The mysterious girl continued to play as the new students, one-by-one, began to wake to their Afterlives. It was as if she were playing for their very souls, the pain, the fear, their unfulfilled end, their fury, sorrow and finally... the lost joy, she could feel it all, resonating deeply within her with each stroke her delicate fingers gave to the keyboard. However, it looked like she wasn't the only one whose soul resonated with the piano's strings as even now she could feel a presence coming towards her, draw by the music just like a bee was to a flowering bud. The storm finally hit the Afterlife campus just as Akemi found herself inside the building in which the music room laid. Other students might not have been so lucky, and certainly some of them would wake up under a nice shower of an Autumn-like storm.
Akemi continued to stand there, listening to the talented piano playing, people walked past her to their own classrooms as Akemi started to try and find where this beautiful sound was coming from in the first place. Akemi could hear all of the notes being played and was fascinated overall, this was first place material in a competition that was for sure, her sweet memories of when she played in competitions came back. The song hit her really hard with the emotion that was put into it, Akemi just had to figure out where this beautiful music was coming from in the first place. Akemi ran up the stairs and down the hallway, fixing her uniform up a little before she arrived at the door, hearing the piano's emotions even closer.
Akemi took a deep breath in before she walked into the room, to see a girl playing at the piano, who looked nothing like the other students that she had seen. She then took a look at the window outside to see that a storm just hit the school, she continued to listen a little more as she saw the water falling from the sky, but then looked to the girl at the piano.
She's pretty... really pretty... Akemi thought to herself in her head, she could feel heat rising from her cheek but soon it had eased down.
Why didn't she play in the competitions?The girl at the piano continued to play silently until she reached the end of the piece. Obviously she had noticed the intrusion upon her holy land but decided not to break her performance just for some idle chat, specially when her newest visitor seemed to appreciate the music for what it was. Eventually, the last note was played, the echo it produced within the empty music room was drowned by the deafening blast of a thunder following a lightning bolt that hit the ground dangerously close to the school. The flash of pure white light, was enough to blind anyone for a second, and when it passed, the mysterious girl was looking at Akemi with a side way glance over her shoulder and hands resting over her lap.
"Good evening, may I ask your name?"Akemi closed her eyes as she listened to the beauty of the music, it really had to remind her when she was younger, and happy. When she heard the last note as it echoed, she opened her eyes and smiled. Music had always given Akemi joy and happiness, she was glad that she didn't miss out on an opportunity like today. But then Akemi heard a large blast of thunder, which made her jump a little.
Then there was the white light that came nearly immediately after this large thunder, which made Akemi close her eyes immediately, so she couldn't go blind of course. When she felt the light pass, she peeked open one of her eyes to see if it was safe, she then opened both to look at the mysterious girl staring at her. Akemi had finally identified the face of the girl, she was almost like an angel. Akemi was then asked what her name was, she took a deep breath in before looking back at the girl.
"My name is Akemi Masuko." Akemi introduced herself.
"Akemi Masuko, is it? So, what brings you here? I don't believe there's anything too worthy of note here." The girl still hadn't said her own name. I was almost as if she wanted Akemi to ask her that. Even so, she beckoned Akemi to seat besides by the piano
"Come, this was made for a duet, it has plenty of space for someone else."After Akemi had introduced herself, she heard the soft voice of the girl who was sitting at the piano, asking what brought her to this music room and all. She watched as the girl beckoned the seat, it didn't take long for Akemi to head over and sit at the piano. Akemi looked back at the girl for a second, continuing to smile before looking at the piano keys in front of her.
"Before we do this, may I ask your name?" Akemi asked as she got her hands ready over the keys, Akemi could easily read what notes were played as well as the chords. Her tutor had taught her the ability to listen to something, then play it on the piano as accurate as possible.
