"Ne, you can keep a secret, can't you?" Tyler's smile lit up his entire face - his pale hair cascading over his sharp green eyes.

Staci found her cheeks feeling as though they caught fire, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision of her American childhood sweetheart. "Eh? You mean--?"

Tyler took one of her hands, and squeezed it in an encouraging manner, "Us, Staci. Anji doesn't need to know the details of what we used to have, does he?"

Staci lowered her eyes, "Of course not..." She smiled, and laughed a bit, "I mean, it's not like it's any of his business. We've both dated other people before, it's not like I've asked him about any of his old girlfriends."

"That's my girl." Tyler brushed away a strand of Staci's hair, and turned around, "Don't worry, I promise not to interfere with your life while here."

Standing there, Staci watched him begin to walk away, and tears began to line her eyes. "W...wait!! Tyler! How can you just walk away so casually?!"

Tyler didn't stop, and simply waved her off, "Simple. Because it's been over for nearly a year now."

Staci's fists clenched, and tears trailed down her chin, falling on her fists before meeting the ground, "IT'S NOT! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Staci found her knees hitting the ground, and she buried her face in her hands, How can you...leave me with this burden to bear all on my own?!

"Hmm?" Keiko blinked as she leaned back in her desk chair to look out into the hallway from her classroom.

Kakeru was standing just outside of the doorway, against the wall and hidden from the view of the students. His usual brooding expression was aimed in her direction, although his eyes didn't meet with hers.

Why isn't he in class yet? Keiko thought to herself, and looked back down at her notebook. Her thoughts rushed back to the concert - the lanterns, the cherry blossoms, the sweet smells, the soft music -

Her vision blurred as an image of Kakeru appeared in her mind. The callous student she worked with after class every day, and the delicate artist she saw on stage...the transformation between the two evoked admiration and curiousity in the Phoenix school student body, but for Keiko...

"Se-m-pai!" Otaru came from behind Keiko, and lightly tapped the top of her head with his notebook, knocking her glasses down the bridge of her nose. His sunny smile lit up his face, and he leaned over Keiko's shoulder, "Welcome back! Ready to put the nose back to the grindstone?"

Keiko adjusted her glasses, and looked over her shoulder, "Otaru!" His contagious smile compelled her to smile back, and the apparition of Kakeru vanished from her mind, "Long time no see!"

"Soccer season starts up this week, doesn't it?" he replied, "Amuro-kun's going to be doing that, isn't he?"

"Mmh! Aika-chan and Naoki-chan will be here for the prep this afternoon!" Keiko replied, "Planning to go?"

Kakeru's eyes narrowed a bit as he watched the two cut up at their desks, and took a step back further behind the doorway.

"Ah, maybe--"

"I'd be showing up late, after all, I've still got to pay for that guy's violin--"

"Oh, I saw it! Shiranui-kun got a very nice one, didn't he?" Otaru waved a pencil casually.

Keiko folded her arms, and frowned matter-of-factly, "You bet it was nice, which means it was uber-expensive, which means I have to work longer." She nodded, and with each nod, added a slight growl to it.

Kakeru furrowed his brow at this, and before he was able to step away, he was met midway by the class president.

"Ah, Shiranui-kun!" Jiro had his briefcase thrown over his shoulder, and his usual smug smile. His uniform collar was undone, and a hand casually stuck in his pocket, "Checking up on your pet project or what?"

Shiranui narrowed his eyes, "Not really."

Both young men looked inside to the classroom, at Otaru and Keiko both.

"...you have a strange taste of company, Shiranui-kun. Why is it you are always attracted to the under-achievers?"

Kakeru lowered his eyes, "Kanzaki-kun, hasn't there ever been a time that you've felt powerless?"

Jiro snorted, "If there ever was, you'd never hear of it." He walked into the classroom, and shouted above the ruckus of the students, "Oy! Chinen! Fujishige!"

Kakeru lifted his gaze to watch the two snap to attention.

"H-hai! Jiro-kun, good morning!" Keiko yelped, and sat up straight in her desk. Otaru immediately took his seat behind her.

Jiro wrapped his arm around Keiko's neck in a chummy sort of classmate way, "Mai-chan was asking about you during the fair, y'know! What, did you stand her up or something?"

