Back at Home

Akane was came back from Russia with a cheerful reception, all her friends and acquaintances cam to celebrate her victory over the Asian pianist world. It was a cheerful day and Akane was genuinely happy from all her heart, it has been a while since she felt such strong emotions. The day passed and everyone left the house after a while.

Meanwhile Akane sat at the dinner table and polished her trophy, this one was something special in her opinion, is was a big golden cup with handles and multiple engravings of pianists where on it, her name was nicely calligraphed on the plate and she got a letter of congratulations inside of it as well, it was shiny after she was done polishing that thing.

"Gloating on your victory? I didn't think that my niece was so narcissistic."

"Everyone must start somewhere loving themselves, because it would be a shitty live if you wake up and hate the face in the mirror, big aunty Akasuki."

"Wait, you know what a mirror is?"

"I understand the concept, it's just like my echolocation, just with sight, right."

"Huh, you are right, it's kind of like echolocation, wait does that mean you see everything in reverse?"

"Maybe? Probably not? I don't have a comparison."

"Haha, you are right, but you know it's time to sleep, so go to bed know."

"How long are you and little aunty Etsuko planning to leach of off mommy, you already live here since a couple of months."

Akasuki started to sweat drop, thinking about an excuse, until she found a gap in her argument.

"We aren't leeching off, we are properly paying rent, so we technically are tenants here!"

"Wait, you are paying rent?"

"Yes, we do!"

"Fair enough."

The girl jumped down from her chair and brought her new cup to the showcase, putting it beside the other two, she was sure that it looked impressive.

"I am going to sleep now."

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Angelo Salieri, famous music teacher, immortal person, government spy. He was currently running away, dodging and avoiding his pursuers, he was fast, precise and efficient, he jumped from roof to roof, over walls, hiding in trash cans, sneaking in cardboard boxes.

He escaped his pursuers easily, the problem was that one special leach that didn't want to piss of yet, but he had a way to escape that.

"Damn, why must all my teammates be so incompetent, can't even chase a guy properly, how did they even get into this line of work?"

That guy landed in a back alley. He tracked the person until here.

"There you are!"

He kicked a cardboard box that was covered with a tarp, revealing absolutely nothing.

"What I was sure he - was - under - there."

He turned around, seeing the person he had to chase, he had a sword pierced through his chest, he couldn't make any sound, because he mouths was held shut.

"Kill... Kill."

And that he did, he killed that person.

"That could have backfired, the guy had a mutation quirk of the dog kind, could have smelled through my trap."

With no pursuers on his back he walked away, finishing his job.

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"Teacher Salieri! Can you teach me a new piece, I think it would help me ease my mind learning something new! I didn't improve since a while..."

"Now, now, little Akane, cheer up, everyone comes across the time where they don't improve, but that isn't a bad thing, the bad thing would be being satisfied with it, being stagnant with it, you know little Akane I can't teach you anymore regarding the piano, and I am sure as a pianist you've already grown beyond me, but that doesn't mean I can't guide you, so here, listen to the music of my soul!"

He sat down and prepared himself to play his favorite piece.

(Dies Irae from Fate Grand/Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9VGQA4IRt4)

Her teacher played a heavy melody, it's as if he had the entire world on his shoulders, but he carried it with a smile, moving on despite it. It always carried a subtle anger in it, as if he hated what his responsibilities were, but he can't move on, because that is the only thing left for him, so he hated it with a smile instead of despising it. It was a melody of anger, sadness, grief and responsibility.

After a while he finished it.

"Teacher Salieri, don't you think that that melody is a bit too heavy, what did you do, so that piece resonates with your soul?"

"Many things, many things, little Akane, things you don't have to know about."

He patted her. She really didn't have to know about these things he did.

"Our lesson is over now, and always remember, improve, even if it's just one step."

"Bye teacher Salieri! See you next week."

He chuckled, he really liked this new disciple of his, she could reach new heights, heights that have yet to be reached.

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Akane was currently deep diving in her soul again, but she didn't attempt the main quest yet, instead she searched for side quests, she had the feeling that she wasn't ready for the main one yet.

So, she walked around inside her soul for a while. Did you know that there were eater eggs in your soul? Akane didn't know, and she didn't find it amusing finding them, one time she broke through a wall and was rewarded with a 'try again', she was so angry at that, that she was thrown out of her soul for being too agitated.

