This one took some work. Near the end I totally lost inspiration (which is why my fight scene is fail and is pretty much nonexistent). But I wanted to post it now, funny since I'm at school with like ten minutes left to get to class ^^! Inspired by the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OST.
Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man. At all.
To Be King - In that very moment Neah became a king, too bad he was going to die.
The Millennium Earl was considered King of the Noah. The name "Earl" was irrelevant in this sense, for he stood at the top, the single absolute ruler.
And the world was his kingdom.
That made the rest of the Noah Prince and Princesses. They each possessed distinguishable auras that could not be diminished by others. That was how the Noah were - members of royalty with differing personalities and great presence, though quickly cloaked when they needed to be hidden.
But then there was Neah, who stood out the most.
Neah, the fourteenth Noah, was an anomaly that the Earl all too willingly accepted into his court, even with the foreboding feeling that kept clawing at the back of his mind. He couldn't help it though, there was just something about Neah that he could relate himself to.
Neah was a prince - a prince with natural charisma that drew others up to him. Who enchanted others with beautiful melodies from the piano; each stroke he made on those keys captured their heart just a little more. It was why he was called the Pianist,or more specifically the Player.
Neah hid himself well with them as their brother, a fellow prince. It only took him a few quarter notes, and like one of his many musical pieces, he emerged from grace and blended with the others in perfect harmony.
But every once in a while that gnawing feeling would come back. The Earl would think about how Neah could be considered a Joker, a Fool, hidden behind some sort of colorful mask while entertaining everyone around with his music.
That's when he realized it was a trap.
It was not a conscious realization, and he lies about it to keep his madness at bay. He fools himself about it; it's a game, a joke, a trick of my mind. Because he'll catch himself staring at Neah, and find that a suspicious gleam has entered those eyes - the statuses have changed and now he's the Fool.
It hasn't happened yet, yet he knows that in time the fear of Neah's betrayal will tear him apart. Wrapping and curling itself around his body; it will attach itself to his brain and his heart like strings tying around his most vital organs and muscles, controlling him like a puppet. There was nothing he could really do and he would eventually go mad.
All there was left was the abdication.
Neah knew that he was a talented pianist but what he loved the most was composing the music. To be able to create just by choosing notes, to bring it to life afterwards with sound, it was truly an art. But, it was an art of manipulation.
For the same could be applied to things around him; he could pick out what he wants and what he doesn't want and use them how he sees fit.
He would socialize with all classes and all statuses, compose them, play them, and then rise as a superior, a ruler.
Though Neah never paid much attention to hierarchy or monarchy as the Noah seemed to apply themselves to. After all, he wasn't one of the original thirteen that made up the family; it technically wasn't in his bloodline so why should he care?
He had his reasons as to why he became a Noah and it lead down to the ultimate motive that could never be stopped…
Maybe it was time for a new king, don't you think?
"Have you gone mad?"
That's how it started. The beginning of his sonata, it would start out as a legato and the Earl along with everyone else, would fail to notice and fall in tempo.
It was almost time, by the fourth movement it will all be over. Here comes the staccato…
"Oh, would you hear that? An Elegy is playing."
It was such a beautiful day for a symphony of destruction.
The castle that was once the royal dwelling of the Noah was reduced to nothing. Nothing but crumbles of stone tainted with the blood of the Noah's former court, each of their bodies no longer distinguishable as they were known for. Their presences were simmered to grains and their auras reduced to ashes, except for Road who fell at the double-bar line and broke herself into her dream. And stretched miles across were sharp notes of earth projected outward along the staff of land.
All because Neah composed it so.
There he stood before the Earl with an outstretched hand and his Joker smile. The Earl, despite his ever-present devil's grin was far too gone. He knew this would happen, knew what Neah was capable of, but did nothing. Did nothing but watch and laugh along like the mad man he was.
But if he could fool himself just one more time, he would admit that he was hurt by Neah's betrayal. Neah promised he would always be by his side; he was one of his Prince's, his kin. He thought of Neah as a brother… He didn't want to have to kill him, but he will do it if it meant protecting his crown.
A low rumble resounded from the ground, the Earl's feet danced with anticipation. Neah was preparing for another attack. They steadied their swords; both alike yet reverse of each other, much like their statuses in this piece.
The Earl charged forward and the cadence began.
