Hello! Sorry this took so long! I promise I have actually been working on this for some time now, and hopefully the effort shows!

I would just like to apologize for any inconsistency in the naming of characters. As this story hasn't been my sole focus over the last several months, I have a hard time keeping track of first/last names used as well as honorifics.

Hino woke up the next morning feeling more rested than she had the previous morning. That was, until everything began to come back to her. The thoughts of yesterday plagued her mind like the recap of a bad television show. She had gone out with Yunoki and Hihara and ended up convincing Yunoki that she liked Hihara. The trouble was, she had convinced Hihara of that as well. Now all that was left was convincing herself! Easier said than done though. But on the other hand, it was possible that she had feelings for him. She sat up and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts overwhelming her mind. She had changed her mind, physically, yes, she was well rested; mentally, not at all.

She dragged herself down the stairs and to the table where her mother had prepared breakfast.

"Kaho, you look terrible," her mother said upon seeing her.

"Wha?" She said, completely dazed, "oh, yeah I didn't sleep well," she lied.

The truth was, she had slept fine. But for some reason her brain had never shut off and it was bitterly exhausted now. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive school today – and her classes were the least of her worries. She was more concerned with encountering Yunoki and having to come up with something to say to him. Playing his mind games took so much out of her. She wasn't ready for it today, but she couldn't just let him win. She was tired of being treated like garbage by him. He tore her down to the bare bone, making her feel so upset with herself. He was a bully; he got his satisfaction by making others feel small.

"Ok well, if you need anything, let me know." Her mother said.

"Thanks mom."

Then it hit her.

"Wait! Mom!"

"What is it?"

"Do you think you could drive me to school today? I have some work I need to catch up on before class," she lied. The truth was she didn't want to come across Yunoki on the way to school today. She wasn't sure that he'd stop and force her into the car after last night, but it was still a chance she wasn't too keen on risking this morning. But then she would have to worry about getting home too.

One step at a time, she told herself.

"Alright, but let's go in fifteen minutes. I need to go to the bank before it gets busy."

"Thanks mom."

She quickly finished up her breakfast and then hurried up to her room to get ready for school.

On the drive to school, Hino remained silent. She was wondering if Hihara would tell Yunoki that they had an official date planned together. They were after all, close friends; but she wondered if Hihara knew the real side of Yunoki. She also wondered if Hihara could tell there was something between Yunoki and her. Then she physically shook her head.

There is nothing there! She told herself boldly.

"Are you ok? You're acting kind of strange today," her mother said.

"What? Yeah I'm fine. I have a presentation this morning. I'm just practicing." She lied, once again. She didn't normally like to lie, but today it was necessary to get through the morning without coming off as a complete lunatic to her mother.

She managed to keep from talking to herself throughout the rest of the drive to school, but that didn't stop her mind from running rampant.

Her mother dropped her off at the back of the school, hugged her good bye and wished her luck on her made up project. Kaho let out a sigh of relief as her mother drove away, and began walking towards the building.

She found it extremely revitalizing to be on the general education side of campus. Normally when she walked to school, she took a short cut through the music side. That combined with the amount of time she'd spent practicing and such; needless to say she wasn't devastated to avoid it this morning.

As expected since she wasn't waking to school, the weather was quite pleasing. The air was cool and crisp, but the sun was rising high into the sky and she felt a positive energy radiating through the air with the sun's rays.

Just as she decided that she would go inside and catch up on the math homework she hadn't done (again) she noticed people running around on the field. It was way too early for a PE class. She had a hunch, so she decided to wander over and find out for herself.

Sure enough, as she approached she recognized Tsuchiura amongst the rest of the school's senior soccer team. She quickly decided that it was far too nice out to go inside to study, so she found what looked like a nice patch of grass just off to the side of the soccer field and spread her jacket out. Tsuchiura spotted her, and she waved and smiled at him. She pulled out her textbook and began reading the chapter she had paid so little attention to yesterday.

She could honestly say it was the first time in days that her head had felt clear. Whether it was the weather or just the relaxed setting in general, she wasn't sure. Either way, she was beginning to feel like herself again. For some reason she just felt that everything would work itself out.

It wasn't long before she had lulled herself into a dreamy state. She was laying on her jacket staring at her textbook, though not paying attention to it at all, just feeling happy when all of a sudden she heard a loud cry. She looked up to see a group of players crowded around the presumably injured player in the middle of the field. She looked around for Tsuchiura and having not found him, her maternal gene that all females possess instinctively kicked into play. She found herself instantly on her feet.

