Episode 12: Ragtime, Blues, and Jazz, Oh My!

Kousei finished rolling the lint roller over his suit's right sleeve, then held it up to give it one last check. Yes; all the lint was off and he'd ironed it perfectly earlier.

After all, this was his first recital at Fujimi Junior and Senior High! He had to start his freshman year strong!

The campus of the school was quite large, with a tall fence separating the junior and senior high facilities on the east and west sides respectively. At present, Arima was backstage in the dressing rooms of the Shamisen Auditorium, which was named after the genre of music commonly heard during the samurai times. Though the pianist had no skill with a sword, he smiled to himself as he slipped the cobalt blue jacket over his freshly laundered black vest.

The weapon he was about to bring out was sure to leave both his self-proclaimed rivals and the audience speechless.

"So, you ready?" Takeshi asked as Kousei stepped out of the dressing room. "Your turn is coming up pretty soon!"

"You bet!" Kousei said, giving his friend a firm fist bump. "You and Emi sounded fantastic out there!"

"Tell me about it!" Takeshi laughed. "Verdi may be intense, but that Brahms piece I had to rehearse was on a whole other level!"

"I'll bet!"

As if on cue, Emi suddenly turned round the corner, her jet-black hair waving back and forth as she strode up to her fellow pianists. By now, she'd changed out of her scarlet dress and was back in her plain school uniform of a dark blue skirt, black shoes and socks, white sweater and purple tie. Takeshi nudged Kousei's elbow then winked at him, and Kousei nodded back.

"Cruella de Ville! Cruella de Ville! If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!" Takeshi sang as Kousei snapped his fingers to the beat.

"Oh shut it, you cretins," Emi rolled her eyes. She still laughed however; nothing like a little humor to ease her nerves after that performance.

"So Mendelssohn, huh?" Kousei asked.

"Yup! Fanny Mendelssohn actually; most people don't know she had to publish some of her pieces under her brother's name since women weren't encouraged to compose during that time!"

"No way!" Takeshi exclaimed. Then he turned to Kousei. "So, which piece did you pick out?"

"Oh, you'll see." Kousei replied in a sneaky manner.

Takeshi and Emi exchanged a perplexed glance.

"Uh, Kousei? You know there's no rule against telling the other contestants what piece you're playing right?" Takeshi confirmed.

"I know," Kousei said matter-of-factly.

"So what's the big idea then?" Emi followed up.

"Just wait." Kousei said with a cunning smile on his face.

Soon enough, Kousei's name was announced, and he gave his friendly competitors a wink.

"Wish me luck!"

As Kousei strode out onto the stage, a tremendous feeling of gladness filled his heart. His blue eyes scanned the crowd that was sprawled out among the purple cushioned seats of the high school auditorium. And sure enough, he saw them.

Kaori, who'd chosen to attend this same school partly because of him and her aspirations to perform abroad.

Her parents, who his father sat next to, having become good friends with them.

Koharu, who was growing up faster than her mother could bear.

And last but not least, Hiroko...

Who'd helped him prepare the piece he was about to play.

He had to squint to see it, but Hiroko's head nodded in approval as she gave Kousei a thumbs-up.

"Knock their socks off, kid," was her silent message.

As Kousei bowed and took his seat behind the freshly polished keys of the Bosendorfer grand piano, he felt an energetic tingle fill his fingers. Adjusting the bench by just a fraction of an inch, he took a deep breath and repeated the prayer Kaori and him now shared.

"Elohim Essaim, Elohim Essaim, most humbly I implore you."

Backstage, Takeshi was wringing his hands in anticipation.

"Come on already man, just play!"

Kousei positioned his fingers over the starting keys, checked to make sure his finger placement was correct, straightened his posture...

And began playing the opening of Scott Joplin's Pineapple Rag!

The four judges, one a college professor, gasped in near perfect unison.

"I understand we allow some leeway in score selection at this level of competition, but...I've never expected to hear this!" Dr. Hasegawa marveled.

Kaori's heart, the free spirit that it was, began fluttering like wildfire.

"It sounded so amazing when he'd rehearse it, but this...this is like nothing he's ever played before!"