Keiko turned red in the face, "Y-you gotta be kidding! I was somewhere else entirely!"

"Poor Mai-chan, you really do give her a raw deal, Sempai." Otaru rested his chin on a fist, and smiled sweetly.

Keiko glared at Otaru over Jiro's arm, "Otaru, don't make me hurt you!!"

Otaru waved a hand, "Sorry, sorry!"

As Keiko struggled to get out of Jiro's grip, Otaru looked towards the doorway, and saw Kakeru stepping back and heading to class. "...."

Keiko noticed Otaru's vacant gaze during lunch, and she leaned over her tray just slightly to try to gain eye-contact. "Something happen?"

Otaru's reply was delayed, and cultivated in a blink, his eyes shifting to her, and noticing that she was awaiting a reply. He tensed, and turned his head to face her, smiling, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"...." Keiko darkly stared across the table at him, and began to stab harshly into her lunch. "How was the festival?"

Otaru's round green eyes blinked, and he eyed Keiko's victimized lunch as he spoke, "...it was very nice. Shiranui-kun performed there, you know."

Keiko kept her eyes lowered as she put a forkful of green beans up to her mouth, "Oh, so you went to that one."

Otaru tilted his head, "You heard about it?"

"Read about it." Keiko spat out before putting the beans into her mouth.

Otaru sighed, and looked off across the cafeteria again, "...Shiranui-kun has a way of picking songs with a message."

"Well, isn't that the point?" Keiko's tone remained hard and aloof, "I mean, all songs have a message. S'not like this one was any different."

Otaru shook his head, "No, not that. I mean, some musicians choose to perform songs that show off some sort of technical skill. You know, to show how they've progressed as a musician."

Keiko looked up from her lunch, a fork still in her mouth.

Otaru's sunny expression appeared to cloud over, and his voice went quiet as he stared off in apparent deep thought, "...but Shiranui-kun, in all the times I've seen him perform..." Otaru's eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed, "...it was always as though he was trying to speak out, say something that he never had the courage to tell anyone with words...like he was hoping that there was someone out there, listening, hoping that they would pick up on what he was trying to say."

"...." Keiko paused, watching Otaru for a moment. He says that with such sincerity...She then looked back down to her vegetables, and trying to push aside any suspicious feelings, stabbed into some green beans again. "Sounds like you've watched him perform a lot."

"Ever since he started attending." Otaru replied.

"Do you feel like you owe it to him or something?" Keiko put another forkful of beans in her mouth. This wasn't expected...what's Otaru gotten so worked up over Kakeru about?

Otaru shook his head, "I just wonder if there's anyone out there listening, y'know? I mean, really listening."

Keiko pointed across the table to Otaru with her empty fork, and shook it just once, "You think way too much. We need to find something to keep your mind from wandering like that."

Otaru laughed slightly, and sat back in his chair, "It's not thinking too much, it's caring."

"Sounds like you're trying to take on the weight of the world on your shoulders." Keiko leaned back in her chair, and set down her fork. "Have you ever thought he might pick those songs just to evoke sympathy out of vulnerable listeners like you? You know, he could just be crying out for attention like some spoiled child."

Otaru frowned, and furrowed his brow in concern, "You really don't like Shiranui-kun, do you?"

Keiko shook her head rigidly, "I really don't."

Otaru sighed, and shrugged as he continued to work on his lunch, "I guess it can't be helped..."

"Sure it could. If he'd stop being such a brat, there wouldn't be any problem." Keiko snobbishly replied, and ate some more green beans.

Otaru found himself regretting ever mentioning his attendance to Kakeru's concert after that. It seemed that Kei's mind was made up to discourage any positive means of interaction between the two.

"Gee, back in the anti-mode, huh?" Aika observed from the field bleachers.

Keiko had a way of projecting her voice just loud enough for any innocent bystanders - in and around the soccer field - to overhear.

"It sure looks like it." Staci was balancing herself off the end of the bleachers, watching the soccer team perform their drills.

"She said that it's completely incompatible for her best friend to have any ties with her worst enemy." Naoki stated matter-of-factly.

"Sounds more like she feels threatened." Rina folded her arms and shrugged a bit, watching Otaru and Keiko in the other bleachers. "I mean, she has no idea what was between the two that suddenly sparked Otaru's interest, and she is probably apprehensive of what will happen."