She quickly realized it was indeed Tsuchiura, but they had up back on his feet in no time. Tsuchiura however didn't look all that steady, and another player helped him hobble over to where she stood.

"Tsuchiura kun!" She cried, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, just twisted my ankle," he said through gritted teeth.

She helped him sit down next on her jacket.

"Iwasaki kun has gone to get ice," said the boy who had helped him off the field.

"What happened?" She asked quickly as she began loosening his soccer cleat.

"Uhh, I'm not sure," he said. The pain had vanished from his face, and he now looked simply surprised.

"Here you go." The boy handed Hino an ice pack and she applied it to his injured ankle.

"Don't take your shoe off yet, it will swell up like a balloon," she said.

"Uh, sure," he said, still sounding surprised.

"Don't look so shocked," she smiled, "you've bailed me out numerous times."

"Right… well thanks."

She leaned back and sighed, knowing she had done all she could.

"So, are you ready for the next selection?" He asked her.

"What? Um…" she began. He was honestly the only person she really felt comfortable talking about the competition with. Even though he was much more talented, not to mention authentic, than she was, he was still a gen ed student, so she didn't feel as much pressure to live up while around him. "No, I'm not really ready. What about you?"

"No. I still haven't even picked a piece yet. But don't tell those lunatics from the musical department please, I get enough grief from them as it is," he said with his head down.

"That's not very nice! They aren't all bad."

"Fun, just Tsukimori kun."

Hino laughed to herself. "Oh well. You're so talented, you don't need to worry as much. I think Tsukimori kun is just a little threatened by you."

"I hope so. He was my deciding factor when I agreed to participate."

"What?"

"Never mind," he said. "So, there are rumors floating around about you and Yunoki senpai. Are they true?"

"WHAAA?" She almost screamed.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Are you serious?" She cried.

"Well, it's probably just because his fan club saw you getting in and out of his car a couple of times. I wouldn't worry about it," he said, now adjusting the ice pack on his ankle.

But she was horrified. That was exactly what Yunoki would want. Anything to bother her or make her feel uncomfortable… But it wouldn't be long until there were new rumors afloat. She sighed to herself; why did she have to be the center of attention just because she was a gen ed student entering the musical world? This was not what she had signed up for when agreeing to participate. She silently cursed Lili. She wished things could go back to normal.

"Well, you know… if you ever need to talk," Tsuchiura kun said awkwardly, "I'm on your side."

"Huh?" She looked up at him.

"We gen ed students have to stick together," he smiled kindly.

She smiled back, "thanks Tsuchiura kun."

"Kaho chan!" Someone called.

The girl whirled around, fearing the worst. But she quickly calmed down; Yunoki wouldn't yell like that. It could only be…

"Hihara senpai! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I usually cross this side of campus in the morning – Tsuchiura kun! What happened?" He yelled, sounding concerned.

Hino liked that about him – he was very genuine. There was always a tone of surprise in his voice; in a way he was not well composed. But she liked it. In comparison to Yunoki, who was always one step ahead of the game, and while he seemed calm and collected all the time, he was generally secretly plotting something. There was always an element of deception with him.

"I twisted my ankle, but I'm alright," he insisted.

"You should go see the nurse!" Hihara said.

"No, I'm fine."

"He's right, Tsuchiura kun, you should," Hino agreed.

"The first bell is going to go soon. We can help you to the nurses office, come on, get up," Hihara said.

"Fine, fine," Tsuchiura said, admitting defeat.

While Hihara helped him limp into the school, Hino carried his things. They dropped him off at the nurse's office just as the warning bell rang. While Hino didn't feel any particular repulsion towards Hihara at present moment, she was rather relieved to not have to speak with him one on one. She wasn't mentally prepared just yet. This way she wouldn't have to meet up with him until the end of school.

"Darn there's the bell," he said. "I'll meet you out front after class ok? Have a good day Kaho chan!"

"Bye!" She called.

As she headed for her first class, she smiled to herself. Being around him in the absence of Yunoki was refreshing.

Hino had a difficult time focusing on class that day. Her mind kept wandering between dreading Yunoki and worrying about her 'date' with Hihara after school. But it wasn't the typical kind of worry, it was the worry of whether or not she had made the right decision in agreeing to go out with him. She still wasn't even sure that she liked him in that way. What if he expected her to be his girlfriend right away? What would happen between Hihara and Yunoki? They had been friends since they started high school, and she was aware that Yunoki had some kind of interest in her, although she was convinced he simply liked to tease her.

The day flew by far too quickly for her liking, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the school waiting for Hihara.

