She was so soft against him, so warm. The dark-haired boy wondered why he had never held her in such a fashion before this moment. Her distinct fragrance, noticeably different from the fragrance of other females, seeped into him. He inhaled it, tightening his hold around her. Briefly, he wondered how he had gotten here, holding her and caressing her hair and inhaling her scent, but in the same moment, he didn't care. He loved to hold her, loved that fragrance that she wore so beautifully, loved HER... Suddenly, he found that her eyes, so deep and full of emotion--love, for him?--were focused on his dark eyes, usually clouded with mystery but now filled with nothing but love. Subconciously, he tilted downward toward her, slowly closing his eyes as she did also, lips parted slightly as...

Kakeru gave up imagining and allowed his eyes to open again. Rolling over in his bed, he listened briefly to the short, soft snores of his roommate--snores that were more like a whistle, and irritated him immensely. Or perhaps what irritated him was that scene he had just allowed his sleep-deprived mind to create, so real he had almost really felt it. He could even feel the slight prickling of goosebumps.

It disgusted him that he had come to such a low level. To IMAGINE himself in a situation like that! With HER... Suddenly feeling flustered, Kakeru threw his blankets off and planted his feet firmly on the floor, realizing only then how hot it had become with the blankets on. How hot it had become...

He suddenly found himself blushing, and again became filled with self-disgust. He rose resolutely and headed quietly for the door, not really sure of his intention or what he was doing.

Of course, he found himself in the Music Hall. It was almost natural now, to find himself there in times when he was in need of comfort. Even after the spring break, when he had hated his violin almost more than anything, his feet still carried him to this place of peace and quiet and soothing music.

One thing was funny, though. Usually, his feet would have led him to the place where he would keep his violin, but instead he was led to the moonlit corner where the grand piano stood, looking just that: grand and beautiful.

As Kakeru sat himself down in front of it, he was faintly aware of the places where his fingers positioned themselves, and in the back of his mind realized that, when he played anything, he was no longer in control of his actions. Playing was a natural gift, and it did indeed flow that way, so naturally. His body took over the motions as his mind rested and found peace.

The soft tinkling of the piano keys was dim in his ears, but loud and beautiful in his mind. Immediately it did the trick in soothing him, just as he had hoped as his feet had carried him to the Hall.

And for a while--he wasn't sure how long, so he assumed it was a while--he had again found that peace that he had lost for that long spring break with his father. And in that time, he also forgot about that thing his mind had created, that vision of something he could only hope for in the middle of the night.

The peace lasted only until a brief moment when an itching feeling came to the back of Kakeru's subconcious, suddenly daring him to look up and away from the glossy keys that his fingers so naturally danced over.

He nearly jumped five feet into the air when he saw Keiko standing there in front of the doors, watching him intently. His playing ceased, as he was too frightened then to even breathe. She was... there? Watching him play...?!

She noticed the sudden change in his attitude as soon as the playing stopped, and her eyes, though covered with glasses, revealed sudden embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry!" Keiko apologized quickly. Kakeru could almost feel the blush coming from her face as she slowly, shamefully approached him. His mind numbed, though he still wondered why she hadn't just run away.

Or why was she there in the first place.

"I heard you playing," Keiko explained, as if reading his thoughts. "But I wasn't sure if it WAS you... you know, might've been my answer to the mystery..." She trailed off, obviously unsure of herself as she held tightly the collar of her pajamas.

Kakeru found that his voice was still unable to function. Though his eyes were not in the same condition. It was obvious to him that Keiko was not wrapped up like she usually was. She had probably been in too much of a hurry to bother and had trusted the largeness of her pajama top to conceal her... femininity.

He slapped himself mentally, focusing again on her eyes. He couldn't believe what a pig he'd become just then, glancing at her bust! Not a place he should have been looking... Should have been focusing on her eyes, where he could read her mind.

Silence ensued, as both, too awkward to do anything, simply stared at the air between them. Kakeru noticed, mildly observing the girl on the other side of the piano, that she seemed tense about something. In any normal situation, Keiko probably would have left by then, and would have been far less civil.

It was in the middle of this observation that Kakeru became aware of her drawing nearer to him, hands behind her back now and her eyes focused on the keys of the piano. However, her shoulders were stiff--tense, as he had observed.