After listening to Akemi's question, the girl chuckled lightly
"Fair enough, I suppose. Please, call me Persephone." Persephone, the name of the goddes of the underworld wou would bring the change of seasons when she was allowed to leave her residence once every year. It was even a fitting name, considering the secret that Persephone kept concealed. She took a better glance of Akemi, noticing the grace with which she sat before the piano and how she seemed to be eager to touch the keyboard, but was reluctant to do so. The name Akemi Masuko, combined with her skill and practice before the piano made Persephone recall a certain pianist she heard of before. Interesting, how things played on the Afterlfe, indeed do very interest.
"So, what about my question, now." Persophone asked again.
Akemi looked to the side at the mysterious girl as she answered Akemi with her name, the name itself had so much grace that it made Akemi smile happily at her.
"That's a very pretty name." Akemi had to point out as she continued to have a calm smile on her face, she took a look back at the notes on the piano, her eyes seeming to ease down as well. Akemi didn't realize why she hadn't answered the question earlier, but it was about time for her to answer it before they played.
"Well, the playing was just beautiful, it kind of reminded me before I entered a depressing stage of my life. And some parts of it, the pain when I was actually in those depressed stages as well." Akemi said as her smile dropped slightly.
"I wanted to see who this skilled pianist was." Akemi said as she turned back to the piano.
"Ah, I see." Persephone said, laying her hands over the keyboard.
"I don't deserve any praise, this is merely something I do for a reason even I don't know." As Persephone said so, she began palying a melody that seemed to reach all of the school, soothing the hearts of those wounded and seemingly even calming the raging weather even if for a bit.
BGMHowever, she skillfully left pauses so that Akemi could play about half of song, hoping to listen the other girl in action. After all a musician's hands speak much better than their voices. Unless of course they're singers, which is another whole other deal, Persephone thought hurriedly. Akemi watched Persephones movement of the hands over the keys, she awaited the final moment for when she pressed down on the keys, and at last it happened. By the first couple of notes she could realize what the song was, it was an important song to her since it was one of the first songs she learned.
Persephone said that this was going to be a duet, so Akemi would have to listen as close as she possibly can so this performance would be beautiful. When it was those times when she had to perform, she closed her eyes and let the fingers do what they wanted, knowing when to stop and when to play. Once the song was about to hit a climax, she opened her eyes playing with elegance, the emotion expressed in her performances are what got her those many victories in competitions. Persephone was impressed with Akemi's skill, listening to the other girl's play from this close, Persephone could feel see abyss that set them apart. Akemi's notes where beautiful and full of life, like field of sunflowers in full bloom, while Persephone' were... cold, but glamurous, like a forest resting under a snowy blanket, forever waiting for a Spring that would never come.
"I hope we can play again," Persephone's voice finally broke the silence between them just as Akemi finished the last few notes on her own.
Just as she said so, a worried teacher pushed the door open and cast a glare of Akemi
"What do you think you're doing playing music at a time like this? Hurry up and join the pothers in the shelter while we are at the eye of the storm." He said, kind of trying to drag Akemi with him. However, the teacher didn't seem to even mention Persephone, and the reason for it was simple. If Akemi looked to her side she would notice that the place previously occupied by the beautiful girl, was empty and col, as if no one had been there for quite some time.
As Akemi played the last notes, she put the most emotion into them as to symbolise a farewell. When she played the very last note, she heard Persephone's voice, hoping that the two of them could play again. She looked towards the door to see a man push open the door, casting a glare to Akemi. Akemi was being scolded for playing music at a time like this, just as she turned around to look at Persephone, she wasn't even there. Akemi widened her eyes a little before looking around the room, seeing that Persephone was no longer there, which puzzled Akemi. She took a look towards the window to see that the storm was worse from earlier, which must have brought concern from this teacher.
Akemi then rose from her seat, she had been sitting at one side while Persephone sat on the other, she felt the cold embrace from the room which gave Akemi goosebumps. She then looked towards the teacher and followed him out of the room, eventually arriving at the shelter with the other students. The person who was on her mind was Persephone, she was curious if she was even okay.
Persephone...
