Legend: "(...)" French dialogue. ------ Haruka Ten'ou walked down the street in her street clothes, noting with amusement the glances she was getting from other women as she passed them by. She could see a pair of young girls only slightly younger than she was walking toward her on the sidewalk. Out of habit she winked at them. They both covered their faces with their hands and started giggling as they passed her by. Once they were gone, she began to silently berate herself for flirting like that. She was seeing someone now, after all. No, not just someone; she and Michiru had become increasingly close over the past week, and she wasn't about to screw that up. Besides, she was out here on business. For the last two days, she'd been nagged by something Priss had said about the opera singer Reika Chang and the fact that her attacker had also been Chinese. Finally reaching the rehearsal hall, she found a secluded spot behind a dumpster in a nearby alley and began watching. ------ Michiru Kaiou held her violin case in her hand as she came back from the music shop. The new bow she'd purchased sounded beautiful when pulled across the strings of her violin, the music store owner practically wept as she played a piece by Max Bruch in order to test it out. She was eager to get home to play for Linna and Priss, especially since Linna had revealed to her privately that Priss, who usually hated "long-haired" music, had begun to look forward to those times in the evening when she would practice her instrument. While she was still intimidated a bit by the singer and Knight Saber, she was also happy her cousin had found someone who was so obviously in love with her. As she continued down the sidewalk, she turned to her left and saw somebody hunched over behind a dumpster in an alley looking at something. She almost ignored it, until the person moved and she got a good look at the short blond hair on top of her head. ------ Haruka thought about getting backup when she saw the number of guards by the stage door. She was off duty, unarmed, and beginning to feel nervous as she continued to watch. She'd seen what had happened to Priss, and was now silently debating the wisdom of coming alone. "What's happening?" an inquisitive voice asked. "There appears to be five guards at the back door, but I'm unsure about the number that might be inside. I..." With a start, Haruka realized she wasn't alone. Turning around, she saw the beautiful blue eyes of Michiru looking at her mischievously. "Michi-chan? What are you doing here?" "I might very well ask you the same question." the violinist pointed out. Haruka looked nervously from her girlfriend to the rehearsal hall and back. "I'm here on official police business." she explained. "So please, try to keep low and keep your voice down." "Really?" Michiru asked, "Then where's your uniform?" Haruka frowned a bit. "I'm serious Michi-chan. I'm watching that building over there where Reika Chang is..." "Reika Chang? The Reika Chang, the opera singer?" "I take it you know of her?" "Who doesn't. But if she's inside, why are we out here?" "Because she may not be all that's inside there. There's a chance she or members of her entourage may be behind the attack on Priss." "Really?" she asked, a bit taken aback that the world-famous opera singer might have anything to do with the attack. "Yes, really. Believe me, Michi-chan, there's nothing I'd like better than to spend time with you right now, but I can't. I have a duty to perform." Michiru silently studied her girlfriend, and the serious expression in her face. When it came to her police work, she could be so focused. She looked from Haruka to the guards in front of the stage door, and suddenly thought of a way she might be able to help. "Haruka-kun?" she began, "Do you know how to play any instruments?" Haruka looked at her questioningly, "What?" "You know, musical instruments. Can you play any musical instruments?" The police officer shrugged her shoulders, "When I was younger I learned how to play the piano. Why?" "Perfect!" she gushed as she grabbed the taller girl around the wrist. Before Haruka could object, Michiru was pulling her out of her hiding spot and out into the open. The guards around the stage door, noticing the violinist and her blond companion coming toward them, immediately encircled them. One of the men began to ask something in Chinese. Haruka was starting to panic; she was unarmed, and wasn't sure if she could take on all the men at once in a fight. Besides which, if a fight did break out, it would be up to her to protect her new girlfriend. What in the hell was Michiru thinking? The violinist, on the other hand, beamed a smile as she remembered that Miss Chang had been in France for the last few years. "Bonjour." she said, bowing to the guards as she held her violin case with one hand and Haruka's wrist with the other, "Parlez vous francaise?" The guards looked among