"That could be true--" Naoki faded off, then blinked in realization. "Rina-san, do you mean to imply that Keiko-chan might be jealous?"

"I can clearly see that." Staci added, "Keiko's so used to getting all of Otaru's attention, and she already doesn't like Shiranui--"

"Adding insult to injury." Aika looked over to Otaru, and furrowed her brow, "Although..." She paused in thought.

The other three girls blinked, and looked to Aika.

"What is it, Aika-chan?" Naoki asked.

Aika suddenly snapped out of thought, "Ah! Nothing, nothing!" She waved a hand dismissively, and then sat back. Otaru-kun has already proven to be sharper than what he lets on..."Ah?" Aika pointed out to the field. "Hey, isn't that--?"

"Isn't that Tyler-kun out on the field?" Naoki finished for Aika.

Both Staci and Rina snapped to attention. "Now that you mention it--" Rina muttered.

"What's he doing on the field?!" Staci cut Rina off.

It was right then that the ball was being passed to Anji, and just as he was about to meet with the ball, Tyler interceded and took the ball instead. Anji, shocked by the unpredictable maneuver, twisted his legs around and shifted his body weight in order to avoid collision with his teammate. This action, however, was sacrificial--his feet dug into the field, and he skidded to the ground roughly.

The girls gasped, and Keiko shot up from her seat.

Staci and Rina immediately ran onto the field as the whistle blew, and the girls, Keiko, Otaru, Tyler, and a few classmates went to Anji's side.

"Amuro-kun!" Rina gasped, noticing his scraped ankle.

Anji winced, "I'll be fine, just need to ice it--"

"You--" Staci glared to Tyler, "You did that on purpose! What are you doing here?!"

Keiko and the others were taken aback by Staci's explosiveness. All but Tyler, that is.

"I'm assisting in their practice--I was a nominee for MVP last year." Tyler calmly replied.

"Mitsui-san, don't be ridiculous!" Rina tried to smile and laugh off Staci's absurd accusations, "There's no way Tyler-kun could've done that purposefully. Why would he?"

"And I still don't know why you're here, Rina-san." Staci sharply replied.

Rina quickly blushed, "I--I--"

"Staci, cut it out." Keiko cut in, "We need to get Anji's ankle iced down first. We'll worry about details later."

Rina and Staci looked to eachother briefly, and then Staci glared back to Tyler.

Rina looked to the grass in Anji's direction. "Right."

"Rina-san, Otaru--wouldja mind going with me to take Anji to the nurse's office?" Keiko knelt next to her brother.

Otaru knelt on Anji's other side, and put an arm over his shoulder.

Rina jerked her face up, "Eh?" Her round eyes looked to Keiko, who gave her an insistant look back. She silently nodded in agreement, and looked over her shoulder to Staci as they began to hobble Anji off of the field.

"We'll be back shortly, guys. Try not to kill anyone before then, okay?" Keiko sighed.

"What was that all about?" Anji muttered to Keiko as they walked away.

"Beats me. Seems Staci and Tyler still have 'issues.'" Keiko droned.

Mai watched Kakeru pace about the music hall, carrying out menial tasks such as wiping down the window between Ken's office and the main hall. He then took one of the chairs and dragged it to the trophy shelf proceeding to climb on top of it and dust the very top shelf.

Mai sat in another chair and turned the page in a novel she was reading. "Say, you should get a ladder for that."

Kakeru ignored her. She looked back down to her book, and asked rather half-heartedly, "Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"I know that," Kakeru snapped, "But I can't when a certain someone decides to not show up on time to do his work!"

Kakeru roughly ran a cloth over one of the trophies, grumbling on about how one way or another, the work had to be done, with or without Fujishige.

Mai looked up from her book slightly, and turned another page. "I'm sure he'll show up soon."

Kakeru snorted, You're counting on that, aren't you? He thought to himself.

"Honestly, Kakeru-chan. I don't understand how Kei-kun can get you so riled up." Mai stood, and walked over to stand by the chair Kakeru was hoisted on. "Is he really that obnoxious?"

Kakeru stepped down from his chair, and turned to Mai. "No, he just goes out of his way to annoy me." His eyes narrowed.

