<< CHAPTER FOUR                                                                          CHAPTER SIX >>

Walking slowly, with each step she takes, she looked up to the building and smiled. Her head, flashed that particular person face. "I miss you," she whispered as she played with the bracelet that was around her hand. 

Today was Monday. Riko decided to come to school to practice her dance since she didn't have ample space available back in the apartment. 

Using the key that was given to her by her teacher, she unlocked the dance studio, and started to blast her music through the speakers available in her room. Lifting her legs up, she took a few steps, as she imagined someone teaching her. "Step one two three, four five," 

About one hour later, Riko took a break and settled down on the floor. She look at the bracelet again, and smiled. "Are you missing me like how I am missing you?" she thought

She shake the scene away from her head, before she walked out of the room for a breather. "Hey!" someone voiced out, which made Riko jerked up, before she turned and look. "Oh, Nakajima-kun," 

"Practicing?" he asked. Riko nodded her head, and looked at him before he turned to look out from the railings. "About Chinen..." Yuto mumbled, before Riko turned and looked at him. "I've decided to get Aiko to be my duet person instead. However, Aiko is getting Chinen-san to be her duet partner for the piano," 

"I see.. hope it'll work, ne?" Yuto said. 

"I'm kind of curious, but isn't you and Yamada-kun quite close to Chinen-san? But yet... he gave the cold attitude, but to Takaki-kun, it's different," 

Yuto just smiled bitterly, without answering her question.

***

"Yuto," Ryousuke called for him, and Yuto hurriedly turned. "Maybe afterall, we should really talk to Chinen and Takaki, I can't stand them missing from class and such," 

"Yama-chan, but... they won't listen to us. You saw how Chinen treated us the other time," Yuto lowered his head. 

"Why? We used to be so close. The four of us," Ryousuke fiddled with his hands. "We can't blame them, after all they went through so much more than us, and... the thing is, the both of them... is just so stubborn,"

***

"EH!? You're the one who ask that girl to come and ask me to duet with her?" Chinen shouted out, as he pushed himself away from Takaki's embrace. "WHY!?" he shouted, looking at Takaki. "Chii, listen. You need to have a live performance. You need experience," 

"But... I don't want to duet with anybody but you, Yuyan," Chinen mumbled, his face turning to the side. "Chii, you need to get it over, the other time, the competition, it was my fault. I should be the one practicing more not you. Why are you tormenting yourself like this?! It hurts me to see you in this state," Takaki said, as he pulled Chinen in for a hug. "Please, Chii. I beg you, stop it," 

"Yuyan, I can't leave you like this. I'm going to be a pianist for you," 

"Don't. Be a pianist for youself Chii. I don't want you to hurt yourself even deeper than this," Takaki released the hug, and placed Chinen's fringe to the side. 

***

Kicking the little stones found on the pavement, she brisk herself home. She stare at her palm for a long time on the way home, as she remembered what Yuto had used his finger to write on her palm. 

"Why I wonder, did it gave me such a ....sad feeling?" Riko thought.