Hello. This is my first fic written in English. Many thanks to Crimson Rose Blooms for being a patient Beta
I've finished writing eight hours after ending the anime.
The story passes 25 years after. Maybe is not necessary to say, but contains major spoilers.
Disclaimer: Your Lie in April's rights belongs to Naoshi Arakawa.
Happy reading!
A beautiful piano melody could be heard from a home in Tokyo's suburbs. Even the soundproof walls did not seem to have the courage to stop it. It was the home of the worldwide famous pianist Kousei Arima, and his family. The neighbors were already used to music coming from pianist's home, even feeling a bit flattered by his presence. But a little argument was shaking the house's apparent calmness…
"I hate that piano!"
A nine-year-old girl stomped through the corridor. Her long brown hair shook with each step. She had reached her limit.
"Kaori, hold your tone. This piano recital in Paris was scheduled months ago. You knew that your father couldn't be here to see your play at the school festival."
Her mother tried to reason with the girl, which stopped in the middle of her rampage.
"I know, but it's not just the festival. My birthday… Christmas… That piano always sends Dad far away from me… I want to kick it to scraps!" she sobbed.
Her mother sympathized completely. Tsubaki also hated the piano for taking Kousei away from her when they were kids, but this feeling never hindered her determination to be by his side. Her love for him would always be larger than her hatred of music, but she was conscious that there was always a space in his heart for the piano…
And for her.
She had to deal with these feelings to keep their delicate happiness. Stuck in her thoughts, she lost sight of her daughter. Kaori loc ked herself away in the unused music room, packed with scores, cabinets and taped boxes covered by a thin layer of dust.
Tsubaki knocked the door lightly. "Kaori, open up."
"Leave me alone!"
Her mother sighed, "Fine. I'll be in the kitchen making dinner if you want to talk."
Slumped against the wall, she could still hear the melody from the other room. She pressed her hands against her ears, unsuccessfully trying to block the music.
Hoping to find a distraction, she unwrapped one of the taped boxes. There were old school things: Notebooks, pictures, yearbooks… Kaori peeled open one of the yearbooks and smiled when she found the yellowing picture of her parents as teenagers. Her mother wore a softball uniform, to her surprise. As expected, her father always had such a serious face.
As she flipped through the pages, she felt a photo drop against her leg. A different photo.
Four people standing by the pool, with a box full of fireworks. She knew three of them: Her mother, her father and their family friend Watari-san. But one of them was unrecognizable to her. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair, eyes a gray-blue tone she'd never seen before and a contagious smile. She wondered why she never met her. Curious, she hurried to the kitchen where her mother was now chopping vegetables.
"Mom..."
"Yes?"
"Mom, who is this girl?"
Tsubaki gasped in surprise as she picked up the photo from Kaori's hands. "Wow, I thought this was lost. Where did you find it?"
"Inside a box I opened. Who is she?"
"A good friend. Her name was Kaori Miyazono."
"We have the same name!"
"Actually, you got your name from her."
"Really?! Tell me more about her, please!"
Tsubaki seated herself at the dining table and called Kaori over.
"Kaori-chan was my classmate and a great violinist. We were great friends."
"Where is she now?"
Tsubaki kept silent for a while. "She's living with angels now."
"The same place as Grandma Saki?"
"Yes. She had a really serious disease. She passed some months after this photo was taken."
The girl focused on the picture, on the girl with her name as her mother continued talking.
"Your father and I really miss her. So we gave her name to you, as tribute."
"She was beautiful. Why did God make her live with the angels so early?"
The question caught Tsubaki defenseless.
"Who knows. Maybe He liked the special way she played the violin and wanted her to play for him."
The answer made Tsubaki's eyes sting. Just like Kousei, she wasn't able to cope with her death. The name was only a tiny outlet, to find some meaning out of the tragedy.
"Hello."
Kousei entered the kitchen but stopped when he noticed the tears on his wife's face.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes, it is. Do you remember this photo, dear? It was Kashiwagi-san who took it."