"Aw, but Kakeru-chan, I've been doing that for years now!" Mai teasingly put her arms over his shoulders, and pouted out her bottom lip, "What makes him so special?"

Kakeru appeared to be unfazed by Mai's characteristic flirtations, "You're saying you want me to start loathing you as well?"

Mai tugged on Kakeru lightly, "Just a reaction - something, anything!"

Kakeru grabbed one of Mai's wrists in a snap, and pulled her up to her toes to meet his eye level.

There was a tense pause between the two. Mai felt her cheeks begin to burn as the hauntingly handsome violinist held her tiny wrist in his long fingers.

"Why not look for it somewhere outside of the music hall, then?" Kakeru's voice was the usual hum used when practicing the height of self-control.

Mai blinked a few times, and found herself beginning to sink in Kakeru's dark and empty eyes...

"Agh! I'm so late!!" Keiko skid into the music hall and saw clearly the compromising position Kakeru had Mai in. Seeing the unexpected blush on mai's face, Keiko found herself turning red in the face and re-tracking her steps in a rush. "Wh-wha-sorry! My fault!"

Kakeru quickly released Mai's wrist the moment Keiko arrived, and took a large step back from Mai--

--falling over the chair. Mai gasped, and Keiko flinched.

"Kakeru-chan! Are you okay?" Mai quickly ran to attend to him, and Keiko began to make her way over--

"Just back off, I can do it!!!" Kakeru harshly snapped. Keiko froze, and Mai backed up.

Kakeru shot Keiko a dark glare before collecting himself and pushing himself up, his long legs dangling over the seat.

Mai looked uncomfortably to Keiko, and for a moment, Keiko actually felt sympathy for her.

Mai took a few defensive steps towards Keiko, and whispered below her breath, "I'd start getting to work, Kei-kun. He's snippy today..."

"M...mmh..." Keiko nodded, and watched Mai sneak out of the hall, leaving Keiko to fend for herself against the testy musician.

Keiko turned to Kakeru, and uncomfortably scratched her chin as she sheepishly set her briefcase by the doorway before coming all the way in.

Kakeru dusted off his pants, his face a bit flushed. "That--"

"Don't worry about it." Keiko cut him off, and picked up the cloth Kakeru was using to dust the trophies. She took the chair Kakeru was standing on, and returned it to its proper place. She walked towards Ken's office to pull out a stepping stool. "We have this for a reason."

Kakeru "hmph"-ed and began to set up the music stand. "Don't bother, I already got the top shelves."

"...." Keiko paused before stepping up, "I would've shown up sooner or later. You're supposed to be practicing."

"And you're supposed to be on time." Kakeru snapped back.

Keiko got defensive. "Well, you certianly seized the opportunity!"

"I said it was nothing!" Kakeru growled.

"You did not!"

"Only because you interrupted me!"

"It's not like I care, anyway!"

"Then why bring it back up?!"

Keiko flinched as she searched for an answer. "...I had a good reason, not that you'd care or anything!"

Kakeru furrowed his brow, and lifted his violin to play. "You're right. I don't."

Keiko fumed, and Kakeru begrudgingly practiced his scales.

Anji winced as Otaru put antiseptic on his scrapes.

"Will it be okay?" Otaru asked, looking up to his classmate, "I mean, for the game this weekend."

Anji shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter too much. We've just started the season."

Otaru looked back to Anji's knee. "Mmh."

There was a pause, and to Anji's surprised, Otaru broke it.

"Ne, Amuro-kun..."

"Huh?" Anji looked to Otaru, who sat back from tending to Anji's knee.

"You never see your sister - why is that?" Otaru kept his eyes lowered to the level of Anji's knees, "I mean, if she and Fujishige are so close..."

Anji sighed, and drew back his leg, "My sister's relationship with Kei-kun is a complicated one that best be left alone."

Otaru swallowed, and nodded. "Mmh."

"Although," Anji looked out the window of the nurse's office. "If you really want to know, you could always ask him - but I dunno how he'd react."

Otaru watched Anji begin to stand, and lifted an arm to assist--

"I've got it." Anji assured, and shortly thereafter found himself stiffening in pain as he put weight on his injured leg.

"Lay down just a bit longer." Otaru suggested.

