Getting Over Kaori Miyazono

Chapter 9

After getting ready, I brushed through my long black hair, when my phone buzzed.

Takeshi- Hey Emi, I'm here

I'll be there in a sec

After texting him back, I checked my reflection one last time before running for the door.

Opening it I smiled looking at my boyfriend, Takeshi Aiza. There he stood standing tall, just like his hair, wearing his usual gray tee shirt with a skull on it and dark jeans. He smiled back as I walked towards him. He grabbed my hand and we walked together.

"Hey I think I wanna try this ice cream shop, a bunch of my friends tried it and said it's awesome." Takeshi said as we walked, the air was crisp, the wind blowing leaves across the sidewalks, a light sea of blue cut by white puffy clouds lay above us.

"Yeah that sounds really good."

I couldn't ever really pin point the moment I fell for Takeshi. It seemed that my whole life I had a thing for Arima, but I just really aspired to be like him, make the same impact he could, and play flawlessly. No matter how hard a tried I couldn't exceed him. But after he returned I recognized that my feelings were misplaced.

Takeshi and I had been pushing each other our whole lives' trying to beat the human metronome. We had surpassed him, this wasn't his life anymore. So we competed against each other, and it was the best thing for us. We never stopped encouraging each other to be better and learn more.

Takeshi has also become so much more relaxed. He didn't need to beat anyone and he didn't fear the stage. Once he let go of beating Kousei, he was happier and free, that's around the time we started hanging out outside of competitions.

Before I knew it Takeshi stopped me in front of a small building, blue door, slightly shabby, but kinda cute.

"Well, this is it."

Smiling, he held the door open for me and I was slightly caught off guard. Following me in Takeshi had a similar reaction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tsubaki and I had been dating a while now. Today we decided to go to this ice cream shop we had stopped at a few times.

A shadow cast from the doorway, I glanced up to see the two pianists that I had always performed against. Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa. Their mouths were slightly agape, Emi tightly grabbed his hand and he snapped out of it, smiling back at me. He pulled her over to where I was sitting with Tsubaki. Emi beginning to lose her shock as well she smiled.

"Hey Arima, how's it been?" I had only talked to Takeshi a handful of times but he didn't seem the same, he was more relaxed, looked happy.

"Hey Aiza, everything has been good." In our silence I saw Tsubaki's confused look. "Oh I'm sorry" standing up I introduced everyone. "Tsubaki this is-" she cut me off

"Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa, wow it's really nice to meet you after all this time, I'm Tsubaki." Their faces were a little bewildered as the shook hands, "oh I've been watching Kousei perform forever and at every competition, it never failed that you three were together."

Emi finally joined in the conversation, "it's very nice to meet you Tsubaki, Kousei it's been forever since we've seen you last, are you still doing competitions, or performing for that matter."

With all eyes on me I didn't know how to answer, Tsubaki seeing my slight panic I eased a little, "no I haven't performed in a few months, something came up."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, it's really ashame to let yourself fall out of practice, I think you shouldn't give it up." Emi looked at me tenderly, a little concerned but not that she would say anything about it.

"She's right Arima, and besides it's not as fun without you there." We all kinda laughed together, thinking about our past times eating ice cream or geeking out about egg sandwiches.

"Anyways, we'll leave you to your date, it was nice to see you again." They smiled and went to another table and we sat back down to our ice cream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kousei looked distraught and deep in thought after meeting with his once long time rivals. They looked really cute as a couple, and it's cool they can still compete against each other while being together. I think I should push what they said further. Taking him out of his haze, I reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands as our eyes reconnected.

"Kousei, I think they're right, it might be really cool to come back to the piano, even to just play for yourself." I said softly but it didn't seem to matter how I said it, he was still stunned.

"Tsubaki I don't know if I ever want to play the piano again." He yanked his hand away

"But why, what's stopping you this time?"

"My mother and Kaori are dead!" He said fiercely, causing a few other couples and groups to glance our way.

He grabbed his ice cream and tossed it in the garbage as he walked up, I followed cause behind.

"Kousei, wait!" I grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at me.

"What Tsubaki? What could you possibly say now?"

"Your mother and Kaori wanted you to keep playing, your mom gave you the skill and discipline. Kaori taught you how to make a piece your own. You can do it! It's always something that has and will be apart of your life. It's cruel to abandon something so beautiful."

"You could never understand what it was like, I was hit for playing one mistake, pushed to my limit thinking it was the only way to save her life. And Kaori, I only did as she said because I liked her. She performed carefree and with no high stakes, I could never pull that off."

"Maybe your past doesn't matter, maybe you can try it again, for yourself."

He looked so upset now, we didn't want to open old wounds but he's different without the piano. And you could tell he's still affected by the losses.

"Fine Tsubaki, I'll play one more time, but that's it, I'm done."

"Ok Kousei"