The pianist recognized it immediately. He let out a bittersweet smile. "I remember."
"Mother was telling me about Kaori-san."
"Really? And what do you think about her?"
"She seemed to be a very nice person."
"Yes, she was," Kousei said, stroking his little girl's hair.
Tsubaki hustled them on. "Kaori, go and take a bath. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Okay."
Once she left, Kousei turned his attention to his wife. "Is everything really alright?"
"Yes. I just wasn't expecting to recall these memories so suddenly."
The pianist nodded. Even by just looking at the blonde girl in the picture again, he felt the world disappearing around him.
"Kousei?"
"Eh? S-Sorry..."
Leaning over her husband, she also stared at the picture.
"I can't help but be envious. After all this time, she still has a place in your heart."
"I'm sorry, Tsubaki."
"For what?"
"For not being able to forget her."
"That's too much to ask for. I know how strong your feelings for her are. You loved her, suffered with her – for her. I still don't understand how you played so wonderfully the day she died."
"I had to. If I hadn't, it would have disappointed her. She taught me that even if I'm tired, depressed, completely devastated, I need to keep playing because that is what musicians do."
Tsubaki had that day fixed in her memory. A cold and snowy February 18th. Kousei had gone onstage to play in the piano competition and, unknown to her, Kaori underwent a risky surgery.
Kousei played as if in a trance and received the biggest acclamation of his career. Yet in tears, he rushed backstage. Tsubaki, Watari and Kashiwagi had rushed to check on him but Tsubaki was certain that Kousei had had some form of premonition. Minutes later, they received the phone call from Kaori's father.
At first, Tsubaki unleashed her anger on Kousei for not telling her about Kaori's surgery. But then cried holding him in her arms. Watari entered a state of shook, relying on the wall to hold himself up. Unlike the others, Kashiwagi did not exteriorize her sadness, or maybe could not.
Hiroko-sensei arrived soon after with Nagi, who explained the situation to Takeshi and Emi. They witnessed Kousei's anguish even before the performance.
Emi remembered Kaori from the Gala. She couldn't believe she was dead, and seeing how Kousei felt broke her heart.
Nagi sought comfort in her brother's arms. It was painful to see the pianist they admired so devastated.
The touching Chopin Kousei played put him in first place but when his victory was announced, the seat reserved for him was empty.
"I never told you but I saw her onstage that day. When I saw her, I knew the surgery was unsuccessful. She was there to say goodbye. She was playing that rebel violin which hated following scores. All I could do was keep playing and pray my music reached her."
He shed no tears but pulled his wife tightly towards him.
"I'm sure it reached her." Tsubaki gave him a soft kiss. "Go take a bath after Kaori. We're having sukiyaki for dinner."
"Great. Now I'm hungry. Let me help."
"Right, but nothing involving a knife. I don't want to risk you hurting your hands."
He laughed as they prepared dinner without realizing a curious girl had overheard the conversation.
Later, when Kousei was rehearsing for his show in Paris, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in."
His uneasy daughter entered.
"Kaori? You were supposed to be sleeping."
"I'm restless, Dad. Can I stay here a bit?"
Kousei nodded and resumed practice. Kaori sat on the sofa, keeping her eyes on her father. It was the first time in her life she really concentrated on the music he played. She still didn't like the instrument but the desire to stay near her father overcame it. She managed to keep herself awake until he finished.
"Still restless?" he asked, closing the lid.
"Yes. Dad, can I ask a question?
"Sure."
"Who do you like more? Mom or Kaori-san?"
That startled him. He wasn't expecting that type of question from her.
"Why are you asking?"
"I heard you and Mom talking. Did you have feelings for Kaori-san?"
He couldn't hide the surprise at being pressed. "Kaori, come here."
He waved his hand, calling her to sit beside him.