themselves in confusion. Finally, one stepped forward. "Oui." he said. "(Ah, wonderful! My name is Michiru, and this is my friend, madem... monsieur Ten'ou. We understand there are openings for musicians.)" "(An opening? You mean in the orchestra?)" "Oui." Michiru said with a smile, "(We're here to audition for Mademoiselle Chang's orchestra.)" The guard looked her and Haruka up and down, finally turning to the guards and speaking with them in Chinese. He then turned back to them. "(Very well. Wait here while I go in and get the head of security. As long as everything checks out, you can go in and audition before Mademoiselle Chang herself.)" "Merci beaucoup." Michiru answered cheerfully. As the guard left to go into the building, she turned to look at Haruka's startled face. "Where on earth did you learn French?" the police officer asked. "Private school. Now smile like I'm giving you good news." she ordered. Haruka grinned, noting the Chinese guards were smiling back. "Michi-chan," she said through her teeth, "Why am I supposed to be happy?" "We're going into the auditorium momentarily to audition for the orchestra." The smaller girl answered. Haruka managed to keep her smile, but her right eye twitched a bit. "Michi-chan, do you have any idea how long it's been since I've played a piano?" she asked nervously. "Shh, never mind that. The guard is coming back with someone." Michiru said as the guard and a slightly taller man now returned to them. Bowing to the stranger she smiled cheerfully at him. "Bonjour, je m'appelle Michiru Kaiou. Je vous presente Monsieur Haruka Ten'ou, ma..." "There's no need for that Miss Kaiou. I speak Japanese." the man answered. "My name's Kou." "Kou? I'm very happy to meet you, Kou-san, I..." "May I see your violin case please?" he asked. Michiru looked down a bit protectively at the case in her hand, and handed it over. Kou opened it, made sure that there was just a violin and bow in it, and passed it back. "I apologize, but with the rash of violence lately we can't be too careful." "Perfectly understandable." Michiru agreed. Kou then turned his attention to the violinist's companion. "And where's your instrument, sir?" Haruka smirked, "I couldn't find a case big enough for my piano." Kou looked at her a few seconds before chuckling at the response. Turning to the guards, he explained in Chinese what Haruka had just said, and they too broke out laughing. Turning back to Michiru, he smiled pleasantly as he asked her to play them something before he took her and her companion into the building. Haruka frowned a bit; the man was obviously curious to see if her girlfriend was a real musician, or someone simply using the violin as a prop to get in. Michiru took both her mittens off and opened her case. As a gentle snowfall began, she placed the mittens between the violin's chin rest and the side of her chin. As Haruka held her case and watched, the smaller girl made a few last minute adjustments to the instrument, plucking the strings with her index finger and drawing the strings tighter with her other hand before she drew the bow across the strings and began to play a Mozart piece. Haruka was spellbound. She'd heard fairly good violinists before, but never anything of the caliber she was now hearing. Looking around, she saw the guards, and even Kou, were just as mesmerized as she was. One guard, a particularly tough looking one with a scar just above his upper lip, actually looked like he was tearing up. Finally finishing the piece, Michiru opened her eyes to find her small audience, including Haruka, applauding her. She blushed as she bowed to them before putting her instrument back away. Kou walked over to her, smiling. "You don't belong in an orchestra pit." he said, "You belong center stage as a soloist." As Michiru blushed even brighter, he then turned to Haruka, "If you and the young lady will follow me, I'll lead you inside now." ------ Daley Wong leaned up against a piece of backstage scenery as he yawned. Among the local police officers assigned today to Miss Chang's security detail, he frowned as he thought of how lucky Haruka was to have today off. Between the opera singers screeching out their songs and the dull western music the orchestra were playing, he was already nursing a terrific headache. Worse, because of being rescheduled to today, he was missing out on a blind date a friend had set up for him with a kabuki actor. True, he was still hurting from the loss of his old lover during the riots of a few months ago, but life does go on. As he turned to look at some of his fellow officers, he saw Reika Chang's right-hand man Kou come in through the back entrance, followed by... Haruka and Michiru? Daley looked at Haruka questioningly, and she gave him a stern look in return. Immediately taking it as a sign not to show recognition of his partner, Wong discreetly walked over to his fellow officers and spread the word not to