Blister, a La Corda d'Oro fanfic

.

Based on Chapter 57 of the manga

.

Background: Len invites Kahoko to a violin performance organised by a friend of his, and shoe bites follow. (and before that, he spent ages trying to avoid telling her- or letting anyone else tell her- that he was going abroad to study at the end of the year).

.

Disclaimer : I don't own La Corda d'Oro. But if someone would care to gift me one of the boys, I would never say no.

.

.

______________________________

The performance had been a success, Len reflected, stealing a glance at the girl beside him as she applauded its end. Hino's flushed face and sparkling eyes could only mean one thing: that she had indeed enjoyed it very much. Despite it being a small concert in a local hall, the skill of the performers had been undeniable, and Hino wasn't the only one clapping at the finish.

She shivered a little in the cool spring night as they stepped out, still elated at just how good it had been.

"The performance was wonderful!" She was almost skipping as they left the hall and walked past the park in the direction of her house. "The violinist, was she your father's friend?"

"Yes. The pianist seems to be a good friend of hers." He told her, remembering the ease of their manner with each other.

"The harmonisation of the violin and piano was wonderful, too." she said happily, thinking of Tsuchiura-kun for a moment.

"I believe they've been partners for a while now." –was it his father who had told him that?- not that he had needed to, it was clear enough from the way they played that they knew each other's style very well.

"I see…no wonder- it really was amazing! Thank you for inviting me, Tsukimori-kun!" she smiled at him, her eyes crinkling.

"You're welcome." It had been a good idea, he thought, to have Hino watch a more experienced player in action. Being the novice that she was, it could only help. "This experience will be good for your performance, too."

"Yes!" she said brightly, before giving a miniscule wince that he almost didn't catch, as his eye was drawn to her left leg, just below the hem of her dress.

"Is there something wrong with your leg?" She'd stumbled a little, and as he watched, she winced again.

"My leg?"

"You've been limping for some time now." he informed her.

"Eh? Oh, you mean this?" She skipped ahead of him again, swinging her purse. "That's because I'm not used to wearing heels, and I have blisters too…but, it's all right!" As she spoke, he noticed them: two angry spots of red where her left shoe, a thoroughly impractical cream satin object with a matching bow at the back, had bitten into her skin.

.

It was not all right. It wasn't quite on the same scale as injuries to her hands, but her skipping around like that with blisters was starting to irritate him. She really had to stop moving, he thought, before she made things worse.

He then remembered something else. "…..and you were running when you arrived." She had been late and apologized profusely to an annoyed Len, who had hurried them into the hall with just minutes to spare for the start of the performance.

He wasn't quite sure how she managed it, but even Hino's ponytail looked mortified as he turned to look at her. "I'm so sorry, Tsukimori-kun…"

.

"Really…" he shook his head, slightly exasperated. "What am I to do with you?"

He knew precious little about shoe bites, but he did know, from his mother, that they made walking quite difficult. Hino's house was a mere fifteen minutes away, but walking there in the state she was in at the moment looked impossible - her shoes would only hurt her more as they walked. Also, he had no intention of delivering her home in her current state: it would be the height of bad manners to do so. There was nothing else for it, really…

.

"Wait here for me." he tossed over his shoulder at a puzzled Hino. He knew just what they needed - they'd walked past the shop to get to the hall, but it was pointless taking her along: she would only hurt herself on the way.

"Eh?" What was he doing? "Tsukimori-kun?" But he was already walking away, and she watched his black-clad figure retreat into the night.

There wasn't anything she could do but sit down on the nearest park bench and wait. She'd caused him enough trouble already through her own ineptitude, the least she could do was stay put and wait for him to come back from wherever he'd gone. She sat down, relieved to take the pressure off her feet: she hadn't quite felt her shoes pinching in the rush of getting to the hall to meet Tsukimori-kun, and being seated during the performance meant she hadn't noticed anything there either.

Kahoko slid her foot half out of her shoe, exhaling as the blisters ceased to throb.

I should have worn my everyday shoes, she mused, looking at her feet. This is so embarrassing…At the very least, she should have chosen a pair that had already been broken in. Wearing her prettiest and newest shoes for the first time on a night when she knew she had to walk home was nothing but stupidity, really…

She sat and waited, slightly uncomfortable at being stuck out by herself on a park bench this late at night. You have only yourself to blame for that, she thought. It had seemed only fair to dress up a little to attend the concert: she'd done it during the Concours (albeit with help from Lili), and Len himself was in a suit tonight. She liked her dress, too: it was creamy white, with ruffles down the front, and it had been perfectly comfortable to wear. It was a pity the same couldn't be said of the shoes… lost in thought, she didn't realise until he was just a few feet away from her that Len had returned, with a small packet in one hand.

.

"I'm sorry for making you wait."

"It's ok," she said, relieved to see him back. "Are you all right? Where did you go?-"

Her words were abruptly cut off, as Tsukimori Len then did the last thing on earth she would have expected him to do.

.

He went down on one knee on the grass in front of her and lifted her left foot out of its shoe.

.

Eh? Startled, Kahoko stared wide-eyed at him.

"I really have to hand it to you," he said grimly. "You really can't walk in this state, can you?" The blisters were worse than he had suspected: they looked more than a little inflamed, and he wondered just how she had managed to walk as far as she had without bleeding.

Without waiting for her reply, he picked a band-aid out of the packet on the grass beside him, tearing it open. Kahoko, suddenly realizing what he intended to do, panicked. Surely he wasn't going to….

