"Goodbye."

Tears won't stop streaming down my face, my glasses a little fogged up. The sounds of distant applause rang in my ears, cheers of people admiring my last performance.

It became too much for me to bear. She smiled at me before we said goodbyes but there was something, something off about her smile. Something she didn't tell me. Something that sounds like a lie.

Her smile was a lie. Her goodbye was a lie.

There was this heavy feeling inside me that something happened. I know she's at the operating table right now, fighting to prolong her life, to perform with me once again.

I ran away. Away from the applause, away from the piano, away from the feeling that a lie has been told.

The scene was all too familiar; the young piano prodigy walking away from the competition without even waiting for the results.

Bursting through the doors, I didn't even bother to put on a coat. I ran the slippery sidewalks and ran. I ran and ran and ran. Not even caring to stop for a little breath, I ran; chasing to time that's slowly slipping away from her.

The air was cold and dry as can be. Snow was slowly pouring down on the sky, trying and failing to slow down my mad dash.

Hospitals were always the same. The same feeling of death and life scattered all around. It's heartbreaking that all sorts of miracles can happen and be neglected in just one place.

As I reached the door, I noticed that the name "Miyazono Kaori" was nowhere to be seen. The name plate of both the doctor and the patient was gone. It left a blankness that slowly started to consume my thoughts.

Pushing forward, I opened the door. A faint scent of IV and pastries drifted to my nose.

Slowly, I fell to the ground on my knees.

On the bed, on her place, were a violin and a letter with a black cat sticker.

"Stupid… I'm a pianist. Why leave your violin to the accompanist? That just doesn't make any sense."

The bed was cold, the letter and violin wasn't. As if she actually hugged it tightly before letting go.

This doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense at all.

The sounds didn't fade away from me this time. How can they not? Every time I tune it out, they always find a way into my imagination. She taught me that and now I'm slowly starting to think that it might be a curse.

I didn't need someone to spoon feed me but from what I gathered, maybe things took a turn for the worse in Kaori's part.

But when I ran into the nurse, she just gave me a small smile, her words ringing in my head, almost too loud.

"Kaori-chan? I'm so sorry but they told me not to mention anything."

Everything became a blur. Days, weeks, months passed and I still haven't heard a single thing from her. It was painful. I thought we already said goodbye? But now here she was, taking it back and left me guessing what happened to her.

"I hope I found a place in someone's heart."

"You did."

A few weeks back, I already accepted to fact that the spring I met her is coming—that a spring without her is coming.

"I hope I found my place in your heart."

"You built it yourself."

We all lived everyday like it was still the same, like she never came along. It was a difficult task but we managed. True to her word, Tsubaki never left my side. We comforted each other and she knew that I'll only see her as an older sister. Watari's still himself; although he toned down becoming a player and focused on his soccer career.

"I hope you'll remember me, even just a little bit."

"Even if I forgot you, you'd be a ghost and haunt me."

It became a little easier when we had each other's back. But the undeniable truth still lingered in the air. We still didn't know what happened to Kaori.

"I don't want to reset what we had."

"Me neither."

Life is what happens when you're busy making you're excuses—is something I learned from a Western song. I can hear her telling me that all I did was make excuses.

"Don't forget me."

"Yeah."

I tried to forget her and just took her goodbye as it was—a goodbye. Maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me that day. Maybe I'm delusional. Or maybe I fell to hard that I can't accept it. At least now, I'm slowly moving forward.

In an hour, Aiza Nagi, my student, will be performing for the first time in the Towa Hall. She doesn't aim to become a professional but she enjoyed the competition.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A slow spring breeze blew gently. Everyone will watch today so we decided to just meet up here.

They're late. Watari was even so excited he said he'd be here early.

"I'm so glad it was you. Did I reach you? I hope so. I truly hope so."

I reached into my pocket to ease some of my boredom but was greeted with a smooth and crumpled material instead.

It was Kaori's letter, the one she left in with her violin. Crumpled, a little bit torn on some sides; tears stain on some parts, the ink slowly fading away. If she saw the state her letter's in I might get beaten up and a dozen bags of caneles to make up for it.

I won't mind, though. I won't mind getting beat up by her again, I won't mind carrying her all the way to the rooftop, I won't mind bringing her sweets—

A soft playing of Saint-Saens's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso filled the air.

Ah, it's on violin too…

At first I was content in just listening from afar. After a few minutes, the playing changed.

This kind of playing… no way…

A piece that's played not by the rules of the score.

Her violin's with me at home… this doesn't make sense. This doesn't make sense at all!

It could've been my mind and ears playing tricks on me but there she was. Golden hair restrained in a ponytail, a girl with a violin playing on top of an igloo. Kids were gathering around her; they were calling pigeons again.

I couldn't do anything but watch her.

The piece ended and she looked at me with tears in her eyes, flowing at her cheeks and I was awe-struck.

"Arima Kousei!" she screamed on top of her lungs and lunged forward at me. I caught her with my whole body but the fall to the ground was terrible.

"Oooh…" was a collected amusement of the kids earlier.

"Ow… what the hell…" I rubbed the back of my head and checked if there was any blood.

That's when I felt her warmth and heaviness, this wasn't my imagination anymore.

"Did you know that I told another lie?" A soft voice on top of me said. And here I was, thinking that I won't hear it again.

"Another one?"

"There's no competition today." She smiled brightly at me.

"Eh… EH?!"

"Miyazono Kaori asked everyone to bring Arima Kousei to the place we first met in the month of April."

A finger pointed not so far away, in the direction of the Towa Hall.

Watari, Tsubaki, Nagi, Hiroko-san, and even Kaori's parents—everyone was at the distance, smiling at the two of us.

"Everyone knew?" I asked incuriously at her. "How can you guys keep such a big secret from me?!"

"Baka… they only knew last week, don't fret too much. And besides, I like surprises."

"At least don't break my heart in the process…" Like a cat, you crept up to me.

I looked back up at her, getting lost in her blue eyes. Our foreheads touched and I was looking back up again.

"Arima Kousei…" her voice was softer with a tinge of happiness. "I love you."

I hugged her with all my might. Not wanting to let her go again. Never will I let go again.

"I love you, too."

When I thought a spring without her will come, she came back and proved me wrong.


A/N: WOOO. Okay, maybe I should stop having a re-run of Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso. 'Cause seriously, I already watched the series like four times now. Oh well, I had it downloaded so I might watch it again sometime in the future.

I just passed by this fandom 'cause they this doesn't seem to have that much stories so yeah…

Laters, humans.