slowly, I stroked her smooth glossy fur, not daring to breathe. Feeling a movement coming, my hand froze as the she-wolf stepped back and shook her body out before lying down next to me. I exhaled in relief as the wolf seemed to sense no danger from me. I placed my hand on her head and stroked her once more.

She was rather tame for a wolf, yet I felt that she wasn't entirely a wolf. More like a dog, I think.. I wonder what her name is.. I should ask Athrun about that later on. Seeing that she also had nothing to do, the female went into a light slumber as a repetitive breathing could be heard from her. I smiled, which was funny, despite the troubled times we were in. It felt nice to have a peaceful atmosphere.

As night slowly made its way, the she-wolf awoke as the other young wolves called her over to join them. Giving me a glance before she left told me that she had taken a liking to me. I grinned to myself; I had made another wolf friend. And speaking of 'wolf friend', it was just then that I noticed another figure approaching me. Glancing down at the lower fields, the practice between Athrun and the wild wolves seemed to have paused for the moment. The dark-coated wolf paused for a second in front of me before lying down, placing his head on my lap. I was slightly surprised at first, but then grew accustomed to the weight quickly. What seemed like a wolf-ish sigh, the wolf changed forms so that the being that was lying on my lap was now Athrun in his human form.

He made no effort to move as though he looked comfortable in that position. “How are they?” I asked as I looked down at the face of perfection.

Athrun opened his eyes so that his emerald pupils met my amber ones. “Not as bad as I had originally though, but of course, we have a long way to go,” he replied truthfully. “Though he is rather hot-tempered, Von proved himself to be a worthy fighter,"

I nodded. “Well, he is pretty large... so I guess he would be rather strong,” I said. “... Do you think we can win against Kira?” I asked.

I felt Athrun's body tense slightly at the mention of the name but eased up within a fraction of a second. “I don't know, but nothing is impossible,” he answered, “Especially for wolves that become stronger and stronger for each time they lose,”

I brought my hand to his hair line and began to stroke it gently. His hair was as smooth as his fur, and slipped beneath my fingers as water did. “Then... does that apply for you as well?” I asked.

Athrun gave another little sigh as he closed his eyes. “What do you think?” he said, making no motion to swat my hand away. “Mm, that feels good,” he murmured.

A smile came upon my face as Athrun really did seem rather wolfish at times. Dogs and wolves enjoyed their heads being stroked and it seemed that Athrun was no exception. Despite our troubles, the atmosphere around us was quite peaceful. “You know, earlier, you really had me worried, when I found that you were missing,” Athrun said suddenly, his eyes staring into mine.

My hand paused as I was surprised that he started to speak all of a sudden. I lowered my gaze guiltily as I recalled being nearly torn to pieces by the wilderness wolves. “...I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen,” I admitted. “When I woke to find you gone, I decided to look around for something to eat, but as I heard a growling sound, I dropped everything I had and tried to defend myself,”

Athrun sighed again, though this sigh was a sigh that sounded rather exasperated. “Leave the food to me; all you have to do out here is keep yourself safe and sound,” he said as he messaged his temples. “But besides that, you seemed to have made friends with Stellar,” he added with good-humor.

I blinked. “Stellar?” I repeated.

A smile came onto his handsome face as his rich emerald orbs met my amber ones. “Yep, that she-wolf that was sleeping next to you,” he said. “Her name is Stellar,”

“Oh, I see. How old is she?” I asked out of curiosity. “Compared to the other wolves, I'm guessing that she is quite young,”

Athrun nodded. “You guessed right. Stellar is about Shinn's age... that black-coated wolf over there,” he said, pointing over to the pack of wolves who nestled together. “They're among the youngest in the group, which might explain why those two are so close,”

“If she was human, then she'd only be a year or two younger than you are,” Athrun added.

I nodded as he spoke. As I compared a life of a wolf's to a human's, it was very different. In a regular teenager's life, they'd be going to school, hanging out with friends or worrying about their school grades. But in the life of a wolf, ever since at a young age, each and every wolf is taught to defend themselves from any attackers. Their skills must remain sharp since their survival depends on it. “Another question,” I said.

A boy-ish grin came onto Athrun's face. “Another one?” he chuckled softly. “Alright, what is it?”

