Author's note: This story takes place within the time Ritsu and Taro were apart in Reverse/Re:Birth Also, I might be a little anachronistic with the music choice but it's a good song and had the elements I wanted.
The Harmonic Heroine
I’m so glad summer’s almost over and I can focus on the upcoming exams. As much as I love Taro, he can only provide so much distraction from the weight in my heart. My parents’ divorce… I feel bad for leaving Kengo to deal with it on his own but I just couldn’t stand being in the house any more. Thanks to that…
woman, my childhood home has been reduced to a den of lies…
I shake my head, sparse droplets of rain water flying through the air around me. I hope Taro managed to avoid the rain on his way back to the boys’ dorms. I smile a little to myself, brushing my hair behind my ears. Taro Arai. The boy who won my heart.
The soft click of my shoes echoing through the art wing’s halls accompany the slideshow of images flashing through my mind. A metronome of the past.
An angry ex from the Music Club, bitter at the abrupt end to our relationship, coming to Class 3-3.
Click
A screaming match that sent Hanako running from the room.
Click
My desk-mate trying to play peace-maker.
Click
A thrown punch.
Click
I expected Taro to cower at the sudden attack but he just stood there. Took it like a champ and just stared the guy down. I’d never really spoken to him outside of polite greetings and courteously helping in group assignments and there he was, taking a punch for a relative stranger. I had to learn more about him and we soon became friends.
Me, Taro and Akio; our disparate little group. I learned to like that big-boned eccentric and eventually fell in love with the big-hearted hero buried inside. He took everything the world threw at him in stride and countered with a smile and a dash of witty wordplay. That’s just who he is though.
Who he was.
This year has been tough… For all of us, really. Akio’s alcohol problem, Taro’s anxiety about going home, my own messed up home life and subsequent explosion at him and Molly. Then there was the whole thing with Rin… Whether he wants to admit it or not, I think it’s worn him down. I know a problem shared is a problem halved but when you’re carrying everyone else’s problems around too… I don’t want to see him collapse under the pressure I’m glad he’s talking to Miss Tsunemori. If nothing else, she’s a very good listener. I’m going to do my best to support him too.
I open the double doors to the school’s tiny amphitheatre and walk down the stairs towards the stage. It’s about a quarter the size of the main assembly hall, fitting only around 50 people, and it’s designed specifically for musical and theatrical performances, even the odd lecture now and then. I hop onto the stage and into the wings where the door to the music room is.
This brings back memories. I was always in here during the first year, hanging out with the other Music Club members. I wander around the room, taking in the nostalgic sights and smells before moving towards the piano in the middle of the room. I slide my fingers across the black behemoth, the thin layer of dust on my fingers indicating its disuse.
I skip over to the supply cupboard which is thankfully unlocked and search for the cleaning supplies. I retrieve a dust cloth and a can of spray polish and set about cleaning the piano.
The old girl looks like new once I’m done, the black sheen reflecting nicely. I hear the door behind me open and an old friend comes walking in on a cane.
“Well, well, well… I knew you’d be back.” She smiles wryly.
“Just visiting, I’m afraid.” I return her smile as I walk over and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “How’s summer treating you, Saki?”
“Better than most it seems, I heard about what happened with Molly.” Saki squeezes me with a surprising amount of strength.
“Yeah… I had-slash-have some shit going on at home and I wrongly took it out on her.” I admit with twinge of guilt.
“Did you
apologise?” She asks with the commanding tone she usually saves for lecturing and disciplining club members.
“O-of course.”
“And did Molly
accept your apology?”
“Y-yeah, we made up.”
“Then there’s no problem!” She returns to her default cheery demeanour and I breath a sigh of relief. “What brings you here anyway?”
“I needed a distraction, really. I figured a little dexterity work-out on the old ivories might do the trick.” I smile a little wistfully, leaning back against the piano. Saki sits in a nearby chair, placing her violin case on the ground beside her and crossing her legs daintily before placing her hands on her knee.
“Your boyfriend not been distracting you enough?” She smiles coyly, knowing full well I sneak into his room most mornings.
“He has, but he’s been having some issues of his own… I don’t want to burden him anymore than I already have. What about you? Came in for some practice?”
