The Melody

Light from the window pours across our faces casting shadows on our silhouettes. You pull me onto the bench beside you. I can feel the warmth of your body beside my own, although you are often shivering. Outside the leaves that litter the ground turn to red and gold leaving the trees skeletal and bare. The world around us feels distant. It almost feels selfish to be here with you when there is business to take care of. Almost.

"Play another one."

The music fills the room once again as Gymnopedie plays. Your hands dance across the keys and I lose myself in the melody, swaying to the beat of the notes before they abruptly end. Your head tilts towards me and you look at me with bright eyes. They are the color of the lilacs, the ones that only grow in the spring, and they try and hide the pain. Behind those eyes is a message, hidden too deep for me to reach.

"Play another one."

A soft sigh escapes your thin lips and you turn back to the piano reluctantly. The music flows once more, filling my heart with sorrow. This particular piece is full of anguish and it takes everything I have to hold myself together. You finish gracefully, dedicating your memory to the girl in the song. Like her, you too know the misfortune of being robbed of your youth. There are tears glistening in your eyes and you fight to choke back a sob.

"Another, Tamaki."

I cringe as your hands come down harshly on the keys, causing disharmony. "Kyouya, enough." In these rare moments of anger I find myself greatful. Although they do not bring that particular smile of yours, they bring other emotions other than despair.

The sun is starting to set, the last of the day's warmth disappearing behind the mountains. As the sun sets, it takes my dreams, leaving me feeling cold and empty inside.

"Alright Tamaki. Enough." The lid on the piano slides shut and I watch you move swiftly around the small room, closing each of the windows. "Tomorrow then?"

You stop your ritual actions and turn towards me, your blonde hair falling in your eyes. My heart skips as your lips curve into an understanding smile. "Tomorrow."

I often dream of your music. The light melodies swirl and dance, taking my mind to places full of fantasy and mirth. The mellow lullabies carry me off into a world of unimaginable tales and I fear waking.

I sit in this empty music room at the piano waiting for you. Hours pass in this cold, dark room. The time begins to move slowly, and it feels as if days have gone by. I don't know when my thoughts had drifted away, but when I wake, you are still not there. The room is dark and undisturbed, just as it was before.

As the days pass, your angelic lullabies cease to follow. I made the choice to come and sit with you. What I notice the most is these drab white walls sapping you of your vivacity. You are slowly being destroyed by a silent killer and doctors cannot do anything to help you. Doctors, whom I have paid handsomely to no avail.

As I sit here, holding your hand, stroking your bony knuckles, a gentle melody seeps in my head. The chorus is soft and peaceful and puts my worries to rest. In the final moments of your life, you squeeze my hand and then you are gone, taking the melody with you.