He started out strong, attack after attack, the crescendo onslaught. Each clash reverberated with dissonance. But Neah held out, proving that his power was a forte of its own. The two kept glissando over and over and for a moment the Earl was scared that he would actually lose this battle.
Neah crackled a laugh. Yes! This is what he wanted! Let the madness be presto, let him burn from it! So that he can then, fool him adagio.
"You're going to lose your throne, and there's not a single thing you can do to stop it. I have already composed it." Neah said as he lifted his sword once more despite the toll it has taken on this body.
And the Earl finally understood...
Neah truly was a king. He was the king of composition, the king of manipulation, the king of destruction. A king can only rule if he has people to follow and look up at him and he manipulated everyone to follow him like the puppets they were. Played them like key strokes on his piano. Now, he was going to destroy the Earl's throne with the very same key strokes, each booming with the sounds of destruction and madness.
The Earl saw the outstretched hand, the curl of the fingers, the strings pulling at his heart.
No... he couldn't let this happen. To be king was a divine right, and that right belonged solely to him!
He surged forwards once again, letting the strings tugged him onwards for another attack. When their swords clashed the Earl let all of his dark power pressure down on Neah. Just then, he could feel the hint of Neah's struggle. Can you feel the reprise?
Neah crippled and fell at the coda while the world had gone mute for a moment.
He looked up, his colorful mask breaking into ruling golden eyes and an iridescent smile. His postlude began as he spoke softly but with strong rhapsody.
"Fine, I will play the part of the Fool now, but always know that you're a puppet. A puppet that is waiting to be played… So go mad for me, go mad and wait for the day that I return. Wait for the day when I come back to steal your crown."
Those words marked the finale…
The duet stood in the center of their broken castle; Neah with broken limbs and the Earl with a broken mind, surrounded by the remains of a destructive score.
Neah could feel his blood seeping out of the crevices of his body, the fading beat of his heart and he smiled. It didn't matter if he was about to die. He was at a natural place above, looking down as a King should.
His new score was set. He will find a new player. His concerto will be played wondrously.
He will play the Earl in F-minor; he will play Road in B-flat.
He will play them beautifully. It will be his greatest masterpiece.
Encore! Long live the King!
Thank you for reading. I'm not sure how I feel about this piece, so critiques are highly encouraged that way I can come back to this and work out any kinks.
Anyways, here are definitions for the musical terms if you're not music savvy (I'm not either, so it's okay!)
Composition: A work of music, literature, or art, or its structure or organization.
Sonata: Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo, rhythm, and melody; but are held together by subject and style.
Legato: Word to indicate that the movement or entire composition is to be played smoothly.
Tempo: Indicating speed.
Staccato: Short detached notes, as opposed to legato.
Movement: A separate section of a larger composition.
Elegy: A lament, either vocal or instrumental.
Symphony: Three to four movement orchestral piece, generally in sonata form.
Double-bar line: Indicates the end of a section. When the second line is thicker than the first, it indicates the end of the piece.
Sharp: A symbol indicating the note is to be raised by one semitone.
Staff: Indicates the set of lines used for the notation of notes of different pitches.
Cadence: A sequence of chords that brings an end to a phrase, either in the middle or the end of a composition.
Crescendo: Growing, becoming louder.
Dissonance: Harsh, discordant, and lack of harmony. Also a chord that sounds incomplete until it resolves itself on a harmonious chord.
Glissando: Sliding between two notes.
Presto: A direction in sheet music indicating the tempo is to be very fast.
Adagio: A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.
Reprise: To repeat a previous part of a composition generally after other music has been played.
Coda: Closing section of a movement.
Mute: This one should be self-explanatory
Postlude: The closing section of a work or to indicate a piece of music to be played as the conclusion of some ceremony, the opposite of a prelude.
Rhapsody: Implies a work free in form and inspiration.
Finale: Movement or passage that concludes the musical composition.
Duet: A piece of music written for two vocalists or instrumentalists.
Score: Written music that shows all parts.
Concerto: A composition written for a solo instrument. The soloist plays the melody while the orchestra plays the accompaniment.
F-minor, B-flat: These are specific notes. (For any instrument but commonly known for the piano.)
Encore: A piece of music played at the end of a recital responding to the audiences' enthusiastic reaction to the performance, shown by continuous applause.
If you have any questions feel free to ask me!