Chapter Two

The corridors were busy with students making their way to their next class. Some were rushing, holding onto their folders and textbooks tightly to their chest. Others were walking together in large groups, chatting with friends before they had to split up to different subjects. The blonde haired boy that was usually surrounded by his friends walked alone to his Japanese class. The smile he usually had on his face was replaced by a sorrowful frown, something that rarely showed behind his mask of happiness.

As he turned a corner, he sighted his classmate. A boy around his age, with white-blonde hair and a bandage around one of his eyes. Oliver was smaller than the other teens and was being pushed about, eventually falling to the ground. Len watched him struggle to get to his feet and pick up the books he dropped. He knew he probably should help the foreign kid, but he hardened his heart and walked past him. Oliver glanced up at him as he walked by and threw him a dirty look.

Len sighed as he entered his Japanese class. He had no idea why Oliver hated him so much. All he wanted was for them to be friends, but it seemed that the English teen was more interested in a rivalship. Len thought of the choir lead position and scowled. He wouldn't even have bothered with it if it wasn't for her. His heart hurt when he thought of the girl he was living his life for. Gulping down sadness, he sighted his friends and hid behind a smile. As he made his way towards the back of the class, the teacher pulled him to the side.

Kamui-sensei was very strict and enjoyed teaching Japanese tradition to his students. He was extremely formal and expected the teens to behave in according to custom. He had his famous white and purple outfit on and his hair tied up with chopsticks. Everyone called him "Samurai Kamui" behind his back, as he always looked like one. There was a rumour that he had katanas that he used to punish naughty students. Len knew that it was ridiculous, but still behaved himself around the teacher.

"Len-kun, you are supposed to help Oliver-kun today," he instructed, steering Len towards a desk near the front. "I expect you to teach him well."

Nodding reluctantly, Len sat down at the desk as Oliver entered the room. He looked a little flustered, and his cheek seemed to be bruised. Len felt sorry for him as he wondered in, looking lost. Kamui-sensei told him to sit next to Len. He nodded and sat next to him, not saying a word or even acknowledging the blonde teen.

Once class started, Len tried to teach Oliver how to write the Kanji like Kamui-sensei had taught him, but the boy was extremely hostile towards him. He ignored Len's polite comments and therefore got even more lost. Len gave up, as he hardly knew enough English to even bother communicating with him. Again he thought of the girl.

She would know what to do. Len wasn't overly good at Japanese, especially teaching someone else. His grades were pretty average, and he had problems concentrating. His sister, Rin, was the one that helped people. She constantly helped him study and was an A+ student. Her English was really good too. But she was no longer there; taken from him by a tragedy 5 years ago. He closed his eyes, wishing he could remember her voice.

The bell rung, snapping him out of his painful memories. He jumped when he realised he hadn't done any work and that Oliver had failed writing simple Kanji. He gazed at the backwards "Tori" and wobbly "Buta". Oliver Had already packed his bag and rushed from the room. He sighed and looked for Kumai-sensei. The teacher was busy talking to another student about homework. While his back was turned, Len quickly wrote the Kanji onto his empty paper and named them with Oliver's name, throwing the bad ones out. Just as he stood up, Kamui-sensei made his way over.

"How was it then?" he asked, taking the paper and looking at it. He seemed impressed by Oliver's improvement.

"I'm sorry sir, while I was busy teaching him, I neglected my own work," he explained, staring at his feet. Expecting to get scolded, he didn't look up until Kamui-sensei laughed. Surprised at seeing the grumpy teacher so happy, he asked what was wrong.

"I'm just happy for you, Len-kun," he replied with a rare grin. "Now go to lunch." Len bowed and went to leave the room, stopping when the teacher called his name.

"Sir?" he questioned, turning around.

"Good luck with the choir lead. Make your country proud," he said with a wink. Len thanked him and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

He hadn't been thinking of the competition for the whole day, but now the pressure weighed him down. He hadn't even thought of a song to sing for it. Lost in thought, he wondered through the corridors. He thought about going to his friends, who always hung out around the music classroom. As he turned the corner near the music classrooms, he heard someone singing.

It was very faint, but the voice was beautiful. It was strong and clear and full of emotion. The lyrics, Len couldn't hear clearly through the echoing hallway, but it sounded like an English song. Thinking of Oliver, Len walked the hallway, listening to the song. He located where the singing was coming from and peered in through the window. It was Oliver.

Len stood in disbelief, listening to the soulful song. He couldn't believe Oliver could sing that well. He had never heard him sing before. Feeling strong jealousy and regret, he sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. He realised he was crying, and wiped his tears away bitterly.

He knew now that he had no chance to win the lead. He would never live her dream.

Hi guys, thank you so much for being so patient. I've been really busy lately and not in the mood to write. At least I got Chapter Two up for ya.