chishiya was finally dragged out of his room by none other than kuina herself. he remembered it clearly, the way she had opened the blinds despite his ignorance to her calls and the way her strength managed to pull him out of bed. he glared at her, not at all happy with her brash actions, but she simply ignored him and told him to get washed and eat.
he would've turned a blind eye if it weren't for the flash of concern in her eyes, as well as the red that rimmed them. kuina and you weren't that close, but you did have several interactions, not to mention she was quite fond of your music. he was not the only one suffering from your death it appeared.
so he allowed himself a cold shower to bite away the sorrows and a meal to fill the empty space of his stomach. it would do nothing for his chest, but at least it was enough to keep him alive until his next game.
once he finished a meal filled with silence, he followed the girl through the halls. he hadn't been paying much attention towards the direction they were going, preoccupied with his own thoughts. he only realized he was heading towards the very place he tended to avoid when he heard the whispers of the crowd and kuina's pause in her steps.
"such a shame. i really liked their music."
"how do you think they died?"
"didn't you know? they were deaf. i'm sure with an impairment like that it was bound to happen at some point."
"still...they didn't deserve that. their music was the one good thing about these borderlands."
chishiya swallowed thickly, seeing the abandoned instrument in the middle of the room. was dust already collecting onto the surface? were the pages you had written and the songs you adored still hidden in the bench you had sat on? he could see it; the image of you and him seated while playing a melody every one in this room had loved.
it was a shame really. that the legacy you had carried would die out in a world such as this one. that the piano you had poured everything would sit forgotten until the keys no longer worked and the emotions you split would cease to exist. could chishiya, who had known you personally and was fond for you enough to call it love, watch it disappear?
kuina watched as he brushed past her towards the center of the room, careful in pulling out the bench and brushing his fingers over the top of the keys. no dust quite yet, still filled with the love you had given it each time you played. perhaps, just one last time, he could return it, and give you a proper farewell as both a pianist and his lover.
chishiya took a deep breath, feeling the stares and quietness of the room as he played the first note. he recalled the times where there was one song in particular you'd always repeat, and he felt it would fit best with the goodbye he wanted to say. one he wasn't able to give at the time.
they were messy, each note clumsy and foreign to his fingers. he could barely remember the correct notes and the actual placement of the song, but he tried, for the sake of your memory and his.
chishiya realized something as the song progressed, still blurred between the notes and the tears he frustratingly held within. it was that despite the hollow of his chest and the despair that shackled his limbs, it was a reminder that he was still human. that he wasn't incapable of feeling like many would presume and he had believed as well. it may hurt, heart tight in his chest and the permanent lump in his throat begging to be released, but no longer did he feel empty, void of emotions, like before.
he had you to thank for that fact. the one who taught him curiosity past his hobby of manipulating outcomes. the one who taught him of adoration, or a least a fondness for the things he never used to appreciate. the one who showed frustration, and regret, even if he didn't particularly enjoy the feelings. and finally, you, music loving and peculiar, had shown him the idea of putting someone above himself.
eventually the sounds ceased, and his terrible performance was put to an end. his eyes remained fixated on the keys, and he wondered if this was what you felt each time you played. giving a part of yourself to an instrument to display the feelings you couldn't express with words. it was strange, he thought re-enacting what he had watched so many times would make him feel worse, but right then and there chishiya felt nothing but acceptance.
he understood that some things would come and go, like the seasons that changed portrayed as leaves and flowers. your being may be no longer, but it was there in those keys and in his heart, and the farewell he had given you that would forever show his gratitude. from both him and the residents of the beach.
he hoped, that the life you had lived would carry on to the symphonies you created.
YOU ARE READING
hear my symphony
Hayran Kurgu"and with simple songs i wanted more." or, a deaf pianist and a cold hearted boy find love in a cruel world.
