19

melted hearts

I dived into the water below, full of joy and excitement.

"… Wow…" Aboshi muttered as he watched me plunge into the water beneath him and the others.

"IKARI, GET BACK HERE! IF I CAN'T HAVE ANY FUN, NEITHER CAN YOU!!" I heard Kanagi shout as I kicked beneath the water and watched the few remaining pieces of ice melt away and become apart of the sea again. For a moment, I wished happily with a smile of joining the ice, and become apart of the ocean too… But soon my lungs started to hurt, and I had to surface again for air.

I looked up at the top of the tower of rising water, and waved. Kyoto looked down and wave to, until her attention was caught by something else.

"Oh my god! LOOK!" she shouted, pointing somewhere behind me. I looked all around, and saw patches of glowing purple light in all shapes and sizes shining on the surface.

"What is it?" Kensuke asked, turning to Kanagi. She stared down at the ocean with a smile, her arms extended as she held the Kouketsu.

"Marine life. It's coming back."

Her statement was proven the next second, when I was suddenly lifted out of the water by a dolphin. For some reason, no matter how stupid I thought it was, I laughed… happily.

"Ey, Tadanaka," I shouted upwards, "Mind getting us our clothes?"

"Oh, GOD, yes, PLEASE. Put them back on! Here, let me get'em for you. HABOKU- CLOTHES!" My shirt and sweater appeared before me in a rush of swirl and red sparks, somehow dry. The same happened with Kensuke and Toji's. As Kensuke was about to put on his shirt though, Kanagi shoved him, and they fell together into the sea beneath them.

I slipped on my shirt, and tied my jacket around my waist. Gently, I patted the side of the dolphin. Somehow, it knew what I wanted, and swam over right beneath the tower of water.

"Kyoto! GET DOWN HERE!" I hollered up. Kyoto peaked out over the edge of the ice. In the corner, I could see Aboshi grinning sinisterly. I have him a wink, and he disappeared somewhere else on the patch of ice.

"No! It's probably cold, you idiot! You come back up here!"

"How come?" I asked innocently, snickering.

"Because I said s- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as she almost fell off. "IDIOT! I'm taking YOU with me!" she shouted giddily, grabbing Aboshi by the shirt, causing them both to fall into the ice. The only thing that remained on the ice now was the Purity Light floating by itself, and Toji watching from the center as the rest of us played around.

The dolphin swam over to where Kyoto fell, and I grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up behind me, and leaving Aboshi to float in the water. We rode around a bit, circling here and there, jumping softly over the gentle waves.

"Toji! Come on down!" Aboshi cried, splashing at the water playfully.

"No thanks." Toji replied. He was staring back at the shore resentfully. I frowned, and tried to get a glance at what he was looking at, when a sudden shout from Kanagi and a blast of fire stole my attention.

The fire melted the remaining ice, and Toji found himself bobbing up and down on the geyser of water still rising from the sea, the Purity Light floating over him. I turned to look at Kanagi, who was laughing her head off along with the others.

I let myself laugh too, until I saw what Toji had been staring at… Four figures standing on the beach, staring at us expectantly. Somehow, I got the feeling they were angry…

Kanagi transported us to the beach half an hour later. We appeared dripping wet right behind the four figures I had seen earlier, each of which I recognized immediately: Genku, Kyofu, Joshin, and the Serg, who's eyes were oddly red. Probably from crying…

"Well done." Genku said flatly to Kanagi, who was carrying the Kouketsu again. There was a slight tinge of pride in his voice though that I couldn't help but notice.

"Hah. What else did you expect?" Kanagi said with a laugh, apparently still not use to the seriousness needed around these four.

Genku ignored Kanagi, strangely enough, and turned his head sharply towards me. Suddenly, it felt like everyone else had done the same too.

"What?!" I demanded. Genku and the other monks frowned.

"You defied us."

"You could have lost your life."

"We told you to stay back and let Kanagi handle everything." They were talking so fast, I wasn't sure who was saying what, but it didn't matter. They were being stupid… They hadn't seen what had happened down there.

"Yeah, yeah, whatev-"

"BUT," Genku started, his frown fading as it was replaced with a glowing smile, "We're glad you did. We felt everything that happened. You fixed your problem with the harmonics, didn't you? AND you got back your soul, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Excellent. We were worried since your synch ratio almost made it to a thousand, but after that, it suddenly started to decline… Any idea why?"

