Disclaimer:
Nothing belongs to me but to their respective owners except for the plot itself.


Pianissimo

~Chapter 1 – Crescendo~

A single note resonated in the enclosed room. Amidst the darkness that filled the room, there was only one window that illuminated it, revealing the room's contents. A fireplace had remained untouched for months be told near the entrance. Layers of dust accumulated on the three dark brown leather couches that surrounded the fireplace; two that were adjacent from each other at the sides of the fireplace and one that was across from the fireplace. A dark wooden table stood in the middle of the set. On the other side of the room, a black grand piano stood and was embraced by a blanket of dust, keeping it warm from the coldness that seeped in. A young man sat there, right in front of the piano, and then played another note.

He sighed dramatically and ran his fingers through his shoulder-length flaxen-coloured hair, gripping a bunch in a frustrated manner as if to pull it out at any moment. His hands relaxed and he let his arms drop to his sides, his head falling back to blankly stare at the rugged surface of the beige ceiling above. Every time he inhaled, it felt like the cream-coloured walls were closing in on him despite the dark oak wood floor beneath him trying to keep the walls in place. This room was his paradise. No. Now, it was a chamber that kept his happiness driven deep into a dark abyss.

He closed his eyes, and focussed on steadying his irregularly beating heart.

"Maestro, you did another splendid performance of yet another one of your pieces! Bravo!" An image of a well-suited man with swept-back brown hair pushing his glasses up appeared. A small smile crossed his features. The blond in return smiled as well, but the joy didn't reach his eyes; a smile that was not genuine.

Ah, the etched markings on the ceiling seemed to become less and less noticeable the moment he opened his eyes. It was as if the darkness was finally engulfing him. Maybe, maybe this would be fine – no longer having to see reality, no longer having to live up to the name of Maestro of Peace. He was indeed renowned for pieces that set a soothing mood, or rather, pieces that specialized in the quietest range that it wouldn't be audible, yet it was audible. Ironic, but that's what made him the Maestro of Peace.

o0o0o

A soft breeze swept across a grassy terrain. It was a flat plain. In the distance, rolling hills seemed to create a border as if it were a boundary that split a utopia from the dystopia known as reality. The sun floated in the sky and watched as two children were running across the field, chasing a fluttering white cloth in the wind, dancing like it were a butterfly in the sky.

"A-Almost got it!" strained the young girl as she reached out a hand towards the object, only to fall face flat onto the ground when she tripped over her own legs. The other child, a boy who shared similar features as her, leaped into the air and caught the object in his hands. He landed softly onto the ground and turned back, kneeling down in front of the blonde who was groaning in pain as she rubbed her face, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. He chuckled slightly and shuffled on his knees to get behind the girl. Taking the piece of cloth, he skillfully wrapped it around her head to form a bow that rather looked like two bunny ears perched on her head.

She blinked her tears back and glanced at the boy behind her, giving him a big smile. "Thank you, Len!"

The boy, named Len, looked skeptically at her. She tilted her head. "Is there still some grass on me?"

Chuckling softly, the boy picked the blade of grass off of her hair. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

She shook her head, but he knew better. Her eyes wouldn't be so teary if nothing hurt at all. He leaned in to kiss her forehead, her two eyelids, her nose, and lastly her right cheek. As he withdrew, he was face-to-face with a very ripe tomato. He couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"L-Leeeeeeeeen!" she yelled after processing what he did and puffed out her cheeks. Len's laughing intensified as a result of her childishness. "You're going to pay for that!"

She crawled onto him and attempted to kiss him back hoping to make him just as embarrassed as he made her. Despite her attempts, he was able to keep a distance between themselves. Len noticed that the girl was losing her strength so he did the one thing he could do: he tickled her sides. She flinched and was about to get out of his reach but she was tackled to the ground to be bombarded with a series of tickling.

"Eyaaaaaa! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughter ensued. "L-Len! I-I give up! S-Stop!" The girl panted out in between giggles. Len complied with her wish and stopped, but his smile remained plastered on his face.

