A/N: Hey guys! If you've read my fics before, remember when I said I had 4 Bechloe fics left in me before the next This is the Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso/Your Lie in April AU I promised! It's based on an anime with music at the heart of it. Other than a few liberties that I decided to take, I'm going to try and follow the anime as closely as I can. I have to admit though I haven't really decided on what ending I want to give it. If you've seen the anime, you know what I mean… if you haven't, I highly recommend it!

Enjoy the ride and grab plenty of Kleenex… that said, I'm planning to do updates at least twice a week for this fic, expect ~20 chapters I but for the first three chapters or so it might take a week/a week and a half in between each. Comments and reviews are always appreciated! Thank you for the patience :)

I don't own pitch perfect.

The light was shining brightly above her, Beca's own heart beat matching the very notes she stroke on the keyboard. In her head she could her the ticking sounds of the metronome as note after note flashed before her eyes, playing the piece the way Beethoven had intended it. The third movement of his Moonlight Sonata.

The rush, the chasing rhythm, Beca could feel it in her veins but she had to fight back.

Playing the piano required discipline, more than talent. It required a great ability to replicate the exact same sounds as the composer had originally wanted it to be.

She can't deviate. She knew she couldn't.

That's not what her mother would have wanted.

And so Beca played in amazing precision and awe-inspiring accuracy. She was the "human metronome". The child prodigy making waves all around country and the globe, winning every competition in the country and receiving invitations to play in recitals all around the globe.

She knew the audience watched in baited breath.

She could feel all eyes were on her.

A feeling had been overtaking her, a feeling ripping her apart inside regarding what she felt and what she must. Regarding how music speaks to her and how music was supposed to be as what her mother told her.

She wanted to play this for her.

It was fall for her.

So she had to play it right.

Always.

She felt a shadow descending on her, the light fading away, a heaviness sinking in her heart.

And it grew more and more as she hit the crescendo…

Beca jolted up. Her head lifting up of the covered keys of the piano as she fixed the pair of glasses hanging askew on her nose. Outside, the sun was shining through the windows, the signs of an early spring evident. She had been utilizing the music room for the last few months as she worked on her part-time job of transcribing notes for some of the latest pop hits.

High school sucked on most days, nothing much of interest happening but her part-time job transcribing songs for karaoke and stuff did ensure that she had a good enough pile of saved money to do whatever she wanted on the weekends.

If she had any motivation to do anything.

Beca picked up her pencil and opened the notebook hiding the music sheet she had been working on. She felt for her earphones, plugged it in her phone, and pressed play as she begun working on the task at hand. She checked the time on the wall clock. She mercifully only dozed off for five minutes. She knew she could do the work later in the afternoon once she's home, but Beca promised her friends that they'd walk home together, and if she fails to do so, she knew she would never hear the end of it.

Not to mention the fact that they would literally breakdown her front door at home, drag her out, and 'force' her to have fun if she doesn't. Thankfully, her dad was still away for business and the last time it happened, her neighbors had been pretty helpful what with wanting to keep an eye for her.

Beca was fully in the swing of things when all of a sudden she felt something hitting the side of her head before she hit the ground. Everything went black after that.

Not that it changed much.

When Beca came to she could hear footsteps shuffling about. She could feel something wet and warm on the floor where she was laying down. As Beca got up, she noticed the small pool of blood, her glasses right next to the floor, the shattered window, and her baseball responsible for the whole mess.

"Ah, the windows!? A-and blood!" Beca exclaimed, before wincing a little, her head aching a bit. Beca reached for the spot in her head where the pain was coming from just in time for Aubrey to spin her around with a scrunched up face.

"Here let me get that." she grumpily said as she searched Beca's items for her trusty first-aid kit. Judging from her outfit, Beca could guess that she ran out form practice to retrieve the ball she sent flying towards her direction in the first place.

"Way to go Posen, you broke another one didn't you? Can't you hit the ball softer next time?" Beca grumbled as Aubrey dabbed some of the medicine on the graze on Beca's head.

"Are you saying I shouldn't give it my all, Mitchell?" Aubrey replied, dabbing the cotton ball with medicine a little too hard on Beca's head that it made her wince before Aubrey placed a band aid on her forehead. "Besides, did you really have to be in this stuffy old room in the first place? If you weren't then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Please enlighten me where I should be waiting for you, Jesse, and Amy then?" Beca deadpanned. "If I wait around the fields, I would only increase my chances of getting hurt with you being such a brute and all."