"We felt the presence of another spirit there," Joshin added, "Are we right? Is there a connection?"

"Yeah, it was my Mom. She talked me through it. Oh, and we know Kanagi's powers now. She can control the elements, and instant transportation."

"OH! Control the elements? Is THAT what I've been doing?" Kanagi blurted, suddenly interested in the conversation as she had become the subject.

"As insane as it is, yes. It truly scares me…" Aboshi, Kensuke, and Toji laughed together. It felt good to hear Aboshi a part of that again…

"The elements? That's quite a bit of power."

"I know. Ikari's right though, I guess. I do control the elements. Did ya see all that water rising when we surfaced? Yeah, that was me-- and the fire too."

"I wondered what that had been…" Kyofu murmured to himself.

"That's very impressive. I'm glad you're beginning to learn more about what it means to be Grand Priestess of Hong Kong. Speaking of which, you'll be glad to know you have your own shrine now, too." Genku informed promptly, his hands behind his back. He smiled at her as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"OH MY GOD! Are you serious?!" Joshin nodded.

"We expect you'll be pleased with the location. We haven't seen it yet, but we know where it is. According to the scriptures in the Shinogiba, yours is to be named the Suizokukan."

"Sounds fancy."

"I'm sure it will be."

I drifted away from the conversation, trapped in my own thoughts once more. The Serg had been standing off to a side the entire time, and hadn't said a word since we had returned. His lips were trembling slightly, and he looked pale. Fearful.

I was rushed back to reality as Toji shoved me in the shoulder. I shook my head, and turned to Genku and Kanagi, startled still.

"Well then, how about seeing a demonstration of your powers Ms. Tadanaka and visiting your shrine?"

I was about to grab the two closest hands to be, but stopped as I took another look at the Serg. He looked like he was struggling with something. He stepped up, and made a noise. Everyone turned to him… I wished they hadn't. Whatever he wanted to get across was apparently difficult for him.

"Uhh… Err…" He mumbled, looking down at the sand as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Genku stared at him with a puzzled look. The Serg saw, and started scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, as if everyone would forget he had been trying to speak.

"Yes, what is it, Sergeant Kaipi?"

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble, I was wondering if the boy-" he glanced at me hesitantly, "errr... Motoki, could stay back here a little while longer?"

"What for?" Genku asked, apparently not realizing how uncomfortable the Serg was.

"Well… Uhh… I was just wondering…" He paused, took a deep breath, and paused again. "Maybe he could come with me to the hospital? Y'know, if he doesn't have anything really important to do or anything…"

"The hospital?" Joshin asked, apparently intrigued by it.

"Yeah… See, my kid's there, and he's suffering from bleeding. He can't stop, and the doctor's say he's gonna die!…" Tears had began to fall from his eyes as he spoke about Kopa and his condition. I pitied him, no matter how much I hated it. I pitied him.

"Oh, I understand now," Genku answered urgently, "You want Motoki to heal him with his ability, right? Of course! Go ahead! Kanagi, could you take them?" Kanagi raised an eyebrow at Genku as if he were crazy, possibly something she had picked up from Kyoto. She turned to the Serg, studied him, and sighed.

"Fine."

"Good. Hurry up now, we have a life in danger!" Kanagi nodded lazily.

"Yeah, yeah… Hold hands." The eagerness had faded from her tone. She was making this sound like it was some sort of pointless chore.

Reluctantly though, I grabbed the Serg's hand, as well as hers. The Kouketsu floated between us.

"We'll meet you back at the Shinogiba Shrine, ok?" Genku exclaimed, worried now that he knew what was going on. He was right to. I could feel the Serg's hand trembling, and his skin was getting even paler. He loved Kopa so much…

"Let's go then… HABOKU- FAT MAN, MOTOKI, KANAGI!"

And we were gone.

We reappeared outside the hospital Toji had been placed in last year, which was stupidly enough only a few blocks away from the shrine. We might as well have brought the others along with us… Oh well, let them suffer the walk…

People stared at us as they walked by, staring at the Purity Light and as us for appearing the way we did, but none of us minded. Kanagi scared them off by giving them a fake smile that shouted "What are YOU looking at?!"

"Quick, follow me," the Serg ordered, walking at a quick pace toward the doors. I was about to follow him, when I felt a tight grip around my wrist. I turned to face Kanagi, who had the Kouketsu floating over her free hand.