"Kaho chan!" Hihara yelled across the courtyard, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm sorry I'm late! I had to meet with one of my professors!"

"Uh that's alright," she said, forcing a smile. She wasn't angry or upset, she was just nervous.

"Yunoki wanted to come with us again, but I told him it was a date and he was not invited," Hihara said happily.

Hino had no idea what to say. She was glad that Yunoki would not be joining them, but nervous for her next encounter with him. She made a mental note to come to school early every day for as long as she had to in order to avoid him.

"So I thought we could walk down to the park and play some music. There are always lots of kids and elderly people, and they love it! And then we can go to that little restaurant on the beach right near there. Does that sound alright?"

She stood there, shocked. She wasn't expecting him to have it all planned out. She had never seen this side of Hihara. He was always so spontaneous and childish. It didn't really surprise her that he had a mature side, he was older after all, but she wasn't expecting it to just jump out at her like that.

"Kaho chan?"

"What? That sounds great! But performing in front of other people?"

"Come on you've already done the first two selections! Practice never hurts!"

"Fine, but you owe me dinner for this," she laughed, elbowing him playfully in the side as she walked by him.

She saw him blush out of the corner of his eye.

"Deal!" He said, running up beside her.

As the two walk away from the school, Hino had an odd feeling that someone was watching her.

The pair walked down to the park, chatting and laughing all the way. Hino was surprised at how un-awkward it was. She had expected some kind of tension, but Hihara was just so easy to talk to. She wasn't nervous and she didn't feel that she had to worry about making a fool of herself. Best of all, she didn't have to constantly have her guard up. Everything he said felt genuine and pure. It was a rather nice change.

As promised, the park was filled with small children playing in the playground area, and there were several elderly folks wandering the park.

"I come here often, actually," Hihara said.

"Really? Alone?"

"Yep, I find it relaxing. Just to be able to play without being judged. And the people seem to really appreciate it," he said. "Come on we can put our stuff down here."

She followed him to a bench just in front of a beautiful fountain. It was small, but it held a peaceful aura, and it helped Hino feel at ease. She put her stuff down at pulled out her violin. She waited as Hihara assembled his trumpet.

"You pick the piece," Hihara said, "I'll play along."

"Um, ok," she said. Truthfully, she hadn't played that many songs on her own. She decided to go for one she knew she wouldn't mess up. She picked the song she had played in the last selection.

As she began to create the beautiful sound, she became so enthralled in it that she forgot that she was even playing. Hihara came in with his trumpet and played a wonderful harmony. The sound was breathtaking, and she felt her eyes close and her mind drift with the music.

When Hino finally opened her eyes, there was a small group of people crowded around. She automatically became nervous, and cringed as one of her strings squeaked.

She started to panic, but Hihara quickly elbowed her gently in the arm, smiled at her, and began to take the lead. Focusing on what she was playing, she slowly eased back into the song. Hihara continued lead, and thanks to the magic violin, she was able to follow along with everything he chose. And for once, she didn't feel guilty because of it. She was happy that she was able to create wonderful music for these people. And the music was simply enchanting. It warmed her heart.

"Phew, I'm tired," Hihara said as his latest song came to a finish. "Are you ready to go get dinner?" He asked.

"Oh, sure," she said, slightly upset that they weren't going to play any longer.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked.

"Yes actually, I didn't want to stop!" she said as she put her violin back in the case.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we can stay if you'd like?"

"No, that's fine. Just promise we'll come back and do it again soon," she smiled.

"Definitely! I love playing music with you!" He replied, his face instantly blushing. This time, Hino felt her cheeks flush as well.

Instantly, her heart rate quickened. What was this feeling? She felt as though she had butterflies in her stomach – almost as if she was nervous. But it wasn't the same kind of nervous as before a performance. No; this was a whole new feeling.

"Are you ready to go eat?" Hihara asked

"What?" She asked, noticing that she was staring at her violin case nearly dumbfounded.

"Uhhh we were gonna go to that restaurant?" Hihara said, a little confused.

"Oh right, right. Sorry," she said, slightly embarrassed.

As they walked down to the restaurant, Hino managed to calm her nerves a little. She reminded herself that it was the same old Hihara, and she need not be nervous about what he might think of her. As they sat down to eat, they resumed a normal conversation.

"When did you start playing the violin? I've heard rumors that it was only recently," Hihara asked.

"Is that why you asked me here? So you could learn all my deep dark secrets?" Hino laughed.

"Wha – no!" He quickly.