"I am not a brute!" Aubrey replied with a huff as she stood up and assessed the situation in the music room. "I guess we should clean this up." she then said, pointing at the fragments of glass scattered near the window.

"You think?" Beca retorted with a snort. "Remind me to fill up another incident form for this." she added, before pulling herself up off the ground and heading towards where Aubrey stood. She reached down to pick up one of the shards but before she could she felt Aubrey's hand slap hers away.

"Are you crazy? Beca, don't pick those up with your hands. What if you slice one of your fingers?" Aubrey then remarked, her brows knitted together in frustration.

"It's not like it matters." Beca replied with a shrug but nevertheless relented.

"I should've known you'd 'strike out' again Aubrey." Jesse then said, laughing hard, as he and Amy appeared just outside of the windows of the first floor music room. Amy was in the same uniform as Aubrey while Jesse was in his soccer gear for practice.

"Yeah, well, you know what happens when she gets all hyped up." Amy replied trying to keep herself from chuckling.

"Oh shut up you two and come help us." Aubrey commanded them, and the two agreed. Amy went the roundabout way to get into the building while Jesse jumped through one of the opened windows. Beca found herself relegated to watching them clean up and fixing her things in the music room as her friends cleaned up the mess.

One incident form later and a totally missed other-half of practice for her friends from their respective sports team and it was already time to go home.

"So do you guys mind if we hit a convenience store on the way home? I'm starving." Jesse had said as they made their way through the streets. He was busy flipping through his phone, checking for messages walking right next to Beca. Aubrey stood on his other side, with Amy walking right next to Beca.

"It's always food or romance with you, isn't it?" Amy, had asked and Beca admit she had to chuckle. They only in high school, having only migrated to the States back then, but she's become fast friends with the group for sure.

Since they were kids, Jesse had always been obsessed with the ideas of romance and wooing the girl. He was a bit of a ladies' man, sure, but at least he's still a respectable gentleman. Never dating girls just to use them.

The problem is that he's in love with the notions of falling in love, and not being and staying in love with them.

And then of course, there was Jesse's other love. Food.

Something Beca could admit he happily shared with him.

"I'm definitely seconding that motion." Beca had replied.

"Of course you would." Aubrey then said. "If we're going to a store, let's go to the one at the corner of Willow St. They have really good popsicles there."

Beca smiled at Aubrey's suggestion. Yet another one thing that she could rely on, Aubrey's sweet tooth and love of popsicles. She can't help but remember how when they were younger, she would stock up for the week every time they walked back home only for her to eat them all before the following day.

But the memories of the past were forever tainted by a melancholic hue now and Beca soon found the light smile on her lips turn bittersweet.

She looked at the setting sun, the flowers starting to bloom, and it all fell flat. She used to love spring, the wonderful colors it brought her as the season breathed new life into the world after the bitter chill of winter passes over them.

Amy soon left them after getting a snack of her own, heading towards a nearby bookshop while Jesse ended up ditching them after he gets a text from this girl he liked.

"She's number what now?" Aubrey had asked as they left the convenient store. "Honestly, can't he just stick with one girl he likes?" she complained.

"Girl number three this year." Beca replied rather thoughtfully. "And careful now, you sound jealous."

"No, I'm not." Aubrey protested. "It's just… I don't know. I was talking to Amy earlier, about falling in love and all that. She said that the first time she ever though she liked someone she could see the world coming to life all around her, like colors started to jump to life. I wonder if that's how Jesse feels each time he falls in love with a new girl. I wonder what happens to the girl he leaves behind."

Beca shrugged. "It's not like things ever gets serious. He takes them out to dates but he never makes it official and he's always on his best behavior." she said, defending Jesse.

"I know, but still. To have that so much of an impact on someone…" Aubrey replied getting lost in her thought as she nibbled on the edge of the stick of her now consumed popsicle. "How about you, Beca, ever thought of that?"

"I don't think I'm special enough to have that much of an impact in someone's life." Beca had replied, stopping a moment to turn and look at Aubrey.

Aubrey gasped but what else could Beca do but be honest.

