Chapter 1: Blossoming Winter

"It has been almost three years now, since I last held you in my arms..", a tall boy with hair tied in a short pony tail and wearing black rimmed glasses stared at an empty bench in the middle of a deserted rooftop.

It was snowing heavily. It was almost Christmas, after all. And yet, tiny white flakes from the sky seemed to have brought an illusion of cherry blossoms flying around in spring time. However, even as he buttoned the blazer of his high school's uniform due to the cold, he smiled at the vast expanse of white around him. The thought of someone managed to bring color, even on a blank winter space.

"Have you come back to haunt me again?..", he whispered through the wind. "Please haunt me.. Show me a miracle.. Show yourself in front of that bench, standing up, playing your violin as if everyone watching you will never forget..

"Look me in the eye, and tell me to always look up. Come to think of it, that was the last time I ever saw your eyes..

"That day on the roof, you were scared.. I'm here, and will never leave you alone.. What are you waiting for?

"Haunt me.. Hit me 'til I bleed for no reason.. Jump into the river with me even if it's cold..

"Sing with me under the starry sky even if we're out of tune..

"Please.. At least call me just to kill time when you're bored.."

Suddenly, the boy's phone rang in his pocket just when he was about to shed a tear. He turned pale as snow and flailed his arms around, tumbling, and freaking out, like a frantic ghost that just got exorcised.

"I take it back.. This is scaring the heck out of me..", He shivered in both fear and cold as he answered his cell. "Moshi, moshi..?"

"Arima Kousei! Where in the world are you!?..", an incredibly angry girl's voice boomed over the phone, as the cowering teenage Arima Kousei moved it farther away from his ear to save his sense of hearing.

Before Kousei even got to answer, the door leading to the roof deck slammed open, almost dislodging itself from the wall. A very angry beast disguised as a girl wearing a red jacket over her school uniform ran towards him.

"Oh dear lord.. here we go..", Kousei whispered, as he cowered in fear and braced for impact.

"What're you doing slacking off?!..", the girl, who was slowly turning into a tomato, exclaimed while hitting Kousei with her flying knee, almost flipping him backwards. It was like a hilariously choreographed "running Crane knee strike" for a classroom skit presentation, except that she was furious for real. "The Christmas presentation is two days away from now. We have to keep practicing."

Kousei picked his glasses up to put on as he stood up. He then, shook the snow off his coat while his vision cleared. To his relief, it was not a ghost, nor a "kunoichi" with a red costume that attacked him, but someone he knew very well.

She had long black hair that extended up to her waist, with bangs that grew halfway her forehead. Sharp enough to pierce one's soul with an "Ocular Jutsu", she had fiery crimson brown eyes. Even if she was small in frame, her female assets were clearly pronounced due to playing a lot of sports activities, most especially being the captain of the tennis club. In short, she was gorgeous, as most of their schoolmates describe her. She was a top tier athlete, her grades were over the top, she was kindhearted and loved by all, and most importantly, she played the piano very well, a prodigy. In an academy specialized in music, it was arguable that she was the most popular girl in school.

Although towards Kousei, she had a brutal tendency for violence, always left the worst impression, and pushed him over whenever possible for no reason at all. The girl in the red jacket reminded him of a certain someone, only that she was more pronounced in antagonizing him. It was probably because she got used to being his rival since childhood. However mad and psychopathic it may have seemed, it was her way of caring for Kousei though. It was always about pushing him to his limits.

"Oh Igawa-san. It's just you", Kousei said to her. Igawa Emi and him attended the same high school that specializes in music, Okutsu Ongaku Gakuen (Okutsu Music Academy).

"Eh!? Just 'Igawa-san'?! That's 'Emi-chan' for you, baka-Kousei", she replied irritated, arms crossed, and about to pop a vein in the head. But she flushed, as she looked away.

They were rivals in middle school piano competitions, and still probably up to the present. With that, they got so much attention entering Okutsu. Emi probably thrived in it more than Kousei since she was used to the popularity in her previous school. However, they both hated the unnecessary regard with a passion.

They both never really knew anyone at school at the beginning, so they ended up always hanging out together. Attending the same classes from the start, they ate lunch together, they studied together, and they walked each other home to their respective dorm rooms. The school, eventually, recognized them as "Okutsu's Piano Pair", which really made them scorn the spotlight even more. They became the academy's celebrity couple, even if they were not really "a couple" to begin with.

Although they may have looked like they did not get along very well, somehow, they did end up dating together. It was nothing official though, at the very least, according to Emi. It was not peer pressure though. It was more of things could go complicated, and it was really just music that connected them.

"Sorry, Emi. I was just getting some fresh air, like always..", Kousei apologized to Emi while simultaneously putting his hand over her head and slightly messing her hair up. It seemed to have irritated her, but he knew that she secretly liked it because of her turning red. It used to be difficult for him to do that since they were both of the same height in their first year of high school. But currently in their third year, it became much easier for him being a head taller.

"Tsk. Why do these boys grow like trees?..", Emi thought, as she adorably turned as red as her jacket. "It's unfair."

"Come on, let's go back to the studio and rehearse before you catch cold..", said Kousei, as they walked side by side, and as he transferred his hand on her waist.

