Our Spring [Your Lie In April]

Prologue: Choices

In the haze of anesthesia, that's when Kaori heard it.

It was the piano, Kousei's piano. His sensual melody imbedded with hope so strong it was painful.

"Please let this reach her!"

The notes seemed to beg. She wished she could walk out right then and there, and hold him forever in her arms.

She could almost see his fingers running along the keyboard, graceful and tender, reminding her of every precious moment they had shared. This was for her. For her to wake up, for her to persevere, for her to live.

Guilt and sadness rushed to the surface, accompanied with her increasing struggle to breathe. Her lie had been so flimsy, so transparent, fooling no one but Kousei himself.

I love you.

Kaori knew she was going to die, never able to tell him those three words in person, instead in the pathetic form of a letter.

And yet...

As she saw the cold hands of death reach for her, she felt his music coursing through her veins, lending her newfound energy.

Warm and fierce, just the way she expected it: The music of his love.

It was no longer Chopin, it was Kousei, pure and simple. He had finally learned how to let go of procedure and pursue expression. He was telling her to fight, and give everything she had.

In a place far away, she heard the faint voices of doctors, their words blurred as the beep of the monitor began its frantic ascension.

Her thoughts faded, however much she tried to dispel the impending darkness. Instead, blinding light seared through her vision as she was forced into emptiness.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in vast expanse of reflective blue sky. Rosy tinged petals floated past her, the pastel clouds gazing at her from above. It was limitless in every direction. There was no end in sight, a scene straight out of a dream.

And then, she saw him.

It was Kousei himself, seated at the magnificent grand piano in the center of the universe. He looked older and more mature, handsome in his familiar suit. The song he played drifted towards her, beckoning her with its irresistible beauty.

She took a step forward, realizing she was already dressed in her dusty pink gown, violin and bow in hand.  She relished the freedom of walking, step after step, until she reached him. Kousei smiled at her, tears rolling down his cheeks as he acknowledged her presence.

I can accompany him one last time...

She drew her bow sharply across the neck of the violin, making a single, mournful note.

And then the music took off, the liveliness of her personality following suite.

It was perfect, their melody intwined down to their very heartbeat. On and on she danced, laughing as played. She had missed this feeling so much, after all.

Kaori turned to him, their gazes locked in mutual understanding. They nodded at each other, their simple exchange meaning so much more.

The finale was coming.

Kousei poured his very soul into the last measures of the grand ending, while her
free spirit took off once more.

The final note struck, soft but strong, like a silent crash of thunder.

Kousei gave her a longing look, as Kaori's tears splashed down unto the ground, disturbing the flawless ground beneath them.

Don't forget me, okay?

I won't, I won't. He promised her fiercely.

She smiled one last time, as everything disappeared, her world turned upside down once more as she plunged into a soundless abyss.

Time seemed to stop, a miasma of despair enveloping the last of her resilience. She felt herself losing her grip on the ghost of her remaining heartbeat. But a single word stopped her.

Love.

I refuse to let myself give up.

She wasn't going to succumb to her illness peacefully, she was going to put up a fight and hold on. To Kousei, to their music, and to the last of her life.

She was at crossroads, and she had to choose.

And so she did.

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"I can only live wholly with you, or not at all."

-Ludwig Van Beethoven