"That Tyler..." Anji muttered to himself. "Why does Staci-chan get so worked up about it?"

"Is it bad enough to put him out of play?" Jiro waited outside of the nurse's office with Rina.

Rina shook her head. "No, it's not that big of a deal, if he just stays off of it for a day--"

"Oh, so our start athlete will be going around campus with a crutch for a full day then. That'll be good publicity."

"But it'd throw your opponents off, though. Put their guards down so you can clam them this weekend." Rina held her arms and leaned against the door.

Jiro rose a brow. "Vicious, Nimai-kun. Yet so magnetic."

Rina gave a smile that said 'Surely you jest.' and replied, "Ironic, isn't it? We look out for our schools' images for each other, yet we claim to be bitter rivals."

"It's a possessive..." Jiro trailed off for a moment in thought, and quickly continued, "Love-hate relationship - you know - 'no one can abuse you unless it's me' sorta thing."

Rina smiled in spite of herself. "Is it really an abusive relationship, Kanzaki-kun?"

"It's not necessarily a bad thing." Jiro shrugged, matching Rina's smile.

The two were interrupted as the door behind Rina began to open, and the tiny Phoenix School president had to stand her weight away from the door.

Otaru politely nodded to the two presidents, "Excuse me."

Rina stole a glance at Jiro, and slipped by Otaru into the nurse's office while uttering a quiet, "Excuse me."

The two boys let Rina through, and after the door shut, they both gave each other acknowledging nods.

"Didn't expect to see you here, of all people." Jiro shoved his hands into his pockets.

Otaru shrugged casually, "I was there - Fujishige-kun asked me to stay while he went to the music hall."

Jiro snorted. "It's incredibly ironic how those two wound up crossing paths."

Otaru tilted his head in curiousity. "He's friends with Amuro's sister."

"Ah. Figures. Pretty girls like that always befriend the strange ones." Jiro looked down the hallway. "They're 'safe'."

"So you've seen her, then?" Otaru began to show a sudden interest in what Jiro had to say.

"Oh yeah. She was with us at the Spring Festival." Jiro appeared amused at Otaru's random interest.

Darn it...I could've seen her and not known it...Otaru was now at full attention. "She was at the concert, then?"

"Mmh--now that you mention it..." Jiro looked as though he were recalling something important. "She walked out right before it started...I wonder why?"

Otaru smiled, "You don't think--"

"She and Shiranui? I doubt it." Jiro scoffed.

"Although it'd certainly explain the tension between him and Fujishige-sempai." Otaru held his chin in thought.

"It's not really any of our business, you know." Jiro narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were trying to distance yourself from Shiranui."

Otaru suddenly got flustered. "I am, but--! With Sempai working with him all the time, it's inevitable..."

"Hmn." Jiro folded his arms, "Be careful,Otaru. The wounds from the music hall are still fresh."

Otaru watched Jiro with an expression of concern.

"Well! I'm done doing damage control. I'm outta here." He put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk away.

Otaru watched Jiro for a moment, and then looked back to the doorway of the nurse's office. Sempai...are you sure you're prepared to solve the music hall scandal mystery?

Rina hesitated before pulling away the curtain encompassing Anji's sickbed. She bowed slightly, and politely announced hrself before walking to his bedside. "I'm coming in..."

"Mm?" Anji was sitting up, flipping through a sports magazine. "Rina-san."

"Kanzaki-kun's worried now," Rina smiled slightly, "You've given him a scare, y'know? Since the co-ed festival's been called off, your opening soccer match is the next best thing to get us some publicity."

"Heh. Jiro-kun and his agenda." Anji crossed his ankles so that his injured knee rested atop his other one.

"I set his mind at ease though. He shouldn't be lingering aorund your dorm room," Rina's lips curled into a more tickled smile.

"That would put a real kink in Keik--kun's groove." Anji quickly caught himself, knowing exactly what Rina was implying.

Rina lifted her chin to a nod, "Nah, I think his level of concern has been reduced to that of breathing down your neck during lunch period."

Anji appeared to be staring off vacantly. "Could be worse."

"Mmh." Rina looked away from Anji at the digital clock on the bedside table. "Now if only I could calm down the girls - they're seeing red."

