Prologue

//Here's a starter for you. Im not very talented when it comes to starting novels, so forgive me if it's very short. The next one will definitely be around 2.5k to 3k words.

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Pink petals rained down ever so slowly, drifting through the air, flipping and spinning as they gradually descended. Some bumped into others, changing their course, while some would get picked up by the soft breeze, scattering then in different directions. Bathed in moonlight, the sakura blossoms gave off an ethereal glow, further adding to picturesque scene as they swirled about.

Plucking one of the strings on his maple wood guitar, Hiromasa Knox listened carefully to it's reverberation, light blue hues fixated on the starry sky. After the sound came to a stop, he shook his head softly and began fiddling with the guitar accordingly, deftly twisting the six tuners at the head of the instrument.

"Let's see." Hiro muttered, repositioning his hands once more the moment he finished the necessary adjustments. "How did that melody go again?"

Strumming his fingers along the chords of the guitar, the black haired youth played with the strings, sending waves of sounds through the surrounding forest. At first, there wasn't any sort of rhyme or rhythm to the notes being played, the overlapping strains clashing violently and completely ruining every potential harmony. Little by little though, as time passed and the leaves continued to fall, the chaotic sounds evolved into something beautiful, a symphony of colorful tunes that travelled through the air. Music was made in that very moment, one that managed to match the surrounding ambience in it's entirety, adding a whole new life to the surrounding area.

"Yeah, I should've known I'd find you here," a voice said, cutting through Hiromasa's focused strumming. "Some things never change. You always were a sucker for scenery."

Hiro didn't even need to look up to know who had spoken to him, his ears already having picked up on what he believed to be the most girlish voice in existence. Continuing his newly formed melody, the young teen gave his new arrival a small side glance as she sat down next to him at the base of the cherry blossom tree.

"And you're any different?" Hiro asked, letting some time elapse before popping a question. "What? Too good for this place?"

"I don't recall ever saying that," the young woman retorted, leaning against trunk, long braided hair pulled over the shoulder. "I just don't feel the need to come to this spot as often as you do. Hard to paint properly in near darkness."

Hiromasa let out a small snort, his fingers ceasing their smooth movements. "Don't bother saying all of that noise. Full moon is out. There's nothing to stop you from making a sketch or two."

Tsumugi Knox shook her head, electric pink orbs staring at the glowing ball hanging in the world above. Without a cloud in the sky, it rested at it's pinnacle unabated, far above the heads of the two siblings, casting a bright pale blue light over the petal littered ground. A sea of stars surrounded the rocky sphere, further adding on to the already brilliantly lit night.

"Fair enough," the girl finally admitted, her eyes glancing back down. "I didn't come to paint anyways."

"Then what's up?" Hiro set his guitar down onto his lap, turning his full attention on his twin sister.

"Mom and dad want you to come back home." Tsumugi relayed softly. "We're heading out of the prefecture tomorrow. They claimed that if you haven't gotten everything ready by then, you'll have to leave every unpacked thing behind."

As his sister explained the situation to him in greater detail, Hiromasa took that time to rise up from his spot at the base of the Sakura tree. His legs, particularly his knees, made audible cracks as he stretched himself to the fullest, his legs having fallen asleep some hours prior. A plethora of pink petals clung to his grey pants and shirt, as well as getting tangled up in his fluffy black hair, but he didn't really mind those much.

It had been around half a day since Hiro had made the trip out to the forest, seeking to be alone, away from those who could prove to be a distraction. In that timeframe, the young man hadn't moved very much, opting instead to alternate between naps and composing music on his Yamaha. Now that he was moving about, he could feel the toll such a decision had on his body, the stiffness of his muscles and the aches on his rear end making themselves known with each and every movement. It was hard to even get off the floor, Hiro nearly taking a dive the second he tried to get off the ground.

Even so, despite the discomfort, he didn't regret his choice.

Due to the circumstances surrounding that particular day, Hiromasa needed some solitude. It was something that was nonnegotiable, and his family understood as much, only sending his sister out to fetch when it was well past midnight.

"Why did you choose this one of all places?" Tsumugi asked softly after a brief hiatus, her tone shifting slightly. Hiro could hear the rigidness in her voice, a slight shake being added to her words. "I don't think we ever came out this way. I only managed to find you because of the music. I was passing by the area and heard it from about half a kilometer."

Hiro didn't respond to her question right away, wrapping the guitars strap around his shoulder and slipping the instrument onto his back. A rather strong breeze kicked up, blasting the blossoms resting on the grass into the air, creating a miniature tornado of pink petals. The ascending leaves danced around the two siblings as they stared on, neither one uttering so much as a peep. Seconds past, then minutes. It wasn't until a while later that Hiromasa finally opened his mouth.

"We used to come here as kids, me and him." Hiro smiled wistfully, light blue eyes filled with a melancholic nostalgia. "I used to climb trees and run around like a madman, scaring him half to death. It was here that I first broke my arm trying to do a flip off of one of the higher branches."

Tsumugi stifled a laugh. "You mean when you came home screaming about your arm being crippled and had to be chopped off?"

"Not sure why you're laughing," Hiro replied calmly, glancing sideways at her. "You though the coat in your closet was a demon in disguise."

"Shut the fuck up," Tsumugi shot back, face turning red. "It could've happened to anyone. Asshole."

"Or that time you thought I was pulled underwater by a kappa," Hiro continued, undeterred by his sister's complaints. "And went crying to mom because you thought I was a goner when I merely

went for a dive."

At that point, his sister's face had turned into a near perfect representation of a tomato, her fists clenched together from her sheer embarrassment. Standing up on her feet, she walked over and stomped on her brothers bare foot before turning around and trudging away, attitude present in each and every step.

Hiro smiled slightly, his hands shoved into his pockets, his clothes nearly clean from any more petals.

"I wanted to spend more time with you, Oraha." The black haired teen said, glancing towards the farthest tree. "This will probably be the last time I'll be able to come and see you for a while. I hope you liked the song that I played, and the food that I left. I know they were your favorite."

Hiromasa gave a slight bow towards the forests small clearing, his eyes fully closed. "Take care of yourself."

Turning around, the young man followed his sister out of the clearing, rushing to catch up to her. The twirling leaves seemed to part for him as he went, as if beckoning him forward and bidding him a final farewell.