Getting Over Kaori Miyazono

Chapter 1

For a while, I stayed strong. I lived the way I thought Kaori would have wanted me to live. Continue to play the piano, but play fearlessly. Eat what ever I want. Keep teaching Nagi and pass along my skill. And just have fun. Tsubaki tries to push me to feel better, and for the most part, it worked.

But everything began to dull out. I have the support of so many around me, from my greatest competitors Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa, to my best friends Watari and Tsubaki, yet I felt so alone. They didn't feel the same loss I did, I never even got to tell her how much I loved her. It's like when my mom died, but worse. All my clarity was lost and I drifted from reality, an emotionless zombie walking through my life.

When I played the piano, it didn't feel right to perform with anybody other than Kaori, so I had no guide. I couldn't hear myself play. Gradually, I became engulfed in a soundless sea. At this point, I don't even bother trying to play, no point in pounding on the keys when it's inevitable; I will never be able to hear it. I stopped entering competitions, my piano collected dust, and classical music just brought me pain. The sound reminded she wasn't there anymore, that I couldn't hear my own work, and that I am left with nothing.

My friends and I moved up to high school and gradually we saw each other less and less, having different classes, and I was unwilling to see them. Sure Tsubaki lived next door, but I avoided running into her. I couldn't handle them anymore, they always walked on egg shells around me, and pushed me to be better, but I'm not ready to be...