Author's Note: Here is the sequel for my first fic Torment. I hope this will redeemed some characterization I had lost and the consistency I presumed I suck at. So please read and lemme know what you think!

Warning: Grammatical errors, spelling and a lot more. I still didn't have a beta-reader so.. sigh

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Nodame Cantabile

Prologue

She started with a very smooth allegretto, her large hands dancing and easily reaching the large intervals. The espressivo section, played at the left hand cord, creates a beautiful, smooth melody that was almost romantic and positively spellbinding.

The crescendo and diminuendo dynamics were made very clear especially at the running passage creating the bell ringing illusion.

La Campanella.

The spell broke when her fingers touched the last key and she stood up, face her audience and bow.

Loud round of applauses deafened her ears but it was a very good clatter.

Shouts of "Encore! Encore!" boomed in the music room. She smiled as her heart palpitates wildly inside her chest. It was still foreign, standing in a stadium while people cheer for her, applauds for her and adore her talent.

It was truly a pleasant feeling.

When the giant blue curtains fell before her, she walked down the stairs of the platform, where Marius is waiting for her, a bouquet of red roses in hand and blushing cheeks, at the bottom of the steps.

He was always consistent with his gestures. In every competition and performance, he was always waiting for her at the end, with flowers and reddened cheeks (no matter how many times he had done it, he was always shy).

"You did very great, Megumi." He breathed when he finally reached her hand.

Megumi blushed as well, and she squeezes his hand in a gesture of appreciation. Marius gives her the flowers and she smelled its sweet scent.

"Thank you." She murmur in a soft voice that will might earn gasps from the people who used to know the old her.

Marius moved closer and caressed her cheek. His touches made her warm all over. His presence made her warm all over. Similar to the first time they met.

The touch of Megumi's hand on his face was the cue for him to dipped his head lower and meets her lips for a kiss.

The kiss was always gentle. It was a habit Marius had learned before because whenever he would put pressure on Megumi's mouth for a more intense lip-lock, she will immediately pull away. He had asked her about it once but what he had for an answer was a hurtful expression on her face, like she felt something painful, like she was about to cry. So deciding that he didn't want to see that kind of expression again, he didn't push the matter and he also become ever so gentle with her.

And Megumi liked it very much.

Deciding that either of them didn't want to die of suffocation, Marius and Megumi pulled apart, but kept their foreheads keep touching each other. The growing smile on their lips told them they were pretty much satisfied with what they had.

But for a moment, Megumi's picture of Marius changed. The blonde hair he had became dark and those ocean-blue eyes became obsidian black.

Chiaki Shinichi came to life.

An invisible hand gripped Megumi's heart and she have to close her eyes to deny the image she was making out of Marius' face. Suppressing a whimper, she opened her eyes once more and looked at him again. This time, it was really Marius without a trace of image of her haunting past.

Gulping, Megumi smiled again and kissed Marius' nose before withdrawing away. Still, she kept their distance close and she held his hands, gently tugging him to presume their walk.

They strode down the hallway and a beautiful, mature and strict looking woman was waiting for them. She was wearing a black pencil cut skirt, blue blouse and a black blazer over it. The woman had dark brown eyes and thin red lips. She was wearing her hair in a neat bun, no strand of hair out of place. She's Lefebvre Shizuka, Megumi's manager and Marius' mother.

Shizuka meet them half way with open arms and hug Megumi with all her might, like a mother very proud of her daughter's performance.

"I'm very proud of you Megumi-chan!" Shizuka exclaimed, very pleased with her talent.

Megumi laughed while Marius stood awkwardly a few feet away from them while scratching the back of his head. He did not know if he should be glad that his strict mother loves Megumi so much or felt embarrassed because she had swept Megumi for a full-fledged glomp. It was like this every single time his girlfriend performs.

"Mom…" he called."You might suffocate her if you continue doing that."

Shizuka released Megumi and cleared her throat while sliding her hands over her crisp black blazer, fixing imaginary creases over it.

"I'm just proud of her." Shizuka said in a firm voice contrary to the bouncing lady that was glomping Megumi minutes ago.

"You should be proud too, Marius. If fate will permit, you both will get married and I will have a great violinist for a son and a great pianist for a daughter-in-law." She added.

Megumi blushed but Marius just grinned. He was ignoring the heat spreading on his cheeks and neck as he pulled Megumi closer to his form.

Shizuka turned her back to them and snickered. Surely, the couple was acting like high school teenagers, like when love was just starting to bloom and everything is nice and heavenly. Not that she minded it. Although it was unusual to see her son acting lovesick around her protégé, it was the first time she had seen him that happy.

"Enough with the lovey-dovey, Marius. We should get going. I need Megumi to personally sign the contract with the NHK." She said and started to walk towards Megumi's dressing room.

