But the biggest constant amidst the wayward winds was simply Koharu's personality. She was as kind and bubbly as ever despite the change in our relationship. I was surprised we didn't fall into a dark spell, awaiting our eventual doom under the guise of that outlandish curse she mentioned.
I found she was touchy from time to time, for one.
*Your hands are attached to you for a reason, but I don't mind.*
I perused the library shelves in the Sun Kingdom one day, not searching for anything specific. Hidden on the bottom, a book with bronze embellishments on the spine caught my attention, so I gently pulled it out: *Space Travel.*
*Interesting. This must be an aerial adventure novel.*
The cover had white oblong shapes drawn on it that vaguely resembled dolphins, the sides encrusted in layers of black. It was placed in a setting much like the night sky. Perhaps I found a fantasy book.
*What a lazy alternate world. It's just the air!*
Frowning, I sat down on the golden couch across from Koharu—who was deep in thought reading a book about gardening for her patch of mint plants—and I opened it. Numbers and measures of time and distance jumped out at me like it was a factual report.
As I tried comprehending the information, a hand grazed my chin. Skin tingling, it then grabbed my jaw, yanking it to the side. Out of shock, I shot Koharu a slight glare. She hummed in my ear before she laughed.
"You're paying that book more attention than me, Lia."
*Don't tell me you're jealous over a piece of paper! You were reading, and I didn't say anything!*
I smiled, taking it as the perfect opportunity to mess with her. "And?"
"You're really going to ask me that—"
I pecked her on the lips before she ran her mouth, noticing her tense up.
"Is that what you wanted?" I grinned again with an exasperated sigh.
Chuckling, she rolled her eyes. "I'm spoiled. Give me more."
And that was how a mildly touchy Koharu convinced me to kiss her for longer than what was publicly appropriate in a library.
*Eh, this is private property. Get over it, prudes.*
***
To add to that, sometimes she didn't shut up, which was somewhat okay. She usually had something unusual or fun to discuss when she opened her mouth.
*But just because I like to listen to you doesn't mean everyone else does!*
Koharu joined Seiji, Jisoo, and me in watching the court jester perform one night. Zhi insisted that he come along to protect the princess, but nobody was fooled by the act; he sent heart eyes at Gaeul the entire time. For someone as clean and orderly as himself, Zhi was sure grossly in love with the jester.
*I'm glad Hikaru imparted that wisdom on me so that I know which direction not to look.*
Jisoo and I would have taken to mocking him in most situations as we seemed to communicate in subtle, disapproving glances and gestures in work settings. However, it was only Jisoo that day making fun of all the lovebirds around him.
*You have a girlfriend, too!*
He even made a disgusted face at me when I ran my hands through Koharu's hair gently. It wasn't like he knew we were dating, but Jisoo had a knack for picking up on things. We just assumed he was aware of the relationship and didn't bother to tell anyone about it.
I whispered to Jisoo to annoy him, "Would you rather me make out with her or something?"
"I'll break your toes if you do that," he responded curtly, and as if to agree with him, Koharu flicked me on the forehead.
"What was that for?" I asked her as I almost raised my voice.
Separate from our scuffle, Gaeul attempted to juggle horribly, much to the amusement of Zhi as he clapped joyfully for the jester.
*Zhi, how do you not want to fall asleep?*
"Wanted your attention." She huffed.
*Again?*
"And you've got it."
As I glanced at her to satisfy her clinginess, she grabbed my head and whispered some particularly nasty things in my ear. My cheeks heated up.
I pushed her away with a finger. "Koko, this is a family-friendly event. Stop before someone hears you, or I'll have to use a Jisoo threat on you."
"Break my toes? How do you think you're gonna do that?"
"Step on them."
*I think those are the easiest bones to break. The table legs speak for themselves.*
"Do it."
"Koharu!" I said louder than necessary, drawing excessive attention.
Even Zhi peered over at me in concern. I waved everyone off with an embarrassed look on my face. Jisoo gave me the glances he usually saved for the other couple in the room.
"And you tell me I need to shut my mouth," Koharu quipped, laying across my lap.
*Because you do!*
***
Pertaining to her voice, we acquired a new hobby for after our lunches, which we squeezed into our short nightly hours together. It was a tight fit, but we somehow managed to compact a party's worth of activities into the meetings. They almost felt like informal dates.