She sighed deeply and remained lying down on the ground, looking past him and up at the bright blue sky. Len stared into her eyes for a bit before falling onto the ground beside her to also look up at the sky. The sound of grass blades moving along with the breeze mingled with the sound of their breathing. It really was peaceful.

"You know, Rin…" He continued to look up as he felt the young girl turn her head to look at him. "Why do you call me 'Len'? Not that I don't like it, but ever since we met… you called me that and only that."

There was no response for a while. Len turned to look at the girl, only to see her eyelids fluttered shut. "Why do you choose this one time to take a nap!?" Len placed his hand on his face in slight frustration.

He heard a giggle to his right to see Rin goofily grinning at him. "I got you~!" Len playfully glared at her.

Rin sat up and looked out to the horizon where the rolling hills were outlined by the rays of the setting sun. "What's wrong with me calling you 'Len'?"

What was wrong with being called Len? Nobody would dare call him that with his status. Barely anyone called him that. He was accustomed to hearing "Maestro" or even "Monsieur Len" with the exception of his sisters and brother. No, not just that, but she was accustomed to the Japanese tradition! It was only a part of their custom to call one by their last name. Taking his silence as if to prod her to continue, she went on.

"Having your identity bounded to your family instead of yourself as an individual… or having status associated to your name… Both build a wall in between people. Being bounded like that… It's lonely…" She hugged her knees to her chest.

Nothing was said after that. The boy sat up and glanced at the girl. Her eyes seemed to reflect loneliness but also an unreadable expression. What she said was really mature for her age but he understood clearly what it meant. Just being known for whom you are instead of what you do or where you were from sounded like freedom. He stared at the rolling hills in front of him as well. The sun gradually disappeared behind the hills engulfing both of them in the darkness that followed.

o0o0o

"Len!"

A voice that resembled the sound of a violin chimed in and brought Len back from his reverie. Sapphire eyes clashed with cerulean, mixing together as if they were the ocean and the clear blue sky. Len reached out a hand and affectionately ran his hands through the girl's silk-like blonde hair, letting a small smile crawl onto his face – even his eyes finally showed some sort of life in them. A citrus scent lingered in the air as he caressed her hair.

"Rin…"

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" She let out a heavy sigh of relief, the edges of her mouth slightly curling up. Even the silk white bow that was propped on her head seemed to have perked up like a bunny receiving a carrot. "I swear to the almighty orange, Len, I will beat the bananas out of you if you continuously neglect your health!"

Rin guided the man's hand that was caressing her hair towards her right cheek. Her cheek was so warm, like the rays of sunlight that penetrated the room. She turned her head and planted a kiss on the palm of his hand, receiving a blush from the man who lay on her lap.

"That's right!" Rin began to move her legs which let Len know that he should raise his body. She rushed to the table that was surrounded by the couch and fireplace. Her footsteps temporarily stopped. Len adjusted his position and sat in a criss-cross manner in order to see what she was doing. The clacking of her heels on the floor echoed. Her arms were wrapped around a porcelain vase with an intricate design of vines twisting and turning around its circumference. She kneeled down and delicately set the object between them. In it, an arrangement of yellow roses with ferns peeking out between the blossoms huddled together, creating a perfect display for the eyes to feast on.

"Congratulations on your performance!" Rin grinned in delight. Len chuckled, finding her childishness, well, very childish. Ever since they were little, she always had a fascination with flowers, even learning the meaning of each in order to make a perfect bouquet. Picking up one of the roses in the vase, he brought it to his nose and took a whiff. The aroma was intoxicating and alluring. Truly, this was a flower that was raised by Rin with love. He returned the flower back to its original location and gladly picked the vase up and brought it to the windowsill in order for it to retrieve some light.

Upon exposure to the rays of the sunlight, Len shielded his eyes in order for his eyes to adjust to the change in brightness. It was too bright. Before, he would have been able to withstand it, but now, it felt like he was being burned alive.