"I…I'll do it myself, Tsukimori-kun!" Her voice shook. If she'd thought being left behind was embarrassing, it was nothing compared to this…and people passing by the park were already beginning to stop and stare at them- not that she could blame them either, they probably looked quite a sight, him kneeling on the grass in front of her…

He ignored her protests, taking her foot in one hand. "I seem to remember the same thing happening to you after the first round of the Concours?"

The spring air had been cool against Kahoko's cheeks as she waited for him on the bench: but now, as he smoothed one end of the band-aid onto a blister, holding her foot steady in his hand, it felt oddly heavy….and warm.

"Ah…ummm…." His hands were gentle as he slowly smoothed the rest of the plaster over the top of her foot, and Kahoko fought a losing battle against the urge to blush.

"Ye- yes, it did happen…" The words were barely more than a whisper as she scrambled for something to say, but the touch of his long fingers against her skin was making coherence impossible. "But that was quite a while ago...."

.

A breeze rippled through Len's hair, hiding his eyes from her as he placed the second band-aid over the blister at the back of her foot. "Yes." His voice was low as he stroked the plaster over her wound once more, before sliding his hand downwards to cup her heel in his palm.

.

It was all Kahoko could do to keep her toes from curling. I'm being an idiot. It was just a simple bit of first-aid, but it was absolutely mortifying….and Tsukimori-kun certainly didn't intend it to feel like a…..caress, the word floated into her mind unbidden before, with another fierce blush, she pushed it out.

"….will you continue playing? The violin.." Len kept his eyes trained on her toes as he slid her foot back into the errant shoe, oddly reluctant to release it.

"Eh? Well, of…course." Kahoko's blush faded a little, though her cheeks were still warm: surprised, she momentarily forgot her discomfiture. "Why would you ask?"

Hino's foot was now securely back in its shoe, and Len took his hand off it at last, fleetingly brushing his fingertips over her ankle. "Nothing." he said, still kneeling in front of her. She wiggled her toes a little inside her shoe, before his next words made her blush a fiery shade of red once more- "It's just that I've always thought that your music was unique."

.

?...thought Kahoko, swivelling her head to look at him. That didn't sound like something Tsukimori-kun would say at all…

He wasn't looking at her, but continued speaking without waiting for a response.

"Though it's pretty obvious your playing isn't up to par-" now that sounded more like Tsukimori-kun- "yet you always produce such moving notes…"

Kahoko sat rooted to the spot, stunned. "That was probably why I started to notice you: maybe because I felt threatened? Envious?" Tsukimori-kun? Jealous of me? "I really want to see your progress after this: to see and listen to your music."

He looked at the ground for a moment: she had the feeling he was steeling himself for what he was about to say next.

.

"Think of it however you want, I just…I just want you to keep playing the violin." Len paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "If you keep playing then one day I….."

"One day?" Kahoko's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean by 'one day', Tsukimori-kun?"

He wasn't quite sure himself as he thought, I really wish; hope for that… what was he trying to say? Why had he avoided telling her about it, anyway? He was leaving and would probably never see her again after his departure: he just didn't like lying, that was all, and if Hino was going to lose her violin tutor she had the right to be told about it.

He stood up, the abruptness of the movement startling her a little, but that didn't stop the thought from completing itself: One day, no matter where it may be… we may be able to meet again.

Still looking away from her, his face neutral, he said, "I'm going to study abroad."

Eh? "Study abroad?"

"Yes." He looked at her with the oddest expression, almost as if he was daring her to say something about it - but what, she couldn't imagine.

"That's so cool…." she got to her feet, testing her weight gingerly against the hurt foot, and smiled excitedly. "You can study abroad! That's so cool, Tsukimori-kun!"

"Europe." He informed her, sounding almost disinterested. She'd sounded exactly as she would have if anyone were leaving to study abroad…

"Europe, eh? When are you leaving, during the spring holidays? Or the next summer holidays?" Kahoko took a step forward. "You're so lucky! You can gain a lot of exposure studying overseas!"

"It's not a short-term study trip." She had clearly got the wrong idea, leaving him with no choice but to say it outright. Her smile froze as she took in what he was saying, and she fell silent.

.

He squared his shoulders, facing her with an expression she had never seen on him before: a strange combination of defiance and uncertainty, stranger still on Tsukimori-kun, who was never uncertain of anything.

"We may not be able to see each other for a long time."

.

They looked at each other for a long moment, Kahoko still lost for words.

Eventually, Len broke the silence. "It's late." he said, turning to look up at the moon. "We should get going."

"Mmm hmm," she murmured. "All right." He glanced briefly at her before turning and walking away. Kahoko remained where she was, her eyes on his back as he paused, waiting for her to catch up with him.

.

Tsukimori-kun……are you leaving soon…?

.

"Hino? Do you intend to go home tonight, or not?"

She started, surprised. "Oh…sorry, Tsukimori-kun!" She hurried after him, unable to take her mind off what he had just said. Why was it making her feel so lost?

.

Was he really leaving?

.

.

.

.

.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxENDxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.

Review, pretty please? It would absolutely make my day….and you don't even need an account to do it! Just click that green button at the end of the page and fire away .

Author's notes: Happy birthday, Tsukimori-kun! (I wrote this story on April 24th, which was his birthday), and it took AGES. Len being such an ice cube, it's hard to know how to get his feelings across without sending him OOC. Writing this based on a manga chapter made the task slightly easier...but not all that much easier. Please do let me know what you think of the end product?

Also, I'm so sorry I deleted this story by accident- Here it is again, with a huge thank you and many apologies to Erythros and Pathetic Rainbow, who were wonderful enough to review it in the half hour that the first version of the story spent on the site.