"Kaori-san... Was my first love and a very important person to me. It was hard to handle losing her but I'll always be grateful for her. Because she is the reason I play the piano today."
She remained silent, trying to understand. "But haven't you played since you were a kid?"
"Yes, but after Grandma passed, I stopped playing. Kaori-san could look frail but she had an aggressive personality. Even though she was ill, she never gave up on her dreams. Her way of living changed me. She taught me things I still treasure today – like how important it is to have someone to play for and a reason to keep us moving forward."
"Who do you play for, Dad?"
"I play for you, for your mother, for Kaori-san… For everyone who made me who I am today."
"And why do you play?"
"Because I think music has an incredible power, capable of changing people. It can make them happy, nostalgic or even sad sometimes. It's impossible to stay yourself after listening to something played with sincerity. I want to change everyone who listens to me, even just a little bit, like Kaori-san changed me when I listened to her."
He brought his daughter to his lap. Kaori wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Do you still think about her?"
"Every day."
"And is there a song that reminds you of her when you hear it?"
Kousei thought a while before answering.
"There are three, actually. The first violin sonata I listened to her playing, the piece we played in our performance together and the piece I played on the day she passed. That day, I played especially for her."
Kaori was rather curious about this presentation mentioned by both her parents.
"Can I hear it?"
He smiled, "Go sit on the sofa then."
She did as she was told, anxious about what was going to happen. She wanted to verify if her father's words were true: If music really can change people.
Kousei opened the keyboard again. He took a deep breath before starting. Soon, the notes of Chopin's Ballade no.1 filled the room. The sad melody which brought back memories of the day that changed his life forever.
The door creaked open; Tsubaki had snuck in.
She knew her husband only played this when he missed Kaori. Surprisingly, their daughter was sitting there. Tsubaki seated herself beside her, holding her hand. But Kaori couldn't take her eyes away from her father. She was hypnotized by the melody, tightening her grip more and more. Tsubaki watched tears stream down her face.
"Why…" She thought as he played, giving away every piece of himself. "Why have I never seen this before? Dad's music is so…"
Her thoughts were disturbed as Kousei entered a dramatic climax. She could feel his desperation, as if he were about to lose something. The ending, like an unwanted farewell.
When Kousei finished, he turned to his family. Kaori, unable to control her tears, dashed over to hug him. She cried silently into Kousei's chest. She never thought she could feel like this from hearing a single piece. She finally understood his words.
Once she calmed down, Tsubaki held Kaori's left hand. Kousei held her right hand and they headed to her bedroom. She was put into bed and received a good night kiss from her parents. As they left, Kaori called out, "Dad…"
"Yes?"
"Sorry for wishing to kick the piano into pieces."
"… It's okay. Goodnight."
He closed the door. As the couple went to their own bedroom, Kousei broke the silence.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For staying by my side, for being my guardian angel, for loving me. First I lost my mother then Kaori. I don't know what I would do without you."
Tsubaki smiled at him, "I told you I wouldn't leave you alone for a single moment. And for me, that's a really easy promise to keep."
They reached their bedroom for a well-deserved night of sleep.
Last night didn't end for Kaori. She couldn't concentrate on her classes. The piano melody and her father's words were still echoing in her mind. She asked herself if she could have that power too. She used all her free time watching Kousei's performances on her phone.
The piano was still taboo for her. She couldn't see herself playing it. But after watching a duet, her focus moved to another instrument. The musician's grace playing it and the high-pitched melody shook her heart.
Now determined, she rushed home and entered the music room. The loud steps alerted Tsubaki, which followed her. Kousei was still rehearsing when the door swung open. Kaori heaved, out of breath. Then she yelled, "I want to learn to play the violin!"
The parents looked at each other surprised before Kousei asked, "You were never interested in music before. What happened?"
"I want to play with Dad one day, and change everyone who listens to my music."
With that answer, the only thing the parents could do was smile.
The end.
I hope you liked. Please, review with your opinions.
Thanks for reading!