"You go with him. I'm gonna go drop this off at the shrine."

"Ok." She stared at me, almost as if passing judgment. Her hand let go of my wrist, and took a step back.

"You know, you're doing a really nice thing here, helping this guy with his son…"

"Shut up."

"I didn't mean it as an insult, Ikari. Don't be so PMSy." She smiled, and I couldn't help but do the same.

"I'll be back soon," she said, and in a swirl of red and white sparks, she was gone. I looked up at the Shinogiba Shrine, bathed by sunlight, and then turned to run into the hospital.

I burst in through the front doors and saw the Serg waiting by the elevator. I jogged over just as the doors opened, and we walked in. He pushed the button for the sixth floor, then stood back and watched the doors close. As the elevator rose, he seemed nervous.

The elevator stopped at the sixth floor, and the doors opened again. We walked out, and the Serg hurried down a long hall full of nurses and doctors. He stopped at a close door, room number fifty-three, and was about to grab the door handle, when he hesitated.

"What the hell? Since when are police officers scared of door handles?" I asked teasingly, trying to calm him down a bit. He growled, repressing a smile, and opened the door. The sight sent shivers down my spine…

The room was exactly like Toji's had been the year before… The curtains closed, the lights off, the bit of illumination coming through only from the cracks at the door and curtains. Even Kopa reminded me of Toji, lying in bed with his eyes closed, shirtless so that bloody bandages could be seen wrapped around his waist. The only difference was that he has a lot more machines around him, wires attached to different parts of his body. I was sorry to see his mouth on a respiratory machine.

The Serg quietly closed the door behind him, and stood to a side, while I approached Kopa cautiously. He seemed helpless. So helpless… It was all his fault. I couldn't help but feel angry towards him. Twice now that I had to save his life…

Banmotsu Academy, Tokyo, Two Months Ago

A car ran through the test course, knocking over orange cones and other stupid obstacles as it went. The car skidded around hazily, narrowly avoiding a collision with the test course car, only to be met with one against the wall of the school. The sound of the crash woke me up from a deep sleep in the shade of the branches of a nearby tree.

The driving instructor jumped out of the test course car, and ran over to the wreck against the wall, followed by a crowd of students. He opened the car door, and pulled out Kopa's unconscious body with the help of someone else.

I hopped down from the tree, and ran over, pushing my way to the crowd, preparing myself to heal several cuts to the head, and a concussion that would have resulted in death…

Kopa was reckless. He had no regard for his own life because of a silly obsession with having fun. I had every right to be mad, but no right to forget my objective.

Carefully, I began to unwrap the bandages around his waist. As I did, a crying Serg walked over and brushed Kopa's hair with a delicacy I didn't know he had. A father's touch.

I took off the last bandage, and dropped it to the pile on the floor. I stared at the large hole in the center of Kopa's stomach and shook my head disapprovingly.

"Please… help him… help him!" the Serg pleaded between sobs. I nodded, and placed my hands over the bloody hole.

"Kassatsujizai- Iyasu…" I whispered. Blue and white sparks flew down from my fingertips and descended into the hole, beginning the healing process without any sign of synch problems…

Kanagi appeared in the Shinogiba Shrine, and ran over to the golden stand at the back, not noticing the Shukuun Weapons pinned up on the wall in their usual positions as if they had never been used. She walked over to the rope with it's slips of paper, bent over it, and placed the Purity Light where it belonged. She stood back and took a second to admire it, and was about to transport herself back to the hospital, when she heard footsteps.

She turned around swiftly, and saw Kensuke at the doorway, panting just slightly. She gasped, eyes slightly wider than usual.

"How'd you get here so fast…? Where are the others?"

"I ran ahead of them. I had a feeling you were here." He answered, approaching her slowly.

"Feeling? What do you mean?"

"Well, I love you, Kanagi…" He was right in front of her now. She snickered.

"Course you do. I'm me after all." She was about to laugh, but was stopped as he leaned in and kissed her for a split second.

"Do you love him?" he asked suddenly.

"… Did you just go into the third person…?"

"No. I'm talking about Motoki." Kanagi couldn't help but snort, and almost started cracking up at the fact that she had snorted.

"That bitch? HAH. I don't see how ANYBODY could love him."

"He's a nice guy. People like him."

