Riko (Toyada Natsuko/Kimura Eisuke):

Toyada-san was watching him through her eyelashes, a small bento box tucked between the crook of her arm and the curve of her waist. He bent to retrieve his pop can from the machine's dispenser, hoping a little that when he straightened again she would have moved on. No such luck.

"If you're looking for Nishitara," he told her, "he's in the practice room." He carefully didn't add "acting like a moron." It sort of went without saying.

"Oh, uh," she flushed and looked fleetingly at her glossy, black box, silently admitting that she was here to deliver his lunch, which he had almost certainly left at home for the fourth time this week. "Thank you."

Eisuke nodded, assuming that was the end of that, but when he turned to head back to the practice room himself, she caught him by the elbow, nearly managing to splash them both with Coke.

"Um, Kimura-san?" she looked at her toes before looking him in the face and even then, she could barely hold eye contact. "I thought you were...really great at the concert last week...um..."

She turned and fled before he could even digest what all the blushing could be about. She went tearing down the halls, skirt flapping against her thighs. This, Eisuke decided, pointedly ignoring the treacherous blush gracing his cheeks, was why he hated girls.

Lianda (Araki Jirou/Nishitara Tetsuya):

"Ok, Jirou, but next time, YOU'RE buying! See you!"

"Bye!" It was after school, and Jirou waved good-bye to his friends. Turning around, he started walking towards the bike rack when he spied a lone figure on the curb looking very despondent. Jirou frowned, then grinned, and sauntered up to the sitting boy. "Eeeh? Tetsuya-kun." Jirou drawled. "Bug in your tummy?"

Surprised, Tetsuya looked up through bright red bangs. "Jirou?" "Who else?" "What are you doing here?"

"What's up?"

Tetsuya glared. "I asked first!"

Jirou shrugged. "I'm younger. You have to suffer me."

Tetsuya glared at the sidewalk. "Kimura got the solo. I don't even know why!" He wrung his hands in frustration. "His voice even broke on that high D! Ugh. Why do I even care?"

Jirou smiled and placed a hand on Tetsuya's shoulder. "Eh, mate. You win some, you lose some. Now," he winked, "Let's go get some ice-cream! Maybe we'll meet some hot girls!"

"...is that all you ever think about, Jirou?"

"...nobody's perfect."

Riko (Matsugawa Biru/Tetsuya):

"Did you forget your lunch again, Nishitara-kun?" the large boy rumbled, placing his own brown, paper bag on a spare chair.

Tetsuya frowned and wondered when this lunch thing had become a running joke. For some reason, he blamed Kimura, but that wasn't all that strange. He blamed Kimura for everything up to and including inclement weather.

"No, I'm just not hungry."

"Ah," Biru smiled widely and nodded. He then proceeded to open his bag and produce a salad and a bottle of water. With a quick twist, he unscrewed the cap and took a delicate sip before picking daintly at the salad.

Tetsuya watched with wonder. He had expected something more, as shallow as it might seem, judging by Biru's...bulk. Even Tetsuya could work his way through a couple of burgers and a Sprite in a lunch hour. And Biru's salad didn't even have dressing!

"Uh..." Tetsuya said, torn between curiosity and politeness. In the end, curiosity won; he'd always been a rude, little punk, anyway. "Diet?"

"No," Biru smiled again. Did nothing offend the boy? "I just have a slow metabolism." He forked a piece of lettuce and offered it to Tetsuya. "Want a bite?"

Lianda (Eisuke/Kahaya Ryouta):

It was raining hard, and Eisuke had to pull his coat over his head to keep himself dry as he ran from his dad's car across the pavement to the door. Shivering slightly, he rang the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard from inside, the lock turned, and the door opened. "Eisuke" a quiet voice murmured. "...you're all wet."

Eisuke raised an eyebrow. "What else is painfully obvious?"

Ryouta smiled. "Come in."

He stepped aside, opening the door more to let the other boy in. Eisuke slid inside, unzipped his jacket, and took off his shoes. He looked around at the small, dim hallway, and then turned back to Ryouta. "Well?"

