Disclaimer: La Corda d'Oro does not belong to me.

Vision

Yunoki Azuma had an odd dream once when he was twelve, just after he met Ayano.

(He liked her well enough back then, but not enough to tell her that he saw themselves as married, like she did.)

He saw himself in his dream, older (twenty-three or twenty-four, he guessed.) and with longer hair, standing at the altar in a white suit with a purple tie, a beautiful girl in white by his side. When it was time to lift the bride's veil and kiss her, he saw that his bride was a beautiful redhead he had never seen before.

Her eyes were golden-brown, and her cheeks were stained with a delicate blush that took his breath away. He leaned forward, not even caring that girls held no interest for him. The beauty was his bride, even if it was only a dream, and it was time for the ceremonial kiss.

Their lips met, and he awoke. He dubbed her, "Kahoko", thinking how much her eyes were sparkling like the sun before their kiss.

"Yunoki Kahoko." He muttered sleepily. "What a beautiful name."

---

He thought no more of that dream after that night, dismissing it because he was a boy, and boys did not dream of weddings.

A mere six years later, he met Hino Kahoko.

The seventeen-year-old resembled his bride closely. In fact, the first time they had spoken in public, he had stared at her for five seconds before smiling angelically and saying, "Hello, I'm Yunoki Azuma." The first time they had spoken in private, he had called her annoying.

But that was merely because he found it infuriating that the woman he was going to marry resembled that…that talentless annoyance!

When he first saw her in Seisou Academy, his eyes widened slightly and he whispered, "Kahoko?"

Kahoko looked up suddenly as if someone had called her, but Yunoki had quickly looked away. "Amou-san, did someone called my name?"

"No, why?" Her friend asked.

"Un, no reason."

Yunoki walked away, slightly annoyed.

---

After convincing himself that he was just going to marry someone that was probably distantly related to her, he was finally able to treat her with the same kindness as he did everyone else.

It was only after the first selection that he noticed how brightly and beautifully her golden-brown eyes sparkled, and his heart skipped a beat.

In anger, he had called her annoying when they encountered each other on the rooftop area.

Her eyes asked, "Why?".

He refused to think about the answer after he noticed the question in her eyes. "Because you are just a general education student, and yet, you manage to get into the first selection."

Because you look like Kahoko. Because you look like my bride.

After that, he could no longer hide his true personality around her, and he treated her like a toy when his heart told him to treat her like the bride he knew she was going to be. He teased her mercilessly, and she was beginning to get used to this side of him.

---

It was part of a ploy to elevate him higher than the rest of the concur members, he realized later. He had just enjoyed torturing Kahoko at first, but then his mind worked during sleepless nights to make Kahoko fall in love with him.

The other concur members ignored Shimizu and Yunoki as a competitor for Kahoko's heart to battle against each other. In their haste to make a clear winner for Kahoko's heart against the other two, they had practically given the prize to Yunoki. (Shimizu had given up early, pursuing the clarinet player, Fuyumi, instead.)

Yunoki had it planned out.

Get her used to the idea that he had a dark side, tease her mercilessly while ravishing her with gifts, and ask her to pose as a fiancée in order to make her realize his feelings for her (and in turn, her feelings for him.).

(He had wanted her to be jealous, and in her jealousy, realize that he was the only correct choice out of the concur members. After all, he knew for a fact that the other members never dreamed about being wedded to Kahoko. He had private investigators bring copies of the dream journals every English class had them do since seventh grade, when he realized that it was not normal for boys to dream of weddings, and wondering if his friends did.)

It was obvious to him that she had fallen in love with him, but had disregarded it as a feeling of friendship.

She avoided him every chance she got after she had gotten used to his dark side, she blushed when referring to him by first name, she blushed mostly when he (and not when the other concur members) called her by her first name, and most of all, the way she would stare at him from across campus when she thought he wasn't looking. (Although on occasions when he was speaking to her in private, he would notice how she was staring at his lips…)

He enjoyed tormenting her, but when he realized he had fallen in love with her (soon after the first selection), he was torn between disgust and discontentment. What kind of idiot was he, expressing his love for a girl the way a stupid eight-grade boy would, by teasing her and mocking her?

