The Melody of the Heart (Otoya x OC x Reiji)

Measure 7

After a day of unnecessary music classes, Yui excitedly skipped to the music room.  Her heart was pounding all day as she waited to show the two idols of her team the music she had written.

Due to the events of the previous day, she was able to express how quick her heart beat was and how warm she felt when Otoya treated her kindly.  She could also describe the way her hurt churned painfully when Reiji had punched his underclassmen and when he had raised his voice so harshly.

But she still wasn't exactly sure what 'love' was like... She could feel how her heart changed, but she had no idea about the concept of 'love.'

Yet, Yui was eager to show both Reiji and Otoya the music she composed, and she couldn't wait until the two of them began to create lyrics for the melody.

"Yui?! You're already here?" The girl spun to see Otoya's confused expression, although he still smiled despite his bruised chin.

She held up the papers of music that she was so proud of.  "I wrote the song!" She declared.

"Really?! Already!" He took a stack from her hand, leaving another copy for Reiji.  "It's really well written, too... You did this in one night?"

Yui nodded, suddenly becoming sheepish.  "It just needs lyrics and a track..."

The door to the music room opened, revealing the tall brunette that the girl had been waiting for.  "Geez... did you two run here or something?" He sighed.

"Reiji!" Yui's shout startled the young man.  "I wrote the song!" She repeated, also proudly showing him the sheet music.  He gently took it from her hands, quickly scanning and finding the lines labeled with either his or the other idol's name.

Reiji released a short, satisfied laugh.  "I wouldn't expect anything less from our little Yuyu." The girl was slightly surprised by the fact that he managed to wear such a soft smile.  "Can we hear it?"

Yui nodded, skipping over to the grand and lifting the lid that covered the ivory keys.  She began to play the exciting, complex introduction that she imagined would be at the beginning of the song, and then resorted to a simple accompaniment as she outlined the melody that the two boys would sing.

By the time she had finished, she felt as though she had transported herself to another world where she was just as much of an idol as her two friends were.  And the applause she received further induced this fantasy.

Opening her sparkling silver eyes, she noticed that the applause was only from Reiji and Otoya, and dismissed the unrealistic daydream.

"This song is going to be amazing once it's finished!" Reiji cheered, his usual happy-go-lucky personality finally shining through.

"Not to mention that Yui's really great on the piano, too!  We have to make sure that that's a part of the track!" Otoya chimed excitedly.  

And thus, the next step of the song-writing process commenced.

********

A day had already passed since Yui showed the two idols the music she had composed for them.  Each of them were quick to begin working on lyrics and instrumentation.  

The girl herself continued to figure out both piano lines and synthesizer inserts to add to the song.  Otoya and Reiji both insisted that the primary instrumentation would consist of keyboard, all courtesy of Yui.

Just as she was returning to her hotel room after a day of composition classes, all of which she considered unnecessary when she reflected on her own vast musical knowledge, she nearly crashed into Otoya again.

"Yui!" His voice seemed particularly eager as he pulled his large red headphones off of his ears.  "Come here! I want to show you something!"

Before she could protest, he had already dragged her into his room where sheets of music were sprawled across the small wooden table as his acoustic guitar laid on the ground beside it.

He picked up a few sheets and looked at them with a bright red gaze.  "I've got a pretty good idea for my lyrics and the chorus.  I really want to know what you think."  He beamed, though the dark splotch on his skin was still there, slowly healing.  "Oh! I have some of the instrumentation that I think would sound good, too!"

Otoya beckoned for Yui to step closer, and she did so cautiously.  When she sat down, she was able to see how much he truly accomplished.

"Otoya... how did you accomplish all of this?!" The brunette asked, astonished by his efforts.

But he averted his fiery eyes shyly.  "I may or may not have skipped classes for the past two days..." He admitted sheepishly as he sat beside the girl.

"Otoya!"

"Don't worry! The only important one is music theory, and even then, I have you to teach me!" He raised his hands innocently; though his smile still showed how proud he was of his work.

"But, still!" Yui protested.  "You are enrolled in this camp just like everyone else, which means -"

Otoya had quieted her by placing a finger over her lips. "Just listen to this." He leaned closer to the girl, causing her to stiffen and try to avoid him as she felt her heartbeat speed up.  He still pointed to the sheet music and drew closer.  He pulled one of the large speakers to his further ear and twisted the other speaker so that it was between him and Yui.

When music began to flow from the headphones, the girl, too, placed her hand on the speaker beside her ear, not realizing that she had grasped onto the fiery-haired boy's hand.

The melody undoubtable belonged to the song she composed.  But entwined with the melody were guitar riffs and chords as well as a bass-line.  Yui also read the lyrics scribbled onto the music that she had given Otoya.

It was so perfect.  The brunette couldn't help but be star-struck by this boy she had the honor of working with.  She turned to him, greeting him with an enthusiastic grin and excited silver eyes.  

"What's that look for?" Otoya tilted his head curiously.

Disregarding his question, she looked at him eagerly.  "Can you sing the chorus for me?!" 

He seemed surprised by her request as his cheeks reddened.  He gave a short laugh as he scratched the back of his head.  "Its written for both Reiji and I to sing..." He mentioned.

Yui leapt to her feet. "I'll go get him then!" She declared, prepared to run through the door.

"No! Wait!" She felt a light tug on her skirt, preventing her from walking further.  Looking behind her, Otoya hid his vibrant eyes behind thick tufts of hair.  But when he met her confused eyes, he just laughed and smiled.  "It's alright. We don't need to bother him."

She nodded, sitting back down as the boy picked up his wooden guitar and began to strum the strings.  He replicated the familiar rhythm of the instrumentation she had heard in the track, and then began to sing the words he had written for the chorus.

As soon as the phrases were finished, stars shined in Yui's eyes. "Otoya! You're voice and those lyrics are amazing! I had never heard you sing before, and I just assumed you were talented! But you're on a totally different level from the rest of us!"

"It's your song that makes me sound good..." Otoya smiled shyly, averting his red eyes.

"It's the idol that performs the song, silly.  That means that you're the one that makes a song good." She encouraged without fully realizing the words she said.  The only thing she noticed was that he looked as though he was about to cry.

Before she could say anything more, he pulled on her wrist and hugged her tightly.  "Oto...ya...?" The girl mumbled in his shoulder.

"Can I hug you for a little while longer?"