“Well, I'm just curious, but who is the leader of this pack?” I asked nodded towards the wilderness wolves.

“The leader of a pack is usually the strongest and fiercest one, so naturally, I had thought that Von would be the one, but he isn't,” said Athrun as his smile disappeared to be replaced with a frown.

“Then who is?”

A moment of silence... “From what they told me, their leader was kidnapped about a week ago along with several other wolves from the pack, which I suspect to be the doing of the Lab,” Athrun explained. “So at the moment, Shinn is the 'acting' leader due to the fact that his grandfather is the leader. However, Von is the strongest among the wolves,”

“Then it was lucky for us that Shinn was able to convince the wolves to become allies with us... since it would be difficult for us to do it alone without the numbers,” I commented.

Athrun nodded. “Yes, extremely. Since most of the decisions are made and confirmed by him, the others can't really go against them or else it would mean a rebellion within the pack,” he explained. “Though I have to admit that I was surprised that Shinn still trusted someone like me after his father's kidnapping,”

I frowned as I could see what Athrun was thinking. He was a creature of the Lab, though he was no longer part of it. Shinn, who holds high authority over the wilderness wolves must hold a grudge against those from the Lab who kidnapped his grandfather. “When did you meet Shinn? From what you're telling me, this can't be a recent meeting,” I said.

A small smile came upon Athrun's lips. “Truthfully, it was a day or so after I had met you. You see, in the beginning, I was troubled about the creature that I am. I wasn't sure who I was able to trust, because the humans that I knew of in the Lab were merciless and cold-blooded. So one time when you were gone, I spent my time outside and saved Shinn, who was barely more than just a pup then, from an attack by a mountain lion,” he explained.

I could help but feel a little wounded hearing that Athrun couldn't trust me, but at the same time, I told myself that I would probably feel the same if I had been in his situation. “So you two have kept in contact since then?” I asked.

Athrun nodded. “Yeah.. I snuck out at night quite often and every now and then, I would run into him. Though he is young, he grasps the aspect of things rather quickly. Shinn knew that I wasn't a normal wolf like he was, so I told him the truth not too long after Nicol and the others came. What was most surprising of all was the fact that he accepted me, despite being such a supernatural creature,” he added.

My hand twitched at his words as I remembered seeing Athrun in his original form for the first time. I had been so shocked from the turn of events and even my kidnapping that at that moment, I had instinctive slapped his hand away though he was concerned about my well-being. Though it had not crossed my mind after so long, the pain that crossed his face when I rejected him was something that I could never forget in my lifetime. Athrun wasn't like the other wolves who slaughtered my family. He cared for me and was there when no one else was. Athrun would never cause me any harm. But yet... I had done something so unforgivable...

I had been so deep in my thoughts that I had not even realized that Athrun shifted his body to an upright position. “Cagalli?! What's the matter?” Athrun's urgent voice broke my train of thought.

Turning towards the direction of his voice, I could see that he wore an expression of worry and concern. It was then that I realized that I was crying. Embarrassed, I turned my face away to hide my tears, but Athrun had already seen it. I wiped my tears away with my arm. “A-ah, it's nothing,” I lied with failure.

A firm hand took the arm that I was using to wipe my eyes and turned my body around. I was looking at Athrun once again. “It isn't nothing! Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, his voice full of worry.

I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. “N-no.. I'm not. Like I said, it's nothing,” I said.

Releasing my arm, Athrun cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him straight. “Cagalli,” he started quietly. “Please tell me what is the matter. I thought we were close enough for you to tell me whatever that is bothering you,”

I sniffed, remaining silent. I knew that Athrun excelled in everything, even speech. Just by a few simple words, he could make one spill the deepest of secrets. Taking a quick glance at his face before adverting my eyes, I started to speak. “Remember that day when Nicol and the others took me as bait?” I asked quietly.

I felt Athrun's hands froze on my face as the memory took an impact from him. “Yes,” he spoke.

“When you changed forms in front of me, I admit that I was shocked, but I swear, I had never wanted to reject you that day!” I exclaimed as I gripped his jacket and stared straight into his eyes.

“Everything had happened so quickly and unexpected that my body wasn't truly under my control. Before I had realized what I had done, you were already gone. You don't know how much I had regretted my actions that day! I-i know that somewhere inside of you, there is a part where I know that I won't ever be forgiven, but please know that I don't want you to ever disappear from my life... no matter what you are!”