"Well, they shouldn't. I love YOU, Kensuke, ok? Motoki doesn't matter to me. You've never seen us in school."

"But you're so much alike. It just makes sense for you two to…"

"Get along? Nope. That doesn't exist between us."

"Oh… I guess I was wrong…" Kanagi laughed rudely.

"BIG TIME. Well, I gotta go, hun," she put a hand to his cheek and kissed him again, "We'll be back in a few minutes. Haboku-Kanagi." She disappeared in her usual sparks.

Kensuke fought a frown once she was gone, but stopped when he accepted the truth…

"All done," I said with a happy smile. The Serg was still sobbing, but they were happy ones leaking into a deep smile on his face. I stepped back, and gave him some room so that he could hug his son. I tried not to laugh as I saw his feet entangled in the bloody bandages I had left on the floor.

There was a groan, and I got closer to the bed in order to try and get a closer look. I was worried the Serg's weight might have been enough to kill Kopa… I exaggerate so much… hehe…

"Uhh… Dude… Seriously, deodorant." Kopa said through a muffled voice. The Serg stood back proudly and stared at his son, ignoring his poor choice in words.

"Oh, son… You're back… You're back…"

"Yeah, dad…" Kopa said tiredly. He rolled over on the bed and fell back to sleep. The Serg laughed.

"Already acting like himself…" he muttered as if to no one in particular. He sighed, and turned around to face me with a serious look that I thought made him look uglier than usual. "It's all thanks to you, and I'm thankful."

"That's nice... Doesn't sound like you're thanking me though."

"Excuse me?" I snickered. I was so happy that I wasn't pitying this excuse of a police officer anymore… I could act normal around him. Normal for my standards anyway.

"You said it was thanks to me, and that you were thankful. You didn't say what you're supposed to say. I think even HE would know what to say…" I said in my usual cynical tone, nodding at Kopa's sleeping form on the bed. He growled through gritted teeth.

"Fine… THANK YOU. Is that what you wanted?" I grinned. It seemed like a habit, just like the name suffixes. Habits should die, grr….

"I want a lot of things."

"… Shut up, you little punk." I knew he didn't mean it. He wanted it to appear like a joke, hiding it behind an angry tone. But I could read through that… Never underestimate me.

"Whatever, woman. I have to get going… things to do, your life to save. Later." I was about to exit the room, when I felt a heavy hand fall on my shoulder. Too close for comfort… I shrugged harshly, and turned around to face the Serg. "What?" I demanded.

"I just wanted to let you know the police force isn't going to bring kids to the shrine anymore, so you don't have to come when you're not needed. I just did it for the protection in case something happened.

"Oooohhh, that makes me feel SO much better… You can be such an ass. Why the change of heart?"

"The monks. They say they read the scripture things, and that there was something about the Priests would appear when they were needed. Asides from that, only one of you is missing anyway."

"Only one?"

"Yeah, Japan has three Grand Priests, according to the monks. You and Kanagi are the first two."

"Oh, wow, I hadn't realized that! I'm SO glad I have you, Serg!" I answered in a sarcastically-childishly-happy way. The Serg frowned.

"Get outta here, Ikari. You've done your bit. Scram." I snickered, and walked out of the room as the Serg went back over to Kopa. I gently closed the door shut behind me, and was about to leave, when I came face to face with Kanagi. I freaked out… we had been close to yet another unnecessary kiss.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" I shouted. She had been smiling, but I had managed to change that into a scowl.

"PICKING YOU UP, YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!"

"OH YEAH? WELL YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WAIT OUTSIDE! NOT HERE!"

"Blah… shadup. We've got somewhere to be." She grabbed my wrist, and yelled, "HABOKU-IDIOT AND KANAGI!"

And we vanished, spooking a few of the hospital workers…

"I need a cigarette, I need a cigarette, I need a cigarette…" Toji murmured to himself, checking all over himself in his pockets.

"What do you think's taking so long?" Kensuke asked as he sat against one of the shrine walls. Toji was leaning against a column, muttering still, while Aboshi stood nearby, fully dressed now, examining the writings on the column. Kyoto was leaning against the rope surrounding the Purity Light, looking deep into it, while the monks stood at the entrance, whispering feverishly amongst themselves.

"I don't know. Kopa did a pretty stupid thing, it might take some time, y'know…" Aboshi answered, staring at the writing.