---

The night before his flight to England, he had stepped out of his car, scolded Kahoko gently for making him wait, and took her out to dinner.

They had stopped by a very chic boutique, buying a lovely outfit for Kahoko and a suit for himself.

He found himself enjoying the dinner, but his heart ached badly.

He was going to leave in less than ten hours time. Oh, he knew he would see her right before the final selection, but he was going to miss her kind smile and her embarrassed expression.

He couldn't stand the thought that if he didn't make it back in time, her beautiful smile and her sparkling eyes and her adorable blush would be claimed by someone else. He knew that if he didn't get back on time, Tsukimori Len or Tschiura Ryoutaro or…or Hihara Kazuki would be the one sweeping his Kahoko off her feet.

He couldn't bear the thought.

---

All during the flight, he thought of her. He wondered if he actually had the nerve to do it. He wondered if he would have the guts to disobey his grandmother for the first time in his life.

His eyes were closed, thinking of the life she would have with Len or Ryoutaro or worse, Kazuki.

He had arrived at the academy four hours after his flight landed.

He walked straight to the director's office, and he spoke in a clipped, professional voice.

"I would like to cancel the arrangements for Yunoki Azuma's transfer to this school, please." He said, his smile dazzling the female director.

His English was impeccable.

"O-Of course." The director smiled, definitely dazzled. "I-I'll get my secretary on it right away."

"Thank you, ma'm." He said, walking out of the office and back to the taxi where his other grandmother was waiting.

---

He knew where Kahoko passed by everyday when she was walking to the academy. He merely waited for her at the top of the steps that were around the bend. It was only luck that the light hit him just right when she came around the corner, and he enjoyed the ways her eyes widened when she realized who the mysterious man was.

"Y-Yunoki-senpai?" She asked uncertainly.

Yunoki smirked at the way her cheeks had instinctively darkened, and the way her eyes adverted its gaze. Her hair framed her face as it never had before, and her lips opened soundlessly several times.

"Ohayo," His smirk widened. "Kahoko."

She ran up the rest of the steps, and when she reached him, her hand instinctively went to the lapel of his jacket and her smile widened. "Yunoki-senpai…"

Her eyes adverted her gaze again, and her cheeks blushed even more. Yunoki guess that she was thinking about him.

"Oi, Kahoko." He muttered, his cheeks a light pink that was nearly indetectable. "What's the matter, you looke kind of creepy."

"N-Nothing!" She stammered. "I was just thinking…It's nice that you're back."

Yunoki walked away, hiding a smile. "Hn."

Kahoko followed him like a loyal dog.

---

After Kahoko had returned from…wherever she was to the summer house where everyone was staying at, he was waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

"Ah, Yunoki-senpai!"

He walked down to her, leaning close to her ear. "It's almost dinner."

"H-Hai!" She blushed, his breath tickling her ear seductively. "I'll be there after I put my things away."

"Meet me at the entrance hall after dinner." He whispered.

She shivered, but nodded. "H-Hai…"

---

"Why did you call me here, Yunoki-senpai?" She asked, as she breathed in the night air. "Mm, what a lovely smell."

"You see these flowers?" He asked, gesturing to the flowers in front of him.

She leaned close to the flowers and inhaled. "It's…indescribable."

"It's called the Queen of the Night." He said, "They bloom only one summer night a year."

"Oh?" She asked. "But why did you call me here, Senpai?"

"To give you a reward." Yunoki said.

"A reward?"

"For making me enjoying the concurs, that's all." He said, lifting the flute to his mouth. "So I'll play a song especially for you."

Kahoko blushed gently.

"Just for you." He said before beginning to serenade her.

Kahoko didn't speak as he played. The music flowed around her, and her eyes closed as she took in the beautiful notes.

When he finished, he smiled at her. "Did you like it?"

She nodded earnestly. "Hai!"

---

After summer camp, he didn't see her much, but he called her every day. Miyabi kept in constant contact with her, keeping a close eye on the males around her.

