The Unlikely Couple: Chapter 1 (The Piano Dilemma)

By NurikoChan (a.k.a. Yoon Park)

Note:

There are some parts of this fanfiction that are not humanly possible, like two teenagers carrying

a large piano, but its anime, and everyone knows that anything can happen in anime.

Caution: There is profanity.

"Meiko, I'm so happy for you," cried Koishikawa Miki as she ran into the arms of her best

friend, Akizuki Meiko. The day had gone by so quickly because of Meiko's wedding party. Meiko had

insisted to have it in the park instead of a church because it was more roomy outside, but more

importantly, because the day was so sunny, cool, and too inviting to resist. The two girls kept on

chatting until Namura showed up and swept away his new wife. It was getting late and some of the

guests had already left leaving only Miki, Yuu, Meiko, Namura, Michael, Anju, Kei, and Suzu alone

in the park. Michael, Kei, and Yuu were occupying themselves by cleaning the few left overs of the

day's wedding feast. While Yuu was clearing off the food tables, Michael and Kei were busy moving

Suzu's piano.

"We should have brought my piano. Doesn't weight a thousand pounds like this one."

"My hands are gonna fall off," whined Michael as he tilted his head to one side and let out

a sigh. "Let's take a rest, please!"

Kei eagerly agreed and the two set the piano carefully on the grass and sat down. Suzu

spotted Kei and Michael resting on the ground a couple of yards away from her. She stared at them

in contempt and rolled her eyes. How lazy can they be she thought to herself as she walked up to

them.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you have a piano to move?" Michael turned around to

see Suzu, hands on her hips.

"Go away," Kei said cooly not even bothering to glance at her, "and bug somebody else.

We're tired."

"So? The party's over and I want to go home.... with my piano," stammered Suzu as she

glared at Kei with fervor eyes. Michael switched his glance back and forth from Kei to Suzu till he

started getting dizzy.

"Hey, let's just do what she says," he interrupted. "I'm done resting anyways."

"Fine," replied Kei as he stood up and wiped some of the dry grass from his tuxedo. "Let's get this

piece of junk back into the van." Kei said. The two friends started chuckling.

"That wasn't funny," said Suzu, her narrowed eyes moving steadily back and forth towards

Kei and Michael.

"Of course it wasn't," replied Kei sarcastically as his smile broadened. The two boys

looked at each other knowingly and started laughing again, this time a bit more sinisterly. Suzu's

face turned beet red as they passed by her with the piano.

"This is a $2000 piano, and a very prized posession of my family's. Don't you even dare

mock it. It's going to be a family heirloom someday so.... <pause>...stop laughing...<pause>. You

think that's funny, don't you? You are so annoying! No wonder your parents stopped having children

after you were born," Suzu said rudely. Her bottom lip was sticking out and her brows were drawn

together in an angry manner. Her hair was a little bit mangled from the wind that was still blowing

through it, and thick strands of it were lightly swaying back and forth on her shoulders. Her brown

eyes were as bright as ever, sparkling and glowing from the anger still bottled up in her, and

contrasted nicely with her long blonde hair. She looked absolutely adorable and irresistibly cute,

and with the dress on, surprisingly beautiful.

"Well?" said Suzu, her voice whiny and impatient. She was staring at Kei, who was also

staring at her. He didn't reply and the two stood there looking at each other for a long moment

till Michael, whose muscles were being painfully strained by the huge black piano, broke the

silence.

"Just apologize to her for goodness sake. My arm is KILLING me!" he cried with a grunt when

his hands almost slipped from the portion of the piano, which he was holding onto.

"I'm sorry," Kei said unemotionally and in a quiet voice as he switched his glance to

Michael, who was losing his grip again.

"Aaah....uhhhahhh..Ahhhhh..[THUD]....FUCK!!" Michael cried as he tripped on his unlaced

shoelace and fell hard on the ground, leaving Kei to hold the piano up by himself.

"Ugghhhh.....Michael..I'll kii.ll..youuu...Ahhhhuhhhh..<THUD>...Damn it!"

"Man, my aching butt," Michael said in a long sigh, rubbing his hand gently on the very

spot where he had landed.

"Grass stains!" exclaimed Kei, "On my tuxedo pants. I can't believe this.

<turning his head toward Michael who is in the process of standing up> "This is all your fault."

"My fault!?" replied Michael as he reached down to rub his sore rear. Kei stared at him in

disgust.