Takeshi and Emi, for their part, found themselves both dumbfounded and feeling a tinge of their former juvenile envy.

"RAGTIME?!" Emi growled. "But—but—since when could we select pieces beyond the Romantic Era?!"

Beside her, a teacher who'd volunteered to help oversee the competition raised an eyebrow. "Um...since the revision of the rules that happened fifteen years ago?"

"WHAT?!" Takeshi shouted, but the teacher hushed him. "How was I supposed to know?!"

The teacher groaned. "You can always ask for a copy of the rules, you know."

Onstage, Kousei was completely immersed in the piece, playing it with just as much freedom and joy as Joplin had all those years ago when he'd first composed it. Kousei couldn't believe it; now he was really happy he'd stuck with this piece.

"I've found music that I can play the way Kaori plays her pieces!" Kousei thought as his right hand flew up and down the keyboard while his left hand faithfully maintained the baseline.

Kousei's father felt his eyes get misty, and Mr. Miyazono offered him a handkerchief. Takahiko wiped his eyes with haste; he didn't want to miss a second of his son's first high school recital.

"I only wish you were here to see this, my beloved Saki," he thought with pensive mourning.

As Kousei continued playing the upbeat, happy piano rag, he looked up at the ceiling and remembered a question he asked during his solo performance of Love's Sorrow in his old timeline.

"This music of mine, this piece. My mom...will it reach her?"

"The Watcher, the other Guardians, Kaori, the audience...will it reach them?"

Reminded of his goal to play not just for the sake of winning, but to touch people's hearts, Kousei willed more ferocity and gratitude to flow into his fingers as he approached the end of Joplin's legendary piece. The bones in his hands nearly jumped out of their skin as he hit every note not just with robotic perfection, but with unmatched, overflowing emotional expression.

"Sorry Joplin, this is my piece now."

And before Kousei knew it, his piece was done.

His fingers were slick with sweat, and he caught a slight whiff of his suit's now very foul-smelling armpits. Kousei grimaced; good thing a scent test wasn't part of this competition.

Kousei's body stiffened up, startled by the crowds whoops and cheers as their applause drowned out any nervousness he may have had before. But of all the elated onlookers, there was one whose beauty Kousei admired the most.

Kaori, his beloved violinist, whose face he saw was flushed with an unmistakable flood of red. Her eyes shined brighter than the auditorium lights as she clapped for her talented boyfriend. Kousei smiled back at her as he bowed.

Oh yes, his music had reached them alright.

As he returned backstage, Kousei was congratulated by the other competition attendants, and he thanked them for their appreciation. The one performing after him, however, was a bit less enthusiastic.

"Dude, seriously?" grumbled the contestant whose name tag read "Taki Tachibana".

Kousei shrugged with a meek manner, then offered Taki a fist bump.

"I'm sure the audience will be more than grateful to hear whatever it is you've prepared! Don't worry about my piece! Go get em!"

Taki's countenance lifted, and he bumped Kousei's fist with a firm confidence.

"Well alright then!" Taki replied, getting ready to take his place onstage.

Takeshi and Emi shot Kousei a nasty glare when he entered the lounge area, to which Kousei just laughed.

"Well? What'd you guys think?"

The other two pianists said nothing at first. Then finally, Takeshi's frown dissolved into a smile as he laughed.

"You jerk," he said. "You were just waiting to pull that trump card, huh?"

"Hey, might as well play all kinds of music to grow as a musician, right?" Kousei shrugged with an innocent yet gloating smile on his face.

"Well played Arima," Emi chuckled, shaking her head. "Well played."

"So how the hell did you come to select that piece of all things?" Takeshi inquired.

"My dad brought some music back from his business trips to America!" Kousei explained. "And well, he brought mostly that type of music! Even some blues and jazz!"

"Get out of here!" Takeshi exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "You gotta let me try some of that!"

"Sure thing!" Kousei said, shaking both of their hands.

Before long, the recital was over, and sure enough, Kousei's piece had earned him the Audience's Choice Award. In the lobby, Kaori nearly tackled her boyfriend to the ground as she squeezed him in a tight bear hug.

