Hello! My second story is intact and unlike the last one, I know this will be a one-shot.
Please if you haven't read the manga or light novel or seen the anime of Your Lie In April, please do or just look up the major spoilers online, if you're not going to watch 22 episodes.
Naoshi Arakawa (manga), Yui Tokiumi (light novel) and Takao Yoshioka (any form of animation towards this media) were responsible for writing these masterpieces. So please give a hand to them!
The name is Arima Kaori and as you can guess by my last name, yes, you're right that I happened to be the daughter of famous piano prodigy Arima Kousei. My mom is Arima Tsubaki, she's a coach for the elementary boy's soccer team, which I find funny because my uncle Watori was the one who played soccer and yet he became a coach for the girl's softball team, talk about a total switch! I don't do sports except if you count dance. By the way, I have my dad's eye color and shape, my mother's hair color that goes to my back midway and tied in a half ponytail in the middle. My mom does it, she also cuts it when it gets longer. I have an older brother whose name is Tetsuya and one younger sister named Akeno. However, due to them actually wanting to follow our dad's footsteps, their story isn't as informational as mine.
I'm more of an artist as I love to redesign things that I see and express how I feel with symbolism. Mom claims I'll be able to make it big with my art like putting it in museums, as if. Dad wants me to practice piano that way he can ensure my future, I swear from what I hear he's like grandma Saki except he never did really anything beyond scolding me and that's rarer sight than seeing a black jaguar in person.
I was named after my dad's first love Kaori...who died of an illness but had returned the feelings to my father prior to her death. She was an excellent violinist and always played her way, I do see why my dad fell in love with her, after all, he wouldn't be able to express such emotion as he does now. I'm not kidding either, it's hard to believe people actually called him 'the human metronome' at one point because with the piano that's the only way he expresses himself in more ways than one. That dear old dad of mine does everything on piano BUT follow the notes and always comes up with his own, I love hearing it but I hate I'm forced to do it.
My memories of spring consisted of going to Kaori's grave at least for one day in April to honor her. At first, I didn't like the fact my dad bluntly states that he fell in love with her before mom, despite he and mom knew each other longer but then I shortly realize it shouldn't be a problem since that poor girl is long gone with parents she left behind who I easily without a doubt, consider my third set of grandparents (I consider Hiroko my grand aunt). Apparently, Kaori had a 'thing' for uncle Watori but she was really into dad and explained everything in her letter along with a treasured photo she kept. Dad actually gave it to me to keep, I do like my name and I'm close to her parents and from what I heard about this other Kaori, I easily learn to really like her, in fact, it was her words that were passed onto my dad inspired me to continue on being an artist.
I use sounds of my dad's music most of the time for sound inspiration to turn into visual art. If he's playing a tune that sounds happy, then I draw something that makes me happy like the time me and dad went to the beach with mom and my 2 siblings we ate ice cream. I usually do something funny with the ice cream cones or make up my own sea creatures or the time we went to the festival, I saw guy painting faces of people and I was awed at his talent and that made me realized I wanted to be an artist too.
Mom immediately knew what to get me for my birthday that was coming up at the time, it was as if it were destiny. She got me art supplies and though at first, I threw a tantrum (even though I shouldn't since 12-year-olds are supposed to act mature) because I couldn't make good art just like that man did, I just started doing things my own way like what Kaori did for violin, and next thing I knew I didn't care, I was having fun and for two years I've been an artist. Other songs of my dad's piano playing would be depressing and I would draw things like the time I got a major knee scrape and dad rushed to comfort me. The memory wasn't all bad, but still.
I would sometimes ask what makes my mom happy or sad and the same goes for dad and everybody else too for extra inspiration when it comes down to my art. I would make up stories with it and I would say it turns out really good. Speaking of stories I would also grab some books from the library to read and get my inspiration from there, even though I hate reading, to me it's a sacrifice that's worth it! There were days I threw my supplies away rather of I was on artist block or I wanted to just simply give up or found another hobby I always end up digging out the trash or lying to my mom that I ran out of supplies to get back to it, I usually am honest and that's truly the only time I lied that I didn't make obvious.
Everyone but Dad is awed by my talent and I felt really good, though the one person I wanted to please didn't seem to like that I was taking this route even though he does love my artwork just as much as mom as well as both my siblings, but because art was something built on somehow harder regulations than music and that being a full-fledged artist takes a lot more than a musician he doesn't want to put me in that position, that and the fact he believes I can make a better promising musician.
