Chapter 16: Star Crossed Feelings

"I've got an idea..", stated Kousei, bringing Kaori back to reality. He was taking something out of his bag.

'Wait. He brought a bag?'

Kaori never actually saw Kousei bring a bag when she walked into the park earlier since he just appeared out of nowhere. He took out a small hard case similar to that of her violin's but smaller. It revealed a tiny four stringed instrument when he opened it. It was an ukulele. Kaori got so mesmerized by how adorable it is that she almost melted.

"You can play that?..", inquired Kaori with an ear reaching grin on her face. The hearts started to appear again. "But you're a pianist. Isn't that gonna mess up your fingers?..", she added with a little bit of concern in her tone.

"We've already passed that stage, I guess.. My school encourages us to try everything even if we specialize in one..", replied Kousei as he positioned the small instrument on his lap. "Sing it if you know the song..", he added right before he started forming the chords and plucking the strings.

"Ahh.. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.. K. 265..", stated Kaori as she watched Kousei play. 'How could I not know this song? It was the melody of the French folk song, "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman". Mozart made twelve variations of this..

'But the tune is more commonly known for the singing of the English alphabet, "Baa Baa Black Sheep", and more appropriately for this moment..

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star.. How I wonder what you are..", Kaori sang as she got engrossed with Kousei's playing.

Kousei was actually very good with the strings. And playing the piano piece with an ukulele was already impressive in itself.

"..Up above the world so high.. Like a diamond in the sky..", Kaori continued singing with such glee.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star.. How I wonder what you are..", Kousei joined in the singing as they ended the song.

The two laughed so hard after that. It was actually hilarious but at the same time, awesome. "We were so out of tune! But I don't care.. no regrets doing that..", Kaori said in between their laughs.

"I don't know about you, but I was in tune..", Kousei said, silencing the both of them. Kaori almost popped a vein in irritation. Then, he continued laughing after that.

"What was that!? You were out of tune too!..", Kaori exclaimed in annoyance, but Kousei just continued laughing.

"Fine, fine.. I guess we just tend to get lost with English lyrics, right? Good thing I got to hear you 'really sing' the other day.."

"What the?! Is that supposed to mean anything!?"

Despite his companion's angry comments, it seemed Kousei was more entertained rather than scared. It actually got frustrating for Kaori that she threw her boot towards him, which backfired since he took it away and ran off.

'I should've thrown it with an element of surprise..', thought Kaori as she began pursuing her uncharacteristically trickster friend. "Oi! Yuujin A! Come back here!!!..", she screamed at him, but he just laughed as she ran after him. "You're planning to take that home with you and do perverted things, don't you?!..", she continued yelling.

Eventually, "friend A" returned her shoe. He most probably got tired of running and laughing at the same time.

"Heartless beast!..", sneered Kaori right before whacking her shoe on Kousei's face. She got him this time.

"My nose!..", Kousei exclaimed in pain as he held on his nose.

"Serves you right! Making a girl run around without a shoe.."

Kaori walked out after that, but Kousei followed closely. She could still hear him snickering from behind.

'It was such a fun night already and it had to turn annoying..', pouted Kaori as her cheeks still had a lingering blush.

When Kaori was about to throw her shoe again, she heard Kousei suddenly stop.

"Oi..", Kousei uttered loudly. He was already far behind.

"I have a name!! Ugh.. so rude..", angrily replied Kaori before she walked away again. Kousei kept chuckling, which annoyed her even more.

"I got something for you..", Kousei said, which immediately made Kaori do a one-eighty turn.

"What is it?..", asked Kaori with her eyes sparkling with childlike curiosity.

"Such a greedy animal..", mumbled Kousei as he grabbed something from inside his bag. It made Kaori wonder that his bag was turning into some magical box of surprises. "Here..", he added as he handed her a paper bag full of canelés.

"Canelés? From our own bakery?..", asked Kaori in confusion as she pondered why Kousei would give her that. 'Well, I have always loved canelés. In fact, it's my favorite, but..'

"Why would you give me these?..", inquired Kaori again.

"Figure it out.. I have to go.. uhh. You're welcome.."

"Right.. thanks, Yuujin A..", still confused, Kaori accepted the gift with a faint smile. 'Gotta admit, it pinched something inside me that it hurt a little.. This means something. I guess he gave me a lot of these before. I just really had to think hard and remember..'

Kousei said he had to go, but he was still there. Kaori was still looking at the bag of canelés. They were both as if in suspended animation for a while. He looked like he was hesitating to say something, and she was trying to find something to say.

