Explosive Sounds

Life is like an intricate song played on the violin. It starts out slow, soft even, to set a calm melodic tone. But the more you play, the more it begins to speed up; increase itself in volume just as we increase in age. It gets faster, more intricate, louder, louder, louder... and then it all stops. It slows, becoming like it was in the beginning.

Until, eventually, there is silence. Blissful, welcomed silence that comes to sweep you up into its arms and carry you away from the chaos of the melody lying in your wake.

But sometimes, you find that certain piece that has something more to it; a certain oomf that you have not really heard before. It could be nothing but quiet, soothing hums.

But Sayaka? No, Sayaka's tune was constantly loud. There was never a dull moment in Sayaka's song, never a resting beat. Just strings moving loudly and continuously, mixing together to create beautiful sounds which human ears can barely handle.

Oh God, so blessed am I to have been a note in Sayaka's song.

I remember the first time I saw her. At that time, my own song was withering. My song was coming to an end far sooner than it should have been. But when I saw her, it was like the strings on my violin had been tuned, and my song began to pick up speed again.

We clashed, her sword versus my spear. At the exact moment my weapon made contact with her's, the two songs that should have been kept separated for all of time suddenly smashed into each other, creating a loud, suspenseful song that emphasized every note with burning anger and intense willpower. It was like the songs were battling more than the two people they belonged to.

But then, a soft yet frantic song from the background silenced the amazing music along with the clash in the form of a small, pink-haired girl. Her song seemed to be escalating towards something major, but at the time, I was not quite sure what that was.

As I begrudgingly let the two go, I felt something change with the way my song was played. It seemed more excited now, but it was very subtle. It sounded jumpy, just like the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach as I watched the silky blue hair fade into the distance.

As time went on, the song stayed consistent, and every time I happened to meet up with Sayaka, it got louder; rapider; and especially more jumpy.

Oh, what a shame I was too stupid to realize what this song meant until it was too late.

I remember all too vividly sitting beside Sayaka on a bench. I remember hearing her song, how it sounded... like static. How every note felt forced, and dull. How low the notes were, and how I was straining to hear them.

The more static increased in her song, the more mine began to get frantic, like the way her pink-haired friend's had been previously... but louder. More alerting. But, stupid me, I didn't have the audacity to pay attention to it.

Then, Sayaka looked at me with teary eyes. I remember her muttering: "I really am such an idiot." I remember her forced smile.

Worst of all though, I remember the way everything stilled. Both of our songs seemed to stop dead in their tracks. I could feel something about to burst, and it was finally then that I reached for Sayaka; that I decided to confess everything to her.

To tell her about how my violin sped up every time I was near her, how it got louder every time her hand brushed up against mine, how when we worked together, it was almost as if every great composer came down from the heavens and created the- no, our song.

But it was too little, too late.

In that silence, before I could touch her fragile hand one last time, her song exploded into a hysteria of violent notes and volume so loud, I could barely hear myself screaming her name.

As I saw her body- oh God, her beautiful, wasted body- fall to the ground, I ran forward and snatched it out of the air. But the feeling I got when I touched her had left my song, and instead, it slowed. It was as if the song was weeping for her.

But for some reason, I yet again ignored my song. I told myself that she was alive; her violin must just be a little damaged. I told myself that all she needed was some rest, and soon, her song would be as lively and as incredible as she had been.

But as I presented her to her pink-haired friend, my song slowed even further, playing low and monotonous notes that filled me with anger, regret, pain, and self-loathing.

I wanted to silence this goddamn song. I wanted it to be destroyed. I wanted my violin to be smashed and broken into pieces, because without her, my song was just another song, and after living with the beautiful, harmonious wonder we created, I found myself unable to live without it.

So I did the only thing I knew my song could not talk me out of. I decided to save her- to save us.

With my spear in my hand and my courage gathered, I sprinted towards the sound of the massive song that belong to her soul. The song that helped me remember that Sayaka were still Sayaka, no matter what she looked like. She was still herself, and together, we could rest blissfully.

It took all my willpower and all my night, and against the frantic notes in the background belonging to her friend, and the insistent notes belonging to the one with black hair, I threw my song into the air, allowing silence to fill me.

Ah, yes... silence. I had forgotten that it could be such a peaceful thing.

I struck a final blow on what remained of me, and just like had happened to Sayaka, my song exploded.

For just a brief moment, both explosive songs mixed together. In that moment, I swear, the entire Earth shook and all creatures stepped aside to let me and Sayaka pass onward to the other side, hand in hand, song in song.

But it ended quickly, and my vision went to white, then to black.

Silence. Blackness. There was absolutely nothing.

What seemed like ages later, I opened my eyes, and found myself lying on a white sheet. I sat up straight, listening carefully. I heard no song. I did not hear my song, or Sayaka's song, or any of her friends' songs either.

"Welcome, Kyoko," a soft voice said to me, a familiar hand grabbing mine delicately. It was a fragile hand I could recognize anywhere, but without the explosive song to accompany it.

I sat up as quickly as I could, a red strand shielding me from the sight of the one I longed so deeply to see. I felt my desires overpower and overwhelm me, but before I could move any further, another delicate hand brushed the red out of my face for me.

Unable to speak, I only smiled gratefully. God, there were a thousand possible things to tell her. I had to confess quickly.

"I'm glad you saved me, Kyoko," Sayaka continued, with me sitting still unable to speak. "Because of you, I feel like my soul has been set free. It's calm now, and with you here... it's even better."

I kept my mouth shut. Rather than tainting the air with my pointless, feverish words, I listened. I listened more intently to Sayaka than I ever had in my entire life, because for the first time since I met her, I could hear her voice clearly.

No more music, no more songs.

Now, it was just the two of us and our infinite words.