The Sordid Tangles of Life-A Kakashi x Student OC Story

Chapter 17

Sorry this one took so long! I swear I hadn't meant for it to be a wait

I couldn't seem to get away from that damned name-Amaya Suzuki-Kaito's mother. It seems at my Father's funeral, while I had been preoccupied being held captive, she had shared some 'fond memories'. Sharukh Devou happened to be there, paying his respects, when she spoke about my Father's continued love and dedication to my Mother even after she passed.

My mother, Emiri Tsuno, who was one of Devou's favorite playwrights, had been working on a script just before she had grown ill. She had been determined to complete it, wanting to see it on the stage before she passed, but fate had other plans for what she could accomplish.

After he pulled himself out of the heartache of loosing his beloved wife, my Father had decided that we were going to finish it for her and make her last wish come true. It was a musical, and he was a composer, so naturally he worked on writing and composing the songs that would complete the musical.

One of the fond tales Mrs. Suzuki recounted were the days when me, Kaito and my dad would work on the songs together. My father never missed an opportunity to make a memory, so he let us help him write the music with him. We shared laughs after we'd discover what sounded good in our heads actually sounded quite terrible when put to the keyboard; and cheer together in our successes when we just knew we were going in the right direction.

And that's how I ended up here, swiveled and hunched over a piece of composition paper next to a piano with Kaito by my side-thanks to Mr. Devou's recollection and Mrs. Suzuki's memories. Devou had known my Father was onto something good because he had sent him a sample tape of one of the songs, trying to get him to invest in the play. And he was more than happy to invest...but then my Father was killed and I was taken, and all hope for my Mother's play coming to light died with him. But then he received my letter requesting to perform at the Gala and got the brilliant idea to bring Kaito and I back together so we could perform a few of those long lost songs we'd written with my Father.

I took a deep breath and rubbed my weary eyes before skimming over the notes and edits I'd just taken on the music sheet. It wasn't easy trying to remember and write down from scratch something you hadn't played or thought about in years.

"You ready?" Kaito asked, snapping me from my glazed over stare at the sheet. He leaned against the side of the piano with his violin held lazily at his side in one hand and spinning his bow round and round in the other. We'd been brainstorming, editing and practicing all day the last couple days to try and meet Devou's expectations for the Gala; and they were a lot.

"Will I ever be?" I asked off handedly.

I glanced briefly at him before my eyes were right back on the sheet. He stopped the twirl of his bow and used it to push down the top of the sheet in my hand. "Keiko, I'm sure the changes will be fine. And if they're not-we'll never know until we hear it. Come on" He shot me one of his famous grins of assurance, then positioned himself with his bow at the ready, not giving me time to argue. As he slowly pulled the bow across the first string, I quickly shuffled the music sheets across the top of the piano, then headed for the keys.

I snuck one quick glance, while Kaito was busy starting the song, at Kakashi who currently just stood to the side in the room. He'd managed all the sneak aways he would get today without raising suspicion-since I was a lot more stuck and unable to wander than we'd realized-so now he just 'observed' us as a bodyguard would. And thanks to my trained eye, I didn't miss the subtle glances he would make-watching Kaito after every smile and too close for comfort gestures. But we were on a mission and Kakashi was always about being professional first, so I didn't think further on it.

I took one more deep breath and closed my eyes as I prepared to practice the song again with Kaito.

"I'm trying to hold my breath
Let it stay this way
Can't let this moment end
You set off a dream with me
Getting louder now
Can you hear it echoing?
Take my hand
Will you share this with me?
'Cause darling without you