"MMM-WHA!" she sounded as she kissed Kousei's cheek. "You played so wonderfully, Kousei!"

"Hey hey, come on now!" Kousei laughed, slightly flustered. "You heard me rehearse that piece a million times!"

"Well yeah, but it's not the same as when it's performed live, dummy!" Kaori teased.

"Well done, son!" Takahiko praised, embracing his son. "Your mother would be proud!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Hiroko agreed as Koharu hugged Kousei's leg.

"I'll get ya next time, Arima!" Takeshi joked, nudging Kousei's side. Emi beckoned Takeshi to follow her to the vending machines, and Kousei bade them goodbye.

"Thanks for coming, Mr. Yoshiyuki and Mrs. Ryouko!" Kousei bowed to Kaori's parents.

"Of course, Arima!" Yoshiyuki smiled, then turned to Takahiko. "How's that job at my friend's warehouse business working out?"

"Splendidly!" Takahiko said with much gratitude. "The manager position he gave me has both flexible hours and good pay! Thank you again for the recommendation!"

Later that evening, Kousei relaxed from the hectic start to freshman year by catching up with Watari via video call.

"Yeah man, Tsubaki and I just stayed local for high school," Watari shrugged onscreen. "But glad to hear that school is working out for you and Kaori!"

"Thanks!" Kousei said. "How have you and Tsubaki been!"

"Great, actually!" Watari grinned. "You already know our first date went great of course, but now she's already trying to look at dresses for Winter Formal in a few weeks!"

"Wow, Tsubaki looking at dresses? That's a first."

"If she finds out you said that, I'm not protecting ya buddy," Watari winked. "So, how'd that first recital of yours go?"

"It went great!" Kousei said with a wide grin. "That Joplin piece Kaori helped me pick out really wowed the crowd!"

"I'm sure it did my man!" Watari praised. "I gotta say, the other you wouldn't even bother with other genres. You really are from a different universe!"

"Haha, thanks! I'm kinda bummed you and Tsubaki couldn't come."

"Well, the drive up to where you moved is a bit pricey for us at the moment. But when we can make it, we'll come up!"

After some more casual small talk about school, exams, their girlfriends, and summer plans, the two friends called it a night. Kousei set his alarm for the same time he always did, and smiled as his head hit the pillow. Tomorrow was sure to be another wonderful day spent with Kaori.

..............................................

"So, what's your plan for your next performance?" Kaori asked Kousei. Though the two of them has mostly separate classes during the school day, they would always sit together during lunch. Birds of a feather couldn't help but flock together.

"I'm not sure," Kousei said, an egg sandwich bite still in his mouth. "With the amount of new music my dad brought me, there's so much to choose from!"

"Maybe a jazz piece?"

"Maybe. Theolonius Monk is no joke!"

Kousei asked Kaori if there was a certain genre outside of the classical canon she'd taken an interest in. He was surprised, but not unhappy, to see her eyes light up with that same dreamy sparkle.

"Celtic folk music!" She replied wistfully. "The string music in those pieces is so wild and free! So magical and majestic! I'd play it for every competition if I could!"

Kousei just sat there, head resting on his hand, smiling at his beloved violinist as she talked on and on about this music she longed to play. The sublime sound of her voice. The dimples in her cheeks as her smile rejuvenated his weary heart. The slight sway of her blonde curls.

Kaori, as she always did, caught his gaze and attempted to take him off guard.

"Stop drooling, you creep." she teased.

"Nice try," Kousei countered, not falling for her trick. "I could listen to you talk all day."

Kaori just giggled. "Okay seriously though, you look like you're in some weird trance."

"And whose fault is that?" Kousei asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Kaori tried to fight it, but she felt her cheeks grow red. "Okay fine, you win."

"In my old universe, you only ever wanted to play classical music," Kousei recalled. "Guess I'm just an old clone whose stuck in the mud."

"Not true!" Kaori encouraged him. "Your favorite popsicle flavor is milk, not cherry. You're not quite as nerdy, and you actually were excited to learn new genres of music!"

Kousei was amazed; nothing ever got past Kaori!

"See?" she grinned. "You're not just a boring copy from another universe after all! We're all unique, from one universe to another!"

