"Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews,
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones,
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands."
~The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare)~
Where once the nymphs flitted gracefully among poplar groves and the centaurs galloped across rolling hills, there once lived a musician named Orpheus. His slender, delicate fingers skipped along the fine strings of his lyre and music sighed freely from his heart, moving even the cold, heartless stone or the rushing, indifferent stream. The forest breathed on his every note, swayed on his every pluck, trembled on his every strum.
Shimmering melodies weaved the air, warm gold silk spun for the tapestry of song. And on that day, his silver bells of laughter pealed through the forest for he would be meeting his love, Eurydice. Her vibrant voice had captured his heart and wouldn't let go, the vibrato kissing shivers down his spine and the cool resonance caressing his burning cheek. And he would see her, and they would laugh together, sing together, dance together, love each other.
He leapt forward with the dignity of a maiden and the joy of a child as his fingers danced across the strings. But at the promised meadow was no one, nothing but a gaping maw with death dripping from its jaws. Soft wind had died, sweet flowers had wilted, sharp color had withered. But the music pulled him forward, the music alighted his every step, and he could not, would not, be afraid. One foot, and then another, and then he was gone.
Orpheus's hand, normally so steady, trembled as the cavern drew narrower and narrower. But the music continued, trickling from his fingers weakly yet strongly, the taut strings not failing him yet.
At last, the tight shaft gave way to an enormous space. A guttural growl from the three headed miscreation caused Orpheus to flinch, a jarring note scratching his perfect music. Past, Present, and Future snarled, hungry to claim a bit of him and gnash, tear, consume his very being. His heart beat out the slapping drums of cannibal rituals, Fear the name of the icy clasp gripping his neck.
But Music was his name, his existence. His hands gripped his life. And then he sang.
Cerberus halted, three pairs of ears cocked at the streams of sparkling magic. Orpheus sang and sang, thorned bitterness from naivety, from hope, from dream. The song pierced the dark soul of the monster like a shot of ice, reeling its vicious and bare mind. Without another sound, it disintegrated into ashes of shadow and the doorway to death opened for Orpheus. Without hesitation, he passed through it.
Another world spread out before him. Screams tainted the air and pain scorched its way through the land as whips fell in the Fields of Punishment. Five rivers wound their way sluggishly, glassy, molten obsidian, from somewhere in eternity. He glided onto a frail, ragged row boat, and he drifted to Death as his singing guided it.
And then he reached the dark garden for the ruler of the twisted world. On the stygian marble throne sat Death, scepter wielded and paper wisps of souls swirling about like a blizzard. Hard, glinted eyes, reproachful at the sight of life. At the sight of an instrument.
But Orpheus sang.
The lyre sang.
Music sang through the halls of Hades for the first time.
And one pale specter broke free as Death let it go, silent tears down the unfeeling face. Orpheus lunged for it desperately, but it flitted away when Death blew a cold wind.
"Not until in the living world. No looking back, she will be right behind you. But if looked back..."
No more words were needed. Orpheus swept away, his cracking voice once more darkly warm, lush and ebony, as he left the gloomy castle. He itched to turn around, to make sure of the feeling that she was truly returning, but was content in hearing her soft footsteps. With ears deaf except to the golden veneer of music, he skipped ahead and laughed through the hellfires, across the five rivers, by the three dogs.
At last, the endless cavern was beginning to open, the solid black finally lightening to dove gray. Orpheus felt the soft wind, smelt the sweet flowers, saw the sharp colors of the forest. He joyously ran into the meadow, heather and daisies rejoicing at the return of their muse. He turned, love and desire to see her beloved face washing through him like the azure crystal river.
But he turned too soon.
His love too strong, she was still in the dark jaws of Death, only one step from the sun smiling upon her face.
In an instant, she was gone, returned to the chains of despair and death.
a/n: Hi, this is LavenderIceCream! Thank you for reading this one shot. A couple notes (warning! spoilers!):
First of all, as the title indicates, this fanfiction is based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. (In my mind) Orpheus is Kaori, who first played her golden "lyre" or rather, violin, and longed to see the Kousei (or Eurydice) whom she saw when she was little. But upon finding her, Orpheus sees that she is dead. Death here is Kousei's mother, and Kousei is trapped by her memory but is brought back through Kaori's music. Along the way, Kaori wants to know what Kousei feels towards her but she is okay with just knowing that they were friends/ following each other. But in the end, Kousei returns to the Underworld because Kaori loved him and was willing to risk the surgery but it turned out unsuccessful (*sobs*).
So anyway, long story short, I intended this to be a sum up of Kaori's life in the version of this tragic greek myth. I kinda wanted to make Orpheus Kousei at first but in the end, it became a gender bend, haha. Well, anyway, I hope you liked this one shot and thank you for taking the time to read it!