It was his turn: Kousei walked on the stage, took a bow to the audience, and sat at the piano. Everyone was waiting for him to play.
"You must play, you must play, you must play for her" he kept repeating in his mind, looking at the piano. He placed his hands on it, but just before starting to play he felt a pang of desperation and froze with his hands in his face: "What if she doesn't make it? How will I be able to live without her? Who will make me see the world in color?".
All of a sudden, he remembered a quote that Kaori once told him:
"Whether you're sad, you're hurt, or empty, you have to keep playing",
he felt a glimpse of courage, and played the first chord with confidence.
Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
His execution was so colorful, a mix of emotions: sadness, tenancity, and hope. Everyone in the audience was amazed, they could feel Kousei's feelings through his music. They never felt that way, it was like being disconnected from the real world and get in his mind.
"Reach her, reach her, reach her, reach her, reach her!", he was trying his hardest to reach her with his music. "You need to defeat your disease, so that we'll be able to...", he slowly opened his eyes, and found himself on a boundless sea, the same sea where he used to remain in fear at the bottom during his past executions, but now he overcame it thanks to her. He was astonished, looking at the immense sky with large white clouds, it was beautiful, he never got to see it before. The fresh and fragile wind blew across his face, he felt at peace with himself.
Right behind him, a cherry tree started growing, he could feel Kaori's presence. She was in his music, in his heart, she left a mark in him, which brought him out of the black and empty loop he was in the past.
Cherry blossoms started to fall gently from the tree, more and more, and they started to spin slowly around Kousei. He was confused, but he felt good, it was like getting a hug from a person who loves you.
The cherry blossoms then all flew away.
Kousei looked around, finding Kaori next to him, holding her violin in a gorgeous peach dress, smiling with those big and proud blue eyes. That smile, it gave him hope and strength, it added colors to his life, it was the smile of the girl he loves. His eyes filled with tears, it was really her, he knew it.
She then closed her eyes and started playing her violin, they were in perfect harmony, as if they were in each other's heart. Kousei hoped for time to stop forever, he never felt that happy in his life. They continued the execution together, she played with him the whole rest of the piece, she didn't leave him alone.
As soon as they finished, the whole audience went crazy: screaming, clapping and booing for his stupendous performance, but he knew that it wasn't only him to play, she was there to assist.
While bowing, Kousei looked next to him, there was Kaori too. He couldn't feel more grateful for her not leaving him, she has always been by his side. Right before leaving the stage, he looked back at her: she was smiling at him with tears of joy, "thank you" is what her expression was saying, then she vanished into cherry blossoms.
After leaving the stage he started running, and running, and running, he didn't stop talking with the others, he only had one person in his mind, and he needed to see that person.
After entering in the Nerima Hikarigaoka hospital, he didn't even have to ask where her room was, he has been in that place so many times that he already knew where it was.
When he got at the door, he took a deep breath: "Please, please, please, tell me she is alright.". He grabbed the door handle, wandering if he was ready to know what happened to her...
