Moonlight's song (Kirukaede Oneshot)

Moonlight's Song

The moonlight shone through the window, parted by curtains and covering almost an entire wall. The sky outside was a deep blue, almost black, lit up by scattered stars that dazzled around the moon. Through the white fabric of the curtains, the soft white shone onto the countless pieces of discarded paper across the floor, illuminating their inscribed notes while the shadows obscured them completely. The velvety red of the podium in the middle of the room was turned a soft shade of crimson, only overshadowed by the inky black piano on top of it. The light casted a clear reflection across it, turning the ebony keys into parts of the night sky with the bits of mirrored stars. But as beautiful the surroundings were, Kaede played little to no attention to them. Her mind was entirely focused on the music- the sounds of the piano rather than the sights. Her fingers moved thoughtlessly across the keys as her eyelids drooped near shut, the sheet music in front of her serving no purpose. She listened to the notes drifting through the air as she played. An elegant piece- balancing the line between melancholy and graceful. One she had played many times, but still played over and over again, the sound of it never getting tiring or boring to her, even when she fully mastered it. Even as she drifted halfway into sleep, her hands still drifted across the piano perfectly, as if she wasn't even playing the song at all.

"Miss Akamatsu?"

A voice jolted Kaede from her drowsy state and her finger jittered against a key in shock, creating an off-tune noise and interrupting the song. She looked up to see Kirumi Tojo standing in the doorway, her expression obscured by the shadows. Kaede lifted her hands from the piano. "Hey Kirumi." She greeted, tripping over her words a bit as she spoke.

"Sorry if I interrupted you, but... it is rather late." Kirumi took a step forward, the moonlight unveiling upon her concerned face. Kaede's hand twitched. "Oh. It is? Was I playing too loud? I didn't mean to keep you awake..."

"No, no. I'm able to sleep just fine. I was worried about you, Miss Akamatsu. I know that you're the ultimate pianist, but staying up late can evolve into quite an unhealthy habit." Kirumi said. Kaede looked at the night sky outside the window. The moon hung high in the sky, almost at its peak. Midnight? Already? She thought. "You don't have to worry. I do this a lot, it's just part of practicing, y'know?" Kaede said, but she did notice that her eyelids were heavy, and her hands were shaking slightly. Kirumi seemed to notice too, as her eyes were fixed on Kaede's trembling fingers. "I can't force you to do anything, but I highly recommend not indulging in activities so late at night. Especially ones that are so easy to hyperfixate on. If you feel yourself becoming tired, you should take that as a sign that you need to sleep." Kirumi explained. Kaede wanted to tell her otherwise, but she knew that Kirumi was right. She could've sworn she almost fell asleep a minute earlier, so that meant that she was definitely tired.

Kirumi seemed to recognize the acceptance in Kaede's eyes before she vocalized it. Her concern shifted away from her expression, and she folded her hands as she returned to the same professional neutral face she always had. Kaede knew how much pride Kirumi took in her job, and how serious she was with her motto of selfless devotion. But she wished that Kirumi would let a little more emotion into her expression. For her to let everyone have a little more insight into how she felt about certain things, or for her to be more genuine. Sometimes Kaede worried that she was being completely genuine, and that Kirumi really didn't view everyone in any light except for a professional one. But she knew that had to be untrue- Kirumi had the same blank stare in highly stressful situations. Years of practice and perfection had given Kirumi a default neutral expression, one that she most likely kept as to not draw attention to herself. But Kaede wished that her face would alter- even for a moment- to show Kaede the real Kirumi. That was all Kaede wanted to see.

"Miss Akamatsu? Are you coming?"

Kaede was once again pulled out of her thoughts by Kirumi. She blinked, confused. "What did you say?" She asked, a little embarrassed she hadn't been listening to what Kirumi was saying. Kirumi repeated herself. "You were going to get some sleep, remember? You should go back to your dorm, unless you plan to sleep on the piano."

Kaede blinked. Was that a bit of humor from Kirumi? If it was, Kirumi didn't acknowledge it as she turned away to leave. "Kirumi, wait!" Kaede yelled, a little louder than she intended it to be. Kirumi seemed unfazed as she turned back around. "Yes?"

"Could you come with me back to the dorms?" Kaede asked. Kirumi paused for a few moments, before nodding. "Of course."

Kaede wasn't sure why she had asked Kirumi to come back with her- it had been an impulse. Maybe it was because she was tired and a bit jumpy, but there wasn't any turning back now. She walked over to Kirumi, and they both exited the piano room. They walked in silence until Kaede spoke up. "So uh... why were you outside your dorm in the first place?"

Kirumi paused again, and the rhythm of her steps altered slightly. There was no trace of a reaction in her face, and she eventually spoke. "I was cleaning the school halls. Kokichi made quite a mess and I didn't want it to get worse overnight."

Kaede paused in her footsteps and looked up at Kirumi. "But you realize that the same thing you said to me applies to you, right? Staying up this late is a bad habit. It was your own advice. You should be able to sleep, too."

Kirumi closed her eyes. "Yes, I suppose that is true. You have to understand though, that as a maid, I have my principles of selfless devotion. To serve others isn't a hindrance to me, it is a privilege."

"I know." Kaede said. "Just take care of yourself, too, y'know?"

Kirumi opened her eyes again and continued walking. "You are correct... I know not to push myself too far. You remind me of that often."

Kaede felt herself blush a little and looked away. Did she really mention that to Kirumi that much? She did want the best for her and always worried that someone like Kokichi or Miu would take advantage of Kirumi's generosity, but surely she didn't repeat something she already said? She turned her attention back to Kirumi as they walked up to the dorms.

"We've arrived, miss Akamatsu." Kirumi said. Kaede walked over to the door to her room, before looking back at her. "Hey, Kirumi?" She said. Kirumi looked over at her. "Yes?"

"You can call me Kaede, you know. I'm your friend, you don't have to use a title."

Kirumi smiled. "Very well then, Kaede. Good night."

As the two parted and Kaede slumped onto her bed, extremely tired, Kaede couldn't help wandering. She had seen no mess in the halls when she had walked over to the piano room. So what was Kirumi cleaning? Was there a possibility that she wasn't even actually cleaning?

Then... why was she there? Could she have been...

Sleep took over her before she even dared to ponder the thought more. That night was an uneventful sleep, except for one dream. A dream of her inside the same piano room, playing the same piece. But this time, she could see Kirumi behind the doorway, listening to her music with a soft smile.