"What about this!" he shouted pointing to Michael's dress shoes. Michael looked down to see

that the lace on the left shoe was undone.

"Oh no. Don't start blaming things on me. I remember tying this before we left the picnic

area," he said in defense.

"Yeah..and I remember telling you to retie it when we sat down," Kei replied sighing.

"Hey, where'd Suzu go?" Michael asked, trying to switch topics.

"I don’t know, and quit changing..." started Kei.

Suddenly a loud cry burst out into the air. It sounded like...

"Suzu!!" Kei exclaimed.

"Shit," Michael whispered to himself as he and Kei looked at one another. The two teenagers

quickly rushed toward the piano with frantic looks upon their faces.

"Suzu?!" Kei shouted.

Suzu was sitting on the ground crying loudly next to the piano.

"Are you okay, Suzu?" Michael, who was behind Kei, asked.

"I’m fine," Suzu replied much to Kei and Michael’s relief, "but I can’t say the same thing

for my piano."

"Piano?" asked the boys. They turned to look at it but didn’t see one scratch.

"Suzu, what are you talking about? There’s nothing wrong with it," replied Kei.

"Look at the latches on top, you idiot," said Suzu who had risen up to her feet.

Michael and Kei stood up to look at the latch hinges, and frowned at the sight of them.

Both the latches were unfastened and very obviously broken.

"Do you have any IDEA how much the damages will be?" shouted Suzu as she glared at Michael.

"You ruined an absolutely perfect family heirloom. My father will kill me when he sees this.

I can’t believe I agreed to bring it along. I knew something like this would happen. We should have

hired experienced movers. And just what are you smiling at penguin freak?" she said as she looked

at Kei.

"At you, crybaby. It’s just broken hinges. It won’t cost much. No problem."

"I don’t believe you," Suzu said haughtily. "Just wait till I tell daddy," Suzu said giving

Kei a big sweet grin of her own. "You two, and <pokes Kei in the middle of his chest> ESPECIALLY

you will wish you were never born. <a big smile on her face> I suggest you both find a very good

lawyer," she finished saying as she turned and walked away back to the wedding site. "And get that

piano loaded into the truck right now. Don't even dare sit down and rest again!" she shouted

looking back at the two flabbergasted teens. They looked at her, both mouths opened as she

disappeared up the hill from which she descended down upon around 15 minutes earlier.

"It’s just broken hinges. Why does she have to make such a big deal out of this?" Kei

stammered angrily. "We’ll see who gets the better lawyer."

"It wasn’t my fault," Michael whined.

"Yes it was," replied Kei, "And now..<walks over to the piano grabs hold onto the left side>

...on with the moving." Michael groaned again, louder this time.

"Just five minutes. I'm really tired," he said gently letting himself down onto the

grass. "And my butt still hurts."

"And get that hellion of a girl to yell at me again?" said Kei thinking about Suzu's angry

puffed up face. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed the pleasant scent of her hair earlier that

afternoon, and was wondering what shampoo she had used today. "Hell no. I can't believe she is

talking about suing me for a stupid piano accident which was totally......."

"Your fault?" suggested Michael.

"It was not," protested Kei as he walked up to Michael and swapped him on the back of his

head. The more Michael and he talked about Suzu, especially in a negative way, the more he thought

of her. No matter how annoying it was, he didn't mind listening to her slightly whining childish

voice. Even though Kei had a crush on Miki for a long time, near the end of the relationship when

she got back together with Yuu, he started thinking about Suzu a couple of times. He loved her hair

and her brown eyes, and actually thought her to be cute the first time he met her. Not as pretty

and adorable as Miki, but very close.

Kei started remembering the time when Suzu came to the bar where he worked on the night of

Christmas Eve. They both didn't have dates so he played her a song on the piano. Kei started

remembering the brightness of Suzu's eyes and the big smile that was on her face when he started

playing the love song. She was lovely and innocent looking like a child that night, and she stared

at him the whole time while he performed. She clamped her hands, commenting on how much she loved

his music, and asked him to play another song. From that point on he spent the whole evening with

her playing some popular love music, and even a couple of his own compositions. She was even bold

enough to come up to him while he was playing and ask to teach her to play 'Jingle Bells'. She

wasn't shy at all like most of the girls he knew from school, and he happily coached her through

the song. But whenever she happened to make a mistake he would make fun of her by rolling his eyes

and shaking his head disapprovingly, which drove her insane with fury. She was determined to play as

well as him, and he admired her for her competitiveness and perseverance.

