Machina, a 17-years old teen boy, is a talented pianist since his childhood but decided to stop from playing piano anymore because of his past trauma. Then, he meets Ace, a teen boy who is an eccentric and cheerful violinist. And the story begin...
This fic based on Your Lie in April. Then, be ready for the story until the end.
In the early spring, the blonde boy watched the scenery of Sakura in his house with a black Angora cat on his lap.
While sightseeing Sakura, he sang a song that just can be sing in the first verse.
maigo no ashioto kieta kawari ni inori no uta o
soko de honoo ni naru no darou tsuzuku mono no tomoshibi ni
Then the blonde boy sighed softly.
"Huh... I can't sing the next verse of this song. I'm very sucked at memorized the whole of lyrics."
The cat just said 'meow', don't know if the cat understand or not about its master's said.
The boy that rise up his cat then direct the cat's face with green eyes to meet the sky blue eyed boy.
"So, how about my singing just now, Maki-Maki chan?" said the boy with wide smile.
_epha_
The piano clinking sound echoed in the large room.
The tapering fingers of the 15-years-old teen pressed his keys with fast but right rhythm.
The song he brought really played very fit and beautiful, sounds like a song from a god.
The teenager, nicknamed "Young Deus Ex Machina" plays the piano like a machine god.
The tempo and rhythm are really well like metronom.
All the audiences watched his music with amazement.
One of the enthusiastic audiences watched all his piano games, a girl who the same age like him.
Naturally, she is the pianist's friend. Can be seen her face is bright and her eyes are sparkling every finger of her friend was playing a song with a high level of difficulty.
While being engrossed in his piano he play, suddenly there was something odd.
Suddenly, either just his feelings or not, the musical notes from the book he was playing now suddenly disappeared. He couldn't read the next notes to play.
Even more strange, his hearing ability suddenly disappeared in the middle of the piano game.
All he heard was beating of the piano keys silently.
Suddenly his face panicked instantly after he knew that he lost his hearing ability.
The music he played being a mess.
The audience who watched it was amazed by the changes that had previously been perfect performance.
What happened to him? Think of the audience.
Not to mention the girl who looked at him worried about his game is now starting to mess up.
That teen boy couldn't control his hand anymore while he couldn't hear his music anymore until his fingers got numbed.
Then, he saw... his brother... stood behind the audiences, stared at him sharply.
"Nii-san..."
Vaguely he saw his brother open his voice. Like whispering but he could hear what he was saying.
"You failed!"
"NO!"
Then, he appeared in his bedroom.
"It's... just a dream?" his breath was panting.
Suddenly, the door being knocked by someone while there was a soft voice from the outside.
"Honey. Are you okay?" But of course that young man didn't answer because of his fear about that before.
The door opened, showed the red wavy haired woman with purple night gown with the worried face.
"Bad dream again, honey?" asked that woman softly.
"CAETU AUNTY~~~" the black-haired boy hugged that middle-aged woman while crying.
"Nii-san...hiks... Nii-san... he appeared..." his breath still panting.
"It's just a dream, Machina."
"He appeared again. He's gonna makes me suf-..."
"No no... he doesn't here ... he won't make you suffer again. Calm down... Now go to sleep again." The woman that called 'Caetu Aunty' calmed the boy named Machina to make him sleep again.
"Yet two years have passed ... It should be all over ..." Caetu aunty muttered.
_epha_
At the morning day...
Machina, Caetu Aunty, and the girl that two years younger than Machina eat the breakfast together.
"Last night that Machine boy became a cry baby again?" that young girl teased harshly.
"SHUT UP, YOU MORON!" Machina scolded, offended by the girl called him 'Machine boy' and cry baby.
"Enough, kids. You, Aria. You should keep your mouth! Your cousin have a bad dream." Said Caetu Aunty.
"When did you want to continue to have nightmares? Why don't you occasionally have a nice dream? At least you dream about girls or whatever you like. Instead of dreaming being haunted by ghost Izana big brother continuely." Protest Aria.
"Don't ask me about that! You think i want to have that damn bad dream? Then why you didn't give me that your 'nice dream' like what you said?"
"Calm down, kids. Don't make a commotion on this sunny morning. Besides, Aria, why did you asked about that? You should know about Machina's condition."
"Because he always shout out while we are sleeping at the night. It's so noisy. I can't sleep well again." Complaint Aria.
Machina eat fastly as fast as he can. He knew that he just make the people annoyed about his nightmares.
"Calm down, Machina. You gonna choke if you eat like this. Aria, you should say sorry to him." Said Caetu Aunty softly.