"Let me show you something."
Koharu smiled sweetly, grabbing my hand to lead me down the hall. We hadn't cleaned up anything from lunch, so she knocked over split liliko'i as she led me out of the room. Pity. Wasted food was a disappointment. I watched the yellow seed capsules plunge to the floor, thinking about the tart taste that could have graced my tongue.
"Okay," I replied sadly after already having been dragged past the edge of the table—certain her statement was a command and not a choice.
She led me up a few flights of stairs to one of the intermediate floors I had never visited before. Here, the wooden walls were likely soundproofed judging by the quietness of the floor, which was of the same construction. Opening the entrance to a room a few doors from the elevator, Koharu roughly pushed me inside first.
*How gracious.*
Inside the room were a few instruments. The first to catch my attention was a harpsichord in the center with a modest bench beside it. In one corner laid two ophicleides—mouthpieces and all. They were a bit tarnished, but they mostly shone like gold under the sunlight. A flute was perched upon a wooden rod, emitting a cold, silvery glow. Beside me was a set of timpanis. The membranes on top appeared as if they had seen better days, but the instruments were well-maintained otherwise.
It was an odd array of timbres. No score could contain parts for all these at once, what with the mishmash of sections cobbled together. (*Somebody forgot violins and cellos exist.*) Nonetheless, the grin Koharu flashed upon seeing them brought the widest smile to my face.
"What do you think?"
Smitten with the princess, I replied, "I think it's great, Koko."
She walked over to a built-in shelf. Ornate renditions of holly trees and olive branches were intricately engraved into the birch, the pale color providing a needed airiness to the small room. She pulled a thin green book from it.
"You like to sing, right?" she asked.
Recalling a vague mention from weeks ago, I said, "No, I love it."
"Oh, cut it out, Lia."
I stuck my tongue out at her playfully.
"Let's sing," she said, conjuring up a music stand to place the book on. "Which one?"
I thumbed through the pages, selecting a piece that wasn't drenched in black ink somewhere in the middle. "This one."
"All right," Koharu declared, and that was when the magic came to life.
Literally. She moved her hands like a conductor. The keys lit up as the flute levitated parallel to the ground. Hovering in the air, the ophicleides blared, and the sticks accompanying the timpanis danced above their rims as a simple scale rang through the room.
"Woah!"
"Get ready. They're going to start after the next few bars."
The instruments all played a slightly higher number before the drum sticks clicked four times and began their part of the song. After several measures, Koharu contributed to the chorus.
I had planned on joining her, but I was awestruck yet again by her voice. I wasn't sure how good of a singer she would be (I'd probably enjoy it either way), but she had a smooth and quirky kind of tone. It was somewhat low, but sharp pitches gave it a lighter feel. Despite these qualities, it also had a high volume, the waves loudly bouncing off the walls to create a field of sound.
In short, she had a beautiful voice. But it also fit her perfectly.
Koharu snaked an arm around my waist, bringing me back to reality. I located where she was in the lyrics and joined her in singing. It was some typically cheesy love song, but it resonated in my heart stronger than any I had heard given the timing as the melody inexplicably came to me.
*Hey… Isn't this the tune she hummed before?*
My voice was vastly different from Koharu's. It had a much thinner sound with a quality that made it seem higher than it was to nearly the point of shrillness—despite hints of deeper tones. Perhaps the best way to describe it was to compare it to the texture of a woodwind in its higher octaves without their airiness (though I had the gift that was the ability to enunciate). I actually liked its sound to some extent, yet I was careful not to overuse it.
Koharu rested her head against my shoulder and kept singing with her eyes closed, still as pitch-perfect as she was before. It seemed she knew the song like the back of her hand.
*Are you sure you aren't using magic to be this accurate?*
I slid my arm across her back and gripped the forearm opposite of me. She raised her voice at the end to create harmony, letting our two soft sounds combine into one.
*Morendo.* The instruments died out slowly, their tones dwindling like the light at dusk. The last note faded from our voices, though we had a rocky ending when I stopped a measure too early. Koharu giggled at the mistake when I released the tone. It diminished into a faint hum.
"I think I could listen to your singing forever," I remarked out of the blue.
*Ah, I sound like a child asking for a lullaby.*
She turned the pages of the book. "How about we sing another one?"
"I'll always say yes to that."