The library
After dinner, Shu and I went up to the room that we both shared. I put a cd in the player and sat on my bed. Shu rifled through the closet, producing a box of twinkies.
“So Shin,” he began, “You gonna be in the school fine arts show?” He unwrapped a twinkie and proceeded to stuff it in his mouth.
“I don't know,” I said, “I have something I could do, but I don't know if I could perform in front of the whole school.”
“So, just imagine everyone in their underwear,” he grinned. Reaching for another twinkie, he added, “Let’s have a look at what you have.”
“All right, but it's not very good,” I said walking over to my keyboard. I grabbed a folder and handed it to Shu.
“Whoa Shin! You mean you wrote a song?” He said flipping through the pages.
“It's not much, I mean, it's the first song I've ever written.” I said modestly.
“This is great Shin!” he smiled, “I could never come up with something like this. What's it called?”
“Longing for Tenderness,” I replied.
“That's deep man,” he said replacing the sheet music, “Why don't ya play it for me?”
“Well, I don't know, it's not all that great,” I said, still unsure of myself.
“Come on Shin, I'm your best friend, besides, how will I know if it's any good if you won't play it?”
“Well,” I muttered.
“Pleeeease,” he whined.
“All right,” I gave in. I sat down in front of my keyboard and began to play. I sang the from the beginning to the end of my song with only a few minor flaws. After I had sounded the last note, I looked over to where Shu was sitting. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.
“Wow,” he managed to say, “you're good.”
“You liked it?” I asked hopefully.
“That was great Shin,” he grinned, “You'll win the contest for sure.”
“Really?” I replied timidly.
“Come on Shin, don't sell yourself short. If you really put your mind to it, you could really go somewhere with this. You're talented, trust me.”
Trust, I thought, if my best friend said that I have talent, then I do.
“Thanks,” I beamed proudly.
“Everyone take your seats,” said my music teacher Ms. Tori, “I have an announcement to make.” The students scurried around the room to find their places before she continued, “By now I'm sure that everyone has heard that our school is having its annual fine arts show next month. What you didn't hear is that there is going to be a different prize for the first and second place winners. This year, the first place winner will receive a scholarship to any college for one full year. The second place winner will receive a scholarship for one semester. This includes the study abroad programs as well. Anyone in the school is eligible to enter. I hope that all of you will consider auditioning because this is a great opportunity to further you education if you win. For all of those interested, there is a sign-up sheet on the piano. The auditions are this Friday.”
After class, I made my way through the crowded classroom to add my name to the sign-up sheet. As I turned to leave, I sensed someone watching me. I turned around only to see a girl by the name of Jenina looking straight at me.
“You're going to try for the fine arts competition?” she said with a bit of indignation in her voice.
“Yes,” I replied in a friendly tone, “And you?”
“Naturally.” she said flipping her long, dark hair over her shoulders, “I've been taking voice lessons for years and I won last year's fine arts show.”
“I'm sure you'll do well then,” I replied becoming rather irritated by her condescending attitude.
“Do you have anything prepared? I'm singing an aria from an Italian opera.”
“I wrote the piece I'm doing myself,” I said.
“That's nice,” she replied lightly as she twirled a strand of her hair, “It's so adorable when students try to write their own songs.”
“Adorable?” I replied, trying to mask my irritation.
“Yes, I mean, without proper instruction a young composer can only go so far, but I'm sure the judges will give you credit for your effort,” she giggled.
I felt insulted. She had just implied that my song was somehow second-rate. I resolved to prove her wrong.
“That is up to the judges to decide,” I snapped as I turned to leave the classroom. I took a few deep breaths to relax myself before rushing off to my next class.
After school, I headed straight for the lake behind Nasuti’s house. That's where I always went when I wanted to relax and clear my head. After taking off my jacket, shoes, and socks, I dove into the crystal blue water. The water welcomed me. It took me into its gentle arms and caressed my troubled soul with its gentle currents. I was at my best when surrounded by water. I took the pale blue orb from my pocket and transformed into my yoroi, Suiko. There, I can breathe now. As I dove deeper, I began to dwell on the incident with Jenina that morning.
That girl has such nerve! I thought, what conceit! I sincerely hoped that she wouldn't win the scholarship because of her attitude. I wanted to win the contest just to deprive Jenina of the honor. Then I caught myself, I shouldn't be thinking this way. No, I will not lower myself to her level by wishing her ill luck. If I treat her well and even encourage her, then maybe she will feel bad for the way she's treated me. I swam down to the bottom of the lake. Lying on the bottom, I looked up at the water's surface. The light from the sun danced as it was reflected all around in the water above me. I felt fortunate to be able to witness such beauty.
I breathed deeply. When underwater, the air seemed to taste so sweet. I was completely relaxed. My thoughts seemed to drift like the waves themselves. My mood was broken when I noticed the surface of the water ripple above me. I then saw a tiny stone sink to the bottom from where the ripple was. Someone must be skipping stones on the lake, I thought. I decided to swim for the surface to see who it was. I sent my yoroi back to its resting place and poked my head above the surface. I saw two figures standing on the shore waving their arms at me. As I swam closer, I was able to see that it was Ryo and Shu waving at me. Smiling, I swam towards them and climbed out of the water.
“What brings you guys here?” I asked cheerfully.