"Hey, Michael," Kei said trying to get his mind off Suzu, "how are things with Anju?"

"Well, she still has feelings for Yuu, but...now that she has met me, well...you

know," Michael replied chuckling. Kei looked at Michael for a long moment, both brows raised.

"Actually, I don't know. I'll give it at the most a couple of weeks...hmm..maybe less.

<Michael gives Kei an annoying look> Just kidding. <pause> Now then <turns his glance back to the

piano>, let's get this ugly excuse for a piano back onto the van and stop wasting time here," Kei

said grinning, thinking again back to the way Suzu had threatened to sue him. "I have a big

headache right now."

Michael agreed and the two went back to moving the piano. When they finished hauling the

gigantic instrument into the van, they started heading back toward the others, talking about a huge

new amusement park that was going to open next week.

"Everyone at school are going to go, and I'm thinking about it too," Michael said.

"Thinkin' about askin' Anju to go, right?" Kei said with a long sigh.

"Of course," replied Michael enthusiastically. "Once we start having fun and get to

know each other better you know that Yuu will be out of her mind, and then <smiles mischieviously>

she'll be all mine for the taking."

"That'll sure take a while," Kei murmured quietly.

"In all due time my friend," Michael replied as he overheard his companion. "By the way,

who are you taking?"

"Taking?" asked Kei.

"Yeah..to the park," Michael taunted.

"I don't know if I'm even going so why should I bother asking anyone?" Kei replied.

"Not going?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Amusement parks are for babies and little kids and...." Kei remarked when Michael

interrupted him.

"Hey, I've been going to them all my life and just went to one in New York like two years

ago so..." Michael said but then Kei cut him off short.

"I rest my case."

"Not to mention the gold latches on the top lid is loose, and of course they'll have to

pay for that," Suzu noted as she kept on mentioning all the physical damages done to the piano.

"Only broken hinges?" asked Yuu as he finished dumping all the trash into a nearby garbage

can.

"Well, I didn't really have a good look. I'm sure there are more damages," replied Suzu,

"and I'm going to tell daddy everything."

"Oh my. How much would it cost to fix the piano?" asked Anju.

"A couple hundred probably. Like I said, I didn't even check all the damages so there

might be more that I don't even know about yet," Suzu said. She paused and looked around the park

for a moment. "Where is everyone? Did I miss something while I was gone?"

"Well, Namura and Meiko left already and Miki is I think in the bathroom trying to get a

soda stain off her dress," Yuu answered.

"Soda?" Suzu asked.

"Yep. She went to get a cup but missed her mouth and the stuff poured right onto the

dress. You know how clumsy she can be," replied Yuu.

"Excuse me?" said a voice. Yuu turned around and took a step back as he saw Miki's face.

"So that's what you really think of me now, huh?" she remarked half scornfully and jokingly.

"But that's what I love most about you," replied Yuu. "My cute, adorable, and clumsy Miki."

"Yuuu!" Miki yelled blushing into a bright maroon.

"What?" Yuu asked smiling happily. "It's funny."

"And very embarrassing," replied a voice. Yuu, Miki, Anju, and Suzu turned around to see

that Michael was right behind them.

"Hey, guys," he said smiling and putting his arm around Anju, "what did I miss?"

"It was the funniest thing. Miki-san dropped some soda on her dress and had to go wash it

off," Anju replied.

"Anju-san, please," Miki whined.

"Oh, it's okay Miki," Michael said. "To tell, you the truth, I'm not very surprised."

"Somebody please change the subject," Miki said blushing again.

"Hey, Michael," said Yuu, "where's Kei?"

"Oh, he's making a phone call right now to his parents. He should be back soon," Michael

replied smiling. "By the way, Anju, can I talk to you for a second over there?" Michael said as he

pointed to a narrow patch of bushes. Anju turned to look at Michael, and she had a puzzled look on

her face.

"Uhh, sure," she finally replied. The two walked off leaving the other three behind.

"We'll be right back," Michael yelled as he turned to Yuu, Miki, and Suzu, and waved.

"What was all that about?" Suzu asked bewildered. Yuu and Miki shrugged.

"Maybe he's asking her out," Yuu suggested.

"But he's asked her out in front of us before," said Miki.