A sudden tug on his sleeve brought his attention back to the soothing dimness of the room.

"Rin, is there something you need?"

A short pause followed. "Shall we… go for a walk?" Her eyes, although hesitant, did not break eye contact.

Len closed his eyes as if in deep thought, but he already knew his answer. "It wouldn't hurt."

Her gaze softened. "Before we do that, let me fix your hair." She took out a black ribbon and began to tie his hair back in a low ponytail. The feel of her fingers running through his hair sent shivers down his spine, but it also soothed him. It was like a mother patting her son's head.

Once she was done, they were off and out of the room. The moment Len stepped out into the hallway, he breathed in deeply, and it felt as if the tension that weighed him down all that time was finally released. If Rin weren't grasping his hand, the action would have had no effect.

Their walk through the hallways was immersed in silence; neither talked but it was a comfortable silence. The sound of their footsteps echoed between the walls and the floor. The highly raised ceiling supported a crystal chandelier that was turned off as it was midday. The mosaic windows filtered in light that projected an array of different colours, most of which were soft and bright. As they neared the end of the hallway where a fork in the road appeared, the small sound of a violin blended in with the sound of their footsteps. Guided by Rin, Len followed her down the left hall.

As they got closer and closer to the source, the sound of the violin went through a crescendo. Len knew exactly who was playing that instrument and he knew very well what song was being played. They momentarily paused in front of a stained glass door. The soft filtered rays of light seemed to dance around them to the rhythm. The violinist stood behind those doors. Grabbing onto the cold grey knob of the door, Len hesitantly opened the barrier.

His senses were completely overwhelmed as the door slowly opened before him. The aroma of nature drifted in the air and completely merged with the small particles of water. It embraced him with complete warmth and drew him to take a step forward inside. In every corner, he could only see several shades of green with some accents of pink, yellow, red and other vibrant colours that complemented each other. The vivacity of the scenery caused him to raise his free hand to cover his eyes in order to prevent himself from becoming permanently blind. Chirping mingled with the violin as they walked down a stone path laid out on the ground.

Although Len had lived in that house for, well, forever, his career and talent kept him stuck to that chamber nearly twenty-four hours seven days a week. The journey to find where the violin was coming from felt like an eternity, but each step he took seemed to take him further and further from reality. Not just that, but Rin was there holding his hand. If anything, all he needed was Rin. The rays of sunlight that filtered into the greenhouse seemed to outline her figure, making her seem like she was an angel. She was still the same Rin as the one he kissed on the field, but she seemed to shine brighter now. She seemed more… free. With each step, he was drowned by her image and the sound of the violin getting louder and louder.

Unbeknownst to him, a root of a nearby tree protruded from the ground. His train of thoughts was disturbed the moment his foot was caught, causing him to fall forward. Stammering as he fell, he attempted to grab onto anything with his free hand to stabilize himself but to his misfortune, he continued to fall. A small thud and a yelp were heard.

Blinking his eyes open, he could only see the green grass that luckily cushioned his fall. He could smell the moist scent coming from each blade with the smell of citrus.

Citrus?

He quickly pushed himself up only to see that Rin was wincing in pain underneath him, rubbing the back of her head to soothe the pain.

"R-Rin! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't notice that-! Are you alright?!" He was such a good-for-nothing pianist. If he didn't space out like that, then he would have noticed that malicious stump that was in his way! He wouldn't have tripped at all!

As if chimes were ringing, he glanced at Rin who was laughing beneath him.

"Wh-Why are you laughing?" Len stuttered.

"You should see your face right now! It's hysterical!" Rin continued to laugh for a while. Len glanced to his side and sighed. He got up to his feet and stretched out a hand to the dying Rin below. Calming down, she accepted his hand and rose to her feet as well.

"Are you really not hurt?" Len thoroughly inspected her head-to-toe to make sure she had no scrapes anywhere. Placing a finger under her chin, she closed her eyes as if deep in thought.

"Hmmmm… I don't know… Maybe here?" She pointed at her chest where her heart was located.