"Staci-chan, you mean." Anji replied, to which Rina nodded, her eyes lowered. "That's right." Anji slowly turned his head to look at Rina. "Why are you here?"

"Eh?" In a sudden jerk, Rina turned to face Anji.

Anji simply looked at her, to which Rina quickly noticed a blush creeping up her neck as Staci's reoccuring inqury sunk in. Her voice went up an octave, and she took an apprehensive step back. "Wh-what do you mean?! I'm not doing anything suspicious!"

Anji blinked in confusion, "Whoever said anything about being suspi--"

"Geez! That's all it ever is with you, isn't it? If it's not one conspiracy, it's another, isn't it? First with the music hall, then the co-ed festival, now Tyler and Staci--this entire existance is one huge conspiracy, isn't it?" Rina's babbling continued as her pulse sped up, "Well, I must be misinformed, I don't recall you being designated the campus watchdog."

Anji was barely given an opportunity to reply before Rina spun on her heel and dismissed herself from the nurse's office.

"...." Anji stared at the door as it softly closed behind Rina. After the emptiness of the room and his solitude finally sunk in, the silence was broken by a blunt, "...huh?"

The scales Kakeru practiced continued for about an hour, much to Keiko's annoyance. She glanced over to the clock on the wall, wondering how much longer Kakeru was going to grate on her nerves with the monotonous "Do-Re-Mi."

"Hey..." Keiko tried to sound at least civil, but her tone was flat, at best. "Don't you have any songs to play?"

Kakeru stopped, and lowered his violin. "Yeah?"

Keiko turned from the window she was wiping down. "The stuff you're doing right now's beginning to get old."

Kakeru darkly glared at her. "If I'm not mistaken, you're the hired labor, not me."

Keiko glared back, and with an angry grunt, she threw her ponytail over her shoulder and went back to her work. "You'd think it'd be a compliment..." she muttered.

Kakeru watched her for a moment, and then started shuffling through his music.

"Hey--tell me what you think of this one, alright?" Kakeru's tone made it sound as though he was about to proceed merely to humor Keiko.

Keiko refused to give Kakeru any acknowledgement, and simply continued to clean. That's when he started to play - that same song, no more thana week fresh in Keiko's mind...

...it's always as though he's trying to speak out, say something he never had the courage to tell anyone with words...

Otaru's words came back to her like a sharp blade cutting through her rampant pride.

...hoping that there was someone out there, listening...

Keiko peered at Kakeru over her shoulder. His back was facing her, so she was able to watch him without being suspected of noticing. She set her paper towel down, and silently walked over to him, waiting for him to finish.

His eyes were lowered to the music stand, nearly shut. His music pages were out of order, so even Keiko was able to tell that they did the violinist little service.

Kakeru must've sensed Keiko's presence, for he looked up after a moment. He suddenly stopped playing, and was a bit baffled by Keiko's expression as she watched him. He lowered his violin. "What is it?"

The weight that Keiko felt press against her chest during the Spring concert began to slowly come down on her again. She balled her fists, trying to remain collected. She brought her fists to her chest, and leaned over the music stand, putting herself right in Kakeru's face.

Kakeru felt a light flush come to his face, and he could see the outline of his face in the girl's glasses.

"You don't have to be afraid!" Keiko finally blurted in a desperately effeminate tone.

Kakeru blinked. "Eh?"

Keiko blushed, and stared at the music stand. "I mean..." she lowered her voice. "To tell the message, I mean..."

Kakeru rose a brow, "Message?"

Keiko nodded, still avoiding eye-contact. "Mmh. I mean, what you try to tell us when you play--like, what you're trying to say to me..." Keiko lowered her head a bit more, "I'm not a musician, so I'm not all that good at getting it sometimes, so..." Keiko blushed, "...so..." she jerked her head up, a determined expression on her face.

Kakeru blinked blankly.

"Please, just tell me out front what you're trying to say! It's okay! You don't have to be afraid!"

"...!" Kakeru was apparently a bit dumbfounded by Keiko's proclaimation. A bit of color collected across his defined, pale cheekbones.

There was a grueling pause. Kakeru, uncomfortable with the prolonged silence, broke it.

"Idiot." He shuffled through his sheet music. "Whoever said anything about it being a message for you?"