As I took a breath to continue, my words were cut off as Athrun took me into a deep embrace, similar to the one from last night. “Cagalli... Cagalli,” he called my name. “Was that all you were worried about?”

I blinked in surprise, he didn't seem to be angry like I had thought that he would be. “Athrun?” my voice sounded small.

Athrun's strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, as though he never wanted to let go. “I also admit that I felt as though I wanted to die when I thought that I was no longer wanted by you,” he admitted. “But it was too late; I couldn't be separated from you, so I came back to the cabin only to find that you were gone,”

“Though it was inappropriate at the time, did you know how I felt when you called for me? Knowing that I was needed, without any hesitation I came for you,” he said quietly. “.. Though it was also my fault that you were taken to such a place,”

I couldn't help but smile a little at his tone of voice on the last part. “But it was also thanks to you that got us out of there,” I told him as I felt better.

Athrun shook his head. “Nah, it wasn't just me; it was thanks to you too. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to escape the prisons,” he replied back.

“Fine, it was both of us then,” I summarized. “But before you get any weird ideas, I'm not usually this weak, alright? I-it was just you caught me at a sentimental moment,” I added, embarrassed of my scene just moments before.

Athrun made no reply as he merely chuckled. I was surprised when Athrun released me. “Now that you're feeling better, I as well truthfully, there's a place that I discovered earlier,” he told me. “I want to show you,”

“What is it?” I asked, curious of what it could be.

“You'll see... anyway, get onto my back; it's faster than just walking since it's not that close,” Athrun said as he turned his back to me.

I hesitated for a moment as I looked at his backside. Well, it's not the first time Athrun has given you a ride... though the other times were when he was in his wolf form.. I thought to myself. “Hmm? What's wrong? Aren't you getting on?” Athrun questioned my motives.

“Yeah yeah, just be patient,”

And so, I latched on onto his back as he wrapped his strong arms around my legs to support me, though both of us knew that he wouldn't let me fall all of a sudden. “Alright, hold on.. though I'm not as fast in my human form, I'm still a lot faster than an average person,” Athrun warned as I wrapped my arms around his neck and nodded.

We took off into the forest. It was dark... so dark that I was barely able to make the outline of the trees and bushes that surrounded us. It was a little exhilarating traveling in what seemed like darkness, but I trusted Athrun. After all we had been through together, it felt good to know that your most trusted person was able to be beside you through the thick and thin. Though I had never noticed before, Athrun's back was quite wide and muscular, though it wasn't often visible due to the fact that he usually wore jackets. It was warm as well.

Athrun moved very quickly, though he claimed that his speed as a human was no where close to the speed that he gained when in his wolf form. I guess the size and form mattered quite a bit when it came to speed. To avoid my eyes hurting because of the wind pressure going against us, I lowered my head, almost pressing my forehead against his back. “Almost there,” I swore I heard him say.

After a handful of minutes, Athrun slowed his pace to a jog before halting completely. I still hung onto him, without realizing that we had already stopped. “Cagalli? It's over,” said Athrun as I opened my eyes slowly and blinked.

Indeed we had stopped. Athrun slowly released me as I made my way back towards the ground, surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings. Though I knew we were still somewhere in the forest that was connected to the spot where the wilderness wolves lay, it seemed that we had come a long way. “Where are we?” I questioned as I scanned the darkness around us.

Due to my limited vision, everything seemed pitch black. I could barely make out anything. Though I was extremely curious for why I was brought here. “Hmm.. truthfully, I don't know as well,” Athrun replied, good humorly.

I spun around to look at Athrun, who blended in well with the dark except for his eyes, which seemed to illuminate. “Like I said earlier, it was by mere coincidence that I stumbled onto this spot, but c'mon, I'll lead the way,” he added as a hand grabbed my own.

It was an extremely strange situation where one is led through the dark without any idea what was going on. “Athrun? Where are you taking me?” I asked as I winced at the feel of branches and leaves raking against my skin.

Athrun made no reply to my question and instead released the hold of my arm. Startled, I stopped moving. “Athrun?!” I hissed.

