I met you under the Cherry Tree...

~Kousei POV~

"Hey, Kousei!" One of my best friends says, slamming her hand on my desk and breaking me from my music-induced daze. I remove one of my ear phones.

"Hi, Tsubaki." I respond, smiling at her.

"What you doing?" She asks, picking up the ear phone, and putting it in her ear. She begins tapping her foot, another fan of Goose House.

"Just listening to music, and reading over these sheets.." I say, glancing at the sheet music I have been studying.

"Have you started the piano again?" Tsubaki asks, looking at me excitedly.

"No..well, not really...I still play the pianos they have in school sometimes, but..." I sigh, looking at her now disappointed face, "It doesn't sound right..." I finish, looking back at the music.

"Oh..." She states, simply, implying that she still isn't impressed with my decision to stop playing. There is a reason, by the way, I didn't stop just because I couldn't be bothered. I stopped because my mum died. There's a reason behind that, too. But I'm not gonna talk about it. I never talk about it. "Oh!" She states again, this time happier, as she slaps a hand against her forehead, as if she's just remembered something, "Come with me and Watari to the park on Saturday, to see one of my friends!" She requests/orders, smiling happily-I swear, she's got two personalities.

"I dunno...I have a lot of revision to do, and I'd just be out of place..." I argue quietly, not wanting to go out anywhere this weekend.

"Come on! Please? If anyone needs to be revising, it's me! You'll ace every test-no problem! You always do!" She pleads, looking at me with wide, begging eyes. I sigh, unable to argue any longer.

"Fine! I'll come, but you'd better not leave me alone, especially not with someone I don't know!" I Say, looking her in the eyes, so she knows how serious I am. I hear the bell, stand up and pick up the music. I Head out of the classroom, as everyone else begins flocking in for last period.

"Where you going, Kousei..?" Watari asks, looking at me confusedly.

"Music room." I say simply, smile and walk out, turning right and heading down to room 001. I knock and, on hearing no answer, enter. I place the sheet music on the music stand of the piano, sit down and begin playing. But I don't get past the first fifteen bars, because once again I can't hear the notes. I haven't been able to hear the notes I'm playing since that one performance, two years ago. Since the first-and last-performance after my mother's death. I have no idea why, but about halfway through the piece, it was like I was in the bottom of a deep, deserted ocean. I was alone, and the notes I was playing couldn't be heard. No matter how hard I pound the keys of the piano, I can't hear it.

~Tsubaki POV~

'Why does he always skip class, saying he's going to a music room...he said he'd quit piano, and he doesn't play anything else...' I should probably pay attention, since I'm not genius-or even just above average, like Watari. I try and switch my attention to the board, but the kanji looks like gibberish to me right now, so I decide to not pay attention, and just copy Watari's notes after class, like Kousei does if he needs to. So I just zone out, hearing that there are people talking, but not hearing a word of it.

~Watari POV~

"Sawabe-chan! Could you give me the answer to this equation?" The teacher asks. Tsubaki doesn't move. She's zoned out again...I sigh, and lean across, tapping her on the arm., "Sawabe-chan!!" The teacher repeats. Still, no answer.

"Tsubaki!" I whisper urgently, "Miss needs you to answer an equation! If you don't answer, you won't be able to play baseball after school!" I continue, getting so desperate as to threaten her baseball practice. She quickly snaps out of it, at the mention of no practice, and looks at miss, smiling.

"What do you need, sorry, Miss?" She asks, blinking innocently.

"I need you to answer this equation." She sighs, rolling her eyes and gesturing to the board. Tsubaki sighs, her eyes going blank. Anyone can tell she's got no clue. I nudge her arm again, and whisper, "No baseball practice..." I am so going to get it in the neck for this later-but I'm going to, umm, not think about that right now. She wakes up again, and yells random numbers...that are absolutely nothing to do with algebra at all. Nothing at all.

"47! No, 28! No, sorry, 154! I...I don't know, Miss..." She says sheepishly. I (along with the rest of the class) roll my eyes.

"Sawabe-chan, we're doing algebra..." Our teacher sighs, pointing to the equation (x+12)(x+3).

"Ooooh!" She laughs, "The expanded then simplified answer, is...x squared+3x+12x+36" She states proudly, as everyone turns to look at her, mystified. She answered a question...not just correctly, but at all...Tsubaki Sawabe actually answered a question. That didn't apply to baseball. The world is now out of balance...well, not really. It's just a surprise.

THANKS FOR READING, GUYS!! SORRY IT'S SHORT, TOO, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO WRITE IN THIS CHAPTER!!

SEE YA' LATER!!

~YUKI/JEANAE/NAE-CHAN