"I'm only joking," she laughed. But then she quickly began to panic. The reason rumors circulated was because she had given so many different answers to this question.

"Well, the truth is, I only started just before the concours started. I'm not sure why I was selected, but it wasn't really my choice."

"So it's true then. Well I'm glad they picked you. I love hearing you play."

She was a little surprised by his answer. Usually people tended to fuss over the fact that she had just started, and the instantly became offended as if they were jealous. This made her feel terrible, since in her mind she was really just a fraud. It bothered her that people envied something that wasn't real. But Hihara seemed to simply pass it up, and focus on her actual playing. While the musical skill was due to the magical violin, the passion was her own, and it meant a lot to her that Hihara enjoyed that.

"What about you, Hihara?"

"I started when I was a little kid. I was more into sports when I was younger, but when I first heard the trumpet I knew I had to play."

"Oh really, that must have been difficult; balancing both I mean. I don't know how Tsuchiura kun does it."

"Well, I tried for a while, but my track team didn't like it. Eventually I decided to give up track and field and focused solely on music."

"Really?"

But she scarcely heard his next words. She saw a flash of purple, and turned to see Yunoki enter the restaurant followed by a second year music student. He looked directly at her. No words needed to be said. It was payback. She stared at his devilish grin which immediately melted into his soft, not to mention phony smile.

"Yunoki!" Hihara called.

He simply waved back, and led the girl to a table across the restaurant. He seated himself so that the girls back was to Hino, but he was looking directly at her. Hihara's back turned to Yunoki.

"I wonder who that is; I've never seen her before," Hihara said, only confirming Hino's theory that he was trying to get under her skin. Unfortunately for her, it was working.

"Kaho chan?" Hihara said.

She quickly looked back at him. "Sorry?" She hadn't heard him at all.

"I asked how you became interested in the violin," he said, slightly puzzled.

"Uhhh," she studdered. This was bad. She couldn't focus. She had no idea what to say. Yunoki had completely distracted her. As her eyes scanned the room, she saw Yunoki grinning undoubtedly at her distress. "Excuse me, I need to go to the washroom," she said, standing up and hurrying for the ladies room, doing her best to ignore Yunoki's stare.

Quickly closing the door behind her and checking to ensure the room was entirely empty, she leaned against the wall and released a huge sigh. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, attempting to clear her head a bit.

She had been having a fabulous time with Hihara, enjoying his company, laughing and learning about his life until Yunoki showed up. She decided she had to force him from her mind. She walked up to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She then wracked her brain for the question that Hihara had asked her. What was it…? Something to do with the violin. Right! How had she become interested?

She needed an answer to that question. She was tired of lying, but she couldn't very well say that a magical ferry had approached her and guilt tripped her into taking a magic violin. She needed something classy that wasn't too far from the truth. It took her a couple of minutes, but she decided on a satisfactory answer.

Finally, she gathered her confidence, exited the washroom and walked straight past Yunoki, head held high. She wasn't going to let him ruin this for her.

She approached the table to realize that their food had arrived, and Hihara sat there playing with his napkin, obviously waiting for her. How classy, she thought happily.

"Hey, thanks for waiting," she smiled.

Hihara watched her momentarily, looking a little concerned.

"You wanted to know how I became interested in the violin. I had a friend who was very interested in music, and she wanted to spread its joy. She showed me the violin numerous times. Then she had to move far away with her family, so I decided to take up playing it. It made her very happy when she found out," Hino smiled. It almost sounded true.

Hihara smiled at her, "That's wonderful!" Hihara smiled, seemingly much happier.

The two continued to chat all through dinner and dessert. She had adopted a leaning position where she could only stare straight at Hihara, and managed to completely ignore Yunoki. The single time she did glance at him, he seemed displeased.

His plan had failed. But this time, Hino didn't look at it as a competition. She realized how childish he was being, and she decided that it wasn't worth her time. Instead, she enjoyed a mature evening laughing and chatting with a good friend.

Thanks for reading everyone! I'm still not entirely sure where this is going, but I do have some idea. It's kind of fun just posting as I go! Usually I plan the entire story or write a large chunk before posting... but the spontaneity is kind of interesting!

And on another note - not to worry, there will be plenty more Yunoki in the next chapter(s)! (Since I know thats why you're all here!)... if you want more of him, review and let me know!

If there's anything specific you would like to see happen in this fic, please let me know! I would love some suggestions from my readers!
Last but not least, please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Reviews motivate me to write more frequently. When I feel that people are really enjoying and appreciating my work, I feel more inclined to write!

Thanks again!