Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Your Lie in April series, as in that I do not take credit for the characters, story, or any element of the story.
My Lie in April: Stars For Eyes (Arima POV)
Author's Note: This chapter is an introductory chapter. I know it feels like it's just a copy and paste of the anime, but please stay with me. Some small details are changed along with a different start to the story. I'm sorry that the chapter is short and that there's not much, but I needed to set the story up first. I promise that the next chapter will diverge more from the main story.
The perfect spring day. I could feel the breeze passing by my face, running all over my body, enveloping my soul. The sun beat down onto my face, illuminating the world around me. Everything started to take color around me, everything illuminating. I could hear birds chirping, the sounds of children playing around me, a nearby river flowing. All of resonated inside of my head. That loud noise, that noise that intruded into my life, forcing itself into my head. It was noise that was burned into my head.
So why? Why was it all so calming? The noise annoyed me, it wasn't too pleasing at all. Not only that, but I'm not even in a good mood. But through all that, the beauty of the noise felt so nice. It was so calming, it was so serene. It was the only thing I ever wanted to hear, and yet, I still didn't enjoy the sound.
Maybe if Tsubaki hadn't forced me to join her while introducing this girl to Watari, I would be a little more pleased. But…that's life isn't it? You won't always get what you want, so you just have to deal with it.
I continued walking until I got to the agreed spot. When I got there, there was nobody, not a sign of Watari or Tsubaki. Were they late? Were they messing with me? I waited, tapping my feet on the floor as I continued looking for the both of them.
After a couple minutes of waiting, I noticed something peculiar. It was a noise that stuck out from that natural sound. The sounds of nature faded as I paid more and more attention to that sound. I walked closer to the sound, completely forgetting about both Tsubaki and Watari. I turned a corner and spotted two bright yellow shoes and a rag hung up on a tree.
I grabbed both of the shoes off of the tree and took the rag as well to inspect it further. As I grabbed it, my heart sunk in fear. If anyone was watching me, I was probably dead. It was a pair of leggings. I almost dropped the pair on the spot out of fear, but I was able to put the leggings back onto the tree. I took the shoes with me. At least those can't embarrass me.
The noise grew louder as I moved towards the center of the park. As I got closer, I actually noticed the source of that strange noise. There was a girl playing a melodica with some children atop the stone hut in the middle of the park. She had golden blonde hair, she was barefoot, and she felt so different from me. She looked completely free, without a care in the world. Her eyes sparkled unlike mine. She looked completely content with her life.
That's all to be expected isn't it. She never had to deal with what I had to deal with. She had the freedom of being a child, being filled with wonder while I could just writhe in pain at what my life had become.
Still, the sight of their group was stunning. It reminded me of what it was like when I was a child, even though I barely have any good memories of childhood. I felt like taking a picture as a memento, as a reminder of this moment. It was something worth remembering, even with my little time left on this Earth.
I pulled out my phone to take a picture, to capture the moment. I was moments away from taking the picture when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I shook and fell over in shock, turning to see Watari standing over me.
"That girl sure is cute huh?" Watari asked.
His heart was practically shining out of his eyes as he stared over at the blonde haired girl. He started to walk over to her before Tsubaki pulled him back and gave me a death glare.
"What did I do?"
"Idiot."
Tsubaki scowled at me as she walked over and greeted the blonde haired girl. Before she could greet her, the girl turned and noticed her walking over.
"Ah, Tsubaki. Hello!"
She waved her hand, smiling as she jumped down from the hut. Immediately, Watari ran over to her with hearts for eyes, making conversation.
The girl responded to him, both of them acting really bubbly and happy. They talked for a minute or two before the girl came to join the entire group.
"Ok, I assume you and Watari have already gotten to know each other. Let me introduce you to my other friend. Kaori, this is Kousei."
"H-hello."
"Nice to meet you," she said.
We shook hands.
"Anyway, I'm inviting you guys to a…Hey are those my shoes?"
She pointed to my right hand, which was still holding the same yellow pair of shoes.
"Oh, I didn't-"
"So first you want to take a picture of her, and then you take her shoes. You must really be a pervert…"
"Tsubaki! I didn't know that these were-"
I turned to face the girl. Her entire mood shifted and she looked violent. She looked dangerous. I could immediately sense danger coming from her, and I had only one instinct. That fight or flight reaction. That reaction was being tested.
Her face morphed and she looked more evil by the second. She looked angry, she looked like she was a couple seconds away from brutally murdering me. I started to back up, trying to avoid any confrontation.
Her eyes snapped open and she started to run after me. I ran away from her, already wheezing as I ran. My condition would worsen if I kept going, but it would be even worse if she ripped me apart.
In a matter of seconds, a shoe hit the back of my head. As this happened, I lost balance and tripped over my own feet and my face was firmly planted into the sand. My vision left me and everything started to turn black. I could feel the back of my head getting moist, possibly from blood. And right after, everything turned black along with my head. I blacked out completely and my mind faded just like the cherry blossoms.
"Kousei!"
End of Chapter One: Stars For Eyes