For a moment or two, I was left stranded in the dark without the ability to see in the dark. I could feel the beating of my heart quicken at the fear of being alone, even if for just a second. “Athr-!” I called again but was interrupted as a hand covered my mouth.

“Shh!” came Athrun's voice as he faced me, his eyes visible in the dark.

He took my hand once more and brought me through the bushes. “Look!” he whispered as he yanked my arm towards the front, bring my body with it.

Breaking out of the bushes I was about to question his motives again but I suddenly paused and looked at the front. Countless of lights danced around in front of us, moving in a repetitive order. As silence crept around us, I realized that I could hear the low humming and fluttering of wings as these lights continue to move around. It was a sight to behold. Feeling a pair of eyes scan my face, I looked to my side to find Athrun looking at me. “What do you think? Cool eh?” he whispered excitedly.

I nodded, having my breath taken away at such a scene. “...Amazing,”

“Come, let's sit over on that patch there,” Athrun said quietly as he began to move, once again taking hold on my arm.

This time, I followed him without saying anything and sat down next him to watch the performance that was set by the fireflies. Though we were surrounded in complete darkness, the light that the insects were enough to illuminate the space that they filled. We remained in silence as we watched the performance until finally, Athrun broke the silence.

“These past few days have been nothing but action and stress... I wanted you to be at peace, even for a little while,” he explained.

When I took his words into thought, Athrun continued on, “You know, no matter what will happen in the battle that's in store for us, I'll make sure that I'll always protect you, even at the cost of my life,” he said as his tone told me that he was deadly serious.

I shook my head at his words. “No, you're wrong,” I replied, making Athrun look at me with questioning eyes.

“You and I.... we will protect each other,”

In the dim light, I thought I saw a smile on his face. “Yeah, you're right,” he replied. “... But, you know... if we do survive in the end...” his voice trailed off.

He had fully caught my attention as I focused on his face. Athrun's eyes faltered slightly as he glanced to his side as though to collect his thoughts for a fraction of a second. When his eyes were once again staring into my own, he took a deep breath. “If we do survive in the end... and save everyone,” he said. “...W-would you like to come live with me?”

I stared at him in surprise as a blush filled my cheeks. Was this a proposal? “I-i mean, after I put my past life as a wolf behind me, I could get a job and support us... and our family,” Athrun continued, obviously rather flustered by the way he was speaking. “That is... if you want,”

I smiled really widely as I listened to his words. It would be the second time that I would become tearful in that day. “Yeah... I'd like that,” I replied as my eyes were brimmed with tears.

I could hear Athrun breathe in relief and brought my face closer to his. Closing my eyes, I left everything else up to pure instinct. Athrun seemed to have felt what I would be doing and so, before I knew it, my lips touched the thing that I was looking for; his lips. I felt his hands brushed back my hair and in turn, I wrapped my arms around him as we shared a passionate, yet blissful kiss. A kiss that sealed our promise to each other. A promise of survival.

Labels: gundam seed, wolf rider

A young teenaged girl could be heard humming Schubert's Ave Maria rather happily as she stepped into the room in which she shared with her room mates. Watching the sunset with Tsukimori-kun was surprisingly peaceful. Kahoko thought as she smiled to herself. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Kahoko was greeted by a grinning reporter. “Kaho!” she called out rather slyly.

The happy and carefree smile slid off Kahoko's face as she knew that Nami was already up to something with that wide grin of hers. Kahoko backed away. “W-what is it, Amou-san?” she stammered.

Nami's grin widened as she took her arm and brought the nervous girl deeper into the room, where another girl was looking at the two rather curiously. “Guess who I saw standing beside you down at the beach?” Nami said in a sing-song-like tone.

Kahoko froze on the spot as a hint of a blush started to color her cheeks. “I-it's not what you think!” she blurted out.

Nami raised an eyebrow. “And what do you think that I thought, Kaho?” she said teasingly.

Kahoko couldn't get the words fully out of her mouth so instead, she decided to avoid her question. A violin case was suddenly shoved into Nami's face. “I-i was down there practicing my violin when he showed up coincidentally when the sun was about to set. It's nothing like you're thinking,” Kahoko explained as she placed her violin case down gently to the side.