Another time, she found a gramophone, she put the disk in and turned the thing on, it played the first four notes of something over and over again, she had an unreadable expression on her face at that time.

(Megalovania, the first four notes of it, you Idiot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82DJUDS_S7Y)

She walked inside her soul for a while now, trying to find something useful, but she didn't. She even came across a weird place that had 14 chains connected to something, weird.

She walked and walked, she searched at every direction, paid attention to every detail, but she didn't find very much.

Until she came across something weird, she heard a voice, or rather voices, multiple voices conjoined into one weird neutral sounding voice, it repeated over and over again, Akane would be startled wouldn't his be her soul, she walked towards the sound, searching it, listening to it, trying to make out what it said.

Akane needed a while to find it, and even after she found the place, she didn't get what she had to do, until she understood that she wouldn't get closer if she would just walk around, she needed to dive, so she started to dive. The moment she started to dive the voices got louder and louder, at same point she thought that her ears would have exploded wouldn't this be her soul, she thought that it would just get louder from now, but then suddenly something happened.

The voices stopped! It was just deep and eerie silence now, but Akane chose to dive deeper, continuing on her path, she had the feeling that this particular side-quest would actually reward her, so she dived, she dived and dived and dived, reaching deeper and deeper, she had the feeling that this was the deepest she has ever reached inside her soul, it felt like an eternity for her diving so deep down, and after a long time something finally happened, a melody could be heard in the far distance, she increased her concentration, until she suddenly fell, it was as if she got out of water again and fell.

She fell for a moment until she landed on her butt on what seemed like to be ground, she wondered where she was until she heard the melody again, it was a familiar melody, a melody that told about fondness, nostalgia, and parting, it wasn't a happy or a sad melody, it was more melancholic if anything.

(Don't Forget remix by Nick Nitro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF9GsG6goGA)

Akane thought for a moment that she had to play this melody on her piano, but she was mistaken, she noticed that the time dilation in this place was so big that it felt her body in reality moved in hyper slow motion, almost not at all.

She didn't understand what she had to do, she couldn't do anything outside, and here in the place was nothing to solve, the melody already played on a level that was above her, so Akane really didn't know what she had to do. So, she sat down and stopped thinking too hard for a moment, she was too deep down to escape this place, and if somebody would do this forcefully, she was sure that she would die this time, for real.

So she sat down and tried to feel what the melody wanted to say to her, she sat down and took the melody in, slowly but surely she understood what the meaning of the melody was, what it asked from her, she slowly remembered what it was, until she was ready to complete her given task.

"When the light is running low,"

She started to sing.

"And the shadows start to grow,"

She started to sing the melody that was so important to her.

"And the places that you know,"

She started to remember what it meant to her.

"Seem like fantasy."

She sang with all her heart.

"There's a light inside your soul,"

She sang with all her soul.

"That's still shining in the cold."

The important message it wanted to tell her.

"With the truth."

She understood what it meant to be alive.

"The promise in our hearts."

She remembered the important promise that she did.

"Don't forget,"

The promise to not forget.

"I'm with you in the dark."

She finished the song, she was overwhelmed by feelings, she started to remember something, but before she could remember, she fell unconscious.

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In the middle of the night in the Seigi residence:

Fumio woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty. She walked downstairs to get some water, but then she noticed a light in a certain someone's room.

"Akane is still awake? My god! How long was she already in that state?"

And as every normal mother should do, she was worried about her child, so she slowly approached the door and opened it as silently as possible.

The sight that met her was heartwarming for her, Akane fell asleep on her instrument. She slowly breathed in and breathed out, she had a peaceful expression on her face, and had a little smile on her face.

Fumio was happy seeing her daughter sleep so soundly.

"My idiot daughter, falling asleep in the piano, don't you know that I am always worried about you, isn't sleeping here pretty uncomfortable, what if you catch a cold."

Akanes' answer was just a little giggle, further warming her mothers' heart.

"Fine, but don't complain tomorrow,"

She brought a blanket and covered her daughter with it, after all the last thing she needed was a cold.

Fumio walked out of the room again with a smile, getting herself the class of water, she needed.