Chapter 14: Falling Asleep with My Other Half
Violet was surrounded by beauty.
Even though her eyes were closed, as she sat on their back patio, her back facing her brother's open window, she was surrounded by beauty.
He was playing again. Of course he was.
A tango, an accent falling on certain beats, and a stately air.
She could imagine him sitting there at his piano, a well-kept upright, and him vigorously clonking away. "But that clearly isn't him anymore," she said to herself.
Since their escapade, his everything had been changing. His playing, especially, was more full of a stern heatedness.
The prodigy had become a professional, at long last.
"Like a professional, huh," Violet said, looking at her laptop, and she knew Kousei's Facebook profile was just one search away.
One search later, and Violet had their info at her fingertips. They were a popular couple, and their performance in Denmark had trended on twitter a week ago.
She moved her finger on the fingerpad, clicking the link with the left button.
Her phone in her pocket buzzed, the sensation surprising her.
It was from their mother.
'I'm coming home with groceries. Please tell your brother to be ready."
Violet stood up, tensing her legs and stretching out her arms after having rested them for more than an hour.
She grabbed her laptop and went inside, setting it down on the island in the kitchen.
Strolling towards the stairwell, she hears her brother stop playing.
By the time she reaches the landing, he's halfway out his door.
"She texted me too. I'm ready." He briefly made himself go cross-eyed.
One of the corners out Violet's mouth quirks into a half-smile at his dorkiness.
"I have no clue how I'm related to you. You're such a dork."
He raises an eyebrow as they both move to descend the stairs.
"Says the one that can't keep her face out of a romance novel for more than ten minutes."
They had reached the bottom of the stairs before she spoke up; "That was a low blow."
"Is that a sex move from one of the novels? The low blow?" His words washed over her.
She blushes vigorously, grimacing at the same time. She turns toward him.
"...ah, why did you have to say that? Now I'm all red and blushy."
He was clearly amused by her reaction. "Because I can, and because you're adorable when you blush."
They were in the kitchen, the natural light from outside filling the room. It was a little undercast, as they had been expecting fog for the day.
Eric noticed a source of artificial light in the room.
It was her computer, and he saw Kousei Arima on the screen. "She finally looked him up, huh," he thought to himself.
He then verbalized this.
"So… you decided to look him up, huh."
Her face was one of surprise for a moment, and then was one of acceptance.
"Yeah. I did. I haven't worked up the courage to say anything yet."
"I get how you feel," Eric said, his own struggle coming to mind.
"Do you? What from?" Her brother had never really been one to have crushes, so she didn't know for who he was talking about.
"From what happened with you. It took me a while to even say anything at all. If you like him that much, go for it."
"Of course you would see it that way." Her mind echoed with those words for an instant, before her expression softened. "And you aren't jealous at all?"
He grimaced. "I try not to be."
An awkward silence fills the room.
A car door slammed outside.
"I guess she's home."
*several minutes later*
All the groceries were now inside. Their mother, Meredith, is inside with them. She's a tall, slender woman who looks very much like an older version of her daughter. A perfectionist by trade, she is instructing them on where to put the groceries.
"Eric, put the freezer items downstairs in the basement freezer." He rushed off, carrying the one frozen pizza she had bought.
She turned to her daughter. "And who is this on your laptop? A crush, perhaps? Who's the lucky man?"
Violet froze. Her expression was blank.
"He's… taken. And if you must know, he was another competitor at the event in Denmark. I really want to talk to him, but I'm afraid he won't remember me."
Her mother was sympathetic. "So a real crush, huh? Well, I won't steer you away from just talking to him. And as if anyone would forget you," Her mother said with an amused smile.
She continued; "And the fact that you have a crush is adorable, but don't go getting your heart broken, now."
Violet half-smiled. "I'll try not to get myself hurt, mom. I'll try."
And that was all her mother could ask of her daughter.
By the time Eric came back up the stairs, they were done putting everything away.
And the day wasn't shaping up to be too bad, from his perspective.
It was going to be an extraordinary day. Neither of them knew why or how.
But it was.
Eric had gone back to his room.
He had decided to practice some Dvorak. "That folder is in the closet, I think," he said to himself.
And so it was.
It was near the bottom of the pile of music folders. Labeled "12," it was one of his oldest folders.
He opened it, finding music he hadn't played in half a decade.
Flipping through the folder, hitting the M's (as it was alphabetized), he found a treasure of his own past.
"Missin' You," the song he'd played for her that day in August.
He was brought back into his past, into a memory of long ago.
He stopped playing. The girl, no, his twin, sat next to him. Her expression was one of excitement and awe.
"...That was so cool. You're so cool, Eric!"
He blushed. "You liked it?"
"You made sounds that I can't even describe! How do you do it?"
There was a brief pause as he shrugged. "I've always been good with music. Especially on the piano."
Her brown eyes were expressive, he noticed. Every expression reached them, above all of her other features.