Unconvinced, Nami wasn't satisfied. “Hmm, so that's all? So Tsukimori-kun doesn't have the hots for you?” she said as my face burned brightly.

“O-of course not! No way that'd happen!” Kahoko countered as her face was on fire. “Don't think such things, Amou-san!”

Nami sat herself onto the futon that laid on the ground. “That's too bad, Kaho. I think you'd make a wonderful couple, right Shouko?” she said as she looked to the younger girl who held a pillow on her lap.

Shouko nodded as she hugged her pillow while sitting on the bed. “Yes.. I think Kaho-senpai and Tsukimori-senpai look good together,”she said with a cute smile.

Kahoko looked at them as if they all grew two heads. “You can't be serious, I mean the only times we ever talk are when I'm being scolded for playing so horribly,” she argued.

“If you say so,”

Kahoko rolled her eyes as she ignored her and escaped into the bathroom. After putting up her hair so that it wouldn't get wet, Kahoko climbed into the near-full tub to relax. She titled her head back so that it rested against the wall as she thought over what Nami had said. Tsukimori-kun and I? N-no way! Kahoko thought as she scooped up a handful of water with her hands and watching it slip between her fingers.

As she thought back to the moment on the beach, her face became hot again as Kahoko remembered glancing at Len with the corner of her eye, seeing him basked in sunlight from the side, looking very much like a god. I didn't know what I was thinking at that time, but all I could recall was that I couldn't pull my eyes away from him. Kahoko sighed as she slid down a tad bit so that the warm water was now at mouth-level and blew bubbles.

“So Tsukimori doesn't have the hots for you?” Amou-san had said.

I've never gave a thought about it before, since I was always quite concentrated on my violin and trying to improve my skills so that it wouldn't be as far of a distance than I already was from Tsukimori-kun. But... hypothetically speaking, what would she do if he did like her? Kahoko paused with the bubble-blowing as her mind became puzzled over that matter. How would I react? W-would I turn him down? She asked herself as she brought her knees in closer.

Even if I was the last person on Earth, there would be no possible way for Tsukimori-kun to end up with someone like me, so I shouldn't be thinking too much about this matter just because Amou-san brought it up. As Kahoko got into her pajamas, the thought of why she thought about his side of the story more than hers never came to her.

In the early morning.. As the sun lit through the blinds upon three sleeping figures, the only one, who was facing the window was woken gently by the light coming through her eyelids. Kahoko sleepily opened one eye, then winced at the sudden light so she brought her arm to cover her eyes. Morning already.. Kahoko thought half-awake as she rubbed her eyes with her hands before sitting up. She glanced at the radio-clock which laid beside her, saying that it was 6 am and that she was woken an hour earlier than she originally planned.

Oh well... I had to get up at some point anyway, right? Kahoko thought to herself as she groggily made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. Upon her return, careful not to wake her companions, Kahoko quietly stepped onto the balcony and was greeted with a gust of wind blowing quite strongly. Night time and day time were very different; it seemed as though everyone was basked in light while the night time had an air of mysteriousness. It's quite peaceful.

As Kahoko listened carefully, she could make out a familar sound coming from the east side. Turning her head towards the beach, Kahoko could make out a figure standing on the grassy hill facing the beach. Is that Hihara-senpai? He's up already?

Scene change.. “Hey, that sounded really good just now! I'll play it from the top again,” said an energetic male as he brought his trumpet up against his lips for an encore when he noticed a shadow standing behind him.

Turning around, his eyes blinked in surprise as he saw a familar face. “K-kaho-chan?” he questioned.

Kahoko smiled. “Good morning, Hihara-senpai. Working hard so early already?” she asked as she moved forward to stand closer to her upperclassman.

Kazuki returned her smile. “Nah, I like to get up early, since sleeping is so boring. Playing the trumpet is really refreshing in the morning,” he said as he looked down at his instrument with a loving gaze.

“Is that so? I should try that sometime,” Kahoko replied as she looked out to the beach.

Kazuki smile froze as he appeared to have just suddenly realized something. “Oh no! I better head back to wake the other guys up before we're late for our job today!” he cried out. “Sorry Kaho-chan! Gotta run!”

Kahoko waved awkwardly at her senpai who took off into the distance, running up the path back to the hotel. Well, I guess some things never change..