"Whatever, it is, it's gotta be big if he doesn't want to talk in front of us," added Suzu.

Her companions nodded in agreement. They stared at Michael and Anju as the couple reached the

bushes and started talking.

"Oh, look, she's smiling," Miki said excitedly.

"I think she's blushing too," Yuu said as he squinted his eyes.

"Is she nodding her head?" Suzu asked.

"Look at Michael, he's so excited," Miki added.]

"If he hugs her any tighter, she won't be able to breathe," Suzu said frowning.

"A-HEM!"

"Oh, how sweet. They're kissing," said Suzu smiling. "I wish I had my camera with me.

It's rare having Michael-sensei captured in a Kodak moment."

"A-HEM!"

"Yuu, you want some water for that dry throat?" Miki asked as she looked up at Yuu.

"Huh?" he replied. "My throat's not dry."

"A-HEM!" said Kei. Miki, Yuu, and Suzu turned around abruptly.

"Uh, Kei-kun, how long had you been standing there?" Miki asked surprised.

Kei smiled.

"Long enough," he replied. "By the way, you three aren't spying are you?" he said slyly.

"Not as long as you were probably spying on us," said Suzu as she looked up at Kei.

"Nice to see you too," Kei answered back with a smirk.

"Humph," said Suzu as she turned around to look back at Michael and Anju.

"We're trying to figure out what's going on between those two," Yuu interrupted. "Do you

have any idea what they're talking about?"

"Yeah, I have a slight idea," Kei said smiling again.

"What is it?" Miki asked, her eyes widening.

"Michael and I were talking while we were loading the piano onto the truck <pauses to look

at Suzu> and he told me that he was planning to ask her to, well, ya know, go steady," Kei said.

"STEADY?" Miki, Yuu, and Suzu said dumbfounded.

"But it's so soon!" Miki remarked.

"Well, Michael felt a little threatened by some competition <looks at Yuu>, so he decided

not to wait," Kei explained. Yuu noticed Kei's glance, but didn't say anything.

"Who?" asked Suzu with bright round eyes.

"I'm sorry, little girl; am I talking to you?" Kei said as he looked down at the young

blonde. Suzu's face puffed up, and she stuck out her bottom lip.

"NEVERMIND!" she shouted.

"Ow! My ear!" Kei whined as he clamped his hands over the sides of his face.

"You are so immature," Suzu said as she pushed Kei.

"You need to learn some respect, kid," Kei commented.

"Well, I'm sure not gonna learn it from you," replied Suzu.

"Oh, look, here they come," Miki said interrupting Kei and Suzu's argument. The four

watched as Michael and Anju walked back up the hill from the bushes, hand in hand.

"Congratulations!" Miki said happily.

"Eh?" Anju said confused, but still smiling.

"Sorry, Michael," said Kei shrugging. "They beat it out of me."

"I knew I couldn't trust you," Michael said also smiling.

"You two look so happy," Suzu said. "How does it feel to be going steady?"

"Good, I guess," replied Anju as she looked at Michael.

"Awww," Miki and Suzu said as Michael bent down to kiss Anju again.

"Congratulations," said Yuu. "I'm happy for you two."

"Me too," added Kei. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," replied Michael. He put his arm around Anju and straightened her coat.

"By the way, we better get going now, Miki," said Yuu. "It's getting late."

"We have to get going also," Michael said. "Me and Anju are having a dinner date tonight."

Anju smiled in agreement and looked back at her friends.

"Wait a minute," Suzu interrupted. "Michael, you can't leave. You're my ride back home."

"Eh? Ride?" Michael asked with a perplexed expression.

"Don't tell me you forgot," Suzu whined.

"Oh my gosh," Michael gasped. "I'm sorry. I can't today..."Uh <looks over at Kei>, Kei!

Yes, Kei will take you home."

"He is?" asked Suzu.

"I am?" asked Kei.

"<looks at Suzu> Yes, he is, <looks at Kei> and yes, you are," Michael replied.

Kei sighed and looked down at Suzu.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"Thanks," Michael said as he looked at Suzu's livid face. "Sorry, Suzu."

"Humph," Suzu replied. Michael frowned and gave the van keys to Kei.

"Don't mind her," Kei said with a half-smile. "You two go on and have fun. I'll babysit for

you."

"Babysit?!" Suzu growled through clenched teeth.

End of Chapter 1