I heard the music from everything. Life and death had their very own tunes, each with many different melodies. I could know a the basics of a person's personality just by hearing their melody.

And because of this, I never once found myself deep within silence. There was always something- always. And so, silence seemed to never fall within my presence.

I had made my own little version- something I called silence. Something that I heard to think clearly and ignore every other little melody playing from everyone's hearts. It's when I would compose.

When I would sit at my piano and play my own music, I'd get lost within the notes, my hands playing on their own as I delved deep into my own thoughts.

To me, that was silence. But even then, it wasn't truly silence, and I knew it. It wasn't as if I had become desperate to hear it again- many melodies I heard were quite beautiful. I purely had forgotten what silence was like.

It had become so long, so long since I was just a regular kid who didn't hear the hearts of people playing their music. A regular kid who knew what silence was.

I wanted to remember, that was true. I wasn't desperate to remember, but I still wanted to. There was something about silence...

When it happened that I had finally pushed myself to the limits, my composition finally finished to carry my friends onward, I still didn't find silence.

But this time, it had been because I knew there was more work to be done. Not with my music, but with Mikage. I still had to help them, and that's what I had done. Merging with my friends for one last time.

When all had finally ended, then I found the silence I had wanted to remember. Their melodies faded from my hearing, and I had flinched in honest surprise. It was so quiet- I didn't even know what to do for a bit.

The silence was just so deafening- it struck me with an idea.

000

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"It sounds like a piano- up there... But..."

"You must be imagining things. No one uses that room anymore."

"No... Something is definitely there... Just listen!"

"Fine!"

"..."

"..."

"...you know, I think you're right."

"Wonder what it is?"

"I don't know..."

"Maybe Shrade's continuing, even in the afterlife?"

"Maybe."

000

Someone asked me to write a story on Shrade. Now I'm not too happy with it- the story overall- but it's the idea I was struck with. So live with it. I mean, what are ya gonna do?

Shrade isn't my favorite character, but he is still pretty awesome. And handsome. -I need to get a life- so I hope this is alright then. I just kind of figured that once Shrade died he'd actually find silence, and it'd give him even more ideas. I also think he'd wait patiently for his friends, writing music. I think specifically he's wait for Cayenne.

I like their friendship- just their friendship. It's sweet. ;3