The world had become so still for her. Boring. Bleak.

She didn't even notice it but Aubrey had been giving her a rather impassioned speech about how she shouldn't think or feel like that. It wasn't really until Aubrey grabbed her hand and said "Dammit, Mitchell, pay attention!" that she did. "You're in high school! You're eyes are listless and dull!"

"Well, my eyes are pretty dark."

"You're eyes are blue!" Aubrey argued.

"Yeah, but a bit grayish, don't you think?" Beca replied without much of a complain.

And yet all Beca could think was how Aubrey's eyes light up when she asks her to lighten up a bit and think positive for once. To take a chance and embrace that maybe she could breathe life to someone and bring color to their world.

All kinds of shades and hues.

But that was just unlike her.

And Beca felt a nit jealous because how nice must it be to see the world bursting with life and color for once.

Aubrey sighed as she lets Beca go and marched away rather annoyed. "So how's your dad? When's he coming home?"

Beca ran up to catch up to her before giving another shrug. "I think in a month or two. It really depends on who his clients are." she replied. The two eventually fell into comfortable silence as they reached two large homes at the end of the street where they part ways.

Beca opens the door, greeted by the darkness of her living room area. She runs straight into the kitchen to fix herself a simple dinner, stopping along the way on the hallway that connected the living room area to a closed room that housed their grand piano. She smiled weakly at her mother's photograph on the stand.

"Hey mom, I'm home." Beca whispers before turning around, ignoring the haunting feeling of that shut door that she had walked away from.

She could hear Aubrey's words from earlier following her through the night, how her eyes sparkled, she wished she could have that.

But she can't.

Because in her eyes, life comes through in monotone.

Like the black and white of the piano keys.

Beca closed her eyes that night for another dreamless sleep.

Except it wasn't entirely dreamless.

Because when she sees herself on that stage once more, a growing fear surrounding her as she clutched her ears.

The spotlight was still on her but all she could see were the tears hitting the keys.

And all the music had faded away, gone forever.

Not even the whispers of the crowd could reach her.

And there in that moment, that was when she knew that the days of her playing were done.

The world she knew had changed and transformed, the music was gone.

All that was left was an echo of a misplaced key.

Aubrey always watched.

Every performance, every recital and competition.

She watched from out far in the audience as Beca shone on, even when she would play as an emotionless robot, she played with a kind of mastery that was second to none.

There was a reason why, despite being called a human metronome, people had admired her.

And of course Aubrey had always been in awe of her.

The piano had always been her life ever since she started to play. Aubrey could remember how her mother would be strict about her practice and her lessons, being Beca's mentor. She would play a piece over and over and over again until she got it more than right.

Until she got it perfect down to the very last note played at the right time.

Aubrey watched Beca outside of the classroom as she leaned by the doorframe. It was their lunch period, for crying out loud, and there she was munching on a sandwich while she worked away, earphone plugged into her ear. For someone who's avoided music for a few good years now, she sure clung onto it like a lifeline.

Aubrey threw the ball in her hand towards Beca, "Think fast Mitchell!" she even warned ahead of time and yet Beca still didn't pay attention.

Instead, Beca yelped as the ball hit the back of her head. "What the hell?" she complained, tearing her earphones away and turning angrily at Aubrey.

"For Christ's sake, Mitchell, you're in high school! Live a little will you? Be more lively!" Aubrey scolded her, picking up the ball.

"That's no excuse! You shouldn't have hit me with the ball in the first place!" Beca argued.

"Yeah well, the past is the past." Aubrey replied as she sat down the desk in front of her with a huff.

She wasn't there to lecture Beca about her bad habits for now. She was here for a favor.

"So what do you want Posen?" Beca grumbled rather annoyed.

Aubrey smiled. "So tomorrow's Saturday and you don't have much of anything to do." She had started but Beca interrupted her.

"You can't just assume that."

"Tell me about your big plans then?" Aubrey challenged and Beca simply grumbled back.

She waited a minute to see if Beca had anything to argue back but instead she simply stared at Aubrey with great impatience, chewing at the temples of her glasses – a habit she had when she was annoyed – wanting to get back to work. Aubrey took that as her cue. "There's this girl in one of my classes. Actually, she's been in most of my classes since freshman year. I don't think you ever met her, you never really pay attention to much of anything and she's pretty busy with a lot of stuff. But anyways, she likes Jesse and she's been trying to get me to introduce them and set them up on a proper date. It's just, I was wondering if you'd like to chaperone them. The date's this Saturday."