"I guess.. I gotta go. See you around..", Kousei said, breaking the silence.

Kaori just looked at him as he turned around and started to walk. "Wait..", she stopped him.

"Yeah?..", Kousei asked as he turned his body partially towards Kaori.

"Spill it out. You're starting to annoy me.."

"Eh? What the hell did I do?..", asked Kousei in confusion.

"You were going to say something. Say it before I walk out again."

Kousei sighed. Kaori's intuition was on point. He was really hesitating to say something. He even blushed before opening his mouth to speak. "I'm leaving in a few days.. Wanna hangout more and do some catching up?..", he asked.

"Sure! That would be great. Y'know where to find me. Don't know why you hesitated to ask that..", Kaori said with so much enthusiasm that it made him flush even more.

"Okay.. see you around..", acknowledged Kousei before he finally left.

'However, I don't know why it hurt when he said he's leaving in a few days..', thought Kaori with a lonesome expression as she watched Kousei walk away.

Kaori walked back towards their house alone. She didn't understand why she suddenly felt so lonely. The bag of canelés felt really heavy as if it carried tons of important memories with it. "Twinkle twinkle" kept playing in her head as she approached the door. The song was supposed to make her feel happy except that it did the opposite.

"So.. how was your date, darling?..", Ryouko asked as Kaori entered.

'I knew it. Arima-kun being in the park was no coincidence. He went here first..'

"…", Kaori stared blankly at her mother.

"Yeah, how was it, my dear daughter?..", Yoshiyuki asked this time, while he cleaned the counter.

"It wasn't a date! Ugh..", squealed Kaori. Her parents both looked so happy and excited. They were obviously waiting for her to tell the details. 'I guess they really liked this boy..'

"He has a girlfriend, y'know..", Kaori added, to her parents' disappointment.

"But they're not married yet..", stated Yoshiyuki, to his daughter's shock.

"Otou-san!! Emi-chan's my friend too..", exclaimed Kaori in disappointment.

"Your father just wants you to be happy, Kaori. He didn't mean any harm against your friends..", Ryouko said, which actually made Kaori smile.

'They're ridiculously hopeless, but the love that I get from them was enough to put a smile on my face that reached the ears..', thought Kaori.

"But come to think of it.. you still have a chance..", added Ryouko.

"Okaa-san! No!..", screamed Kaori before she giggled this time. Her parents smiled as they stared at her intently, but she wasn't going to say anything that night. "I'll tell you the details tomorrow, guys. I need to change my filthy clothes. Then, I need my beauty rest too, y'know.. goodnight, okaa-san, otou-san..", she added while she walked towards her room.

Yoshiyuki and Ryouko exchanged concerned looks as they watched their child walk towards the inner part of their home. Even if Kaori seemed beaming with excitement, they could tell there were some underlying elements at play.

"Ryouko-chan, what do you think?..", asked Yoshiyuki.

"She's definitely in the middle of something crucial right now, Yoshiyuki.."

There were no old memories coming back as Kaori sat down on her bed to think things over. However, there was some unbearable pain building up inside her. She started eating the canelés that Arima Kousei had given her, expecting that it might somehow tone down the overwhelming feeling. But it did the opposite. From a minute sting, the pain in her heart seemed to gradually transform into a gaping hole of agony. Every bite was paired with a tear falling from her cheek.

Kaori connected her phone to the speakers in her room and played the latest J-pop/rock songs to distract herself. But Mozart's K. 265 kept playing in her head. The tears that welled her eyes up like two sparkling diamonds twinkled as bright as the stars outside.

'Why am I feeling this? My memories does not coincide with my heart..'

And then, she looked at a small pink hard case on her bed side table. She had not touched it in a long time. The moment she opened it, her tears started flowing more rapidly. 'There it is, my violin.. this gives me the same kind of pain.. but why?'

That was when Kaori broke down.

'Still nothing.. I can't remember a thing. But why do I feel this pain? It's so frustrating.. I feel like I had a wonderful life before.. a life full of people I loved.. but I just can't recall it. Is this some sort of punishment? Did I do something so underhanded?'

That night, Kaori cried herself to sleep.

Translation Notes:

Ukulele - a small instrument belonging to the guitar family. It usually employs four nylon or gut strings, or four courses of strings.

Featured Music:

Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", K. 265/300e by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - the original melody is not composed by Mozart himself, but an old French folk song. The twelve variations though was his composition, which he made when he was around 25 years old. The melody has been used for many children's songs like "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Alphabet Song", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".