Keiko nearly fell over. "Geh--"

"Geez." he scoffed, still blushing a bit.

Keiko's sincere expression melted into one of anger. Before she could open her mouth to scold Kakeru, Otaru came into the hall. "Ah! Otaru!" Keiko gave him a relieved greeting, seizing the opportunity to avoid further confrontation with Kakeru.

Otaru looked over to the violinist, who shot him a resentful frown. He tugged on his sleeve a bit, and looked to Keiko. "Sempai, I hope I'm not interrupting-"

"Nothing important, nothing important!" Keiko cheerfuly chimed, as thought to rub in to Kakeru hers and Otaru's congeniality. "Say! Has Anji got it together?"

Otaru nodded as Keiko approached. "Nothing to worry about. He'll play as planned."

"Ah! Great!" Keiko set aside her bottle of windex and threw away her dirty paper towels. Picking up her briefcase, she accompanied Otaru as they left the music hall.

Kakeru furrowed his brow. "H-hey! Wait! You're just leaving now, all of a sudden?"

"It's nearly seven, it's plenty late. Besides--" Keiko gave Kakeru a bemused face, her tone sarcastic. "Your 'message' obviously isn't for me, so I don't want to intrude."

Otaru gave a confused blink. "Message?"

Keiko began to exit, "C'mon, Otaru."

Kakeru angrily blushed, and sharply lifted his violin to resume his practicing. He couldn't help but overhear their conversation, however.

"Man, if you hadn't shown up just then, Otaru, Kakeru would've been about a head shorter by now." Keiko's entire composure relaxed, and she leaned against the doorway of the music hall. She sighed, and clenched her teeth, swinging her briefcase in midair angrily. "Grr--! I wish I could give him a piece of my mind!"

Otaru watched with his hands casually tucked in his pockets. "You mean you haven't yet?"

"Are you kidding me?! If I did--" Keiko's free hand trembled as she brought it to a fist, and then, with a dramatic, furious swipe, she pointed an accusing finger in Kakeru's direction. "One of us wouldn't be here tomorrow."

Otaru defensively put up his hands. "Sempai, he'll hear you--"

"I don't care! Let him listen, for all I care!" Keiko spun around, and shook a fist. "HEY! SHIRANUI! Y'hear me?! I don't care!!!!"

Kakeru fumed, and burst through the door, Otaru jumped in surprise, and timidly tried to separate the feuding third-years.

"The entire hall doesn't need to know!" Kakeru shouted in Keiko's face.

"Don't ever think you've got the upperhand!"

"I don't recall you ever being competition!"

"Pompus brat."

"Worthless do-nothing! You can't even clean-up right!"

"What?!"

"You heard me." Kakeru turned back towards the hall.

Keiko fumed, her shoulders trembling violently. Otaru came up behind her, "Sempai, just leave him--"

"This isn't over, Shiranui! Don't think you've won!" Keiko shouted at the closing door. She spun around. "Just wait!!!"

"...what is the deal...?" Otaru muttered below his breath as he watched Keiko pace angrily to her room.

Keiko was seeing red as she fumbled with her dorm room lock.

Kakeru cracked the music hall door open just slightly, and he knelt to put away his sheet music. He paused as he heard the conversation take a more serious turn.

"Sempai, what has Shiranui-kun done to you?" Otaru's voice was edged with concern.

Keiko sighed, and cracked her door open. She stared at the doorknob, avoiding eye-contact with Otaru. "...it's complicated."

Kakeru lowered his eyes to his briefcase again.

Otaru's voice lowered. "It has something to do with the Amuro girl, doesn't it?"

Kakeru stiffened, and his heart began to pound. He found himself blushing.

"...." Keiko blinked, and blushed a bit as well. She opened the door futher, as though to step in. "This isn't a good place to talk about it..."

"That's okay. Say--" Otaru put his arm across the doorway to stop Keiko from walking in. "This weekend, then. Come home with me."

"What?!" Kakeru quietly gasped to himself.

"...okay. I'll do that." Keiko nodded, and looked up to Otaru with an uncomfortable smile. "So...later then."

Otaru lowered his arm, and let Keiko through.

Kakeru angrily stood. She can't be serious! He watched Otaru through the crack in the door, and waited for him to leave before leaving the music hall himself.

