Chapter 6

"So? What do you think?"

The old man clapped his hand excitedly, despite being unable to leave his bed without any help, the world famous conductor looked very healthy, "Bravo!" he cheered excitedly, "I love that piece, you did well composing that song! Encore!"

Nodame laughed, "This is incomplete though," she looked at the grand piano in front of her with an awed look. This was a very nice piano, she grinned excitedly as she played twinkle-twinkle little star with her index finger, "Nodame want to finish writing it but Nodame is really busy..."

The old man watched the pianist started playing twinkle-twinkle little star, this time using both hand, the infamous pout on her face made him smile, "You will be graduate soon, won't you?"

"Uh huh," she didn't really pay attention as she continued playing sloppily as usual. Shinichi would scold her if he saw her playing like this.

"Then, what are you going to do after your graduation?"

She didn't answered. The old man waited until she finished the song. He knew she heard him right and was thinking about the answer. He knew despite how she normally acted, the girl actually had alot in her mind. He knew it very well because looking at her was almost like looking at his old self. She reminded him of himself, that was why, he was attracted to her. He was worried that she would end up like him.

No, he didn't want her to end up like him. There were so many things she could be but someone like him. He loved her so much, like a daughter he never had. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to make sure that she would make a right choice in her life. A choice which she would never regret in the future.

"Nodame-chan?"

The pianist sighed, it was unusual to see how she furrowed her brows like this, for a moment, he almost couldn't recognized her, if it weren't for the familiar pout, "Nodame hadn't really think about it."

She wasn't looking at him when he said that. It made the Maestro thought she was lying. He had a feeling that he knew what she actually wanted for her future. He wouldn't ask though, because she didn't seem to want to talk about it.

"Nodame-chan, there are so many things you could do," Nodame still hadn't looked at him, "there are so many things you can do, many places you can see, many people to meet..." He knew she wouldn't like what he was about to say, "if Shinichi couldn't offer you..."

"Milch!" Nodame cut him off.

They both know what he was about to say and Nodame didn't want to hear about it. Not now, not when she was already confused like this.

"Lately," Nodame started, "Nodame dreamed about the past."

"The past?"

She nodded, "back then in junior high school Nodame had a boyfriend. Nodame thought that he was the one." She bit her lower lip, "I thought we would be together forever, but we didn't and Nodame then met Senpai. We're still together even today, but... Until when, I don't know."

"Do you not believe him?"

Nodame snorted, "Nodame is not so stupid to believe in a man," the young pianist pouted, "Senpai didn't believe in marriage."

"Marriage," the Maestro frowned, "have you asked him about it?"

She shook her head, "Nodame had a feeling, he would not like the idea."

"You should try to..."

"Nodame also had another feeling." She cut him in, "not a very good one."

"What..?"

"Nodame is pregnant."

.

"I am sorry you have to drive me back home."

Shinichi sighed. He had wanted to go back to the Hotel as soon as the party ended but instead he had to drive some of the orchestra members home because they had missed the last train and the taxi's fare during this hours was really expensive, some of the members begged him to drive them home and in the end he couldn't say no.

"No problem," the black haired man grunted. The last man he needed to drive home was the concert master who was apparently a bit too drunk to drive home, "So, we're turning left in that intersection?"

"Yep," the younger man nodded, for a drunk man, he was not too bad. At least he didn't vomit in the car.

Shinichi sighed. He wondered if Nodame was sleeping now. How lucky she was. He was also wanted to sleep. He was so tired from the jet lag and he really needed some good sleep.

"Chiaki-san, how old are you again?"

Shinichi frowned at the question, "why do you ask?"

The red haired man chuckled, "Have you ever thought about a marriage?"

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. This was not an unfamiliar question though definitely not his favorite one. Lately almost everyone around him had started asking him about it. Even his mother. He thought those people should have known without ask him that he didn't want to get married, ever. After he saw with his own eyes how his parents' marriage crumbled into pieces, why would people thought he even consider to get married? No, some people would never understand.

"No," he finally answered, "not yet."

"Heeeee~, how about your girlfriend?"

Shinichi raised his brow, "what about her?"

"Don't you want to marry her?"

He sighed, "you're nosy, do you know it? Is it because you're drunk?"

Aiba laughed, "Maybe," he added, "but I wasn't that drunk you know..."

Shinichi rolled his dark eyes, "yeah sure."

The younger man chuckled, he looked outside the window, "I want to get married."

"I thought I remember you said you have no girlfriend," Shinichi was not really interested in the topic but it was better than talking about himself.

"Well, I had one, but we broke up years ago..."

"Yet you still want to marry her?"

Aiba turned his head to look at Shinichi with a playful smile, "you don't believe in destiny, do you?"

Shinichi snorted, "do I look like I do?"

"You're right. You're not a romantist."

"Shut up."

The red haired laughed. Shinichi started to have a feeling that he wasn't actually drunk. He took back his earlier thought about them could be friends. This man had slowly goten into his nerves.

"I had always wanted to marry her, only her," Aiba smiled, "I am waiting for years but I lost contact with her... If only I could find her right now."

Shinichi couldn't help but to ask, "how about if she already had someone now?"

Aiba shrugged, "Well, you'll never know unless you try, will you?"

For a weird reason, Shinichi had a bad feeling about it.

.

"Aiba Megumi..."

"Doesn't that sound nice?"

The girl thought for a moment, a finger on her chin, "but then I will not be Nodame anymore."

The older boy laughed, "but I thought you don't like that nickname."

"I don't particularly hate it though," The girl grinned as she turned to face the boy, "but I like Aiba Megumi, it sounds good to me!"

"Good," he grinned, "Then about the ring, what kind of ring do you want?"

"Hmmm," she thought again. A little longer this time, since this was a hard question for her. She had never thought about it before nor had she been interested in any kind of accessories before. But a wedding ring was not an accessory, was it?

"Diamond ring?" she said absentmindedly, she had never really saw a diamond ring since noone in her family wearing a wedding ring, let alone a diamond ring. She had only seen it on TV and it seemed like every other girl would love to have it as their wedding ring, "but it is expensive, isn't it?"

"No, it is not! I would work so hard that I could buy a diamond ring for you. I will be a great man for you and make you happy, so, until that day, please wait for me, okay?"

.

Nodame was laying in her bed. She didn't remember how she returned from the Maestro's room back to the room she had been sharing with her boyfriend. She couldn't get the converstation she had with the Maestro earlier off her mind. She couldn't believe what she had said. So stupid. She hadn't even gotten it tested yet...

Was she really pregnant?

She was not sure how to tell Shinichi about it.

"Gyaboooo!"

She screamed into the pillow. If she was really pregnant, then they should get married though she knew that he hated it. He wasn't ready. She understood that but she wasn't ready either. It was new for both of them...

Nodame was about to let out another scream into the pillow when the room door was opened.

Shinichi had been back.

.

.

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Author's Note:

I got many PM regarding the original version of this fanfic:

I LOST IT ... . I will try to search the back up data though...