A/N: long. probably could've, and should've ended the chapter several times but fuck you all it's long.
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Almost 7 A.M. The ginger stood inside the tent, an autumn breeze moving throughout the air, as the harvest's area filled with people. The sounds of violins or cellos filled the air, some people enjoying it, some listening to their own music. Many had come alongside their families, lovers, or friends, though few came alone, not seeming disappointed about this in the slightest.
And yet there Akito Shinonome and Toya Aoyagi stood, completely alone. The redhead waited patiently for An and Kohane to arrive, as for his performance would begin in hours to come, while the blue haired boy patiently sat, the memory of Akito filling his head. Slight tears developed in his eyes, with him attempting to blink them away, trying to merely concentrate on the rather loud music.
Yet this felt near impossible, the music creating a horrid atmosphere, and the cheerful, excited laughs from afar only adding to it.
Without his orange counterpart, he felt almost useless. Without the ginger, he was unable to focus. And being unable to keep his mind away from him, he merely walked outside the tent, instead deciding to explore the harvest. An activity he had once been able to do with his lover, exactly one year ago. Exactly one year before the unending pain.
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Akito walked over to the gates, the girls waiting for him. There was this light in his eyes, one of which had disappeared a year prior. Having only communicated over text during his weeks of practice, and his dryness from before lingering in his messages, it was a small surprise for them both.
"Oh... h-hello, Akito."
"Took you long enough... it's been a while..."
"You messaged me 3 minutes ago, An. The tents are somewhat far away." A slight look of confusion, or perhaps irritation, appeared on his face.
"Mhmm.." An spoke, with Kohane quickly whispering something to the taller girl, before hastily apologizing to the ginger, earning a glare from him.
"Oi... ahem, let's start looking around."
"Have you not searched around?"
"He probably didn't, probably too busy thinking bout To-"
"The stalls weren't set up, asshole." His voice was temporarily normal once more (or what would have now become "normal"), his tone representing his annoyance.
"Okay... so, where to first?"
"I was thinking maybe we could just walk around?... Maybe Akito could search for Toya." Kohane turned around to look at the ginger, with him nodding in response, before walking away. Though, with his pace, it was more of a jog than a mere walk.
The blue haired girl took the shorter one's hand, a light blush forming on both girl's faces, as they walked down of the aisles, filled with stalls, filled with laughter.
Entirely unaware of the upcoming events on that eventful day, one of which would finally answer wishes, one that could fill the ever growing void in the boys hearts.
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Wandering around the harvest, Toya paused in front of a rather large wooden board. This had not been here the previous harvest, and for once, curiosity struck the boy. He glanced at the top of the board, reading out "OFFICIAL PERFORMERS", and letting out a chuckle underneath his breath.
"Huh, guess this was something they requested... hah, reminds me of Ak-" he spoke softly, though paused. A feeling came over him.
A feeling as though someone was watching him, a watchful gaze cast upon him, like he had become the center of attention, the clown in the circus. A stare he was now familiar with, since he had returned to the city. One that still cast a feeling of isolation around him, a look from afar that struck some sort of fear within his heart.
Aoyagi jerked his head around, though no obvious movement was made.
Only the joyous, carefree laughs from afar remained, and the bustling streets (though more like pathways) did not contribute to finding #####.
Though, throughout the walking, the sprinting, and the stillness in the pathways, a brunette remained, pure darkness covering her as she hid in the shadows. The girl, ####### ########, stepped towards Aoyagi. And as the supposed darkness felt as though it began caving in, both of them heard shouting, a masculine voice both of them were familiar with (though only one find of).
"TOY- TOYA." A familiar ginger called out, his voice bringing a gentle, yet still small smile to Toya's face. But as the gaze watched him, almost as though they were a hawk, Aoyagi shook his head, before walking off. Small tears developed in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks, only glancing back once just to see his past lover, standing there in confusion and disappointment. He whispered one thing, only to himself, before quickly walking by, attempting to hide himself in a tent.
"I still love you."