"I'm done. I gotta go." Said Machina while took his bag to go to school.
"Be careful, honey. Have a nice day." Said Caetu Aunty.
"Bye, Caetu Aunty. Bye Aria." Machina said farewell and leave his home to go to school.
_epha_
Machina POV
My name is Machina. Machina Gabriel Kunagiri. Or Machina Kunagiri if you want to short my full name. 17 years old.
I live in Tokyo, Japan. But to be honest, i'm not really native Japanese. My dad is Japanese and my mom... She was British. So I'm Japanese-British descent. You can see my appearance. My face is Asian, but i have green eyes. From my mom.
About my family, the woman that live in my house is my aunt, Caetuna. I called her Caetu Aunty. She is my mom's sister and she is very nice to me and i think of her as my own mom. Yeah, because she is on duty to take care of me replacing the role of my own parents. That's why she live in Tokyo instead of London, England, my birthplace before. I don't have a mom because she died when she gave birth to me. And i never see my dad too because he is working abroad for a long time.
I have a female cousin too that now lives in my house too. Her name is Aria Luricara. But unlike my kindhearted aunty, she is a brat, yeah. She is very annoying cousin. Maybe her treat descended from her dad, that damned uncle that always abushes my aunt harshly. Well FYI, Caetu Aunty was a victim of domestic violence. But fortunately, now they were divorced. It's a good news, right? So she didn't have been tortured anymore and live in piece in Japan. I hope Aria don't do the same like her dad in the future.
Also... actually... i had a big brother, once. He was nine years older than me, once.
But he died.
He died... because of...me.
My mom also died because of me.
It means... I... Machina Kunagiri... is a jinx.
I am a jinx.
"MACHINA!"
I was snapped by the sound of a girl besides. Wait! Since when she came beside me?
"You're daydreaming again, huh?! I called you for five time but you ignored me." she pouted.
"Sorry."
"Sorry? Just it? You just can say sorry. Tomorrow you will be daydreaming again? Aren't you afraid if your head being knock by electric pole, wall, or something hard?" she nagged.
"Shut up! Okay, i'm sorry. Stop nagging me, Old Lady."
"I'm not Old Lady, dumbass!" said my friend irritated while tried to smack my arm.
Ah, by the way she is Rhema Emily Tokimiya. Or you can call her Rem Tokimiya.
Same like me, she is Japanese-British descent too. She also was born in London, but she was born four months older than me. Me and Rem are childhood friends since we was in London. We are also a neighborhood friend too. I don't know why we always together like this from London to Tokyo. I don't know too who is the first in Japan and who is follow then? But supposedly said my father and Rem's father are friends since they young until we were born. OK! That's enough! It isn't important for me.
"Rem-san! Machina-san!" shouted another girl.
"Deuce!" Rem shouted back cheerfully to see Deuce tried to follow us.
"Hosh... hosh... i've thought i'm late. Thanks God..." said Deuce.
"Of course you're not late, Deuce-chan. You just too worried being late." Said Rem calmly.
The another girl is Desirée Adele Courtemanche, but we always call her "Deuce". She is from France but she grew up in Japan, like us. She is Rem's best friend, but she is my friend too since we were middle school. You can call three of us as the childhood and schoolhood friends.
Then we took the bus to go to school.
As we sat in the bus, those two girls had a chit-chat time while i just being a 'lamp pole' because of course they talked about woman things like gossips, and i don't interest with that.
Now, finally we came to our school, Suzaku International High School.
Then I heard people greeted us.
"Hi, Rem..." OK, they just greeted Rem, not me.
"Hi, guys..." Rem greeting back them.
Many people greeted her cheerfully. But most of them are the boys.
Yeah, Rem Tokimiya is the most popular girl in our school because of her beauty. No wonder many boys like her.
But i think not only me, Rem, and Deuce that are being categorized as mixed-race or foreign people. There are many student who are from various countries around the world. Not a few of the students are mixed race people too, like us.
Maybe few of you guys curious about us why no one of us isn't pure Native Japanese.
Yeah, to be honest, Suzaku International High School, the school we attend, isn't for Native Japanese but with international standard in order to make the foreign citizens in Japan can adapt their environment in Japan little by little. Maybe you can tell that we as the mixed-race people don't ready with Japanese culture yet. Or maybe those native Japanese people just too ethnocentric with their own culture, huh? Yeah... sort of.
"Wow... you're very popular as usual, Rem-san."
