Symphony

MysticShadowWanderer

Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, I'd be... Well, I don't know what I'd be doing, but I'd be doing it in Bora Bora.

Prelude in Longing

She could lose herself in this, it called to her so strongly. Closing her eyes, she leaned back into the cushions of her couch and just listened. The beauty of it wrapped itself around her until she could no longer remember where she was, what she was supposed to be doing, or even her own name. It didn't matter that she couldn't find the source, all she needed was the magic that it worked on her soul. And it was so very soothing, so powerfully moving, so... right. The feeling was indescribable, but all she knew was that this was where she was meant to be.

A few tears rolled down her face at the majesty and softly compelling urgency. She didn't know what she needed, what it wanted to say to her, but she knew she needed it. Needed it with every piece of her being. Needed to be immersed in it, to be surrounded in the gentle embrace of all this latent energy. So much was being withheld, from her, from the world. What was this that she wanted?

It was pure perfection, and she could almost feel it, taste it. In that moment it was everything, and she knew nothing more. There was nothing more. The only thing that existed was the gentle caress of what was carried to her, faintly but as clear as her own heartbeat, by the opened door.

By the time it reached its finale, she was bathed in the saline of her own tears. But it was not a shameful thing, this longing. If only she knew what it were, how to sate this desire. Her eyes opened slowly, the sapphire which was generally clear and lucid now hazy and clouded with emotion. Confusion replaced the ache that slowly seeped out of her body as the memory faded away. Desperately she clutched at it, but was unable to hold it. A heavy sigh escaped her as her head dropped forward, her chin resting on her chest. It was but a fleeting thing, and nothing could stay. And she knew that she must find this artist, the one who could make her soul cry out, if only she could find this person.

If only it could be done...

Symphony: An elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements. But so much more than that, Kaoru now knew. Joy, sorrow, longing, those were the components of a true symphony, of a work of art that could tear a heart to pieces only to pick them up and arrange them in the shape of the stars later. For just a brief moment was all she asked. Just a brief moment of memory, for her soul to be able to carry just a few of those splendorous notes with her. Her mind, though, could not retain the wonder and pain that the music had brought her. And that longing... such an incredible feeling. Never in her life had she wanted anything like she'd wanted at that moment. Yet... she hadn't known what it was that she wanted. She just felt the stinging anguish of emptiness, and had known that the emptiness demanded to be filled.

She sighed again, running a hand through her hair and letting a few more tears drop. The diaphanous curtains that hung by the wide-flung doors with the crystalline glass panes lifted with the breeze that swept into the room. Kaoru shivered slightly and rose to shut the doors, which she'd left open when she came in from the balcony of her apartment. Wrapping her arms around herself on the pretense of chill but in actuality for comfort, she indulged herself in another sigh and leaned her head against the glass.

To know whom it was that could produce such music! She could picture the pianist's hands, strong, quick, slender, and firm as they applied gentle and exact pressure to the keys as they evoked the precise melody that they wanted, demanding perfection from each note. The nimble foot of the artist, which entreated the pedal to blend the melody ever so accurately, so cleanly. Whether female or male mattered not, she knew she had to find this skilled musician, to plead with them so that they might grace her with an encore of the phantasm that she had just witnessed. Nothing could be so perfect as that music, nothing could be so painfully beautiful.

How could it be that something so simple could become something so intricate? Something as elemental as tapping on keys and vibrating strings could take over her heart and shape her into someone she wasn't just ten minutes before. Talent and years of practice, she knew, could turn a human being into an instrument as much as the piano that they sat before. But to give them such power? Was it possible?

The question was one that was rather unostentatious, quite straightforward: Was it the music in itself that brought such a change over her, heightened her senses and took her to a new plane of realization, or was it the musician?

A/N: A break from my other fics is what I suppose this is. Simply a short little ficlet (aw, isn't that a cute word?) to let me redirect myself and focus better. Besides, I've been dying to use this idea for quite some time, but until now I hadn't been able to put it into words. Some of you may know that I'm a pianist, and I happen to have a bit of, well... an obsession. That's right, my friends, if I don't play for at least two hours a day, I generally feel unfulfilled. I can't remember a time when I didn't love piano music, except for possibly the time that I was suffering through lessons and being forced to play the utter crap that they had me playing (and when a seven-year-old doesn't want to do something, they despise it). I gave that up and have been much happier being self-taught (which isn't for everyone, might I add). But... I digress. This fic came about from my utter love of classical piano music. It has an extremely powerful effect on me, and I wanted to bring that out. Plus, this is a good excuse to blast my Mozart CDs at all hours of the day. It goes something like this:

"KAITIE, TURN THAT DOWN! YOU'RE SCARING THE NEIGHBORS' CHILDREN!"
"SHUT UP, MOM, I'M IN A CREATIVE PROCESS!"

Anyhow, here's something you might want to know... I don't expect for anyone to completely understand what's going on, my dear readers. I hope to develop that more fully in the next chapter. (I was HOPING that I could do a prologue and then only four long chapters, as in the four movements of a symphony, but who knows about that...) Just stay with me, if you would, and try to follow as best you can. That aside, this A/N is WAY too long, and I'm going to shut up now. Hope you enjoyed the beginning of my newest project!