Marius scoffed and Megumi continued to blush. Reluctantly, they let go of each other and started to follow Shizuka.

When the heat that spread in Megumi's cheeks had vanished, neither Marius nor his mother sensed the slight anxious expression that crossed her face. As they walk closer to her dressing room, an uneasy feeling that had been growing ever since Shizuka accepted the NHK proposal for her began to bloom in her chest again.

Both females entered the room and Marius waited outside, his body leaning on his girlfriend's closed dressing room door. Megumi began to remove her long navy blue dress and Shizuka helped her to do so.

"I bet it will be exciting to have you perform with the principal conductor of Roux-Marlet." Shizuka remarked while untying the big ribbons at the back of Megumi's dress.

A non-committal sound resonated from Megumi's throat but contrary to her nonchalant reply, the uneasiness blooming in her chest was slowly becoming heavier to bear.

"I heard he was good-looking." Shizuka continued. "But what I saw in the internet was Marius' version for a Japanese guy." She pointed and looked at the closed door.

An unmistaken chuckle of Marius emitted from the outside and Shizuka derided.

"Why? What's the matter Marius? Afraid that Megumi will fall in love with your look-a-like because he's full Japanese unlike you?" she joked.

Marius gave a mocking whine that earned some laughter between mother and son. Unknown to them, Megumi was clutching her navy blue dress so hard her knuckles were turning white.

She knew they didn't mean to remark something like that or laugh at something that made her heart ache. Of course, how would they know if she hadn't told them her past with that principal conductor? And she didn't have any plan on telling them that part of her past.

But can she evade it, especially now that she needed to meet him? Much worst, perform an orchestra with him.

Golden Pair.

Megumi shut her eyes to erase the little thought taunting her but she knew it was a useless attempt, especially if the uneasiness in her chest was becoming harder to tolerate.

"Megumi? What's wrong?" Shizuka asked and it startled her. She didn't sense that the mother and son had stopped their teasing and was now directing their attention to her, probably because of her lack of participation on their banter.

Megumi looked at Shizuka's frowned face and creased brow. She also turned her gaze at the closed door, almost seeing how Marius was pressing his ear on the door, worry etched on his handsome face.

Somehow, that thought made the heavy feeling in her chest to lighten a bit.

Shaking her head she said: "No. Nothing's wrong. I guess I'm building up a head ache. That's all."

Megumi smiled and heard Marius' faint sigh of relief.

"Well hurry up changing your clothes so we can go to the NHK's office then you can rest after. We will celebrate your performance probably tomorrow." Shizuka said while folding the big blue ribbon.

Forcing a smile on her face, Megumi proceeded with her changing clothes and after some minutes, both she and Shizuka got out of the dressing room with Marius automatically coming to her side.

"Are you fine?" Marius murmured over her ear while putting an arm around her waist.

Megumi smiled, "of course."

The couple and Shizuka waited for their car and driver to arrive at the back entrance of the stadium. They made their way there to avoid the media. Once the car came, Shizuka sat on the passenger seat while the couple found their way at the back seat.

Feeling comfortable, Marius pulled Megumi closer to his form. He wrapped an arm around her back and guided her love-lady to lean over his chest. Placing his chin over her head, Marius looked outside the window, a smile playing on his lips and sighed.

The rhythm of his boyfriend's heart beat was calm and Megumi heard his contented sigh. He was feeling serene while she was not. Silently, she thanked the Gods that Marius can't see the unsettling expression she had. She also looked over at Shizuka and she can see through the rear-view mirror that she was looking outside too.

Memories came flooding again. Chiaki's face came back to her mind. His touch, she imagined, was once again crawling over her skin. His scent was invading her nostrils. God! It's been years and she should forget all about him! But no. Chiaki Shinichi will always have a connection to her. She had always denied it, but like the time she decided to agree in the NHK contract although she very well knew that the Roux-Marlet will be included, she was feeling nervous.

And that was making her anxious.

What she wanted was to have a happy life with Marius. With him and his mother knowing nothing about her past, an unpleasant guilt was trying to enter her emotions. So one major reason why she agreed to the contract was because she wanted to settle every thing with Chiaki so she will be free. Megumi realized that not patching some things in her past will affect the present. She didn't want something haunting past following her behind.

Craning her neck upward, Megumi met the beautiful blue gaze of Marius. The young man smiled but in her gaze, Chiaki Shinichi was coming to life again.

No. She will end this. She will confront him and move on. She needed to be free. Now, Chiaki was gone and it was clear that Marius face came to view. Without further ado, she reached forward and kissed his soft lips.

Her heart pumped erratically and for a moment, just tiny moment, she swore she can feel Chiaki's kiss and felt a spark of fear igniting in her stomach. She was afraid, fearing that when she met Chiaki again and they performed…

The Golden Pair.

…she'll realize that her heart still recognized him.

Let me know what you think!

-Hislips