"Hehehe... of course that's me, Rem Tokimiya, who is the most beautiful girl in the Suzaku International High School. Right, Machina?" said Rem joyfully.
"Hmm." I replied lazily, not interested with what she said about herself.
"Ugh! You're too boring to reply like that. Just say that you jealous with me, huh?" Rem teased me.
"Shut up! Who cares about you? You are popular or not isn't my business!" said me irritated.
"Tch! Why are you always being salty?!"
"You only too arrogant!" I nagged back.
"Stop! Stop! You two stop quarreling like that. You two look like an old couple." Deuce arbitrated while nagged sarcatic.
"WE ARE NOT AN OLD COUPLE!" said me and Rem compactly, undeliberately.
"Huh?! See?! You two answered it compactly. That's a prove!" finally, we two just grunted irritably.
"OK! Enough! I will go to my class before too late. You too go to your class hurry. But before that..." Rem suddenly pulled up my corner lips like made me smile forcely.
"WTH?!" I snapped her.
"Be smile, Machina. Every morning always starts with a smile." Said Rem with her (fake) smile face.
"No! I won't!" said me back irritably.
"Huh! Alright, then. I will go to my class right now." Said Rem.
"Me too. My class will be start with math lesson. My math teacher is as grumpy as you." Said Deuce while equated me with her math teacher. WAIT?! WTH with these annoying girls!?
"OK, see you later guys." Then i saw the two girls said farewell before went to their each class.
"Machina! be smile..." said Rem while make a act of pulling up her corner lips.
Actually... i'm not won't. but i can't. I can't smile like what they did.
Rem seems doesn't want to understand me that i have my burden life. Yeah, as my friend she is so fussy and annoying.
But to be honest, Rem is so beautiful and cute, moreover when she smiles. Besides that, she once participated Miss Teen Japan and achieved Runner-up 2. She can plays cello very well. But like me, she stopped play cello. But unlike me, instead she can channels her another talents like cooking and designing clothes. So she joins cooking class and designer club for her extracurricular. Such a multitalented girl, isn't it?
No wonder many boys like her, and many boys even try to propose her as their girlfriend, then be ended by Rem's rejection. Huh, such an arrogant girl, right?
And the other girl is Deuce. The opposite of Rem, she is rather a shy girl and sometimes a little bit introvert. But don't judge her from the cover. She is music club president despite of her tiny body and young age. She is more dedicate about music and maybe she can plays every instruments, but she likes flute more. She is great musician. And also, sometimes she is stubborn and wants to know anything that shouldn't she knows. Yeah, she is annoying like Rem too.
But compare to me, both Deuce and Rem have colorful life when they can enjoy their lives freely. How lucky them.
Me? My life is more monotonous. No color. Just black and white, like a sheet of scores and piano keys. In an early of Spring, there is no Sakura in my life. My life is withered.
Unlike Rem and Deuce, i'm not multitalented. My life from beginning until then just for piano. Once.
But now i hate piano. But sometimes i miss piano too. But i don't want to touch it. It sounds crazy, isn't it?
Seriously... i don't have anything besides piano. When i was young my life just focus on participated piano competitions both in National level and International level until i ignored my school activities. I barely failed my class grade because i was busy on music competition. But fortunately my middle school at that time gave me some compensation so I could continue my school even though my grades decreased.
After i decided to stop play piano, i can enjoy my school life after entered high school and focus on my education. But still, i'm not happy.
"MACHINA!" Again. I snapped again. WTH is the culprit that annoys me, huh?!
"STOP DAYDREAMING AGAIN, YOU FOOLISH! WHERE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS STUDENT COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT WHEN AT THE TIME WE DO MEETING?" shout a girl in the student council room. Guess what, that girl is a student council president. DAMN! I lost the position of her as the president.
Many student council members looked at me wonder.
"Sorry" I answered soberly.
"You said sorry for the n-times but you didn't change time to time. And what the hell with you? Imagine yourself playing piano like when you were young? Why don't you join music club instead of join student council just to be troublemaker in here?" nagged that president while pointed my finger on the table like i play piano. DAMN! How can it be like that?
"I don't want to join music club. I'm bored with the music. So it's up to me. Don't protest me."
"Of course i protest. You didn't hear all the entire meeting. Didn't you remember that this event is important to our school?"
"I know, I know. Thus event for summer is very important, Isabelle."
"Call me Queen. Not Isabelle." Correct student council president.
"WHAT?! HELL NO! How can your name be Queen if your full name is Isabelle Elizabeth Eddington? Where the heck is the 'Queen' in your name? Maybe nickname 'Seven' for Stefania still makes sense because it sounds the same. But you?" I mocked her while tried to pointed our student council secretary, Seven.