"I'm so jealous. Dad never had the money to get me more than the theory books. And I really can't understand them too well, without a teacher." She almost looked ashamed, and a little glum.
He thought to himself; "I know theory. I could teach her that much."
He spoke up. "I could teach you."
Her whole face lit up. She was shaking a bit.
"Will you?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" He said, confused at her reaction.
"Can I hug you?"
"I mean, I guess-"
He was hugged aggressively, almost being knocked off of the bench.
Back in the present, Eric smiled fondly. That day had been the first time they'd ever hugged.
She'd been so warm, but her hands had been cold.
He also remembered that he wanted to hold her hands, to warm them up.
And that had been how their mother had found them, with Eric warming Violet's cold hands.
Her hands were still cold, sitting at her easel, facing her back window towards the coastline.
Even though she'd grown up, her hands were still so damn cold.
She had been trying to paint for the past half hour, and despite her being talented at it in years prior, her sense of perspective was completely gone.
"Ugh," she said, putting her brush down. "Maybe later."
It was time for them to make lunch, anyway.
They met in the kitchen, both ready to make food.
And this left them in a self-imposed pickle.
Which was quickly resolved. "Hey. I know that I made lunch yesterday. But I'm feeling productive today, so can I help you?" Violet's voice resounded across the countertop.
He had been surprised, but accepted readily.
They started by prepping the shrimp.
Violet removed the shells while he removed the intestinal tract.
As they started on the pasta, their mom walked out the front door.
"See you later, you two! Behave yourselves! Love you!"
Their mother was boisterous sometimes, too.
The door closed, and they both let out a breath that they didn't know they were holding.
Their eyes met as they turned to each other, questioning.
Eric breached the silence first, with a subject he'd been meaning to ask about all morning.
"So are you going to message Kousei Arima or not? You've wanted to do it ever since mom got home, I can tell. But you've been hesitant. And that's not the bold, brave Violet that I know."
"Maybe I'm not as brave as you believe."
Her eyes were downcast.
"Maybe you just need to believe in yourself."
The kitchen was silent.
And it stayed that way, as they prepared their lunch.
At some point, Violet left with the utensils and plates to set up outside.
She came back in when she was done setting up. And Eric grabbed the pot, with the contents of their meal inside.
She tensed up a little as he walked past.
This was one of her favorite meals, and it was these heavier meals that she dieted the rest of the time for.
She realized that she looked a little odd, standing in the doorway after he'd already went outside, so she quickly moved to the other side of the glass table and sat down.
He opened the pot.
She shivered a little. "That smells amazing!"
He eyed her saucily. "Want me to plate it?"
"Yes…."
"Yes what, Violet?"
"Yes please!"
Her eyes were expressive as always. And she was trying to be sweet, too. It was a little much for Eric.
Who then even gave her extra shrimp when she asked for it.
He never gave her extra.
"Why'd you say yes?" She was obviously confused.
"You're being sweeter to me than usual so I am returning the favor. You're usually the sweetest person in my life already. So when you try to be nicer than usual, it's a real treat, Violet."
And it was her turn to blush, now.
He watched her face light up, before starting to blush.
And then she spoke.
"If the pasta wasn't already going to make my day, Eric, I think you just did."
Their eye contact was brief, but they both saw happiness in the others' face.
They started to eat quietly.
The mood around them was peaceful. They ate in silence.
And both were content. Because for the both of them, their favorite person was just across the table. And in that moment, they were completely grateful again. Like they'd been after Violet almost died.
Their silence was love. Their silence was peace. Their silence was appreciation.
The indulgence of the meal was just a compliment to the situation. They weren't decadent people, and their lifestyle was modest, if anything.
This was a treat, both in a food way and in a "quality time" sort of way.
Markus watched from about a hundred yards out into the ocean.
A demon was about to rear its ugly head.
He hadn't needed to fight in a long time.
But here he was, struggling to get himself up to the limits of his power before the gate under the water opened.
And the Hydra itself was going to be let loose.
He had to take it down himself.
The wind ceased.
The waves stopped.
A huge shape appeared under the water. It was further out to sea than him.
He could see that it was nearly as wide across as four city blocks, stacked side by side.
It slowly was rising to the surface.
"It's not supposed to be here yet! I'm not at full power!"
One of the heads was about to break the surface of the water.
He turned and looked back at the humans, full of innocence and love.
He couldn't let them die.
Without the support from the Origin (who at the moment was holding off Death the best he could without harming him), he probably wouldn't be able to win without destroying the human life on Hawaii.
He would regret a mistake like that for the rest of his existence.
"Well at least the human's minds aren't capable of seeing divine beings and creatures."
The first head broke the surface, it's ocean-blue scales glittering in the sunlight. Its eyes were black and fish-like, and the rest of its body stayed submerged. It was terrifying.
It was terrifying, because its pupils were as tall as Markus himself, and he was at eye level with it.
He readied himself.
He heard a whisper from the Origin in his ear.