"No." Beca simply replied.

"Come on, she's a classical musician too. Hence, the busy life schedule. You play the piano and she plays the whatever. You could at least talk about that if the conversation lags. I like music myself but I'm not trained in classical music. The only thing I know is I love the pieces you play."

"But I gave up on the piano a long time ago." Beca complained.

"You were playing yesterday, you liar!" Aubrey tried not to yell back, responding through gritted teeth.

Why was she making this difficult?

"That's just for my job." Beca grumbled. "I'm transcribing stuff by ear, you know that. I'm not actually playing."

"Come on Beca, please do this for me. This girl really likes Jesse and she's a really good friend of mine from my classes. If she wasn't so shy and nervous in meeting Jess, I wouldn't be doing this. Heck, we'd probably all be best buddies now." Aubrey then replied, trying not to sound like she's pleading…

But she definitely was…

…not like she would admit that.

"Okay, but why should I be the third wheel?" Beca asked sounding rather exasperated.

"Because, if things go well, I'll be the third wheel. It would be awkward. But if we're a group of four…" Aubrey went on with a smile. "If the conversation lags, you can pick it up and let Jess regroup mentally, you know."

"Is this why you were chastising him yesterday?" Beca then asked, rather exasperated by the topic. "Why can't Amy do it?"

"Because she'll ditch us the first second things get boring." Aubrey replied. "And besides, I think she might also have a date, I'm not really sure about it. Please, be the good 'Friend A' in those rom coms that Jesse loves so much?"

Beca looked hesitant for a moment or two but she nevertheless agreed.

Aubrey smiled.

Sure it was for chaperoning a date for one of their best friends, she promised she would be there to take the pressure off. Besides, if her friends hit it off, she could just take off with Beca, make it a less awkward exit.

At the very least, she wouldn't be cooped up in the house all day, as she usually does, surrounded by nothing but silence.

Aubrey wasn't going to lie, it always bugged her that she could no longer hear Beca playing. Her window was just above the first floor windows of the piano room from Beca's house.

And she started to miss the music.

Aubrey sighed and smiled as soon as Beca reconfirmed that her answer would be yes – she might have bugged her a good three times after she initially agreed to make sure she won't back out. Jesse easily agreed that morning, and Beca, though challenging, thankfully wholeheartedly relented.

Aubrey left Beca be as soon as she got a confirmation that she would meet up with them Saturday and went straight to finding the certain little redheaded friend she had promised to help out.

That night, Aubrey slumped down her bed, staring at the floor.

She was still greeted by nothing but silence. She had been urging Beca to try and pick up the piano again, she was always cooler back when she played.

Sure she hated that playing took time away from her and Jesse to spend with Beca but Beca had always been happy and full of life back then.

Sadly, Beca was insistent to never again touch the keys.

And it saddens Aubrey a little, remembering the first time she heard Beca played with all of her emotions.

It was the first time her world had burst into life.

Aubrey was taken out of her reverie when her phone started to ring. "Hello," she answered and smiled as she heard the bubbly voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes, Chlo. It's for sure already. Calm down a little, everything would go smoothly, I promise. I'll be there for you." Aubrey then said in response to the rambling she got from the other end.

Chloe, her friend, seemed excited regarding the date she had set-up with Jesse.

And truth be told, Aubrey was a little excited as well.

She was hoping, at the very least, that perhaps meeting Chloe would help bring Beca back to being the girl who could paint pictures just with a sound played from a key of the piano.

A/N Pt 2: Just some schpill about the fic. The anime it's based on isn't perfect but it's one of my favorites and it really did move me. Watching it was like going through a journey and I struggled as to how I want to adapt this.

This story has some pretty hard moments, flashback or otherwise. That's why it's rated M. We'll get to explore more of Beca's childhood later on too. So just as a heads up, trigger warning for emotional and physical child abuse, and trauma. When we get to those chapters, I'll put a warning note at the start of the chapter update. Also, like, if I haven't emphasized this enough, really emotional moments ahead.