It was quite a busy morning as many customers took their turns coming to the cafe. “Sorry Kaho-chan, but can you get table seven please?” Kazuki called out apologetically as he headed towards the kitchen with a handful of dishes.

“Sure! No problem!”

It had been like that all morning, the students of Seiso Academy had no time to rest with going back and forth. Finally Kahoko glanced at the clock after it had been several hours. She smiled as it was now her break and talk about time. She headed back to the kitchen with some dishes and placed them beside Shouko, who was washing the dishes. “Okay, I'm on my break now,” Kahoko announced to the staff that was in the kitchen.

Ryotaro noddedas he was preparing an egg omelet. “Sure, come back soon so I can take my turn,” he said good humorly.

Kahoko escaped through the back door of the café and down the path that led into the small forest that was behind the café. She stretched her arms as she felt a tinge of soreness go through them. Jeez...working is quite a bit of work.. It's been just more than a day and yet I feel that it's been a week that passed. Kahoko thought as she turned her head side to side to loosen up the muscles in her neck.

As she wandered further away from the café and closer to the back of the resort, Kahoko suddenly stopped as she heard a faint, yet melodic sound go through the air. Kahoko blinked. A violin? She wondered as she aprroached the direction of the sound. Kahoko closed her eyes as she continued down the path as though she was captured in the sound. The melody was smooth, yet warm, as though one was trapped in a sweet dream. The playing of the piece was completely flawless, as the players fingers moved skillfully up and down the fingerboard. Emotions of the playet were clearly heard as Kahoko walked on.

It's very well played... I can clearly hear the tone of each note perfectly. As though Tsukimori-kun himself was playing...Kahoko thought as the blue-haired boy appeared in her mind with his familiar way of playing. However, it can't be him.. not only is he still at the café, but also, his way of music isn't like this. As Kahoko unconsciously came up the patio near the resort, the playing suddenly stopped. Kahoko's eyes widened as she realized that the player had stopped playing.

What was even more surprising was the violinist. Kahoko swallowed nervously as she looked at the violinist who looked at her curiously. It was that girl that Kahoko had seen the other day, who had been looking for Len. Miyaji lowered her violin. “Excuse me, but can I help you?” she asked as Kahoko's face reddened in embarassment.

Kahoko waved her hands frantically. “N-no! I-i was just... wandering around when I heard a violin and came towards the sound,” she explained. “You play beautifully,”

Miyaji looked a little surprised that a stranger whom she had never spoken to had complimented her on her playing. She smiled nevertheless. “Thank you very much,” she said.

Kahoko blinked as she looked at Miyaji top to bottom. She was dressed rather neatly in a casual summer dress. Her voice was plesant to hear, gentle, polite yet melodic at the same time. Wow, she's the perfect example of the daughter of a rich man. Kahoko thought. That violin seems to be rather expensive. “Sorry for intruding, but may I ask you something?” Miyaji asked, breaking Kahoko's train of thought.

“Um, sure,” Kahoko replied uncertainly, surprised that the girl would start a conversation with her.

Miyaji looked a little hesitant, but seeing that she was the one who started this conversation, she continued. “Are you a friend of Len's? The other day at the café.. I thought there was someone there who ressembled you,” she said.

Taken off guard, Kahoko found that she was unable to reply for a fraction of a second. Sure she heard this girl call Len by his first name before, but up close, Kahoko felt rather anxious, though she didn't know why. Did Len think of her as a friend? ...or did he think she was merely an acquaintance? Kahoko swallowed. “Well, T-tsukimori-kun's a friend of mine, I guess you can say that.. though I'm not sure whether he considers me a friend. But yes, I work at the café at the moment,” she answered.

Miyaji seemed to think this over for a second before asking, “May I ask... if you are Hino Kahoko-san?”

Kahoko blinked. She had never spoken to this girl before, so how did she know of her name? This girl was full of surprises. “Y-yes, I am... but how did you know?” she asked.

Miyaji smiled lightly at Kahoko's curiosity. “I've often heard about you from Len,” Miyaji replied to Kahoko's surprise.