"Do you..." Feeling the words come out but not really registering them. "Do you want me to play something?" Realizing how stupid the words felt, and mentally kicked himself for the schocked look he had set upon her already tight expression.

But slowly, she nodded, allowing herself a small, embarrassed look. "Yeah, that would be nice." Her eyes glazed over thoughtfully. "That last one you played was really pretty, actually."

This time it was harder to start up the tune, as Kakeru was now playing for an audience and not simply himself. Had to think about it, first. However, his fingers soon found the right positions, and the notes began to string themselves in an order that made sense.

It was after a moment that, hesitantly, Keiko seated herself on the piano bench beside Kakeru. Briefly, her arm brushed against his, and he felt the heat again rise to his face. What was he doing, playing a song for this girl who had somehow entered his thoughts and kept him awake? How could he simply sit next to her and play like he was?

But play he did, and all the while the girl sat next to him, eyes intent on his fingers as they moved gracefully from key to key.

"You play so beautifully," she suddenly said, sincerity in her voice. her sudden compliment shocked Kakeru to the point where he almos stopped playing again. However, it was the music that seemed to be getting her to talk, putting her in some kind of un-Keiko-like trance. So he continued to play.

"This music really helps me," she went on, seemingly unaware of the fact that she was speaking. Her tone so completely out of the oridinary. "I was feeling so horrible today..."

She trailed off for a moment, and Kakeru's curiousity got the best of him. Even as he played, he asked, "Why's that?" and nearly kicked himself for doing so. However, she answered him with no hesitation.

"I told Otaru today." Seeming proud but sad. "I told him everything. My true identity, why I was here... and he didn't say anything. I don't blame him, though... I mean, what could you say to someone you thought was your best friend, who turns out to be the biggest liar you've ever met?" Her tone was wry and shaky, as if she were about to cry.

And abruptly, Kakeru's playing ceased in the middle of a climax he had not known he had ever learned, and his hands fell in his lap. Suddenly he felt ashamed of himself for playing like that, putting Keiko in that trance so she would talk to him.

There was a brief pause, interrupted by a small sniffle from Keiko. "Why did you stop playing?" she asked of Kakeru, who did not reply. Why had he stopped playing? Feeling once again awkward, he placed his hands on the keys again and resumed his playing, from the beginning. Keiko's breathing softened again, and her shoulders began to relax.

"You know, if Otaru never talks to me again," she went on with what Kakeru now knew was just mindless babbling to relieve stress, "I won't have any friends in this school anymore... I mean, there's always Anji, but..."

Her voice trailed off, followed by a short sniffle. Kakeru was at a total loss, at this point, where all he could think of to do was to continue playing. What else was he to do? He knew she would never consider him a replacement for Otaru...

So he kept playing, finishing the first song and moving to another. As soon as he started the next one, however, Keiko seemed to regain some of herself, and Kakeru could feel some of the heat come off her face.

"I'm sorry..." Keiko murmured, almost as if to herself. "I shouldn't have talked so much..."

She was silent as Kakeru completed the song with a gentle climax, realizing that he had never in his life played that song before. Had his subconcious written it for her...? Silly thoughts. He awkwardly rested his hands in his lap as silence found its place between them once more--

And abruptly, in a moment of pure insanity on Kakeru's part, the dark-haired boy threw his arms around Keiko, pulling her close to him.

"If it helps..." the dark-haired boy murmured to her, not really sure why he was saying anything, as if her were in a trance. "I'm glad that you talked that much, that you shared all of that with me..."

Inhaling the fragrance of her, realizing that it was the same as he had imagined, realizing that she felt the same against him, soft and wonderful and...

"I'm glad that you listened to me play, and I'm glad that you sat beside me." Plunging recklessly on. "I'm glad just to be here with you, and I'm glad that you let me be with you."

Cheeks burning red now, eyes shut tight in case none of it was real. But how could it not be? Kakeru could feel her, could smell her, could hear her soft breathing... could feel her arms wrap around him.

"I'm just..." Opening his eyes and realizing that hers were focused on him, filled to the brim with... he could only imagine. And upon instinct, he tilted his head downward and closed his eyes as she did so, lips parted slightly as...

He wondered if his imagination had simply run away with him, as warmth filled his body.