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An giggled, her girlfriend's wrist in her hand, gripping it tightly. Kohane held out her phone, taking a few pictures.
With the harvest's time of year, it was one of the perfect times to take pictures. Though, that was only what Kohane said, and the taller young lady believed this whole-heartedly. The shorter one put her phone back inside her pocket, partially cuddling her head against the other's arm, a strong blush forming over An's face.
"So, where to next?"
"Uh... let's find Akito, maybe? I wonder if he found him yet..."
"He's bound to have found him by now. There's no way he wouldn't with his determination." Both of the girls giggled a bit, before continuing to walk down.
"OI- I..I'm here now." The redhead shouted, his voice seemingly more disappointed than usual. Typically, he'd sound disinterested, almost like his head was elsewhere, stuck in thoughts or old memories. On the rather common occasion, he'd sound irritated, annoyed. Yet now, it just seemed filled with disappointment, like a new era of depression would begin.
"Er... Akito, are you okay?" An's voice was gentle, differentiating from her typical sarcasm when speaking with the boy.
"Hm?... oh, right. Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry. I, didn't find him, ahah."
"Ah... I see. Well, sorry about that, Akito. Maybe you'll find him next time?"
"Yeah, yeah... thanks, Kohane."
"Mhm!"
"So, where next."
"You should probablyyy go practice for your performance... because, you know, you could talk to your little boyfr-" Kohane covered the black and blue haired girl's mouth before she could finish, with Akito merely letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Alright. Just, be there." In between each of his words, there seemed to be an eternal space, a space larger than the disappointment of which had filled him just moments prior.
"Obviously we will? Why would we, dude..."
"An-! But, hehe, we will. Goodluck, Akito!" Kohane warmly smiled, resting her head against her girlfriend's chest, a blush once more forming on both their faces.
"Mhm, thanks." He slightly smiled back, though it appeared to show just emptiness, as he turned around, walking to the tents. Only a couple hours left, until the first– and also his last– event he'd ever experience related to classical music. His pace quickened as the seconds passed by, with only a small chunk of the emptiness forming into determination, a determination to speak with his past lover, a goal he would refuse to give up.
He rushed into one of the tests, far away from the main stage in order to not disturb the peace. The partially saffron hair colored boy seated himself on the piano chair, hovering his shaky hands over the keys, taking a rather deep breath.
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Aoyagi sighed, staring at the aisle of vendors and stalls, an isolated feeling filling his soul. He walked by them all, nothing catching his eye, nor anything filling his mind. But, of course, Akito was. The look of disappointment and almost emptiness he held on his face, the solemn atmosphere formed with just the event of which had happened moments prior, it had now... felt numb. Aoyagi felt distressed, yet nothing at the same time.
Everything blended together, creating a mess of emotions, and as too many colors create brown, the various emotions all created an emptiness, a wide open void where nothing but distress and numbness could possibly felt.
He stood there, standing within a tent, a look of complete emptiness on his face. And all he heard was but a whisper in his ear, his face lacking any expression. All there was was a mere stare at the ground, with ##### walking out.
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"Uh... #####, are you sure this is the right course of action?"
"Of course... #########, I know what I'm doing."
"Yeah, right. But, do they really deserve this?"
"In my opinion, they do. I've never trusted him, so for him refusing to listen to me, there'll be consequences."
"...Being worsening his only punishment? Aha... that's..."
"It makes it easier for isolation."
"..."
"Nothing can go wrong, unless he realizes."
"..."
"Don't feel guilty, #######. I'm the mastermind, after all. You're just helping, kinda."
"...fucking bullshit... ahem, right. Yeah. I know. But what if you do get caught?"
"...Don't ask, dear. I don't wanna get angered tonight again."
"Sorry."
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8:26 P.M. The redhead stretched, glancing around. The stage was covered by a single curtain, with five minute intermissions. It simply allowed for the next musician to relax, to mentally — or physically— prepare themselves before their performance.
