A/N:Hello! Excitement abounds!
Thanks go to Xros-Hero, ReadingBlueWolf, Zaviour, and Green Phantom Queen for their reviews! Enjoy!
XVII. Noise
"Don't listen to the liars."
The world she entered was vague and darkly colored. It reminded her of melted chocolate cherry ice cream, dribbling down her skin and sticking like blood. Akari looked around, and found herself almost completely along. The song was here, she knew, but so vague and indistinct it might as well have been mocking notes on a broken staff. She wanted to call out a name, but her throat closed on her in shame.
Did we call for you once?
"No, you didn't." Eyes bored into and she whipped around. No one was there. "No one did. They probably meant to, but no one did." A hand rested on her throat and stroked it, fingers running up her cheek. They were curious fingers, almost pawing at the curve of her jaw. Yet they avoided her lips and eventually pulled away. Then they returned, almost resting on her eyes. Akari went still and a tiny sigh left his lips. "You're scared of me."
She sighed. "I've always been scared of you."
"Is that why you haven't looked for me?"
Akari hesitated. "... It could be." She wasn't a good soother. She had never been, but to the song, there was no point to it.
"Why?"
Akari flinched, watching the fingers pull away from her eyes. Instead of speaking, she reached out and clutched the clammy fingers. The person froze. Even though she couldn't see the song, she could suddenly hear it, wisps and whispers of piano notes. "Because you're a good person," she decided after a moment. "And good people are scary. They do the right thing even if they shouldn't do it. And you did."
"It didn't stop him from dying," murmured the song rather thoughtfully in her eyes. Then she lost grip of the hand, Taiki pulling it away to stare with patience, too much patience. Too much joy.
"Oh, now, now," he murmured gently. "You shouldn't lie to him. You abandoned him because you forgot him. You must get it right."