Disclaimer: I only own this plot

Beta Reader: ThinE

Comment: This fic is originally made for a contest in a Live Journal Community and won the 1st place. Thanks for all of the voters in LJ (I really want to know who you are, guys~!). Anyway, it has a word count rule, which is must be under 2000 words. Enjoy!

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Where I Belong

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When I first opened my eyes, what I could see was darkness.

My body felt like floating in the air, and nothing I could sense. And then, the melody gradually brought the light to surround me....

I glanced around the place, which was now showered by the dimmed lights from the moon.

A big room.

I found myself lying on a giant bed, with pillars on every edge of it. But nothing more could be seen in this very empty room, except for the walls and the bed. Still, one thing led me to bring my sense back. It was the heart-warming music...

Slowly I stepped down to the floor, my scarlet hair fell down to my shoulder along with my moves. Letting my ears guide me to the sounds, I walked towards the open window.

Once I arrived, I knew that I was on a balcony, signing that this room was on the second floor of a big house. Underneath, a colourful-lighted fountain, different kind of trees and amazingly engraved statues decorated something I called as garden. A very enchanting one.

"Who is he..?"

A whisper slid out from my lips, while my eyes seized a figure in the middle of the garden. The song he produced from his golden lustrous instrument was the one which caused my heart tickle. I missed this sound, I longed for it. But my mind failed to record what the piece was, no matter how hard I tried to remember. Closing my eyes, I felt my soul being roamed by the music, playing around in my head, dancing in my heart... And the next thing I knew... he was nowhere to be found...

Where am I...?

How many days have I spent in this house?

Every time I opened my eyes, I got myself lie on the bed again and again... But not everything was the same. The room was now filled with a grand wardrobe and an enticing wooden bedside table. But still no light... The full moon always became the only light in this room. No sun, and no changing phase of moon. Time seemed to have stopped, and every minute I passed by, I was always being together with the sapphire-haired lad and his sweetest harmony.

Now he played it again. The golden thing I recalled as a violin.

My eyes pierced downward to him as he stroked his violin with his graceful movements. The melody was now getting more and more familiar to my ears, and I could feel that in the past, I must have heard this piece hundreds of times or more...

His bangs swayed smoothly along his gesture, his pale skin was a very perfect match to the green garden. Colourful flowers were now planted in there, blooming beautifully, just as if they wanted to add the captivating view beneath me. Roses, Lilies, Acasias, Daisies, and plenty of other flowers which names I didn't know of, swinging their petals to move along with his music. Under the moonlight, he looked scintillating, although his face was something I still wasn't able to see.

Thus... I really wanted to reach him, ask for his name, question about the piece he played. But every time I tried to approach him, he would disappear in a blink just like the wind....

Now almost the entire house was filled with furniture, showing its lavishness. I swept all over the house with my eyes, incurring queerly feelings. This place was really capturing me, just like wanting to hold me forever, but also putting a barrier concurrently. Something which made me think that I wasn't accepted fully.

But still, one think I was sure of... This place was now looking more like a luxurious castle, with its garden seeming to be more astonishing every time. Reminding me to something called heaven.

Am I in heaven?

Am I still alive?

Who is the boy with his musical gift?

A prince charming in this palace?

Moreover....

Who am I?

Questions kept on coming inside my mind. My realization was brought to me little by little, within the entire time I went through in this place.

Again, the song was wrapping my psyche. It just felt like being hugged by warm arms... The arms that could make my heart melt into joy. Something I described as my only saviour to go throughout this loneliness.

My feet galloped downstairs, to find myself now in a big living room, or should I say, a ball room. Since its size and decoration were all extravagant. The words 'almost finished' were written within my head, something that sent me into confusion subsequently.

Almost finished?

"Ah... this house is almost finished...," just like water, the answer flew in to my mind, made me smile to myself.

"...Then I will be able to live here forever..."

But moments later, my heart ached miserably, causing the curve on my lips to vanish.

"No, I don't want to be alone in this place...," I murmured while shaking my head.

"I want to be with him....," subconsciously, my lips voiced out while my eyes gazed outside the ballroom, exactly to where the alluring man was playing his exclusive piece.

With my legs tardily bringing me towards the garden, my heart sang its own beats. Very hard throbs, the result of my pray to be able to reach for him this time.

There, he was moving graciously, with his white shirt, off-white blazer and black pants plastered perfectly against his skin. The way his hair tousled, the way his hand swung, the way his legs stood firmly on the swaying grass, were all stabbing right through my heart.

Step by step, the nearer I'd become, the louder the harmony greeted my ears. I didn't understand why, but I really wanted to cry... Cry in happiness, cry in felicity... Cry from missing this melody so much.

