MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Amore con Brio ❯ First Movement: Largo Poco ( Chapter 1 )

~Amore con Brio~

[An EnzanMeiru Fanfiction by CyberForte.]

 

-Section I-

Disclaimer

I do not own Rockman.exe, nor do I own any associated stuffs. I do not own the music of Ludwig van Beethoven or any other composers mentioned. I am also not responsible for any damage incurred by you who read my fic. I do own any fan characters or original concepts, though. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

 

 

-Section II-

Author's Notes

I. - All previous notes still apply.

II. - I'm now writing Movements rather than chapters, in keeping with the theme of Classical Music.

 

 

-Section III-

First Movement: Largo Poco

 

The birth of day from night's womb brought solace to the fears of the night for some, whilst aggravation to the shadow's calm to others. To Meiru Sakurai, it brought renewed depression, and suffering...not that the cheery redhead would ever let that show. Insofar as she knew, only Roll, her loyal Netnavi, was aware of her current down. Maybe Netto or Rock would have been, but seeing them enough for the duo to notice her would also involve her seeing them, and their newest companion... Although someone as outwardly pure as Meiru would never say it, in her heart, she despised the new girl. The one whose appearance had thrust her into this spiral of misery.

But, she had to maintain appearances. Thus, she awoke as it all were well, just as she had for the past few weeks. Standing from her plush pink bed, the nearly-eighteen-year-old sighed slightly and began the process of changing from her sleeping clothes into her preferred attire of late. The latter consisted of something more substantial than she'd worn in the recent past, but ever since that Iris girl had reappeared (wasn't she a navi...?) and Netto had fallen for her once more, Meiru had been unable to muster the desire to wear the casual and slightly revealing clothes she had taken to wearing in a vain attempt to catch Netto's eye. So, she now stuck to a faded pink t-shirt and a matching pair of long pants. Nothing really noteworthy, as she had no one's eye to catch.

Compared to four years prior, however, she looked quite different. Her hair, still the same shade of red/pink, now hung down well past her shoulders, and her skin had become a bit paler of late, as she hadn't been going out so much as she used to. Added to that, she had grown taller and...developed a bit more in other ways. In short, at almost eighteen, the girl had nearly become a woman, although she wasn't quite finished growing.

Netto, of course, never even thought of her as a girl, she thought to herself. To him, she was always just a best friend. And that was the true root of her current suffering. But, one could never tell that as she cheerfully picked up her PET, offered Roll a cheerful good morning, and prepared to head downstairs for a spot of breakfast. Breakfast was a dull affair, as usual. Her parents had already gone out for the day, so she yawned and poured cereal as she asked Roll to check her mail, not really expecting anything of note. It was now several weeks into summer, and her life was exceedingly dull. Because she had been waiting for Netto to notice her, she had not even had occasion to have a boyfriend, and now that she was avoiding Netto, there was precious little on her agenda. Or, there had been...

 

--Stretto Subito--

That same morn, within the mansion, another was already well awake. Although he'd quit his official work to make way for the demands of advanced college and travel, he still made a point of keeping a fairly exacting schedule, one which included rising quite early. Thus, by the time Miss Sakurai had awakened, he was well on his way to having the day's events sequenced. For his attire this day, he had chosen one of his more dignified Netopian-styled outfits, though one that still betrayed his preference for crimson-hued clothing. The outfit itself was a slightly military one, although without so much ornamentation or thickness, as it had been created for summer usage.

As such, the primary fabric was a white, so as to keep the wearer cool, but all of the trim was dyed a vibrant crimson. The shirt was a bit longer than many, and double-breasted, but not quite a full jacket, the trim appearing mostly upon the shoulders and edges. The pants were fairly basic, save the triple stripe of black-crimson-black which shot down the outer face of either leg. All considered, the clothing along with his self-assured bearing made the teenaged boy look older than he was, but not so much so as to be stuffy. In the last four years, the only real changes he had undergone were in height; he enjoyed his old hairstyle still, and he considered facial hair both barbaric and irksome to care for.

That morn, Enzan had dressed quickly, although not in the least bit rushed, merely efficient, holding to his belief that all things should be done at a quick pace only so long as it is not so quick as to create an inferior result. His father would probably be proud, assuming the man was capable of said feeling; he'd oft had his personal doubts on that subject. But, such thoughts were far from Enzan's mind; he had already begun to think through the day's activities, and a plan to allow him a chance to re-evaluate the girl he had been making designs upon on the prior eve.

Considering the situation, he was startled out of his deliberations by the voice of Blues.exe, whom he had dispatched to gather information. The red navi with lengthy white hair seemed unchanged for the most part as he reported to Enzan, "Sir, I believe I have found what you requested."

