A Song For Another Time - A Hikaru Hitachiin Story

Chapter Forty-Three - A Song for Another Time

- Hello there! I promised soon and didn't follow through, lo siento, mianhaeyo, gomen'nasai. It's finally here; the last chapter. As I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, we're trying something a little different this go around and, though it makes sense to me, I fully acknowledge that it will make the reading experience clunky. Rose has done something special for Hikaru that involves music and while I believe it is possible to read this chapter without knowing or listening to the hyperlinked material, I added it because I wanted the reader to have a chance to experience this project in a similar way to Hikaru.

In this chapter, I have inserted the YouTube videos of the music and hyperlinked the lyric sheets in the comments (so that if you have hearing limitations or simply do not want to listen to the music but are interested in the words, you can still experience the songs in some way). Please feel free to skip them, and I am sorry if the story seems unconnected and light without them. I really wanted to try this. And while it (and several other things about this chapter) make me nervous that you will find this final installment lacking, this is what I wanted to do and I'm trying to be the type of person who sticks to their ideas and sees them through, despite fear.

(Also, please, let's suspend our belief for a little bit about someone being able to record something to last a whole flight to Japan, first off, and that it wouldn't take up all the space on a device lol)-

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The world was buzzing. The window beside him. The tips of his fingers. The space between his ears. Everything. It all hummed at a frequency just on the edge of his consciousness, singing all the secrets of the world he would never be privy to. About beginnings and ending and being on the precipice of change, the line between then and now.

Hikaru's right knee bounced up and down as he anticipated takeoff. The waiting was always the worst part, but combining that with having to wait to listen to whatever Rose put on his mp3 player made the anxious feeling inside him even worse - made it impossible to prepare for what was next. The flight or the surprise.

He found himself almost sighing with relief when the plane finally lifted from the ground and he began tapping his fingers on his armrest. He was playing the beat of his frustration. Tap, he'd count to ten and then it would be time, right? Or if not, maybe another ten. Tap. Would it go faster if he held his breath? Tap. If he closed his eyes?

Finally, the pilot's voice rang throughout the cabin, indicating that the plane had reached its cruising altitude, that the use of electronic devices was now permitted. Green light, go. Hikaru's hands shook as he fumbled around with the blue headphones attached to his device. His fingers felt beyond his control as they struggled to untangle the thin cord from itself. He should have done this while waiting. Why hadn't he done this while waiting?

He let out a heavy sigh as he finally moved the earbuds free of each other and slowly placed each in his ears. With eyes closed, he inhaled deeply, moved his strangely tensed fingers away from his face, and flattened them on his pants on the exhale. Gently, he picked up the mp3 player from his lap, turned it over, and stared at the filename staring up at him: A Song for Another Time. Whatever that meant.

"Hey there grumpy face," Rose's voice rang out as Hikaru pressed play on his player. "I hope you're buckled in tight to that plane seat of yours because I'm about to take you on an emotional rollercoaster - but don't worry. It's nothing that the great Hikaru Hitachiin can't handle.

"Believe it or not, I actually took time away from studying for finals to seek out some recording equipment in the communications school to make this goodbye present. Sit with that a moment and really let it sink in." A pause, and then, "So, I don't want you to be there, slumped in your seat, sulking and moping the whole way to Japan. Smile - I may have just jeopardized my final grade for you."