"Well, you're the one that gave him the alcohol, stupid." Toji said scornfully, apparently frustrated by his situation.

"Shut up, lung cancer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toji asked angrily, giving Aboshi a look as if he were something foul.

"You know what I mean!"

"No, I don't."

"You and your cigarettes. That's all you do now… smoke. You're gonna end up with lung cancer, and you're gonna give it to us too!"

"That's stupid! Cancer ISN'T contagious!"

"But second-hand smoke is," Kyoto broke in, not turning around them. Her eyes were still set deeply on the Kouketsu. The conversation seemed to end with that.

A few minutes later, a group of spiraling red and white sparks swirled in the center of the shrine, and became Motoki and Kanagi. Kensuke jumped up on his feet, and upon seeing the new arrivals, everyone rushed over to them.

"AHHHHH!" Kanagi screamed. "DON'T GET TOO CLOSE! Just hold hands…"

"What for?" Kyoto asked.

"WE'RE GONNA VISIT MY SHRINE, BUT IT'S IN HONG KONG, SO WE'RE GONNA VISIT IT. GOT THAT?" That suddenly sparked a thought in my mind... Hong Kong…

"… Damn, woman, calm down."
"Let's go now," Kanagi demanded impatiently, "People, hold hands."

Everyone formed a circle quickly, holding hands as Kanagi had requested, and then Kanagi shouted, "HABOKU- GROUP!"

We vanished and reappeared in Hong Kong seconds later, to my horror, in the parking lot of the park by the sea, where Kanagi and I had kissed.

The place was entirely changed now though. There were still trees scattered here and there, but at the very back, there was an enormous pyramid of stairs, exactly like the Shinogiba. The only difference was that the shrine at the top was painted blue… I became envious as I noticed the Shrine overlooked the sea… Why couldn't mind overlook the sea?…

"DON'T LET GO!" Kanagi yelled excitedly, "HABOKU- GROUP!"

We disappeared again, and this time reappeared in front of the new shrine. Kanagi ran forward and shot open the majestic doors with their golden handles.

On the inside, the shrine was an exact replica to the Shinogiba, only that where ever there was red in the Shinogiba, there was blue here. A podium stood in the center, exactly like the one that held the Kouketsu, only this one held a glass case that contained eight different bracelets, with large round jewels in four different colors.

I noticed that at the very back were another pair of doors, probably to oversee the ocean. Kanagi spotted it too, and ran over animatedly to fling them open, creating a perfect view of the sunset.

"I LOVE IT!" She yelled. I loved it too. I wished it were mine…Oh well.

I started walking towards Kanagi to join her in watching the sunset, when Toji grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled me to him.

"What is it?" I asked. I looked behind me and saw Kensuke and Kanagi were now sitting on the steps, watching the sunset together and talking. I wondered what they were always talking about… Then Toji brought the attention back to himself.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Can't it wait? I wanna see the sunset…"

"No, it can't wait. Besides, give those two some time. Kensuke's afraid Kanagi likes YOU more, but I seriously doubt that. Come on."

Shrugging slightly to stretch his back, Toji led me to the front of the Suizokukan. I took a seat on the steps, and he leaned against the open space on the wall beside the door, while the others who remained looked around and examined parts of the shrine.

"Well, what did you want that was SO important that you took me away from a sunset with THE OCEAN?" Toji knew how much I loved the ocean.

"It's about… well…"

"Spill before I loose interest."

"It's about Banmotsu… I was hoping… that, well… Maybe you could help me apply?" I turned around to face him, startled.

"You want to apply?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you sure about it?" He nodded, as if it were the hardest thing ever. I stood up, smiling.

"That's great! I'll get in touch with the Tokyo Campus principal and get it set up. Yes?"

"Ok…"

"Great." Toji nodded again, smiling this time, and walked back into the shrine. I sat back on the steps… I was tired…

So tired, that it was time to go home…

We appeared in front of Teuchi's house. An hour had passed, and Kanagi had brought the group over. I was about to open the door, when Shindo came out, carrying Mizuko. They looked dressed up.

"MOTOKI! Where have you been?! Everybody's waiting for you!" were the first words out of his mouth. Mizuko smiled, and extended her arms. Shindo put her in my arms frantically.

"What? Where?"

"You FORGOT? It's the night of your recital, Motoki! The whole family's waiting for you at the school! My dad sent me here to see if you had gotten back!"