Whilst the dual-toned teenager did not seem particularly pleased at his partner's timing, he did appear curious as to what news the sword-wielding navi had uncovered, and so enquired, "What is it, Blues?" His tone betrayed neither annoyance nor pleasure, even to the navi who knew him far better than most.

"Sir, while examining the Densan NetSquare's Boards, I noticed an entry of relevance to the search criteria you had requested me to seek." Knowing his master and creator would not reply, the red navi continued, "Listed under advertisements, Meiru Sakurai placed an entry detailing her availability to perform as a pianist. Included also were her qualifications and her contact information. I have taken the liberty of transcribing this, along with a complete copy of her message, into a text file which you may access at your convince, should you find it of use, sir."

Enzan nodded, pleased with his navi's results, "Excellent work, Blues. Bring the file up on screen, then continue your search."

The navi nodded, complying posthaste with a quick, "Yes, sir."

Once he had fully read and digested the information, the boy set began to compose a plan... A rather ironic term, since he seemed to have found his way to the organ once more, and was now absentmindedly playing through Bach's Fugue for Organ in G Minor ('Little'), or, as it was commonly known, Little Fugue in G Minor. But it suited. Sipping a glass of Darjeeling Tea with a touch of cinnamon as he played, a taste he had acquired in his culinary courses, Enzan noted mentally with a half-smile (which he quickly killed) that 'compose' might be an accurate term, with what he intended. And so, closing out the piece, he began to make his preparations around an hour before Meiru had even awoken.

 

--A Tempo con Accelerando Poco a Poco--

 

As Meiru concluded her small repast, Roll's e-mail check concluded. Five new messages, two of which were overt SPAM, which was deleted, and another two of which were replies to requests for college information, which she saved for later reading. The final, though, rather interested her, although she was a bit unsure what to make of it. Sent anonymously, the rest of the information seemed fine, so she opened it. Contained within the document was a polite but concise request for her to attend an audition. For a moment, this puzzled her, but then she recalled the add she had posted perhaps a week prior, advertising herself as a pianist for hire.

Although she'd allowed herself to hope it might receive a reply, considering the medium, she'd never expected an intelligent response to it. No one really appreciated musical skill these days; even those whom she had considered best friends couldn't even attend her recitals and performances, her inner skeptic had pointed out... And yet, here it lay, a request, and judging by the quality of the e-mail background image, from someone of class. She briefly wondered if she might still be asleep, but brushed that particular thought away posthaste; if she was, she'd not mind staying as such a bit longer.

Once the initial excitement had worn down a bit, Meiru decided she might as well head over early; if it was true, all the better to get there fast, and if not she'd have less build up hopes to be dashed. The request had said an instrument would be provided, so that was no issue, but as she read over the address, she found if oddly familiar. But, being unable to think of the home that matched it and noting the section of town, one she rarely, if ever, visited, she passed the feeling off as am illusion created in her current state of excitement. The request hadn't said anything about how to dress, but she was considering her options anyway; the address was located in a very high-class neighborhood, and she didn't want to show up looking like a slob. So, after quickly having her pink netnavi draft a sufficient reply, she once more turned her attention to her wardrobe...

 

--Maestoso

 

Several hours hence, Meiru Sakurai had arrived at her destination, taking the more scenic walking route. As she'd grown older, she'd come to feel...less than safe on most forms of public transportation, and so preferred to walk, assuming the distance was not too extremely far. Besides, being in close contact with others could have ruined her current attire, which would defeat the entire point of dressing up for the occasion. So, although she had arrived a few hours later than she might have, the walk had felt good, and her attire was preserved.

Looking upon the mansion to which she had been summoned to, the girl once more felt a surge of familiarity, but could still not place it. So, she continued towards the large oaken doors, which seemed to open of their own accord to her knock...being computerized, of course. Upon the opening of the doors, an organ could be heard somewhere within, playing something classical that she couldn't place offhand. Since the e-mail request had noted that she was to follow the organ, she did her best to compose herself for the encounter (the skill of the organ player worried her slightly, although exhilarating her at the same time) that seemed imminent.

Meanwhile, deeper within the mansion, on the seat of his organ sat Enzan. As he heard the doors swing open, he began to speed up the piece slightly, knowing the other would be approaching through a hall that he himself had carefully cleaned. He preferred to do such than to have to deal with his father's army of fawning and irksome servants. So, as he emptied his glass of tea and heard the sound of the other's footsteps, he added yet more accelerando, having chosen the piece because it was grand, but also because it was written in a variable tempo. He took a perverse pleasure in dramatizing the encounter, one for which most people would have blamed their theatre teacher for. He didn't care to place blame, though, since he was the one who had acquired it, it was his responsibility alone. And so, as the music reached a crescendo, the final doors into the ballroom slowly opened and Meiru moved through.