Music Night; Everyone's invited! [Special Rules!]

I often feel like a butterfly with broken wings

It was just him and the piano.

It felt right blocking the entire world from that stage. No audience, no presentator, nothing, no one. Just Ryuusei and the musical instrument. It had always been like this. It was his only friend when Yaso got into a coma; his only listener when he couldn't even talk to Minato and Hiroko; the only support when he was constantly harassed in school; and, more recently, his partner while getting in love with Rin. Yes, the piano was there since the beginning... it was only fitting that it was also there at the end.

He got a nod from the one who was coordinating the whole event. It was time to start. It felt... right. No fear, no hesiation. Just like the fight with Jas... it seemed Ryuu had discovered he had nerves of steel and veins made of ice. He knew exactly what he was going to play: the song he wrote for Rin birthday, the one he gave the girl has a present: "Rin's Song".

The lights haven't been turned off, he thought. His eyes were closed, but he could sense that there was no change in terms of light. Maybe some slight delay nothing to worry about.

On his head, the image of Rin smiling, her thumbs up and telling Ryuu that she would be listening. He smiled, a soft one - a smile of someone picturing something - in this case, someone - dear to his heart. He must've pressed only about five or six keys of the piano when...

Uh?

He open his eyes and stopped playing when he sensed a hand on his should. There was a mixture of toughness and sensibility on that touch. Looking over, he saw Jasmine shaking her head before, quickly, hitting the center stage and grabbing the microphone.

Following the blonde with his eyes, he noticed... Rin was also there, with Jasmine's arm wrapped around her. What was happening? In confusion - and also fear of what was taking place at that cafe - Ryuu just stayed on his seat, watching and listening to the whole speech from the background.

He knew it. A few nights ago, when Ryuusei admited to Rinkusu that he loved her, Rin told her everything: how she was torned and how Jasmine also loved her. But this, seeing it happen right in front of him, with everyone watching it, it... it left Ryuu's heart more broken than it had ever been.

When he saw bot hgirls kiss he felt... nothing. During the speech all the ice walls that ha melted from the insides of his heart began rising again as fast as they could. They wrapped his heart, his soul, his everything. Ryuu couldn't be hurt again, his brain wouldn't allow it. In his head, a voice he never heard started whispering.

The world is against you. Accept it, Ry-uu-se-i.

Their lips separated. Looking down, he saw tears hitting the white piano keys.

What?

Looking at the polished piano, he saw his reflection crying. Tears running down his face against his own will. His heart fighting against his brain, wanting to shw emotion, wanting to scream - wanting to, once again, be free from those giant ice walls.

Why... why am I crying?

He wiped his tears away as quick as he could. While in love with Rin, he allowed for his heart to take the place of his brain. It was a mistake. He would always love her, he would always want to see her happy, but from now on... from now on his heart would be buried deep, not allowing a single soul to retrieve from the prison constructed by Ryuu's brain.

It was like all those times in his previous school, everyone looking at him while he was being humiliated. This time it happened on a literal stage. Ironic. He wouldn't run though. Having zoned out the appearence of Elise, he got back to reality from the screaming of Darren.

“Fuck off with yo lovey-dovey bullshit! Let my boy Ryuusei play!”

Still sitting in front of the piano, Ryuu placed his hands atop of the keys, waiting for the stage to become empty in order to play.

It really was just him and the piano.

After all of that, he smiled.
It was the saddest smile he had ever put on.

Notes: Sad post is sad.
Words: 726.
Tags: ---

The music, The lights, the atmosphere. Ahh what a night to be alive and taking in a little stop at the Maid Cafe. Some sort of music night tonight. The events had already been in full swing as she was hesitantly seated. The silver haired Goddess of the Flutter, sat at a table for one in the very back. She didn't need the menu, just ordering a coffee, black, chef's bean of choice. She was wearing a pair of simple denim pants and a white t-shirt. Her goal was to remain inconspicuous as possible. But she saw a great deal of students in here. Mademoiselles Kurama and Noir were in an embrace. Fräulein
von Eisenberg was confessing to poor little Rin. Class 1-C's Hirotaka was there as well as Daimon. Monsouir Igarashi was on the piano. Sean's presence was the most surprising, but it did make her smile a little to see the tough boy already back on his feet.

As her coffee was delivered, she smiled to the maid that asked if there would be anythign else. "Non. I beleive the little eroi here are having a bit of an emotional fest. They may need a little quiet." To that end she placed her finger on her lips and motioned to the seat next to her, inviting the maid to sit and watch. Too bad they didn't have popcorn.

I see you through the flood
See you through the fire
See you through the storms-a-raging

❧

A promise was a promise, he reminded himself, even if the promise wasn’t verbal. That was the only reason he decided to show up at the re-purposed warehouse just across the street of Honey Honey. With a smaller crowd gathering around, Yoru waited outside on the street for signs of the show starting, before heading inside himself just in time to hear Rin’s singing.