From Tsukimori-kun? “I'm glad that Len has friends now, he's been lonely ever since we were children, though he never once spoken about his situation,” Miyaji said sadly. “Being the way he is, people tend to stay away from him. He doesn't tell people what he is thinking, so it usually turns out that they misunderstand his intentions, thinking that he is blunt and unapprochable,”

Kahoko thought back to the first few encounters she had had with the violinist, meeting with him in the practice room, where he had commented how her playing of the violin was not stage-worthy. Her first thought had been that he was cold and uncaring, paying attention to no one but himself. But even though that aspect of his never really changed, he had become kinder and gentler in his actions and his speech.

“But.. I think that the passion he has for the violin is something that not everyone has,” Kahoko spoke as she remembered the scene where Len performed on that stage alone without an audience at the end of the second selection.

He was playing as though he was in another world, the sound of his bow crossing his strings echoed off the walls and her heart. It was impossible to stand on the same level as he was, especially with the fact that she had been playing the violin due to its magic and not by just effort. Kahoko had wanted to be someone that Len could acknowledge.

Miyaji nodded her head in agreement. “I see that it wasn't just I who was influenced by Len,” she said.

Kahoko snapped out of her thoughts as she blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?” she asked.

A smile came upon Miyaji's face as she brought up her hand that held the violin. The fond smile on her face glowed as she thought back to the past. “This violin and I have been partners for many years now, ever since I was a young girl. My father and Tsukimori-san have been friends ever since I could remember. You see, Tsukimori-san was a very talented violinist. At his gatherings, he often played for his audience while being accompanied by Hamai Misa-san. I remember the first time that I heard him play, I was entranced,”

“The sound of each note was so crystal clear; the high notes as well. I was amazed that such a sound could be produced from the violin. It sparked my interest in music. Not too long after, Len's parents invited me to a children's concert that was held by many talented children and Len himself included. The songs played by each person was unique in it's own way, but it was Len's performance that took my notice. Like his father, Len was very talented. Despite being so young, he outshone the other contestants who were older than he was,”

“It was his first performance, as I was told by his parents, but he easily won first place. With his performance in my head, I was eager to learn as well. I was taught my one of the teachers that my father found for me. It was very difficult in the beginning and I had wanted to give up on several occasions, but as I recalled Len's sound, I persevered. And so, under his influence, I'm the person I am today,” Miyaji replied.

Kahoko remained silent as she took on what Miyaji had told her. Though Len was free to inspire anyone (intentionally or unintentionally), Kahoko couldn't help but feel the sense of discomfort she had felt moments before, though this time, it began to grow heavier. “I-i see... A-anyway, I should be going back,” Kahoko said quickly as she gave the girl a quick smile.

Miyaji nodded. “That's fine. It was nice talking to you, Hino-san,” she said warmly.

Kahoko gave her a nod. “Same to you,” she replied before taking off back on the path she came.

As soon as she was out of Miyaji's view, Kahoko slowed her pace down to a walk as she trudged her way back to the café. Visions of the blue haired violinist appeared in her mind as she recalled Miyaji's words. 'With his performance in my head, I was earger to learn as well,' Kahoko couldn't help but feel a little envious of the girl, since she had attended one of Len's first performances. Thinking back to the videos that she had seen with Kazuki and the others back at Minami Instruments, a miniature Len was recorded performing.

Though Len had claimed that back then, the level of his playing wasn't very high, his talent was real. At such a young age, he was already such a good player. And Miyaji knew the Len from that time as well. Reaching the back entrance of the café, Kahoko shook her head to clear out her thoughts as she returned into the back of the kitchen. “I'm back,” she called out as several heads turned towards her.

“Yo! Talk about time.. I had been wondering whether I would have to come after you,” Ryotaro teased with a playful grin.

Kahoko gave him a small smile. “Sorry about that, Tsuchiura-kun. You can go now,” she said.

“Will do,”

Looking around the kitchen, Kahoko spotted that the workers had changed again. Now the ones that were in the back were Shimizu, Kazuki and Aoi. “Kaji-kun,” Kahoko called out. “Where should I be?”

Aoi paused with the arrangement of the dishes as he looked around for a moment. “Well, Fuyuumi-san and Tsuchiura-san both left for their break, so only Yunoki-san and Tsukimori-san are out in the front. It seems rather busy out there, so I think it would be best if you worked with them,” he said with a smile.