"At least the name 'Queen' based on Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth is my middle name. Don't forget, i'm from ENGLAND." Said Isa- i mean Queen. God, Damn it!
"I'M FROM ENGLAND TOO, DAMN IT!"
"OH YEAH?! BUT YOUR DAD IS JAPANESE AND YOU LIVE IN JAPAN TOO, MACHINE!"
"AT LEAST I WAS BORN IN LONDON AND I MORE MAKE SENSE THAT YOU. AND ALSO DON'T CALL ME MACHINE, ISABELLE!"
"CALL ME 'QUEEN'!"
"SILENT, PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT! The meeting is still running, remember? Stop quarelling just for that trivial problem!" Said Seven arbitrated us. Instantly, we stopped quarelling.
OK, sometimes, my life is a little bit colorful. But more annoying. At least just in Student Council.
The rest? I chose to alienate my self from the world.
Read the book in the library alone,
Sat down on the back garden alone,
Aloof in the class, with no purpose.
Didn't join any extra club, just want to waste my time, alone
I didn't make friend with other poeple besides Rem and Deuce.
To be honest, my life was so boring. But there is no what can i do.
Not because i don't want to, but because my past life being affected by my brother's doctrine.
My entire life being controlled by Izana nii-san until he died.
Now, i'm just a robot without know the creator.
Just a Ronin without the master.
I hate my life.
Really really hate my life.
"Machina!" Who is the culprit that snapped my daydreaming?
"Aloof in the class again, huh?" asked Rem.
"You knew that," i answered.
"Tch! You always act ignorant." Rem sighed, then she pulled one of the earphones from my ear then insert it to her ear.
"Hei, is this song Zero from Bump of Chicken?" asked Rem.
"Yeah. So what?!"
"No wonder, you always act too melancholic. You always listen sad songs. Next time please listen some happy songs." Rem suggested.
"Hmm."
"By the way, you make a trouble with Queen the student council president, huh?" Rem asked.
"Yes. So why?"
"Come on, Machina. Don't make a fuss with her. You and her are student council presidents. So don't act like a child!"
"She did it, first! Hell no! I called her real name Isabelle but she was mad and asked me to call her 'Queen' just because her name resemble to Queen Elizabeth. Is she crazy or what that she didn't want to be called her real name?" I complained.
"Oh, come on... Just give in to her. She is a woman, a gentle man should give in to the women." Rem suggested that for me sounds like one-sided.
"You can say that because you're woman too."
"Of course i'm woman. The women are easily carried away, so you need to understand more about women. And supposedly said she was a descendant of nobleman you know. England are popular with noblemans. One of them is Lady Diana."
"Who cares if she is descendant of nobleman or not, it's not my own business. Besides if she is from the English noble, why she didn't attend an England's school instead of here?"
"It's her own business. You should ask her by yourself. This is International High School, not really Japanese High School. Besides, many girls in this school have the name Isabelle. My classmate also has name Isabelle. She just wants to differ her name from the other, maybe." Then silence enveloped us.
"What are you doing? Writing musical notes from the song you listen?" asked Rem.
"Yes."
"For what? You didn't join music club but you write musical notes. Much the same it's useless for you, you know."
"I write it for my friend."
"Seriously? I just know that you don't have any friend beside me and Deuce. I'm not sure if Deuce asked it from you."
"Not Deuce. My classmate who asked me to do so. I don't know for what. Maybe for karaoke or sort of."
"Liar!" Judged Rem.
"I'm not!" I denied.
"Then, do you mind to play piano again if you are ready?" asked Rem.
"No, Rem. I'm done. I don't play piano anymore." Suddenly silence envelope us again. I knew Rem stared me fiercely.
"What?" Asked me, stared her back.
"HELL NO! WHAT A TSUNDERE YOU ARE! YOU'RE A POOR LIAR I'VE EVER SEEN! DON'T DECEIVE ME, MR. KUNAGIRI! LAST DAY I SAW YOU SECRETLY CAME TO MUSIC ROOM WITHOUT ANY PERMISSION AND THEN I SAW YOU PLAYED PIANO WITHOUT ANYBODY KNOW! I KNOW YOU NOW THAT YOU ARE TSUNDERE!" shouted Rem excitely.
"I JUST CHECKED UP ABOUT INSTRUMENTS' CONDITION ARE THEY FINE OR NOT! DON'T JUDGE BAD ABOUT ME!"