give Ten'ou away. Meanwhile, Kou led Michiru and a very nervous Haruka over to a grand piano set up on the corner of the stage. Looking out into the stands, Michiru saw a single young Chinese woman sitting in the empty theater, and bowed to her. Reika Chang nodded back with a smile. Haruka swallowed hard as she straightened the sheet music in front of her. Adjusting her seat, she sat down and studied the piece in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she placed her fingers on the keys and started to play. In spite of her nervousness, or perhaps because of it, the music flowed out with an emotion and intensity that caught even her off guard. As she played, praying that she not hit a bad note, she suddenly heard a sweet sounding violin accompanying her. Looking over to her right, she saw Michiru playing alongside her. She slowly began to relax as her piano and Michiru's violin complimented each other through the song's bridge. At last finishing the piece, Haruka stood up and joined Michiru in bowing to Miss Chang, who was clapping for the pair from her seat. She then walked from her seat to the stairs at the side of the stage and came over to them. "C'est excellent!" she said. Michiru smiled as she bowed again. "Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle Chang." she began, "(I'm glad you liked it.)" Reika returned her smile. "(Your French is very good. You almost sound like you have a Belgian accent.)" "(That would be because my French instructor was from Belgium.)" Both women laughed at that. Haruka nervously shifted her feet as she crossed her arms. She preferred Kou's company, truth be told. At least he spoke Japanese. As Reika and Michiru continued talking, Haruka noticed something over near the side of the stage, partially hidden by the stage curtain. Moving back over to the piano, she went through the motions of adjusting the seat back to its original position as she quickly looked to see what the object was. She froze when she realized it was a mask of a white tiger. "Monsieur Ten'ou?" Haruka turned back to see her girlfriend and Miss Chang both looking rather sad. "Bad news I'm afraid." Michiru said, "There are no openings left in the orchestra. Mademoiselle Chang has promised to remember us though, and to recommend us to the owner of the amphitheater." Haruka looked from the violinist to Miss Chang and gallantly bowed to her. She returned the gesture, complimenting Michiru as she came up on having snagged such a handsome young man. Calling Kou over, she had him lead both young ladies back out into the streets. Once they were safely back out on the crowded sidewalks, Michiru lit up. "That was incredible!" she exclaimed. "We managed to sneak in, meet Reika Chang, and play together in front of her. You know, we make a pretty good team, I..." she stopped when she noticed the way Haruka was silently scowling at her. "Haruka-kun?" she asked nervously. Haruka grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into a nearby side street. She then began pacing in front of the anxious violinist, trying to get her temper under control. "You could've gotten us both killed!" she shouted. "You're not a police officer, and I was unarmed. If anything had happened back there, we would've both been done for!" Michiru silently looked down as Haruka continued. "We had no idea who or what was waiting for us inside the building. Your actions placed both of us in danger, and... wait, what are you doing?" she asked as she saw a teardrop travel down Michiru's cheek, followed by a second down her other cheek. "No, that's not fair! I'm right, damn it; you're not allowed to try to make me feel guilty by..." by now Michiru's lower lip was starting to quiver. As the snow fell around them, Haruka hung her own head in defeat. She went over and hugged the smaller girl to her as she ran her fingers through Michiru's dark, wavy hair. "I... I'm sorry, Michi-chan." she whispered. She couldn't stand the sight of her girlfriend crying. "Please don't cry. Everything's all right." Michiru looked up at her, and Haruka wiped the tears away with her index finger. She then cradled the violinist's face in her hands and kissed her gently on the lips. "Next time, tell me when you're going to do something that crazy, okay?" she said as she stroked her cheeks with her thumbs. Michiru finally smiled again. "Did... Did you learn anything while we were in there?" she asked. The blond nodded gravely. "Hai, I learned something all right. We need to get to your cousin's at once." she said. With that, both young women headed out of the side street toward the house Linna and Priss were sharing. ---To Be Continued--- End Notes: Don't worry; next chapter, everyone's back. With a cast this large, I just decided it would be fun to give some of the other players their own little chapters to play around in. ''Till next time, ciao!
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