Kousei chuckled. "Thank you, Kaori. You always know how to say exactly what I need to hear."

"That's because I choose to actually think about my words," Kaori chided, to which Kousei gave her a faux angry glare.

Much to the couple's chagrin, the five-minute warning bell interrupted their romantic exchange. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Kaori skipped off to class, her hair dancing to and fro as Kousei watched from behind. Kousei hummed the melody of Love's Sorrow to himself as he walked to his next class. Love was a very strange thing alright.

A very strange thing indeed.

................................

Strange Supreme clenched his fists in rage.

"Tell me we did not just see that."

"Yes, we did," The Watcher replied.

The two of them continued to observe for a few moments, saying nothing. Dr. Doom's breaching of the Multiverse had been bad enough.

But this?

"If Darth Sidious's use of the Deep Darkness of the Force works, if he escapes to another universe..."

"I know, Stephen," The Watcher replied. "However, there is one thing from this timeline that may work to our advantage."

"What is that?"

The Watcher's all seeing gaze fixed on a tall, humanoid figure with blue skin, red eyes and dressed in a crisp, white military uniform.

"Him," The Watcher said. "Grand Admiral Thrawn."

................................

"Keep your arms steady, Tsubaki!" Nao yelled as their team readied themselves for the next round. Tsubaki gave her face a quick slap.

"Wake up, dang it!"

The opposing team's serve came in hot, same as the last few. This time, though, Tsubaki was more than ready, and dove for the ball with an athletic precision. Her clenched fists connected with the ball just in time, and sent it flying back over the net. Tsubaki's team gained the advantage as the opposing team made the mistake of batting it over in Kahsiwagi's-their captain's-direction. Nao tensed her legs, positioned her arms towards the trajectory of the ball, and swung upward with all her might. Her aim, straight and true, sent the ball right into an exposed flank in the opposing team's arrangement. The crowd cheered, with Watari holding up a sign in support of his girlfriend Tsubaki.

Although it was a close game, in the end Nao led her team to victory and was hoisted into the air by her elated teammates. Watari surprised Tsubaki with a flower bouquet, to which she gave him a hug.

"Looking good in that uniform as always, my dear." Watari said with his signature playboy tone.

"Oh stop it already," Tsubaki rolled her eyes.

Off to her side, Nao couldn't help but view Watari's comment with a tinge of disdain.

"He's complimented Tsubaki like this multiple times, mostly when she's been in her sports outfit. And that look in his eye...it's uncanny. I know Watari has always been a bad boy type, but even this doesn't seem right."

Nao made a note to voice her concerns to Tsubaki later, and bid the couple goodbye as she walked out to her mother's car.

"So, how about dinner this Friday night?" Watari asked, stroking Tsubaki's hair.

"Sure thing!" Tsubaki replied. "But you're paying if you use another dopey pickup line."

.................................................

The fall term of freshman year flew by so fast, and Kousei could scarcely keep up with all the new things he was learning. Advanced Music Theory, Sight Reading, Transposition, 4-Part Choral Readings...good grief! Those Lutheran Chorales and hymnals may have appeared simple, but they were ruthless in practice! Especially with music teachers who were high caliber! Thankfully, Christmas break was approaching at last. He and Kaori had danced the night away at the Winter Formal. With some effort and good gift hunting, Kousei could make her feel really special this coming holiday.

As he and Kaori strolled down the sidewalk to a nearby cafe, Kousei swung Kaori's hand back and forth in a playful manner. The two were enjoying their tranquil walk, until an orange portal suddenly sparkled open in front of them.

Kousei did a double take.

"Strange Supreme? Omni Man! Reiner!" He exclaimed. "What are you guys doing here?!"

"The multiverse is in danger again, Kousei," Strange Supreme said forebodingly. "And it's not any less worse than last time."

Kaori gasped. "Wait, what? Kousei, are these the people you told us about?!"

"Yes, Kaori!" Kousei said, and looked at Strange Supreme. "Whose timeline is in danger this time?"

Strange Supreme gazed back at him with his no-nonsense stare, and Kousei's heart sank.

"Yours, Arima. Yours."