Each musician had been given a list the day prior, simply telling them when theirs was, alongside when others were as well.
And 8:30 was Akito's time, with 9:00 being Toya's.
The ginger sighed, tossing his paper onto a small table, going up the stairs. He stumbled as he climbed up the last step, before seating himself on the piano, holding his breath. Three more minutes, and barely any time left to speak to his past lover.
And yet, his resolve didn't waver, even with the unlikely change of him being able to speak with Toya. His hands quivered slightly, lifting them over the piano keys. As the curtains slid open, he pressed down on the keys, still holding his breath, as he began to play the song.
Each note felt as though it was played with the same feeling (albeit just regular notes); longing. The song had formed a sense of wishfulness, an emotion of desperation and despair, alongside the feeling of determination, all within just the same notes. He closed his eyes, opening them only a moment later, concentrating on each note, focusing on his singing, only occasionally glancing at the audience, a few mere people standing by to watch.
And his forefront thought was Toya. Toya Aoyagi, the sole purpose of him doing this.
Despite his hatred for classical music, of which was especially related to the year long event, he still played with a feeling of passion, as though it was a song designed to be a mere call for his past lover, like a calling merely to tell him that he was there. That he always was there. A song written solely to reunite the two, to undo the past failures, or at the very least, write a new future.
...
...
...
###### stared, a slight disbelief visible on their face. The other one stood next to them, an angered look expressed. And there stood Toya, who watched from afar, a gentle smile developing on his lips, a form of joy once more taking over yet still refusing to remain.
"Fuck... I didn't expect him to do decent."
"You know ###### ######### is passionate about certain stuff, ####. Don't be surprised... besides, he's making a lot of mistakes either way, aha."
"That's beyond the point... he can ruin the entire plan."
"And what's the point in the plan, ####."
"Hm? What do you mean. You agreed to help."
"Your plan is bullshit."
"Ah... but didn't you suggest this would be the best action?"
"It's stalking. Blackmailing. You're fucking..."
"######, it's worth it. #####'ll be happier in the end."
"What is wrong with you. You're a fucking psychopath."
"It's too late to go back. Control your emotions, dear. I know my actions are morally wrong. But the intentions are fine... I'm the older one after all, I know what I'm doing."
"Right... mhm."
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Akito finishes his performance, Toya follows shortly after. He finishes his three chosen songs at around 9:14 P.M.
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Aoyagi stepped off the stage, hastily walking to a cliff, pausing as soon as he heard a voice, one he was once fond of, a voice so familiar yet now felt distant, a voice he had grown sick of hearing repeatedly in his head yet had also longed to hear for months.
"TOYA." Toya jerked his head around, staring at his beloved Akito. The redhead ran towards him, pausing abruptly in front of the blue haired boy, who remained silent.
"Toya."
"..."
"...Speak to me, Toya."
The blue haired boy zoned out, attempting to get his past lover to leave, trying to avoid any conversation.
"Aoyagi, just... say anything. Please. I just want to hear you. At least a goodbye," and the emptiness within his eyes returned once more, his despair reaching its climax. He grabbed Toya's wrists, a slight frustration appearing on his face.
Aoyagi jerked his hands back, hastily running away, only getting a slight distance away. He heard footsteps behind him, before being forced to a stop, slightly turning his head around to look at the shorter male. He moved his entire body slightly, the ginger's left hand tightly gripping Aoyagi's shoulder, with his other holding onto the taller boy's wrist.
"Toya... for fuck's sake just reply. Anything. I don't care what you say, just let me hear your voice."
"..." Akito's grip on the other's wrist tightened, a slight pain coming from it.
"You can speak. Just explain. Anything, Toya. God damn anything."
"...He wouldn't want me to... and, and she-" he cut himself off, seeing a glare develop on the other's face; whether it was anger at him or his father, he was unsure of.
"I don't care what he said, Toya."
"..."
"I don't give a fucking shit about what my sister or your father said to you. You don't need to be afraid of them."
