Rin Scott

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mr.Laws music shop is exactly how I remembered it. Its a very stuffy place. Its full of old instruments, has dim lighting but with that being said you would think that this design was placed like this to attract older customers. The customer base is mostly thirty and below. 

I walked through the maze of instruments, trombones, saxophones, violins, guitars, pipas, pianos and lastly the koto. Its covered in dust. It hasn't been cleaned. Its lost its shine. I wonder if it sounds the same. 

I remove it from its place on the wall and lay it down on the floor. I blow off the dust off the strings. The tsume are clipped onto the base strings. 

I take a seat at the front of the instrument. Seoul sits slightly off to the side. The men standing above him. The instrument is odd but its beautiful. 

Mr. Laws told me after my first national winnings that someone  had left it outside of his music shop thirteen years ago and that no one had ever shown an interest into it. I was the first. 

I watched an anime called "Kono Oto Tomare! The Sounds of Life" on my lunch breaks at school and I was fascinated by the instrument. It brought a group of rejects together. It brought a community together. When I came across the one here I just knew that it was my chance to find happiness.

The characters preformed a song called "Ryuuseigun." Its the cry of a dragon. He is misunderstood. He wants to be heard and he will reach the ones that he loves. The song is meant for a group of three of more but I won at nationals playing it alone. Today will be  no different. 

I take in a deep breath forcing my body to relax before letting my fingers play the first note. The tempo at the start is fast, it represents the past. The pain, the agony, the naïve nature that comes with being a kid. 

I wanted nothing more than to be accepted by my family. I wanted to be loved. I wanted to be treated with the same level of respect that Finn and Grant received. I wanted to go to the same school that everyone else did. I wanted to have friends. I wanted a place to belong.

The melody slows down. Its a soft cry. The beat is daring someone to listen. Someone to understand. Some one to love.

I  looked for love in book characters. I looked for love in music. I found characters that I idolized, that I looked up too on a strange level. The koto became my salvation. There were many times that I sat at this koto pouring out every sorrow that I was experiencing. I cried. I even screamed sometimes but now I cry for my past. Things didn't have to turn out this way but I wouldn't change a thing. 

The melody picks back up. 

Its exciting to finally have a decent life. I have a child. I have a mate who I adore. I have people who depend on me. They look to me for guidance. Its new, something I've never experienced before. The conflict is the risk of being used. I have a gift that many people could benefit from. Are these people using me for that reason? If they are will I be left alone again? Will it scar me for life? What about my son? Could we ever come to love again?

As my fingers danced across the strings things started to become clear.

 A change is coming. 

 A battle is brewing. 

The sound becomes soft. Its positive. The conflict is gone. The solution is here and all of us as the new generation are going to fight for a positive future. There are going to be hardships but we will solve them together. We will fight for our families. We will fight for love. We will laugh together. We will cry together. The resolution is still the same. 

The tempo picks up again but the aggression has evaporated. The future is set. We have to move forward with our plans. Nothing can hold us back. Nothing can stop us. I believe in our future. 

A change is coming. 

A battle is brewing.

but the resolution is still the same. 

Victory.

The song ends abruptly. I release the breath that I didn't know I was holding. My eyes land on a group of wide eyed induvial. Jackson flashes a pearly white smile. Seoul starts clapping, rewarding me with a wide toothy grin. 

"I saved it for you." The skinny bald man that gave me my salvation pushed to the front of the crowd. 

"I always said that if you ever came back that the Koto was yours. It was gifted to me and now I'm going to give it to you. I hope you will teach your son how to play." Mr. Laws blurted out.  

His statement is short and final. He didn't have to say it but he knew that he would never see me again after today. I have a war to fight. 

This is my parting gift. 

I meet his eyes and smile showing my thanks. This koto had once been my salvation but I've come to realize that things have changed.

The koto and "Tanya the Evil" will just be stepping stones into a brighter future.