Friday made its way with relatively little excitement. There was the occasional potential for disaster looming over the Amuro siblings' heads as Gohei continuously made attempts at catching Anji on candid camera.

Keiko was asleep on the morning Anji loaded up on the bus, but he took great care in composing a list of things to nag Keiko about while absent. Little did Anji know that she, too, would be heading out this weekend. Keiko found herself in a particularly chipper mood that evening as she finished up her duties for the week.

It was only natural that Kakeru would attempt to put a damper on the otherwise pleasant evening.

"You're not seriously spending the weekend at Chinen's place." He made it more of a statement rather than a question.

"What makes you say that?" Keiko wasn't about to walk into another bitter arguement with Kakeru. No way was she going to let him ruin her mood.

"You'd be putting yourself at risk." Kakeru stated matter-of-factly as he pulled his music together.

"You dont' think I realize that?" Keiko didn't turn away from her cleaning, and her tone remained light-hearted.

Kakeru, as though overwhelmed by Keiko's reply, set his music down and turned to face Keiko. His expression was one of astonishment. "You...you want to get caught, don't you?!"

Keiko's back still faced him and she quietly peeped in admittance. "Maybe..."

"You...." Kakeru could feel the anger boiling up in him now, and his voice rose in volume. "Doesn't this music hall mystery of yours mean anything?! Will all this--will you have gone this far for nothing?! Just to throw it all away from some twisted crush?!"

That struck a chord with Keiko. She spun around, balled her fists, and shouted back at the top of her lungs. "It is not a crush! You don't know anything about Otaru! How would you understand?!"

Not willing to take any more of Kakeru's ranting, Keiko swiped up her belongings, and ran into her dorm room. She angrily began to put away her things, trying everything she could to keep furious tears from falling.

Why?! Why does he always have to point out all of life's complications?! It's not as though I can't see them for myself! Keiko's tears avoided contact with her cheeks and immediately fell onto her desk. He's so thoughtless! Why?!

She sat back on her bed and just let out a sigh, trying to calm down. Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry. She kept telling herself. The emptiness of the room was smothering. Everything would be fine if she had someone present to vent to, but--the more she told herself not to cry, the more she wanted to just let it all out.

...but it feels so good to cry, sometimes...

Keiko squeezed her eyes shut. She fell back on her bed, and cruled up into a ball, imagining Kakeru's gentle composure while performing, and then how he spoke to her. Why? Why can't he act that gentle around me?

The question irritated her until she was overcome with drowsiness. It hadn't even reached 7pm before she was passed out on her bed.

The sun did set, however, and nine o' clock rolled around. Keiko felt a twinge of hunger that awoke her. SKipping dinner was an unwise option for Keiko, seeing as she was more then sleeping sort than the breakfast sort. Her arms felt numb as she opened her eyes to a dark, empty room. She was facedown in bed, her glasses slid off to the side. She stirred, her vision a blur, and she moved to get her glasses--Eh?!

Her heart stopped. Her wrists were bound together with a cloth.

"What?!" she gasped out loud, and sat up. Unable to see clearly, she managed to sit up and hobble to her desk. In a panic, she fumbled with the tie, and managed to blindly untie herself.

She reached over her desk to switch on a lamp, and then retrieved her glasses in a daze. She slipped then on, and noticed that she felt a bit light-headed. Perhaps the lack of food. She looked around the room for any stolen items. That's when the reflection in the window caught her eye.

Otaru flipped on his dorm room light, a pile of books cradled in one of his arms. He set his books aside on his desk, and pulled out a suitcase. Before preparing to pack for his weekend back home, he sat on his bed, and kicked his shoes off with a sigh. He tilted his head back, and leaned back on his elbows.

After a brief pause, he sat back up. "Hmm?" His attention was drawn to his bedside table, where an unusual object was waiting for him.

With a curious expression, he learned over a bit to get a better look. When he realized what it was, he leapt to his feet.

Keiko's ponytail, a razor blade, and a note were placed on his table. Otaru snatched up the note, and with a look of shock, he read it:

"Keep your distance."

Otaru clenched the note in his trembling fist. Who--?!

----------------------

End Episode Fourteen

Episode Fifteen Coming Soon!!

Go Back To Episode Index