"But..." the blue haired boy practically choked out, slight tears developing in his eyes, desperately attempting to stop himself from sobbing, sobbing in front of the boy he had loved.
"I'd willingly run away with you, I don't care about what they threatened. They can't stop you. For god's sake, I don't even know if it was Ena, I'm just assuming. But Toya, just listen to me."
"..." Akito waited for the other male to respond, though after a few moments he hastily continued, his words meshing together.
"It doesn't matter. We could temporarily live with An, we could run away to some other town, it doesn't matter. It's the two of us, Toya. Your father, my sister, they don't fucking matter anymore."
"A...Aki..." he stared at the ginger's olive green eyes, of which had also started to grow tears, although he merely blinked them away, staring back at the other. They stayed this way, for how long, nobody knows.
And as a silence took over, footsteps were heard, from two people.
"AKITO," a high pitched shriek from afar echoed out, yet only a few people glanced around to look. The brunette hurried down a hill, running towards them, her footsteps creating marks. And closely behind her, was Mizuki, anger expressed on both their faces.
And a silence sprouted, a look of shock covering the redhead's face for but a moment.
"What... what did you do."
"Huh. I did nothi-"
"...Don't lie, anymore, Ena. Come on, tell your brother what you did. Tell him. You know what you did," Toya shook slightly, staring at the ground, glancing at Akiyama. The words that had come out of her mouth, the anger she held towards her girlfriend, it was such a rare feeling, such a rare emotion to hear from her. He felt Akito let go of him, moving his right hand to his hand.
"What did you do, Ena."
"...Oh, come on. It's not a big thing, I just made a deal with his fathe-" she covered her cheek with her hand, a pain going against it. Akito put his hand down.
"And what was the deal, hm? Dear? I thought you did nothing..."
"It..." the brunette grunted, quickly continuing as she saw the ginger raise his hand once more. "I simply made a deal where Aoyagi wouldn't be able to speak with Akito. He's not... trustworthy, I guess."
"Trustworthy? TRUSTWORTHY? That's you're only reason? That's your reasoning for forever forcing him away, for lying?"
The pain hit her cheek once more, a slight noise escaping her mouth before she opened it to add one more note. "Well, Akito. I simply just added that even if you did it, he wouldn't be able to speak with you..."
And a silence spread out once more. From a distance, two girls watched, their eyes darting to each character, a solemn mood covering the cliff. And as the silence continued, Akito held onto the blue haired boy's wrist, walking away. Ena attempted to walk after both, yet Mizuki restrained her, a glare covering her face and her grasp on the brunette tight, tight enough to cause pain. The same pain she had caused both boys, yet this time only physical. And far less worse.
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Toya's breathing quickened, alongside his heart rate, as the ginger brought him close to edge of the cliff.
"Don't worry, lo... Toya. Just look at the sky." Toya merely nodded, the feeling of isolation still there, still partially lingering, as he rested his head against Akito's shoulder. A light red blush covered the ginger's face, as a loud sound played, one that somewhat shook the cliff.
The blue haired boy stared at the sky, a light coming into his eyes, as the ginger placed his hand over the other's.
A colorful display of fireworks played, vibrantly designing the sky, as the shorter male hummed Ready Steady. Toya gently smiled, a final decision coming into his mind, refusing to allow this to be undone.
To forever be with Akito, whether it'd be as friends or lovers, he'd forever stay by his side, forever singing with him. Whether it was Vivid BAD SQUAD or BAD DOGS, he didn't care. All he knew was that he longed to stand next to Akito, a longing he didn't fully understand. Yet this wish had come true, and he alas had the void filled.
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Word Count: 3089
so, that's the end. That's the end of the fanfic. thank you to all who read this. I apologize if pacing seemed a bit poor, but I did write this all when I did have motivation for max potential. I do plan to write more fanfics, but I'm deciding on ideas right now. Also, sorry if the atmosphere didn't feel right at times (as in didn't fit the scene), I'm definitely gonna try to practice it in my next fanfic. anyhow, thank you for the support, have a good day.