"If you get backed into a corner, just break through your inner shell. That's the only advice I can give you."
As the words faded from the confines of his mind, the heads that were still under the water surfaced, creating a massive wave. That headed straight for Violet and Eric.
"No! Not them!" He shouted, darting around the tip of the wave.
He faced forward, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
He then punched the air in front of him, in the direction of the wave.
A small movement.
But even from 150 yards away, it still punched a hole clear through one of the Hydra's necks, disconnecting it, the friction from the force burning the stump and boiling the water around the impact zone.
The wave that had once been the size of a tsunami had been completely negated, its remnants crashing on the shore like a normal wave.
"Fight it from a distance, I suppose."
One of its heads had human eyeballs.
That was the intelligent head.
If he could just get rid of that head, he might be able to kill it without casualties.
The problem was when he went to try and fight from a distance, it was already essentially upon him, at the shoreline.
His eyes widened.
He'd been cornered.
Eric saw a wall, behind Violet, as they ate.
"Since when was there a wall behind Violet?" He thought to himself.
He then happened to look up. He saw one monstrous eye before he decided to get the hell out of dodge, jumping out of his chair.
"What's wrong," Violet asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but how about we take a brief excursion to somewhere that maybe isn't here."
She noticed that his eyes were transfixed on the space far above a spot behind her.
She started to turn backwards. But he grabbed her shoulders.
"Don't. I won't be able to get you out of here if you're having a panic attack as big as the continental US."
She knew something was wrong then. She never had panic attacks, much less big ones.
She followed him to the monte carlo, and they drove off.
Markus breathed as much of a sigh of relief as he could.
He didn't have to hold back anymore.
He smiled in a small way.
His everything glowed with a piercing grey aura.
His Origin State was active, and he could end it now.
And so he did.
His aura filled with radiant blue and white sparks, his muscles gleaming.
He was quickly behind the monster, covered in viscous goop. Brain matter.
With one blow, he had slammed himself through the intelligent head's brain with relativistic speeds.
He watched apathetically as it faded into nothing.
The two of them had reached their favorite cafe and sat down when Eric broached the topic.
"So I think I might have seen a literal sea monster behind you. That's why we left."
She was shocked, and turned pale.
"Oh. Okay."
She said this even as she fell forward in a faint. He was able to catch her because they had been sitting side-by-side.
Their journey of being side-by-side had just begun, too.
As Eric woke her up, the scene fades out, and we find ourselves somewhere else.
The swelling of the Gymnopédie flowed through the household of Kousei and Kaori.
He was playing for her, and her head laid on his shoulder, her eyes closed.
There didn't need to be an illusion for this piece. It was simple enough, Kaori thought.
She was slowly being lulled to sleep.
The melody was popular and sometimes overused, but it was still elegant and aweing to hear when her Kousei played it.
It had been a quiet day, with neither of them working.
Her breathing started to steady itself, he noticed.
"Looks like we're turning in early tonight," Kousei thought to himself.
The final bars were approaching at its Adagio pace, and she felt herself let go of his hand as she finally drifted off.
*Back in Hawaii*
The two had returned home to find nothing out of place.
Their lunches, mostly eaten but cold, sat out, now featuring some sand in its composition.
They made sure to clean up quickly.
Eric was quick to point out that Violet was still shaky.
"Vi. Go inside and lay down. Your body just collapsed less than an hour ago. You shouldn't even be on your feet right now."
Her expression softened from its determined look into a worn smile. "I definitely don't feel well. I'll… go lay down."
Her exit from the patio was rough, almost tripping on the step leading to the inside.
But she caught herself, and while he was still wary of letting her walk around, Eric didn't want to embarrass her by walking her to the couch. "She likes doing things herself. She's always been that way." His thoughts were certainly true.
The same athleticism that kept her so in shape was also a way for her to do something not influenced by her home life. She wanted to do something that would get her out of the house. Because even the beaches of Hawaii got boring after years of living there.
As he brought in the dishes, there she was. Slumped in a chair and breathing heavily.
He panicked, fear suffusing his body.
"Are you alright?", asked Eric, looking into her eyes. They were glazed over slightly. Her body really had stressed itself out.
He ended up carrying her up the stairs and laying her in bed, despite her weak protests that she was fine.
He tucked her in, and sat by her bedside as she calmed down.
Her look of appreciation and contentment as she fell asleep was worth the trip up the steps, to be certain.
Even as they closed, the color of her eyes, almost black with how brown they were, remained in his mind. How could something so dark be filled with so much light and love?
He would never know.
Some of her hair was covering her face and draping across the bed as she slept on her side, almost laying on one arm.
He moved it back behind her left ear, and she didn't move aside from the steady rise and fall of her chest.
If he would have looked closer, he would have seen the slightest hint of a smile after he moved her hair.
She was content.
He was content.
If you'd asked Eric what the best part of his life was, he would have lied and said music.
But if he ever deigned to answer you truthfully, he would have said "Violet."
And that was the truth, indeed.