"DEUCE NEVER TELL ME IF THERE WAS SOME BROKEN INSTRUMENTS AND EVEN DEUCE NEVER SEND ANY COMPLAINT LETTER ABOUT MUSIC ROOM TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL. Don't act as you're the vice president. Just admit it by your self!"
"Maybe Deuce too lazy to tell everything to you." Denied me.
"Deuce and me always tell everything about our activities as the girls' chit-chat. Don't deny it, Machina."
"I know you hate piano, but i know that you actually still love piano. You are just... helpless i think. You think you don't have any choice for you life."
"I'm fine, Rem. This is my choice. Now i can enjoy my school than when i was in middle school."
"Yeah, i know. But you didn't enjoy it happily. Instead you're being a grumpy boy, always angry and a loner. Is that what you want for your school life? Besides, this is an early Spring, but you didn't face it passionately. Just to be honest with me if you still want to play piano like before."
"Rem! Don't pretend if you didn't know about my past. I thought you already knew what happened to me that time, remember?"
"I can't hear it, i can't hear it anymore." Muttered me as 15-years old boy while covered my ears.
Then we remembered about my failure performance two years ago because my hearing ability suddenly dissapeared in my middle performance. Fear came to my life and haunted me until now.
"But it was two years ago. It should be done." Rem said calmly.
"No! It never be done! It's a curse." Said me bitterly.
"No! It's just your bad feeling. Maybe it's your some psychologic problem. It's usual to be happened when we stress. My aunt in London had some strange incident in her body but when she checked up to doctor, there was no happen in her body as it assumed that my aunt just stressed as her depression in her life."
"NO! IT'S A CURSE FROM MY BROTHER! DON'T COMPARE THAT WITH YOUR STRESSES AUNT!"
"THEN DID YOU TRY TO PLAY PIANO JUST TO ENSURE THAT YOU'RE OK?"
"OF COURSE I DID. BUT IT DIDN'T HELP."
"SINCE WHEN? I never saw you play piano in the music room in your house. Remember, i'm your next-door neightbor. I know what happened in your house."
"I played piano in the other place or..." but then i hesitated to continue my words.
"Rem. Why did you stop playing cello?"
"Don't switch this current topic!"
"If you want me to play piano again, why don't you play cello again, huh? Answered me! Why?!" I asked loudly enough.
"I just... bored or something, because of you. When you were being hiatus from piano, i followed you hiatus from play cello, just as our solidarity. When you jump, i jump." Said Rem while quoted some words from film Titanic.
"Then you should play cello first, then i follow you play piano again."
"Are you sure? You just avoiding yourself to make me play cello but you don't."
"Then i don't play piano anymore." Replied me, steady.
"Back-off! You didn't help me!" I said curtly while pulled back my earphone from her ear, then i plugged it in my ear again.
I knew if it made Rem angry with my attitude, but i can't help. She didn't help me much. I thought she would understand me.
epha_
At the evening, it was time to go home. I didn't go home along with Rem and Deuce, but it was not because of that quarrel incident. It is too usual for us to quarrel about that alongtime.
I just have a part time job as waiter in the resto at the evening, just for seeking my own money.
The resto i work is Katzroy Resto. The owner of thus resto is the Afro-American expatriate, Sazh Katzroy. He is ex-pilot from America, but now he open his resto business in Japan since his retirement. I don't know why, but many foreign people like us are very interesting in Japan because of the natural and calm environment.
And why once again i have part time job as waiter in the foreign owner's resto in Japan? Because it's too difficult for either foreign people or mixed-race people to get the job in the native Japanese' workplace, even just for part-time job. I don't know why about this discrimination, is that native Japanese don't trust us as foreign people because they afraid if their income gonna be taken by foreign expatriate or the native Japanese is too ethnocentric? Ah, many negative thinking around my head.
Sometimes, i thought about my future too. Who will i be? What kind of my future then?
To be honest, i want to life normally like normal people without too much business, but i miss to catch a dream as the pianist again when i was child.
Sometimes, i want to be happy as i want. But i don't know what kind of happiness i want.
I hope someone gonna help me from my burden life.
TBC
In Suzaku International High School, the uniform they use will be Japanese uniform with blazer, not like in the game. But it's up to you if you guys want to imagine the students wear the kind of uniform. I prefer blazer uniform with white line, but with blue cobalt blazer with white line, red neckties, ribbon tie and red plaid skirt for the girl's, and whitish khaki color for the boys' trousers.
Check out my AO3 too to see the link about the pic of blazer uniform.