She looked at Kousei with her sparkling eyes and flustered cheeks. "Pervert".

One thing was for sure though. Emi did not talk much to Kousei, and her smile was reserved, unlike a certain someone that Kousei knew before.

As the two "pseudo lovers" exchanged endearing looks while heading down the staircase, little did they know that many significant events in their lives, involving bonds, hardships, and realizations revolving around music, were about to unfold. This is the story of Arima Kousei, and his closest friends, three years and nine months after the fated day of their fourteenth spring.

However, this retelling of Kousei's story was not meant to be a culmination, but rather a new beginning. At this point, he was seventeen and a third year student at Okutsu Music Academy high school. It was already his last year in one of Japan's most prestigious music school, so by now, everyone should be aware of who he is, unless one would not be here reading this, after all. Well if one does not, then the author is afraid that one is lost and in for a lot of SPOILERS. Best go back four years into Kousei's past and read the manga or light novel, or watch the anime. Or do everything mentioned previously and obsess about it, like most of the die hard fans present would do.

Done? It's best to move on and set the tissues aside, since it's going to be a new beginning.

A lot has changed, of course. Kousei has grown taller, due to the fact he has aged three more years. He let his hair grow a little longer, since it was an artist's and a musician's thing in the school. And his voice got a bit deeper because of the fact that, again, he became a few years older. But he still wore his trademark black rimmed glasses. He still ate and adored egg sandwiches, drank the same Moo brand milk, practiced the piano until he passes out, and announced his arrival at home, even if when no one was around.

However, Kousei's confidence about himself has turned towards a drastic change compared to when most first met him. As far as everyone could see, he was more talkative than he was. Though it was probably because he was mostly pondering in his thoughts a while ago, just like what he always did whenever he found himself alone (which was regular). He was never really good with words, at least when spoken out loud, but the stark difference on how he carried himself was obvious. It mostly came with maturity. However, he still was relatively shy, which came with his overall personality.

But one thing stood out about Kousei when it comes to change. Emi always pointed out that he looked much happier currently compared to when they first arrived in Okutsu. Most of their classmates did point out that it was most probably Emi's role in his life that made him relatively cheerful. However, Emi has been constant in denying being in a romantic relationship with Kousei, even if they acted like they were. No one really understood why, but the two seemed to be fine with it and just simply letting the flow of time go by.

Kousei opened the door of the studio, as they arrived. "Oh, no one's here."

"Looks like they took a break too..", Emi said, while both her and Kousei sat down on the piano bench.

Rich tunes began to fill the room the moment Kousei's fingers touched the keys. A deep and sorrowful tone told of a sorrowful heart that yearned for true happiness. Every single note blended perfectly with the previous one to the next. It was as if that Kousei himself was part of the song.

"Kreisler.. Liebesleid..", pointed Emi out. She was swaying with her eyes closed, as she continued to get absorbed with Kousei's playing. "Love's Sorrow.. Are you thinking of your mother?"

"Yes. Every single time I play this, it reminds me how she puts me to sleep..", Kousei half lied while continuing to play the tune. He did not have the will to confess that he was also thinking of someone else.

"Kousei..", Emi opened her eyes and focused her attention to Kousei. "Are you still sad?"

"To tell you the truth, I am still very lonely..", Kousei replied with the truth this time. "But it's also the very reason why I see everything with so much color."

"It's like straight out of a shounen manga..", said Emi with a blank stare.

Kousei chuckled at Emi's slight jest. "A certain someone taught me how to see the colors around me, but she's gone now..", was what Kousei would have said, but he thought that it would have made everything more complicated.

Kousei carried on to the climax of the piece. "I guess that's why my mom played Kreisler's 'Love's Sorrow' all the time."

"It is for you to get used to the sadness inside you, considering the series of events that happened for the past five years..", answered Emi, as she hugged Kousei. "You've said that to me so many times. I wish I could do more for you. I'm sorry."

"I should be the one saying sorry for burdening you this much..", Kousei replied while still playing the piece. "But don't worry much, Emi. I need that overwhelming grief in my life. Because of it, I get to see everything to be happier than what's inside me.. you."

As the two shared a moment alone together, and with Kreisler's piece concluding, Kousei began to ponder in his thoughts again.

"You are inside me.. I will never forget, until my dying day."

Arima Kousei could never lie with his piano. He may have seemed to transform into a person filled with joy, but his music would have always told a different story. His emotions have become his driving force for his playing. Music never lied, unlike a certain someone he knew before.

Translation Notes:

Ocular Jutsu - a nod to Naruto Series' visual prowess concept. It's a technique employed by merely using eye contact to convey the desired outcome. In this chapter, Emi uses it to convey hidden messages that only Kousei could understand.

Moshi moshi - a way of greeting someone on a phone call in Japanese.

Kunoichi - a female practitioner of ninjutsu.

Baka-Kousei - a wordplay in Japanese mixing Kousei's name with "baka", which means stupid.

Shounen manga - a type of Japanese comic book with a teenage boy's demographic.

Featured Music:

Love's Sorrow (Liebesleid) - one of three short pieces called Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen (Old Viennese Melodies in German) written by Fritz Kreisler.