Kaleido Star Fan Fiction ❯ Setting Her Soul Aflame ❯ Op. I, No. 1: Deciphering Emotions ( Chapter 1 )

Story Notes:

- The odd chapters are written from Layla's POV and the even ones are written from Sora's POV.

- This story is dedicated to the wonderful authors who write awesome stories about this couple. I never knew how bloody hard it was until I tried, so I'm eternally grateful for those who managed to pull it off!

- All the goody disclaimers go here! I'll take the time to write one if they take the time to sue me.

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Music Terminology Reference:

- Here's a quick reference to a few musical terms. For more information, look up the bold words at Wikipedia.

+ presto: music with a very fast beat tempo (168 - 200 bpm).

+ caprice: music that is lively in character and free in form (fast, intense, and virtuosic in nature).

+ violin fingerboard: place where violinist holds down the strings with their hand.

+ violin bridge: place where violinist slides the bow.

+ trill: rapidly alternating back and forth between two notes.

+ rhapsody: type of music that is free flowing with dynamic moods.

+ requiem: type of music that is melancholic, commonly played at funerals.

+ symphony orchestra: a full size orchestra of more than 80 musicians.

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Op. I, No. 1: Deciphering Emotions

 

Scribbling down a few criticizing notes on her clipboard, a young, blond hair woman impatiently sits through an audition hearing. Judging a bunch of amateurs competing for a spot in one of the top symphony orchestras in the world was not how she wanted to spend the majority of her day. Listening to the many CD recordings that were submitted for the prescreening was bad enough, but staying for the live audition literally boiled her blood. She regretted not bringing her aluminum pen because she had snapped the graphite off of six or seven pencils when instrumental mistakes reached her ears. Luckily for her, there were a few spares to go around from the other judges.

“Layla, please calm down. That's the last pencil we have.” the music coordinator handed her a typical yellow pencil.

“Thank you Mia, but I assure you, it will still remain usable by the end of this audition.”

How can she relax when the majority of the participants lacked seriousness about the audition? Did they not know that the Kaleido Philharmonic Orchestra's purpose was to show the audience the true feelings behind a masterpiece? Did they not know that this was a place for a musician to pour one's soul into one's instrument when performing? Hell, could they not even infer that auditioning for a world class orchestra meant that one would have to be pretty damn good and at least not make any technical mistakes to even be considered into such an orchestra?

Another hour passed, another shriek from an instrument along with a snap from a pencil, but keeping her word, snapped the pencil in half leaving the graphite intact, and the audition was over. She rubbed her temples, knowing that not enough participants passed for her to escape another judging session. Standing up, she handed her critiques to the amber hair stage manager and hastily took her leave. Halfway through shoving the auditorium door open, a sudden force slammed the door shut sending her flying back, landing with an unpleasant thud. She groaned and in return, was met with another groan on the other side of the door. The stage manager rushed to her side helping her up with Mia in pursuit.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“I'm fine. Thank you Ken. ”

Sighing while brushing the dust off her skirt, she glared at the door and tried not to growl as she slowly pushed it open again. Just thinking about the cause of the collision only worsened her mood. Walking out into the lobby, she was presented with a deep fuchsia hair girl holding her nose, luggage scattered all about. The girl raised her head and displayed a look of recognition as well as panic when Layla's eyes scrutinized the girl's entire being. Shooting up on the spot, the girl started profusely bowing over and over while apologizing.

“I'm so sorry! Really sorry! I was in a hurry for the auditions and-”

“The auditions are over. No exceptions are permitted.”

“Ah, but there's a profound reason for why I was late and-”

“No matter what happens, a concert performance begins on time. Tardiness is not acceptable.”

“But-”

“Go home.” She turned on her heels and began leaving, but a tall presence blocked her way.

“You're… you're that freaky man from before! You followed me here?!” The girl accusingly jab the air with her index finger at the spiked hair man, who now beamed seriously at Layla with his tinted orange shades.

“This girl will play in tonight's concert.”

“Eh… EH?!?!”

“What is the meaning of this Carlos?”

“Ken, show this girl to the dresser room and prepare her for tonight. Mia, adjust the evening program and seating arrangements according to this list.”

“Yes Maestro!”

She watched as Carlos, who was seemingly ignoring her, handed Mia a few documents while Ken helped the now stunned newcomer with her luggage and lead her away. Only after the commotion had subsided and preparations for the concert was well underway, did Carlos give his much desired attention to her.

“Patience Layla. I predict something interesting will occur that you may find very beneficial.”

Carlos pushed up his shades and walked away, leaving her silently fuming and glaring at the event that just took place.

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Angry trills filled the private dresser room as Layla attempted to saw her violin in half with a bow. Music was one of the few things in the world that she could use to fully express herself through, otherwise, ulcers and bloody tongues would result from the amount of stress and annoyance she had been receiving lately. She was very glad to have brought her violin to the auditions despite not needing it, because for the time being, she was downright pissed. Everything about today was irritating and exhausting.