"Nobody's making a move on her, Nii-san." She said in distress. "It's quite odd!"

He was silent, but happy on the inside. "Are you sure, Miyabi?"

"I am." She nodded.

---

On her birthday, he called her in the morning and told her to get dressed. "If you're not out your door in ten minutes, I'm leaving and never coming back."

She was out the door in three.

They sat side by side in his car.

"Yunoki-senpai—" She began.

"I'm not your senpai anymore, Kahoko." He interrupted.

"Azuma—" She began.

"What, no '-san'?" He asked with a smirk.

"Azuma," She scowled. "Where are we going, and why are you kidnapping me on a Saturday?"

"Isn't it your birthday?" He asked mockingly, and she nodded hesitantly. "Well, we're going to spend the day together."

"…!" Kahoko stared out the window, red. "Aren't you supposed to be at college?"

"Maybe." He smirked. "I came home."

"What, just for me?" She asked sarcastically.

Yunoki smirked, leaning over to her. His face was a few centimeters from hers, and their eyes locked. "What happened to my toy?"

She was blushing so much it was unnatural. "W-What?!"

"My toy." Yunoki said, his lips pulling down into a fake, heart-broken smile. "My dear, darling Kahoko? The one that was so fun to tease, to mock,"

Kahoko blushed even more when he said 'My dear, darling Kahoko?'

"—The one that I—" He inhaled, trying to calm his racing heart. "—That I love?"

"You lo—?" Kahoko was interrupted by the collision of their lips.

She expected (in the half-second before their lips touched) that his kiss would be just as how he used to treat her: mocking.

Instead, she almost fainted with the amount of raw desire she felt in his kiss. His arms slipped around her, and without knowing, one hand went to his back and one was buried in his long, indigo locks. One of his hands travelled from her waist to the back of her head, deepening their kiss.

Kahoko was sure that is she had not been sitting down, she would've fell to the ground, as her knees went weak and her legs felt like jelly.

Yunoki broke the kiss, his need for air overpowering his desire to ravish her with his lips until she fainted.

Kahoko was silent for a long while, and Yunoki was deeply afraid that he had scared her.

"Azuma?" She whispered.

"H-Hai?" He asked, his heart pounding in his chest so loud he felt people in London could hear it.

"Aren't you going to ki—" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, giggling. "Did you just stutter?"

"Uh," Yunoki racked his mind for a good answer. " 'Aren't you going to ki—'? What were you going to say?"

Kahoko blushed, her eyes cast downwards. "Aren't you going to…kiss me…again?"

"Hm?" Yunoki asked, eyebrow raised teasingly. "What?"

"Oh!" Kahoko pouted while trying to hide a smile. "Just kiss me."

"As the lady wishes." Yunoki said mockingly before leaning in for another kiss.

---

"Kahoko?" Yunoki asked one evening, his arm slung carelessly around Kahoko's shoulders, and his eyes on the plasma-screen television.

"Hai?" Kahoko, who had one arm around Yunoki's waist, smiled up at him. "What's bothering you, love?"

"I'm twenty-three now…" Yunoki turned to look at Kahoko.

"So?" Kahoko asked, turning to face Yunoki. "Are you saying you're old?"

"You're twenty-two." Yunoki took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Mm-hm." Kahoko said, wondering where the conversation was going.

"When I was twelve," Yunoki started. "I had a dream I was twenty-three."

"Really?" Kahoko asked, scrunching her eyebrows. "That's cool, if a little odd."

"And I was getting married to a girl I had never seen before." Yunoki continued.

"…" Was he going to break up with her to search for his mystery girl?

"She had golden-brown eyes, her skin was pale as snow, and her hair was red as poppies." Yunoki said.

"A-Are you going to break up with me to look for her?" Kahoko whispered softly. "Because I totally understand if you do…"

"What, no!" Yunoki protested. "She looked exactly like you!"

"Nani?!"

"I don't know why I had that dream, but the girl was exactly how you look now." Yunoki continued. "And I woke up when we kissed."

"…" Kahoko was silent, and Yunoki was afraid he said something wrong. "Continue, Azuma."

