"Gotta play, gotta play, gotta play, I gotta play" he kept repeating to himself.

"Number twenty three, Arima Kousei, you will be going soon, please stand by in the wings" announced the man.

Kousei looked up, a little startled at first, and stood up. He began to lose his balance, so he placed his hand on the wall to support himself.

"H-Hey, you sure you okay?" asked Takeshi with worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm fine" he replied, not daring to look up, once again, only looking down.

"You're fine?! Your face couldn't be more pale!

Anybody can see you're not fine, let's go to the infirmary!" Emi exclaimed, clearly worried about his health.

"I'm sorry... but I've got to play. Because... I'm a pianist." The sadness and sorrow was evident in both his voice and face. "Because... I made a promise." He began to walk towards the stage.

It's Arima! Arima! There he is, it's Arima! The crowd was excited to listen to the reborn prodigy play. The crowd began to clap and cheer for the young pianist.

Kousei walked to center of the stage and bowed to the audience. Walking towards the piano, he sat down and prepared to play. He stared at the keys, filling his mind with negative thoughts, his memories about Kaori started flooding his mind.

I made you remember something you didn't want to remember... A violinist who can't even hold her own bow, that's pointless! I won't forget, even if I die.

"I've gotta play" Just... forget about all of it, like you've hit the reset button. "I have to play!" Maybe, we shouldn't have met, huh? "I have to play, because... I'm a pianist..."he raised his hands, noticing they were shaking. He saw an image of his hands being stained with blood. The blood of those he loved. The hands that played music, the music that is taking his loved ones from him.

He brought his hands to his face, covering it, as if trying to hide. He couldn't deal with it anymore.

Arima? Kousei! Both Nagi and Seto were surprised and sad to see Arima go back into his shell and be unable to play.

What's going on? Is it the pressure? The pressure is getting to Arima? The crowd was surprised, seeing the piano prodigy give in to the pressure.

You're looking down again.

"A~choo!"

Kousei looked towards the audience to see Tsubaki covering her mouth, the embarrassment visible in her eyes.

Tsubaki, you dummy! I don't know you, I don't know you! Both Watari and Miwa looked away from Tsubaki, pretending they've never seen her before.

"Tsubaki, you're here... I see" Kousei began to look carefully at the audience. He saw all the people that have been with him this whole time, supporting him and helping him move forward. Tsubaki, Watari, Miwa, Seto, Nagi, Takeshi, and Emi. All of them were there, eager to listen to his playing, cheering him on no matter the outcome. "Everyone is here!"

Kousei raised his head, looking up once again, the lights shining brightly at him. He raised his hands and placed them on the piano, getting read to play the first note.

He began to play, pressing down on the low C note, creating a rich sound. Instantly, the audience recognized the piece as Chopin's Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op.23, however, it was...different. It was slower, much more gentle, but played with confidence.

This isn't just pesante... Emi said to herself. It's so deep, so unhurried, thought Takeshi. What a remarkably rich sound!

Like a whisper, like a show of affection, so gently... the sound of Chopin's Ballade, emanating so sorrowfully.

You were thinking about a girl you like, right?

You bet I was.

For now, just play from your heart.

In my heart, it's all chaos.

What a cliché!

It's not all bad, you know.

Oh come on, you've done nothing but play the piano all day!

Can't help that, I'm not good with words, remember?

"Everybody's watching, the reason I'm here right now, it's because of all of you. The people who played a role in my life, who made my life fuller. I can't let them down!"

It's because we're musicians. We gotta express through music, right?

"Yeah, Aiza. You're absolutely right."

Whether you're sad, you're a mess or have hit rock bottom, you still have to play!

"Do you think I can do it?"

No worries! We'll figure it out, because we rule! "Play. Play. That's who I am, how I'm going to live my life. Because I'm a pianist, just like you... I'm a musician after all!"

Kousei's imagery has begun to show, a large and beautiful Cherry Blossom tree, the cherry blossoms gently swaying back and forth, providing shade for the piano, creating a beautiful image.

Amazing! This is incredible, Arima-sensei! Your life, your music... it's taken on all this color!

Kousei... your performance is bursting with so much color... such mournful color.

Kousei kept playing, however, it was much... different then before. He wasn't playing with a frown, with his past weighing him down... he was playing with a smile, giving it his all for everybody that has been with him till now, giving it his all for Kaori.

He began to recall his memories with all the people he's met, all of those people who have cheered him on and supported him. He could feel a part of each and every one of them was present in his playing.

This is the sound my mom gave me.

The sound Watari made me notice.

The sound Tsubaki found for me.

The sound that was born from my battles with Aiza and Igawa.

The sound that Nagi and I created together.

The sound that Hiroko made me remember.

The image of a young boy covering his ears, the despair and fright visible on his face, began to appear in his mind.

"I'm scared... I can't hear... Someone..."

Kaori appeared in his consciousness, hugging the little boy. "But you have me", she reassured him.

Yes. It's just like you said, if I listen closely... I'm overflowing with so many sounds. I'm not alone!

He started to see all these images of Kaori, all these memories they had made together, memories that will never disappear.

From the moment we meet someone else, none of us can ever be alone. We're all connected.

He continued playing each note with all he's got. His playing began to shift in tone. The "Ballade" began to change. It started with a beautiful but mournful tone, then evolved into another beautiful tone, however, it was... different. When listening to Arima's playing, you felt at ease, calm and relaxed. The keys were played gently, as if he was comforting someone, almost as if he was having a conversation with someone through his music.

Kousei began to recall the scene he witnessed on the Hospital's rooftop. Kaori was right there, holding on to him, him holding her close, nothing else mattering to him at that moment but her. He remembered how she broke down, releasing everything she had kept hidden, all the regrets she's carried.

"You exist inside me, Arima Kousei. You like egg sandwiches. You like Moo Moo brand milk. What else do you like? What are your favorite insects? What kind of stuff did you collect? What anime did you like? There's so much that I don't know. I envy Tsubaki for knowing everything. I want to know so many things about you..." the tears began to run down her face, not showing any signs of stopping. "I'm scared... I'm scared. I'm scared! Don't leave me all alone!"

Dummy, you have me. You'll always have me. After all, inside me... you exist. No way am I gonna leave you alone. Reach her... I'm piling on everything I have. I hope this reaches you. Just kick your illness to the curb, and then... once again, we will play together!

Kousei's imagery began to change once again. The audience was in a trance, experiencing a beautiful story through his music. The image of a boy, tightly holding a crying girl, could be seen vividly. The words "you're not alone" kept appearing in their minds. It made the audience feel warm, feel as if their hearts have been touched by the beautiful story Kousei was telling through his playing.

I don't care if I'm just Friend A... I just want you to stay! You promised. We would play again, go on another journey. I'm going to hold you to that promise, so don't stop struggling!

Chopin's Ballade was about to end. Kousei's playing became much more fierce, pressing down on the keys a lot harder, but not to the point where it was jarring. It felt as if a request was being made. As if everything was being put on the line for one small request. A request for the tiny cherry blossom, filled with color, the petal that made its way into the life of the young pianist, changing his fate. A request for her to remain in the world. To not be taken away from him. A request for them to forever exist in spring.

Let's go on a journey, Miyazono-San!

Author's Note: So, this took me a while to post. As you can see, some of the dialogue is from the anime however I also added my own. From this point forward, all dialogue will be original. I apologize for the length of this chapter, I didn't want to split the performance into two chapters. I hope you enjoyed chapter 1, thank you for the support and have yourselves a good one!