Temporarily pausing to tune her instrument, which was just an excuse to save her violin from further abuse, she reflected on past events which she blames as the root of all her current problems. When her Russian partner left for Europe and instantly became a popular pianist there, other members began leaving in flocks thinking that they also can make it big going solo. After all, being accepted into the much famed orchestra meant that they were great to begin with. With the rate of drop-outs, the size of the orchestra would soon void its title of 'symphony,' thus triggering the undesired auditioning events which required her attendance.

Positioning the violin between her shoulder and chin, she began playing a presto caprice. Whether it sounded good or not, she did not care. She needed to calm herself by any means in order to present a great performance, because the audience always deserves the best of what she can give. Closing her eyes, she once again channeled all of her stress towards the violin as her slender fingers rapidly scaled the fingerboard. Right before reaching the climax, an untimely knock on the door rudely yanked her from her trance, shrieking her to a halt.

“WHAT?”

Whipping around to face the door, she swung faster than anticipated, which caused her to accidentally fling her bow across the room impaling the wall. The door slowly opened and a hesitant Mia peeked in. She sighed and motioned for the coordinator to enter.

“Here are the arranged pieces to match the adjustments in tonight's program.”

Mia cautiously handed over the music sheets, taking notice of the protruded bow. Shuffling through the sheets, she raised an eyebrow.

“These are not modifications, they are completely different scores. May I see the program?”

She was handed a brochure which listed the names of the pieces to be performed and the musicians who will be playing. A frown dawned upon her face as she scanned the role list, recognizing some of the names of the newly admitted participants from today. As she progressed down the list, her eyes widen when she came across an unknown name listed right under hers in the duet section.

“Who is Sora Naegino?”

“She's… the girl we met in the lobby after the auditions…”

“Impossible! The concert is in two hours! The majority of the pieces rehearsed this morning are not even part of the current program! How will the musicians adjust to such drastic changes? The new comers haven't even rehearsed, so how in the world are they going to handle the pressure? To top it off, the girl who didn't even audition will be playing a duet with me? What is Carlos thinking? This is absurd!” She tried not to crumple the brochure as all of the stress she barely managed to release came flooding back into her.

“I'm sorry, but Maestro seemed pretty set on the current arrangements. If you're worried about rehearsal, he gathered everyone as soon as you left and they have been practicing ever since. As for the duet… Maestro asked me to give you this.” She snatched the flimsy piece of note from the girl's hand and unfolded it.

Layla,

If you go along with this tonight, I'll release you from your judging duties and give you permission to boot off anyone from the orchestra. If you're still dead set on refusing to play with Sora, then there's nothing I can do. After all, it would be wrong to pressure you into facing something you're not ready for.

- Carlos

She crumpled up the paper, laughing at the poor excuse for an incentive, but a bit enraged at the sly use of a challenge, knowing that her stubborn self would always take the bait.

“Tell Ken to retrieve me a new bow… please.”

Tonight was going to be a long night.

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Settling into her seat, Layla closed her eyes and waited for the other musicians to fill into their respective seats on the stage. A clank and a series of metal collisions provoked her to gracefully move aside her music stand away from, judging by the sound, a domino effect. Lazily opening her eyes, she immediately regretted it as they began twitching at the sight of Sora, a name she failed to forget, who was frantically picking up the scattered stands.

Earlier that evening, she had briefly attended the rehearsal to get a general feel of what will be happening, but unfortunately, as late as it already was, time ran out before she could even speak to Sora about their duet. She will literally have to play it by ear, adjusting to any sort of flaw Sora may present. After all, she would not back out of this challenge.

The spotlights were ignited, the curtains were drawn, and the audience was revealed. Even with the decreased amount of members, Kaleido Philharmonic was still, one amazing orchestra on its own, resulting in a packed concert hall for tonight's performance. After the announcer recited the various rules, agendas, and introductions, Carlos ascended the platform, turned on his lamp, pulled out a baton from the interior of his dress blazer, and raised both hands freezing them in the air as he scanned the stage signaling for everyone to be ready. The hall became intensely silent… It begins.

The earlier parts of the concert went without a hitch. To her surprise, the orchestra played quite beautifully with the occasional tweaks and glitches here and there, which was to be expected from all the rush and changes. The opera song was nearing its end when Carlos signaled for Sora and her to be on standby. While standing up, she noticed that the girl's face looked a bit pale and overwhelmed. The vocalist ending her solo was cue for Sora and her to position their violins, and with a wave from Carlos' hand, their duet began. As expected, the intro took off on a rough start, but she quickly adjusted to the girl's slow tempo. A few moments into the piece and, once again, her temper resurfaced, but was quickly sunk by an unusual sight.