He lingered close to the door without an intent on walking further inside. The place was spacious, but even such a room was leaving him claustrophobic, and it helped if he was aware of the exit being only a few steps away behind him. Showing his hands into his pants pocket, he leaned his shoulder against the wall. His lower arms and hands were bandaged, with occasional aloe band-aids patched on his skin here and there where he burned himself too much for his natural resistance to work its wonders easily. Even the lower edge of his short sleeved hoodie was slightly scorched, but it almost looked like it was just styled that way. Yoru seemed like much of a little punk coming in to watch other perform, and luckily, not even the maids were concerned with him being there to offer some refreshments. He had a feeling he would have just sent an unintentional death glare to anyone attempting to talk to him.

He didn’t have the best of weeks behind himself. Meeting phantoms from his past on multiple occasions and forms, Yoru was spending the last two days burning his flame out as much as possible for a reason only he could see the logic behind. He wasn’t exactly in the mood to socialize, but he had to get back on track or there was no way he could stay annoyed at Ryuu for preferring to play games indoor like a wallflower. Uncaring about who exactly was present during the night, he was staring at the stage. A raven haired little fledgling was the first one to perform.

Rin’s singing was beautiful. Rhythm and voices were the exact things that could uplift Yoru’s mood, and the more upbeat song she was singing had become an anchor. At first, the room was filled with stunned silence, but as the seconds went on, he could almost feel people beating their feet to the music, bopping their head just slightly. Some of them even sung along silently, their mouth forming the words without a sound. Her performance was something he never imagined to see from her, especially considering how he had to literally growl at her to talk louder, because hell, he wouldn’t go out of his way to lean close to her whenever she said something.

The performance was incredible, and it left Yoru with a certain kind of bliss and happiness for Rin’s success.

That bliss seemed to be short lived though. One thing followed another, and by the time Yoru could catch up to what was happening, it all went to downfall. Ryuusei’s performance was interrupted, Jasmine was confessing to Rin and kissing her, people started crying and shouting, and it all just erupted into utter chaos.

What. The Hell. His mind barely processed everything that was happening, but his eyes were jumping from one friend to another, and even his own emotions were so all around the place that he wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to be feeling. Yoru’s sight was drawn to Ryuu, because he saw something there that was vaguely familiar, and made even the fire-boy froze.

That look. It reminded him too much of his own brother’s just before he disappeared from his sight for years, and something sparked in Yoru that forced his legs forward, right toward the stage, right to where his best friend was suffering from invisible demons whispering. It was a momentary panic, and he stood right at the stage, stepping up on it even before he realized it must be bad behavior.

But who would care after all that had happened. Yoru didn’t. The only thing he saw was his best friend still sitting at the piano.

“Hey.” It was quiet, slightly raspy, as if his vocal cords were burnt from the heat of his own flames.

Don’t hide. You can run, but do not hide away.

He had the usual scowl, the expression almost literally burned on his face during the years as a default, but after all the drama, after all the boo-ing and emotional high that was flowing around the whole room, who would have blamed that even he was uncomfortable under the pressure. It was ridiculous. The whole room, the whole teenage angst was ridiculous. Everyone was being ridiculous.

But seeing his best friend’s emotions overflowing on that usually so stoic and calm face was just... shattering.

But what could he say? He was the worst person possible to comfort anyone. The chance of him hurting others with his words was higher than actually calming them down. While it seemed like Ryuu was getting it all together, and was yet again ready to play the piece he chose for the occasion, Yoru’s instincts were telling him that wasn’t exactly the case. He was emotionally dumb, sure, but he wasn’t at all stupid. Who would be alright after all THAT?

After standing at the edge of the stage for one short moment, he walked to the drums at the back casually, as if he was supposed to be right there. Probably no one cared about him in the commotion that the icicle Maxi was making, so he could rummage around for a few more moments still. Making sure that the drums were connected to the amplifiers, he picked up the drumsticks and HIT the instrument in a rhythmic but quickened pace, ending it all with a smash on the cymbal.




Hopefully it was loud enough to stun most people at least into relative silence.

“The performances are still going. If you want to fight, take it outside!” Speaking without hesitation, clearly and loudly, Yoru wished it better calm the hormone-filled place down, or he would go crazy. Or burn, but neither sounded quite pleasant for him.

He circled around the piano to get behind it, further from the audience. The bench Ryuu was sitting on had just enough room for Yoru to sit down, with his back toward the boy. He leaned back against his classmate’s shoulder for a second before pulling a leg up on the bench to put his chin on, and giving Ryuu room to move his arms.

“Play. We’re all listening.”

Swipe them all off their feet with your music.

Don’t hide!

words: 1107 ● So many people are present! ●