"When I woke up, I named her Kahoko, because her eyes were sparkling like the sun." Yunoki's eyes bore into her. "Yunoki Kahoko."

"…Do you believe dreams can come true?" Kahoko asked.

"I've been working to make it come true ever since the first selection ended." Yunoki confessed. "But I can't make it come true. Only one person can now."

"So why don't we make you're dream come true?" Kahoko smiled.

"You'll marry me?" Yunoki asked, handing her a ring with two small diamonds with a larger blue stone between them.

Kahoko took the ring. "Anything to make your dream come true, Azuma."

---

"Do you, Yunoki Azuma, take this woman, Hino Kahoko, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you, Hino Kahoko, take this man, Yunoki Azuma, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then you may now kiss the bride."

Yunoki turned to face Kahoko, and lifted her veil slowly. "Kahoko."

"Azuma." Kahoko breathed, her face flushed with excitement.

Their lips met, and Yunoki woke up.

---

"It couldn't have been a dream." Yunoki murmured. "I couldn't have gone through eleven years of my life in one night."

"Azuma?" Someone groaned from beside him. "What's the matter?"

He turned to face a drowsy redhead with golden-brown eyes. "Oh, I thought it was a dream."

Kahoko grinned. "You have a dream about you marrying me?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Yunoki asked.

"I had the same dream." Kahoko grinned. "Except instead of it being the last eleven years, it's only the last six."

"Hm, I guess we're a lot alike." Yunoki smiled. "It's still pretty hard to believe we've been married for a week."

"It's harder to believe that I'm living in your beach house." Kahoko scoffed. "I used to come here every day since my birthday that year, but I've never had my own house before…"

"Aishiteru." Yunoki said suddenly.

"Wha—?" Kahoko was interrupted.

Yunoki kissed her gently, and Kahoko kissed him back just as gently as if he was fragile as glass.

When they broke apart, Kahoko smiled at him, and whispered, "Aishiteru, too."

Yunoki pulled his wife into a hug, and Kahoko snuggled against him. "And to think that if you never had that dream about our wedding, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Well, you wouldn't be." Yunoki smiled jokingly.

"Hey, you wouldn't be either." Kahoko protested. "Did you say just after the wedding that you bought this house only because you knew you were going to marry me after we started dating?"

"Well, there is that…" Yunoki chuckled.

"You didn't marry me just because of that dream, right?" Kahoko asked, her voice sad.

"You're asking me this now?" Yunoki asked, a laugh on the verge of escaping his lips.

"Azuma!" Kahoko pouted.

"Kidding." Yunoki thought a while. "Well, I suppose that the dream was a big part, but I really did fall for you."

"…I don't know if I should be happy or sad." Kahoko laughed.

"Be happy." Yunoki snickered. "If it wasn't for my dream, you'd be with Tsukimori or Tschiura or Hihara…"

"Tsukimori-kun is scary and he doesn't talk much…" Kahoko grimaced. "Tschiura-kun's like a brother, and Hihara-kun is nice…but too loud…"

Yunoki smiled proudly. "Then I'm glad I had that dream, if I saved you from them."

Kahoko raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wouldn't say saved, exactly."

Yunoki pouted in a way that didn't really match his normal attitude. "Well."

Kahoko hugged him closely. "I love you most though."

Yunoki coughed, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. "I…uh, I love you too."

He kissed the top of her head, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

-

This was inspired by the LJ Community's "50 Sentences" Challenge, Number 17; Vision.

This is my first one-shot. Normally, I write…non-oneshots? I love the pairing Hinoki (Yunoki Azuma and Hino Kahoko). I just really don't see her with any other guy, because Len is kind of stoic, Tschiura is like a brother to her, Hihara is too loud (but he and Kahoko is my second favorite pairing in La Corda d'Oro), I like Shimizu with Fuyumi, and Yunoki will always find a way to express his love for Kahoko even though he teases her all the time.

Hinoki forever!!

Please tell me how you liked this story. I appreciate constructive criticism, but flames are…un-wanted, but accepted.

Press the review button and send a review!! :DD