She became puzzled as she observed Sora's face, which shifted from shocked, to sleuthed, to annoyed? The girl's eyes never stayed long on the music sheet in front of her, but darted back and forth as if following the movements of... Carlos? No, Sora was not facing him… the audience? There were barely any movements in the crowd, let alone something interesting that could distract her like that… a fly? She spotted no such thing. Then Sora shook her head, scrunched her eyes shut, and mumbled something before suddenly arching her back, passionately swaying to the music. A burst of several emotions emerged from her as she frantically tried to rip her eyes away from the unpredictable girl. Why was she suddenly feeling threaten… competitive… burning with anger, no… excitement? There were a few more unknown emotions to decipher, but that would have to wait. All she was concerned with now was taking advantage of such feelings.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and composed herself before shredding the bow on the bridge of her violin, devouring every note in hopes that each absorbed bit will nurture the waves that stormed out of her instrument, propagating throughout the hall like fire. She was a bit startled by how naturally synched their playing had become, no longer needing the effort to adjust. It was as if Sora could read her rhythms, as if Sora and her were breathing as one. Her lingering thoughts and reasoning to questions were soon dissolved as she was overcome by a powerful emotion that left nothing but pure passion and ecstasy.

With a final thrust of her bow, the rhapsody came to a rapturous end. Carlos lowered his baton and the hall was filled with a pleasant roar from the audience. She was heavily breathing, but managed a graceful bow while still being utterly disturbed by the sudden inducement of emotions during the duet. Glancing at Sora, who was also bowing, she became confused again because the girl kept looking over and around her shoulders, as if checking for something, and then sighed in relief. Whatever Sora was thinking would remain a mystery to her. Rising from the bow, she glanced at Carlos who greeted her with the most irritating know-it-all smirk.

She rolled her eyes. She knew she was caught red handed.

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After waiting for the concert hall to clear out and enduring the long, unscheduled interviews and photograph sessions, Layla packed up and called her driver to come pick her up. Before she could leave, she ran into Carlos again. A bored expression slid on her face as she was met with another evil grin.

“I expect you'll be keeping your word, stated in your note?”

“Business as always.”

“What were you thinking when letting that girl perform? She didn't even audition.”

“Someday, the audience will come here just to see her.” She frowned, pausing to gather her thoughts, but chose not to say anymore.

“Good day.” She began to leave again before Carlos interrupted.

“I'll give you some advice. Take the word `pressure' away from her vocabulary and you'll hear something interesting.”

He chuckled before turning away, leaving her alone to decipher his words. Mentally drained, she decided to forget everything for now because too many questions needed to be answered from Carlos and… from herself.

Pushing the door open, she stepped outside and breathed in the cool autumn air. While walking towards her usual designated pick up spot, she suddenly became rooted to the ground as the haunting sounds from a stringed instrument clutched her heart, nearly whisking away her soul. The melancholic waves shook her to the very core, yet ironically soothed her as well. What kind of instrument was that? The sound was very similar to a violin, but something about it seemed, oriental... As the music progressed, she became enticed by its melody and found herself unconsciously drifting towards the source. Walking around the building and weaving through a few trees, she came upon a small clearing and instantly, her breathing stopped.

The strong, yet gentle wind of the night captured the high maple leaves and gracefully scattered them below the base of a tree, where Sora solemnly sat. Looking closely, she described the played instrument as an enormous mallet with two strings pulled from the pegged handle to the base, which the girl had securely planted on her left thigh, drawing out the grieving sounds with a bow. The shimmer of moonlighted tears on the stunning girl's face dropped a pang of painful beauty in her heart. The soft breeze that caressed the girl's hair consumed her mind with awe and… jealousy? The sight, the sound, and the feelings were all too gorgeous to her, despite the look of utter grief and sorrow on Sora's demeanor.

The requiem slowly came to an end as Sora was seemingly coming out of her trance, eyes becoming unglazed. She did not want it to end. She wanted to see more, hear more, and… something else she could not quite place. As she took a step forward, the snap of a twig brought the girl's full attention towards her. Again, the look of fear and panic crossed the poor girl's face as she bolted up while grabbing her belongings, but unexpectedly, began to flee. The girl never got the chance, for she was stopped by the firm grip of the blonde's hold. Frighten chocolate eyes melted in the presence of desperate azure ones.

Layla's eyes never blinked, never moved, never stopped piercing.

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Chapter Notes:

- Sora's oriental instrument is called the “Erhu”. Wikipedia has decent information about this Chinese violin.

- Constructive criticisms are welcomed! If you have suggestions on how to fix any problems that may occur throughout the chapter, by all means share them!

- General opinions and thoughts are also welcomed! If you like the chapter, please tell me why and what you liked about it so I can be at ease, knowing I'm heading in the right direction! If you dislike the chapter, please tell me why and what you disliked about it so I can either do a better job next time, or just not use that idea again.

- 12/1/2008