“We saw you rush right out of school, so we figured you'd be here,” said Ryo. “You usually don't leave in such a hurry, so we thought we'd ask you if something was upsetting you.” Ryo had an uncanny ability to sense whenever something was wrong. I don't know if it was another one of his powers, or just my imagination. He just seemed to know.
I proceeded to tell them about Jenina and what she said to me after music class that day.
“... That's how it happened,” I said as I finished giving the account, “She really got under my skin with her remarks.”
“You can't let her get to you Shin,” advised Ryo, “I mean, you'll just have to show her how good you are at the fine arts show.”
“Yeah man, I just know you're gonna win,” winked Shu. “Now here,” he said throwing my jacket to me, “get your clothes on, I don't think Nasuti likes it when we sit on her furniture in sub-armor.”
I grinned. I had completely forgot I was still in my sub-armor. It was so lightweight that it was almost like a second skin. I willed the sub-armor away and replaced my clothes.
That weekend, the five of us had nothing to do. We were all sitting in front of the TV in the living room. Shu and Ryo were fighting over the remote.
“Hey guys!” called Nasuti's voice from the top of the stairs. “I'm going out tonight so you'll have the place to yourselves.”
“We promise not to burn the place down,” yelled Ryo in response.
"How do I look?" asked Nasuti, walking down the stairs. She was wearing a light pink sundress with matching shoes and purse. Ryo whistled and said, “Wow, you look great.”
“Not bad, not bad.” commented Shu, dropping the remote.
“So Shin,” she asked, “How did the audition go?” She glanced over to where I was sitting on the sofa.
“I think it went very well.” I replied, “The results won't be posted until Monday, so I won't know for sure if I get to perform.”
“You'll get to perform no doubt,” said Shu confidently, “If you guys could've heard him sing that song he wrote, you'd swear that he could be a professional musician.”
“I've still a half an hour before I have to leave, why don't you give us a recital Shin,” Nasuti grinned.
“Yeah, I'm sure Shu will be happy to bring your keyboard down for you,” remarked Touma.
“Sure,” replied Shu as he ran up the stairs after my keyboard.
“Well, I guess I don't have much choice on the matter, do I?” I said smiling timidly.
I played the keyboard and sang my song for all of my friends. It was fairly easy to play for them because I knew that they would never lie to me about what they thought. As I finished playing, I heard my friends lightly applaud. I looked around the room. They were all smiling at me.
“That was great!” said Nasuti.
“Wow,” grinned Touma, looking very impressed.
“Don't even think we're just saying that either,” added Ryo, “I know you're going to win that contest.”
I smiled. I was so fortunate to have such wonderful friends.
After class that Monday, I checked the list that was posted on the bulletin board outside the music room. Scanning through the list, I noted that I was scheduled to perform last, right after Jenina.
“So, I see you're on the list,” said the voice of Jenina who happened to be reading the list over my shoulder.
“So are you,” I replied remembering my promise to myself about being nice to her.
“It must be nerve-racking to have to perform last. I always find that if I go first, I do much better,” she said.
“Well, I'm sure that we'll both do well,” I answered.
“I know I'll do well, after all, I do have quite a bit of experience,” she boasted.
“Don't sell me short. I may be new at this, but I may just surprise you.” I turned to leave.
“You'll find that I'm a hard one to surprise,” she added coldly.
I shook my head. I could sense that Jenina saw me as obstacle in her efforts to win the contest. She must think that by antagonizing me, she would somehow hinder my success. I could sense her fear of losing. She was resentful of me for wanting to win. Wait a minute! I shouted in my mind, how did I know she was afraid? There was no way for me to know what she was feeling, unless... No, the very thought was crazy. Were Suiko's powers somehow allowing me a glimpse into Jenina's thoughts? My head began to pound with a sudden headache. I was glad that the school day was almost over.
After school, the headache had not let up. It felt like there was someone inside my head beating at the sides of my skull with a hammer.
“Whoa Shin, you don't look so good,” said Shu as I grabbed my books from my locker.
“I have an awful headache,” I replied, “I think I better go right home.” We walked outside when Ryo, Touma and Seiji met us. They looked concerned.
“Hey Shin,” said a worried Touma, “You might want to keep your head down. Your kanji is flashing like crazy.”
“But, how?” I muttered. It must have been that my head ached so much that I couldn't even feel the kanji pulsing on my forehead. I groaned. The pain was intensifying.
“Come on buddy, we need to get you back to Nasuti's house,” said Shu, taking hold of my arm.
I don't know how I managed to make it there. I was so thankful that my friends were there to help me. I started to feel myself losing consciousness. Shu had to carry me into the house and place me on the bed. I was afraid. I didn't know what was happening to me.
“Can't you do anything for him Seiji?” asked Touma, “Do you have the power to heal him?”
“I am not sure if I can when I am not in my yoroi, but I will try.” he replied. I felt him place his hand on my forehead. After a few moments, I felt his hand become hot. That heat spread throughout my head and into my body.
Poor Shin, I sure hope I can help him. I could never forgive myself if something happens to him. I heard Seiji's voice clearly in my mind. I felt the heat begin to pulse like waves running over my body. The pulses were slow at first, but they began to pulse faster and faster. After a few moments, it seemed as if my entire body were vibrating. That was when I blacked out.