And the music stopped.

I felt my heart hammering beyond my ribs. Afraid that he will disappear again from my sight.

"Wait!" I shouted when I saw him start to back me. "Who are you...?"

He stayed firm in his position, hands still holding his violin and bow. With his back facing me, he didn't let out a single word from his lips.

"Please... Who are you? Where am I? Where are you going?"

My voice must have sounded very desperate, and that was the truth. I'd fallen into a deep depression, and I really needed him so bad.

To my surprise, he turned his flesh to face me, and with his golden orbs, he looked into my eyes longingly.

It was the first time I was able to see his face, his flawless face which made me hypnotized. The blue coloured locks were framing his delicate cheeks, and his nose was unblemishly engraved on his face. A smile, a very sincere yet sorrowful one was formed on his moist pink lips. And inside my heart, there was a part of me who was screaming for seeing the face that I'd been wanting to see during my whole time in this place.

He walked closer to me, and shook his head with sparks of sadness shown in his eyes. He made a gesture, pointed to the house, while smiling and still shaking his head.

"What? What do you want to say...?"

I shortened our distance, sensing his glittering gaze able to sink my heart.

Why does he have such impact on me? Who is he? Why do I feel like we are so close..., yet so distant at the same time? What does he want to tell me?

"Can you stay with me? In my place?" I enquired again, full of hopes. I didn't know anything about him, but I was certain... that I wanted him by my side.

Answering my question with his silence, he bowed down to set his eyes in the same level with mine, fondling my cheek gently. Once again, he shook his head with sadness, before leaning to whisper in my ears... and disappeared.

Not like the way he did in every other day, now he vanished right before my eyes. These eyes which were now sliding out crystal drops one by one from them.... As the last realization hit into my mind...

Unlike before, now the first thing I could see was white.

A very bright light caused me to narrow my eyes and adapt the dazzles in my sight. And soon afterwards, a ceiling could be seen.

"Kaho!"

"Kaho-chan!"

"Hino!"

Yells, shouts and cries welcomed me. I glanced around heavily, still unable to register what had happened to me. Therefore, I realized that familiar faces were circling me, with their tears streaming down their cheeks.

"What happened to me...?" my voice sounded very weak even in my own ears.

"Kaho, you're awake...," a hug from my mom was the first thing I got. Drowning in confusion, I stared at my friends.

"We rushed to come here when your mother told us that you moved your fingers!" Mio exclaimed while grabbing my hand.

"A car raced towards you, do you remember?" Tsuchiura added, trying to look calm, despite a tear that could be seen in the corner of his eyes.

I urged to sit, with the help from my mom. Nausea attacked me after I managed to sit and leaned my back to the pillow. Nodding slightly to answer them, I strived to recall the accident that day.

I was chattering with Mio and Nao in our way home from school, when I suddenly bumped into an elementary school boy. While the boy fell down before me, my violin case was thrown to the street. I was freaked out, and abruptly dashed to pick up my violin. But that was when a car, which could be considered a mini bus, rushed towards me. As I felt my legs frozen and stuck in the middle of the road, I could only hear the howls from Mio and Nao. And the next thing I knew, I was painfully pushed and darted to the sideway before losing my consciousness....

"...So I'm alive...," I mumbled, with my eyes opened wide.

"Yes, Kaho, you're alive... But your head hit the pavement hard. The doctor said you would die if you keep on coma any longer... Your body's too weak," my mom explained in between her cries.

"...So that's why..."

Transparent drops fell down to my knuckles on my lap, remembering the moment while the house was almost finished. If it had finished... Perhaps... I might not be able to wake up anymore...

Shutting my eyes, a sound played around my head. A very familiar piece, which had accompanied me all this time. Inwardly, now I understood something very important...

"Look, Hino, I know you're still weak from being in coma for a month. But there's something you need to know. You were unconscious that time, but the car didn't actually hit you. The truth is..."

"I know...," opening my eyes, I cut Tsuchiura's words.

"Eh? How can you know...?" Hihara seemed to be confounded, while Yunoki just stared at me in silence.

"The melody..."

"Melody...?" Nao tweaked her eyebrows.

"It was Ave Maria," I smiled still with my tears wetting my cheeks, soaking the bed comforter.

Silence was approaching us, right after everyone in the room heard the Ave Maria I hummed lowly. It was the beautiful music I always longed for. It was the warm arms that cuddled me the entire time. And it was the harmony he played for me... The melody into which he poured all of his prays for me...

As his whisper that time echoed in my ears...

'Your true place is where I don't belong to anymore... Wake up, Hino...

Wake up...'

~*~*~FIN~*~*~

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Constructive criticsms are welcomed, but please no insults and flames. Thanks!