HOPELESS - [니키]

✭ 13

Hana turned her head and Riki took the photo.

Hana didn't even notice and he looked down to see what it looked like.

Hana was smiling with a big smile. A smile that everyone would dream of seeing and wearing, because it was the happiest smile he'd ever seen.

He couldn't take his eyes off the picture. The pink petals of a tree branch just above her added colour to the picture. Her hair was swaying from the movement she'd made.

This photo was perfect.

Bur suddenly, Riki hit a pole.

Hana turned round because of the noise and saw Riki rubbing his head.

She laughed and said: "What were you looking at that was so important, Riki ?"

"Nothing." he said, without stopping rubbing his head.

"Riki ?" Hana moved closer to him and leaned over the camera, but Riki lowered the camera so she couldn't see.

"You'll see later."

He ran a hand over the top of her head and continued on his way.

"It's my turn to take pictures !" The girl shouted as she caught up with him and snatched the camera out of his hand.

She pointed the camera at him and immediately, Riki did a lot of posing to make Hana laugh, to see that beautiful smile again.

And it worked !

Hana couldn't stop laughing at Riki's improbable poses and she took photos of all of them.

The young man's face lit up and he took Hana's hand, saying: "Hana, I've got an idea !"

Riki took Hana to a station still full of people with suitcases and bags despite the late hour. Riki turned his head in all directions in the hope of finding what he was looking for.

Hana was pulled to her left and quickly realised what he was getting at.

A piano.

Riki sat down and started playing anything, pressing every key without thinking. Hana quickly took several pictures of him and he stood up.

"Show to everyone what you can do, darling." the young man whispered to her.

He took the camera and she hesitated for a second before sitting down. Perhaps she was going to disturb people here ? That it was late and people would hate what she was about to do.

But she remembered that life was worth living. That if she wanted to do something, she had to do it without thinking.

That she was going to die and that she had to make the most of this life, with Riki to encourage her and remember her when she embarked on another adventure, without him.

So she began to press the keys on the piano and play a melody. A melody that everyone was discovering, because she herself didn't know it.

She improvised.

She played whatever came into her head without thinking. She created her own melody and let herself be carried away by what she was doing.

Riki took photos of her, to immortalise the moments when she closed her eyes to create new notes and the moments when she moved to her own music.

He lowered the camera to look at her, her face and her joy of playing. He didn't want to forget this girl who just needed a piano to be happy.

Little by little, Hana felt her fingers getting tired, as if they too were running out of breath to keep moving, so she quickly found an end to her melody and stopped playing.