“Alright then,”

It was indeed rather busy outside. I could see that Azuma and Len were busy taking orders. It looked really tiring as I watched them move swiftly from one table to another. Seeing that there was a table that was still waiting for their orders to be taken, I quickly rushed over. It was a young couple, not too much older than than were. They were casually dressed. The guy had simple hair that wasn't too long and had bangs in the front just above his eyes. The girl who accompanied him also had short hair, just at the level of her earlobes, though in her case, it was a little curly. The girl had an innocent, pure air around her while the guy had a really cool atmosphere around him, as though he stood out. As the girl laughed with a hand covering her mouth, her boyfriend smiled at her lovingly in return. They made a really good couple.

Realizing that someone was studying them, the girl took notice of Kahoko and greeted her with a smile, making Kahoko realize that she was supposed to be taking the orders. “Hi, could we please have this blueberry smoothie with an order of spaghetti?” she said.

Kahoko nodded as she jotted the orders down in her notepad. “And Shi-chan here will have just have some cappuchino,” the girl added as her boyfriend scowled at the name.

“Alright. Your orders will be here shortly,” Kahoko said as she nodded to the customers and turned to leave.

As she left, she heard the guy speak in a tone of complaint, “Aww, why do you have to call me 'Shi-chan' in public? I always get those weird looks,” he said.

“What's there to be embarrassed of? I think it is cute,” the girl replied.

As Kahoko turned the corner, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guy looking slightly embarrassed, but quickly forgave his girlfriend. Kahoko sighed as she brought her order to the desk and handed it to the kitchen. That couple looks a lot like Tsukimori-kun and Miyaji-san... they also look really good together as well. She thought with an uneasy feeling in her heart. Tsukimori-kun and Miyaji-san are both really wealthy and that they both play the violin in levels that one like me could only dream of. She seems to care quite a bit for Tsukimori-kun, but I wonder what he thinks of her as. Only as a childhood friend or perhaps something more...? Kahoko sighed again as she noticed a vacant table out of the corner of her eye.

Reaching for an abandoned wash cloth, Kahoko's delicate fingers brushed against someone else's, which surprised her. Looking at the other person, Kahoko's eyes quickly scanned the face to reveal the face of her fellow concours member, Len. “A-ah, sorry,” Kahoko said quickly as she grabbed a different cloth and continued her work.

Her face was flustered, it was evident, but as she left the scene, she could feel Len's surprised look follow her. W-why is my face so red? It was just a mere accident.. could have happened with anyone! Kahoko told herself as she cleaned the table. Maybe because it was Tsukimori-kun, who I had been thinking of just moments ago, who would look good with someone like Miyaji-san. Kahoko suddenly paused as she thought about the words the had just crossed her mind. He would look good with someone like her...

As the day came to an end, the cafe manager rounded up all the employees after the cafe had closed and after they all changed back to their normal attire. “Thank you all for your hard work! We had another busy day, but thanks to you guys, it was very successful,” he said. “Now, please go back to your resort and rest up,”

As Kahoko nodded, her eyes met Len's gaze as he stood opposite to her. He was clearly giving her a questioning look but Kahoko adverted her eyes. It was time to leave. “Y-you did well today, Kaho-sempai,” said Shouko as the members of the concours took their leave.

Kahoko nodded towards her junior. “Yeah, you too. It's really exhausting,” she said.

As they returned to their resort, Kahoko came down from their room to buy something to drink. Standing in front of the machine, Kahoko pondered on which drink she wanted to buy. Pocari Sweat? Or perhaps... C.C. Lemon? Pocari Sweat tastes better when fatigued, but the sweetness of C.C. Lemon has a lot of vitamins... “Would you mind making your decision?” a familiar cold voice asked.

Kahoko's eyes widened as she knew who was the owner of that voice. Forgetting that she was ever thirsty, Kahoko spun around. “Ah T-tsukimori-kun... sorry about that. I-i changed my mind,” she said quickly as she stepped out of his way to make her way back to the elevator.

But as she was about to move, a strong hand grabbed onto her wrist, preventing her from advancing any further. Surprised, Kahoko spun around to see Len holding onto her tightly. “T-tsukimori-kun? Could you let go?” she asked as Len's eyes narrowed.

“May I ask the reason for why you are avoiding me,”

Labels: la corda d'oro, summer romance