Len pinched her nose causing her to squeak. "Don't mess with me," he responded while scrunching his nose and eyebrows.

They stared into each other's eyes for a while until Rin suddenly grabbed his arm and brought it to where both of them can see it.

"LEN! You're bleeding!" She quickly dragged him to the nearby gazebo to their left and forced him to sit down.

"I'm alright. Don't worry about it, Rin. It's not hurting me right now." Len smiled down at her, although she seemed to have blocked out whatever he said. She scrambled around, looking for a first aid kit. There was always a first aid kit in his household in every room, even in the greenhouse. Noticing that there was a hidden compartment under one of the sections of the wooden seats in the gazebo, she opened it up and she took out what seemed to be what she was looking for. She carried the white container back to where Len was situated and gently raised his right arm where blood was dripping out of his flesh nonstop.

It didn't exactly hurt, but even if he had said something, she wouldn't have listened to him even if he was dangling on orange in front of her.

She diligently took out a cotton and tweezers. She partially soaked the cotton with some rubbing alcohol. Before she began to tend to the wound, she looked up to Len. "Don't focus on the pain, alright? If it hurts, try focussing on your breathing."

Len did as he was told and focussed on his breathing, but the pain still got to him and he winced. He felt Rin blowing on his wound shortly after, attempting to relieve the pain. A small smile appeared on his face at the action. Rin was leniently tending to his wound, trying to make the bleeding stop. Her long eyelashes slightly covered her cerulean eyes that were intently focussed on the wound. A strand of her hair fell over her shoulder which pushed another to fall over her left eye. Len pushed the strand behind her ear so that it wouldn't get in her way.

"Where are the bandages?" he heard Rin mumble while rummaging through the container. Her eyebrows furrowed each time she moved an object out of place inside the kit. "Did they not repack this?" she sighed in defeat.

Len curiously watched as Rin fumbled with her bow. She began untying it from her head, which alerted Len as to what she was doing. "Y- I… Rin, it's alright! The wound's already treated!"

"And risk the chances of it getting infected? That's a 'no,' Len. Don't worry, the cloth was just recently cleaned so your wound wouldn't be infected," Rin scolded while rapping the cloth around his wound. Before she let go of his arm, she kissed the wrapped wound. They both believed that if their wound were to be kissed, it would heal quickly.

"I heard some commotion going on here…" a deep voice entered which caused the two to look at the entrance of the gazebo that they came into. "Am I disturbing something?" A man with navy blue hair stood there, smirking.

They both blushed. Rin recovered quickly from the sudden question and hastily ran to the man to embrace him. "Kaito-oniisan!"

"Whoa, there! You could have tripped over your own legs!" He ruffled Rin's hair as Len stood up to greet his brother. Kaito's smile faltered a bit when his eyes fell onto the first aid kit on the bench. He then caught onto the fact that Len was holding onto his right arm.

"LEN! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!?" Kaito yelled, causing the younger ones to cover their ears. "WE NEED TO GET YOU TO A HOSPITAL QUICKLY!"

The two blondes glanced at each other and shared a weak laugh. The older man had a tendency to overreact over such little things – especially with people he cared a lot for. In short, he was overprotective.

"Brother, don't worry about it. Rin already treated the wound," Len explained in exasperation.

"Rin…?" He tilted his head, eyes going blank for a bit until he smirked. "Oh. OH! I get it now. The healing power of love!"

Len smacked his face with his hand. "You and your clichés!"

Kaito pouted. "But you have to admit that I'm a sharp person! I don't like ignoring the minor things. They're just as important as the major ones!"

"Don't. Even. Go. There."

"But… But… It's my forte!"

Len rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You'll never enlighten me with your ways. I feel bad for Miku."

"Hey! Just like you and Rin, she's my treble to my bass!"

"You… didn't just…" Len's mood darkened.

"Awwww… Rin seems to like it, though?" Kaito wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and there Rin was, blushing madly.

Eye contact was made between the young couple. Rin quickly diverted her gaze as her face became a deeper shade of red.

