When the Stars are Shining Over You (Your Lie in April Fanfiction)

1: The Nostalgic Feeling

"I, Kaori Miyazono, choose you to be my accompanist."

"But," Kousei showed her his fingers, "I can't play the piano anymore."

"Differences doesn't mean anything in music. If you believe it, then it's possible."

"No," Kousei stood up, "I know what I'm saying. I'm not accompanying you. I'll ruin everything." Kousei left the rooftop and entered the school once again. Kousei Arima, 15-year-old world famous pianist. He has won hundreds and hundreds of music competitions: Winning the Saki Competition as the youngest pianist ever, winning the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition at the age of 5,  Tchaikovsky International Music Competition, and more. But one day, because of that one person, that one accident, his whole life changed. Just like the keys on the piano, his life became black and white.

***

"KOUSEI!" Tsubaki and Kaori ran towards Kousei. Kousei didn't even turn around to know that it was them. Tsubaki Sawabe was one of his best friends since they were 4. They went to the same school since they were 8 but they were neighbours since they were 4. She was a very popular girl and the softball team leader of their school.

"I said no!" Kousei said and ran through the hall towards the rooftop. This was the 5th day of convincing Kousei and it didn't work. There was no way he would do it. He couldn't ruin her performance. Last time when he first saw her competition, it felt like she was in another world. Even though she didn't win the competition, she was the audience's favourite which gave her another opportunity to play. This was a competition and there was still a possibility that she could win. If he becomes her accompanist, Kousei knew, that she wouldn't be able to win. Winning the competitions was the most important thing to aspiring musicians. At least to him it was, until he couldn't play the piano anymore. Days passed one by one without anyone noticing it. One month from the day of the competition, Kaori tried again.

"Please," she said after she found Kousei at the roof of the school again, eating his lunch, "can you at least try?"

"I told you," Kousei said, "my hands are not suitable for a piano. I won't be able to create the sound that you know. It would turn out as the worst performance of your life."

"It doesn't matter," Kaori said, "I know. I know you can't play and I know you haven't been playing for a long time. But I want you. Just like you said, we might not be able to turn in a performance that we can live with. But we're going to play as long as I have a chance to play, and there's an audience that will listen. I'm going to play with everything I've got so that people who hear me will never forget me. That's my reason for existing. I'm a musician, after all. Just like you." A voice in Kousei's head started to repeat these words. 'I'm a musician, after all. Just like you. Musician. Like you.' Kousei stood up and sighed before he put a hand in between him and her. Kaori stared at him for a few seconds and took it.

"Deal?"

"Deal." Kaori squeezed Kousei's hand and dragged him down the stairs to the music room.

"Haha!" she said when she opened the door. "The work of Tsubaki and Kaori." Kousei looked into the room from behind her and couldn't close his mouth in shock. He saw one piano in the middle and all the walls covered with the music piece that Kaori chose to play. The piano was surrounded by the sheet music as well, the windows, the doors, the ceiling, and finally there was a radio next to the piano which was playing the piece of music.

"Saint Saëns, Introduction et Rondo Capricciosso op.28." Kaori said. She pulled him in the room and closed the door behind. She pushed Kousei to sit in front of the piano and she sat down in a corner of the room and leaned back.

"Listen to it," she said, "your hand won't matter. It's not like you don't have any fingers. You still have 6 of them. The thing that matters is how you play the music. How you send the message." Kousei closed his eyes as he listened to it. Each note seemed like it was spraying different colours at him. It was showing him different feelings.

"I can't choose one feeling. There are so many messages that are coming to me." Kousei said.

"Then show all of them. Good luck." She left the room. For a long time Kousei stared at the closed door. Then he shut off the radio and sat back in front of the piano.

"It's you and me again." He said to the piano. He put his damaged hand on top of the beautiful piano keys. Then, one by one, he pressed the keys and a feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed him.