"Oh crap… I totally forgot… Let's get going. HOLD HANDS AGAIN!" The group complied, even Shindo, though a bit confused, and Kanagi transported us to the front of Banmotsu.

"Damnit! I don't have my violin!"

"Idiot! How could you have forgotten it? We were just there!" Toji remarked as if he had been annoyed.

"You and Kanagi go get it. We'll wait in the auditorium." Genku said, Shindo nodded in agreement, and he and the others rushed inside once I had given him Mizuko.

I was about to walk over to Kanagi, when Shindo grabbed me. I was being grabbed a lot lately…

"What is it?!" I demanded. He checked his watch.

"Look, you have about ten minutes before you have to go on, right? So, I think it'd be a good idea if you called Uncle Gendo."

"Why the hell would I do that?!"

"Just do it. Invite him."

"He wont make it in time."

"I said just do-"

He was cut off as Kanagi suddenly grabbed my wrist again, and transported us to Teuchi's house. I looked around, momentarily misplaced by the sudden change of location, and then blinked a few times.

"Nice place…" Kanagi muttered as I ran to my room when I established where I was, grabbing my violin. I hurried back to the living room, sat down, and picked up the phone, quickly dialing a number against my own wishes…

"Hello?" Gendo's voice answered. I rolled my eyes in hate.

"It's me. Motoki. You wanna come to my recital?" It seemed too fast. He was probably confused.

"Uhh… Thanks, but I'm sort of busy. Sorry."

"Whatever. Ba-"

"Hold up, Motoki. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Make it fast. I'm in a hurry."

"Ok, look, you know why I brought you here, right?" Now I was confused. It was his turn to be sudden…

"… No."

"But Teuchi told you about the little promise thing, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I just want to let you know that I only did it in hopes that maybe I could still keep your mother's promise…" My stomach twisted. Gendo had a heart… he cared about my mom.

"That's nice. I have to go-"

"Wait! I also wanted to let you know that my try to keep that promise was stupid-"

"It was nice. I thank you on her behaf… Gah, now I'm being nice…"

"Ok, well, anyway, I wanted you to know that I've decided it's best if we move back to Tokyo." My heart did a back flip.

"Of course it is! Thanks, I suppose…" I couldn't believe myself... I was being so polite… DIE DIE DIE!!! "I have to go now, bai." I hung up, and ran to the living room happily.

"Ready?" Kanagi said as she saw me walk in. I nodded, and she transported us back to Banmotsu, right outside the auditorium.

"Hurry up, you probably only have about five minutes to get up there now," Kanagi said, actual encouragement in her voice. She smiled, and went inside to find a seat, leaving me with a smile of my own. Brushing off the amazement of how complex Kanagi was, I went towards the stage entrance, and ran inside.

My music teacher, Mr. Wakagu, was looking around frantically. He spotted me, and ran over.

"Mr. Ikari, where have you BEEN? It's almost time for you to go on! I haven't even heard what you're going to play!" He sighed, putting his hand son my shoulders. "Oh well. I trust it will be good. Do you have it ready?"

I thought for a moment.

"Yeah." I answered. He smiled broadly, apparently as proud as Teuchi.

"Good. I'll go introduce you." He walked off onto the stage, while I waited in the green room, listening intently as the speakers came on. I slipped off my sweater, leaving my in my blue jeans and dark-gray shirt.

"Now, it is time for our production to come to an end," Mr. Wakagu, "But before we go, we have one more musical piece to listen to by a very talented young man. Now, I haven't heard what he has for us, so it's as much a surprise to me as it is to you. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Motoki Ikari!" He walked off the stage carrying the microphone with him. I walked on, my violin all set to go.

My feet carried me to the center of the stage, and I looked out at the enormous crowd as it applauded under the glare of the stage lights. The clapping subsided, and I began to play my music…

The sound that had played from the Kouketsu was perfectly produced by my violin, with a few minor changes. As I played what I remembered, my mind quickly made up a suitable finishing…

Two minutes later, I played my makeshift ending. There was silence for a few minutes, and then a burst of applause. I looked tot the side and saw Mr. Wakagu crying as he clapped. I squinted into the crowd, and saw most other people crying too. The applause lasted for minutes.

It was the perfect ending for a chapter of my life so exciting, something I thought didn't exist…

A perfect ending.