Slightly irritated by the close proximity between Kaito and Rin, Len stomped towards the blue-haired man and grabbed his arm that was wrapped around Rin. Once Rin was out of Kaito's grasp, Len wrapped his injured arm around Rin's waist. Staring menacingly at Kaito, the blond responded with an eerie voice, "Now, keep your F# hand off of my aria!"

Kaito chuckled at Len's use of words and winked at him. "Ohohoho~! We're really brothers, now aren't we~!" He patted Len's back which the latter withdrew from. "Tsk tsk. But you have such a foul mouth… and using such sacred musical terms like that…"

Kaito turned to Len who was still glaring daggers at him. "Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh! HOW YOU'VE GROWN SO MUCH!" The older man tightly embraced the younger man.

"Let gooooooooooooooo!" cried the blond.

Once the commotion died down, Len took a deep breath and faced his brother as he adjusted his own necktie. "So, how was practicing The Four Seasons going for you?"

The man in question raised the violin and bow that he was holding in his hands – in fact, he was holding it the whole time – and smiled. "Playing it, especially in this greenhouse, makes the piece feel like it's coming to life." A frown edged itself onto his face. "But… it also feels somewhat empty… With Spring and Summer it works fine, but with Autumn and Winter… it doesn't work well."

"Can I try?" chirped Len's "aria". The two brothers glanced at Rin and then back at each other. Rin was indeed one of those prodigious ones – once she decides to learn something, she would be able to perfect it as if she didn't lift a finger. That's what everyone believed, but Len knew better.

"Please?" Rin pleaded a bit. Len chuckled and nudged Kaito to lend her his violin. The latter obligingly passed his violin over to the blonde. A huge smile grew on her face and she danced out of the gazebo. The two men followed her out and towards a large looming oak tree in the distance. Its large emerald crown seemed to claim its status in the greenhouse as the king of the room. Its large trunk dominated a huge section of the area. Rin walked right around the trunk and over the protruding roots and disappeared behind it. Len and Kaito followed suit.

There lay an open clearing where only grass covered, creating an appearance of a meadow. The clearing extended several feet before being separated by the glass barrier of the greenhouse from the grass outside. Outside, the sun seemed to have lowered down from its highest peak. Starting from then, the days would get shorter as summer began to draw near to a close.

Rin stopped just a few metres in front of the oak tree and faced the two men, positioning her being to play the violin. Len sat down at the base of the tree while Kaito leaned on it. Her posture wasn't sloppy at all – it was perfect, it was relaxed.

A few minutes passed without her playing until she glanced at the two in front of her. "Ummm… Should I start with La Primavera and go on from there?"

"That's how it should be in the first place, Rin dear," Kaito answered while chuckling and crossing his arms across his chest. Len chuckled, amused. Rin wasn't exactly the type who researched things but rather, she was an observer.

She gave an apologetic smile and positioned herself once again. The first note flowed freely into the air, followed by the second, the third, and so on. With every movement, her body swayed. Her sky blue dress made it seem like she was truly one with the sky – like fluid that can flow so easily, like fluid that can seep into even the smallest cracks in ice that the ice could melt by its warmth. That's how Len felt as she established an ambience of spring in the greenhouse.


Note: The yellow roses here communicate Rin's congratulations to Len for his outstanding performance. The ferns that peek out between the roses represent Rin's fascination with Len's music. It also symbolizes how much she cares for Len.


A/N:
Okay, I'm such a terrible author for abandoning two projects in a row, but I felt like at the moment I didn't have the ability to develop Miracles and A Thousand Reasons, Still Not Enough to the fullest of their potentials. I'm still immature in several concepts to develop them properly, but I will make sure this one sticks. I will also make sure they're revived in the form that can actually work out. I'm working on the third chapter right now for this along with the idea of what the ending will be.
Some concepts will be inspired by Hitoshizuku-sensei's works! I hope you'll be able to spot them ;D

Lots of love, KagamineRin02