“Yup. I’d usually be playing outside in the summer but, y’know…” She gestures to the rain tapping against the window of the music room. We laugh as I take my place at the keys, adjusting my spandex sleeves a little.
“Do you even remember how to play?” Saki asks, getting up with her case and placing it on one of the desks behind her.
“I think I remember the basics…” I stick my tongue out and
begin a jaunty tune I’d heard from one of Taro’s shows. I’d been fascinated by the multiple piano renditions of the one of the themes so I looked them up online, this one being my favourite. I imagine reading sheet music must be like reading braille for others but it’s second nature to me. You can thank my darling dad for that. He was a pianist too and was more than happy to share that love with me. I stop myself short at the thought of him. God, I hope he’s okay…
Saki, in the meantime, has retrieved her violin from it’s case and stands there with an audacious smile.
“Think you got another one in you, Ritsu?” She says and I look to the keys a little sadly and adjust my sleeves once more.
“I think I got something… Jump in whenever.” I respond and she takes up her stance. Confident. Elegant. Powerful. I’ve always admired her and loved whenever we had the chance to play together.
Showtime.
I begin with some melancholic key strokes and after about twenty seconds, Saki joins in. Our duet begins in earnest.
It’s a bittersweet melody, only made more so with Saki’s mournful violin accompaniment. I hadn’t planned on playing something like this but the sudden thoughts of my dad and the whole situation at home, not to mention some lingering doubts about Taro's well-being… I take quick glances at my partner and she’s feeling something of her own, though I’m unsure what. I hope it's just the emotion of the song and not some deeper hurt. Regardless of the storm of emotion swelling in both of us, we still play beautifully together and I’m glad I’m not alone for this.
“
Fuck!” I feel a dreadful pain in my fingers and our harmony is cut short by a cacophonous blunder on my part.
“Ritsu, are you okay?” Saki replaces her violin with her cane and rushes as best she can to me. I sit holding my fingers as they throb.
“I’m okay… Just,
nnngh… CT flared up. Think I’m done for today.” I admit with a wince. Saki sits next to me and places one arm around my shoulder, leaning her head against mine.
“You see why I don’t show up for club meetings as much?” I try to lighten the mood like Akio would.
“Well I just lost 500¥…” Saki admits with a sly grin. “I thought you stopped showing up because of Shura.”
“That jerk-off?
Pfft.” I laugh derisively. “Now if I had dumped you,
that would be a reason not to show up.”
“Oh, please. Like you’d ever leave all this.” Saki beams, gesturing to her body like she’s the grand prize trophy.
“And you’re so modest too!” We laugh and hug just like old times.
“Just so you know, you’re still on our roster so if you ever feel like hanging out or just need a distraction, you’re more than welcome.” She says with a smile.
“Thanks, Saki.”
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I head back to my room to change into my heavy duty school braces before going to see Taro. Playing the piano again was good. I should give drums a try next time, see if I can last longer. I should at least let Taro hear me play the Double Action variant, he’d love it.
I latch the velcro straps tight and bounce off my bed, looking at the black framed picture Taro gave me a few weeks ago. After I jokingly pretended to be a Kamen Rider, he drew that picture and it’s taken pride of place on my wall. I smile a little at the thought of being the strong heroine who saves her damsel boyfriend. It’d be a nice change of pace.
“Don’t worry, Taro… I’ll protect you.” I speak aloud into my empty room, holding my fist dramatically to my chest before glaring into the middle-distance at some imaginary foe.
“A heart that pounds to the beat of Justice! Fear me, villain. For when armoured by his love, I possess the strength to fight
a god!” I throw my arms into one dramatic pose after another until I mimic the pose from the picture.
“
Harmoniiiiiiic~ HENSHIN!”
The room falls silent and I close my eyes, embracing the fantasy before laughing at myself and stepping back into reality. It’s silly but I absolutely mean it, Taro is always looking out for others, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t do the same for him?
I dash over to the boys’ dorms, the evening sun slowly setting in the distance. I reach his door and knock a couple times. He slides the door open as I rock back and forth with my braced arms behind my back in a cute and innocent way.
“Hey, can Taro come out and play?”