I sighed as I lay on the wooden floor of my room. Just then I heard an unfamiliar voice. "That good for nothing friend A still doesn't get it, now does he?" someone asked. I sat up and turned toward the voice. It was a familiar looking girl around my age floating with long yellow hair and grayish blue eyes that screamed life or at least would have if she wasn't see through.
"Hi there Kaori," she giggled. "You know that's my name too!" the one who also calls herself 'Kaori' said cheerfully. I wanted to scream but it's not coming out so I decided to stand and backed away slowly to my door but she appeared in front of me.
"No, no, no. I didn't mean to scare you," she said frantically. "You see I'm here to help you teach that father or yours a lesson in not choosing other's callings," she explained.
"You know my father?" I asked carefully not stuttering.
"Mm-hmm," she answered. "I was the one who brought color in his life and I'm here to help you prove to him you have color in yours," she then floated towards me and took my hands, then it hit me, this was THE Kaori my dad refers to, no wonder she looks familiar! I saw pictures of her over at her parents' bake shop, I'm not crazy over sweets but I do like fresh chocolate chip cookies that grandpa and grandma Miyazono prepares for me whenever I visit.
"How what do you mean?" I asked looking weirdly at our hands and wondering how she was able to hold it as if she was still alive.
"What do I mean?" Kaori repeated my question in a rhetorical fashion. "I mean look around you, you're obviously made to make art and looks like nothing stopped you," she said floating around my room as if emphasizing her point.
"You're a wonderful artist Kaori!" she exclaimed. "You gotta keep on doing this to make the world more colorful in your own way," she said.
"Thanks but dad says-" I was interrupted.
"Your dad knows nothing, and he forgot he was once in your shoes but then look at what he became," Kaori stated.
She sighed smiling and looking up at the ceiling, "Look, it's natural for parents to worry about their children but you clearly got a gift you're fully aware of, so why not take a leap?"
Kaori looked back at me, "I know nothing about drawing or painting but I'm an artist in my own way, I'm a musician! Dead or alive!" she proudly proclaimed. "As an artist, you make beauty in your own way by visual and I make beauty by sound, what a perfect combination!"
"Yeah, I know without music I wouldn't have made these," I showed her some of my masterpieces.
"They look magical," she breathed in awe, which was strange considering she's dead. "But it's not you that I'm worried about..." she trailed.
"Dad doesn't know I have inspiration everywhere," I said.
"I like your spirit! Go out there girl and take what you can, after all the world needs to make room with all sorts of people!" the dead Kaori said passionately. "So don't be afraid to fulfill it in your own way!" she exclaimed
I went out the door followed by Kaori there was my dad playing the piano alongside Akeno. I went up to him he took a glance at me.
"What is it now Kaori?" he asked looking back at the piano.
"I'm gonna take a leap on this journey and I will succeed!" I declared.
"Huh?"
"I need to fulfill this world with my own color and sitting on a piano isn't my thing, it's yours,"
"B-but music is important and should be part of your everyday life," he said frantically. Akeno just sat there smiling in awe at me the same way the other Kaori was smiling in awe at my art. Though no matter what I do she always seems to support me as well as Tetsuya.
"It will be, I promise you that," I said with some sass, which was a first, usually I'm laid-back even with the things that don't go my way. "Just like how I'll make art part of yours!" I declared.
Dad seemed speechless as he didn't know what's going on, usually, I shut up and sit on the piano rather if I wanted to or not.
"I do love music but I feel it's a sound without a picture and it needs a picture and I can make it happen," I soften the tone of my voice and my dad looked at me with some weird sparkle in his eyes. "I'm the picture and you're the sound wouldn't you say it makes an awesome combination?" I rephrased what the other Kaori said...just not with as much enthusiasm.
"Maybe music will be made because of my art, which would mean things would be reversed," still nowhere near as much colors as my paintings or the other Kaori's personality; however my excitement at the thought did indeed show with a sincere smile.
Everything was silent, I honestly don't know what to do, then my dad chuckled. "Guess I forgot that, huh?"
"About time you remembered that friend A," I heard Kaori's voice fade away, I guess dad didn't hear her. He patted the seat next to him and he told me to close my eyes that way I can see better. "Get ready for another masterpiece," he said as he started the piano.
After playing his piece, dad helped me for another drawing and he took another look at some of my artwork and noticed some of the work I made of the things he told me that makes him happy or sad and thanks to my art he can recreate the sounds he forgot or the notes he missed because a picture does need sound just like a sound needs a picture.
I think this was cute and at least this one was quick and painless am I right?
Please review and DO NOT bully anyone.
Did this reach you at all? Thanks a lot for at least giving this a chance, you're wonderful! Love you!
Yep, I added siblings. Originally there wasn't for those who read this before April/18/2019.