"In here." Ryouta led Eisuke to what was obviously the piano room, leaned against the wall and nodded to the giant black instrument.

Eisuke walked up to the piano and ran his fingers along the keys. He looked at Ryouta inquiringly. "May I?"

"Please."

Eisuke gingerly sat down and began to play, soft and smooth. He closed his eyes and leaned forward into the music. Ryouta moved closer so that he could follow the music and turn the pages. Suddenly, there came a yell from upstairs, and the ceiling started thumping as if someone was kicking the floor.

"BRO!!! Who's down there?"

Ryouta rolled his eyes. "It's Eisuke-san," he called back.

Meanwhile, Eisuke had stopped playing and was looking wryly up at the other boy. REALLY?!" came Ryouji's voice again. "DAMMIT! HE ATE ALL MY POCKY LAST TIME!"

"Too bad!" Ryouta yelled back.

Eisuke snorted. "Is he like this all the time."

"...welcome to my world."

Riko (Ryouta/Ichihoshi Fumi):

Ryouta always felt awkward lifting the big brass knocker. It was nearly twice the breadth of his fist, exactly at eye level. He always wondered how Ichihoshi-kun managed to knock, but then he blushed at his own stupidity when he realized that the younger soprano really didn't /need/ to knock on the door of his own house.

The butler answered and, recognizing him, let Ryouta into the foyer while Ichihoshi was informed of his presence. Very soon, Ichihoshi appeared, dressed in his normal green uniform.

"Ah, Kahaya-kun. How may I help you?"

"Ichihoshi-kun," Ryouta said, faintly, smiling shyly as he did every time, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but..."

Ichihoshi raised an eyebrow, and a self-confident smirk flittered across his face. How someone three years younger could be so /self-possessed/ confounded Ryouta.

"You've finished another?" Ryouta nodded, and Ichihoshi inclined his head toward the ornate staircase. "Well, come along. I'll find my paints."

Ryouta pulled the tiny airplane out of his pocket and followed Ichihoshi up to his room.

Lianda (Jirou/Fumi):

"All right," said Jirou. "Here we go. One, two, three..." He breathed and started singing along with the younger boy. "Sing, allelujah...."

Fumi stopped, mid-phrase and rolled his eyes. With a petulant voice, he said, "NO, Araki. You are very much flat. We have to harmonize. HAR-MON-IZE."

Jirou glared, wishing to himself that he could tell the little twerp to go to the bad place underground. "It's a new piece, Fumi-kun. We need time."

"Speak for yourself," said Fumi haughtily. "I nailed it first try."

"Okay," said Jirou, very much fed up. "What's with the holier-than-thou act, Ichihoshi? You're not a star YET, you know..."

Fumi blinked. "Act?"

"...it's not an act?"

"I have no idea what you're blithering on about, Araki."

"...daaaamn." Jirou stared at the shorter, younger boy. Then he shrugged, laughed and placed a hand on Fumi's head. "Guess we're not gonna get along then. Too bad...you're kinda cute."

"...don't touch me."

Riko (Biru/Natsuko):

"A little higher, Toyada-kun," Biru coaxed, smiling the whole while.

Natsuko took a deep breath and sang, trying to pitch her voice a little higher as the older boy had suggested. She still fell flat, even to her ears, but Biru's smile didn't waver in the slightest. In fact, he nodded.

"That's very good, but trying pitching it way up, to the ceiling. Pretend that your mouth is way up there, and you've got to get the note from here," a chubby finger poked her gently in the stomach, "all the way up to your mouth."

She nodded, mouth set in a determined little line. This time she got it, and Biru smile widened to a grin, and he clapped hard. Natsuko nearly fainted from joy.

"That's it, Toyada-kun! Wonderful!"

Smiling, she reached out and touched his hand. "Thank you, Matsugawa-san. You're the best teacher I could ask for!"

-then Riko's internet died. do we sense a pattern?-