Chapter Text
As with every night before, the piano began to ring throughout the empty rooms of the Suzuki Household. The girl playing effortlessly slid her fingers alongside the keys, accompanied by nothing but the rain. Her posture was sagged, with her hair beginning to grease; a far cry from how she used to be. The ever-perfect Mari, had her once star-like attributes wilted away; other than her piano playing of course.
Despite how slummed she had become, she still practiced and played like she used to. Allowing hours to pass by until she was satisfied with her playing, something that rarely happened. Becoming something of a professional, yet she had never performed; much to the disappointment of her Father. But still good enough that she had received enough praise for a CLOSEBY CENTER FOR THE ARTS scholarship, though she had barely given it any thought. Choosing to just push it off ever since Summer had started. Instead drowning herself in more songs nonstop till she either mastered it or passed out in her seat.
There wasn't anything else for her to do after all, it was the fourth year she had cut herself off from the world. From her friends, classmates, and family other than her Father. Who she wasn't even particularly close to, always busying himself in his work. She didn't even want to get started on her Mother. But outside of being forced to at school to maintain her grades, she refused to interact with anyone in the past. Instead, locking herself in the comfort of her house any time she has the chance. Always drowning herself in more work and more new music to master.
But this time it was different, she wasn't playing some new song of endlessly complex nature. Instead, it was the first song she had ever written. The Duet.
The Duet for the recital, The Duet for...them. Now lacking its partner, the song's intended elegance became depressing. Still, she tapped her fingers along the key, repeating the song as soon as it had finished. She wasn't playing it for the art after all, just as something to help her remember the past.
Remember the days before the recital, the days before sorrow consumed her, the days before SOMETHING tormented her.
The mess of splinters stared into her, seemingly in wonder. Its singular eyeball split into four parts, each piece staring off in different directions. It dragged itself along towards her, reaching towards her shoulder to tug it. Mari shivered, feeling the urge to vomit over herself; trying desperately to play louder to drown it out. Pressing her fingers harder into the keys till the piano began to distort. She looped again, ignoring the intended tempo and just speeding through as fast as she could.
Memories of the past nagged at her, as SOMETHING continued to stare; wondering why she wouldn't give it attention. Mari tried to CALM DOWN, just as she used to teach...him.
She couldn't escape any longer.
Mari slammed her fists against the keyboard, huffing out of frustration as she did. Sunny tensed up, sinking into himself while averting his gaze to the ground. Mari tapped her pointer finger, turning back to face him.
"Sunny. We can not disappoint our friends and family like that. What will they think when you keep messing up on the song we've been practicing for months? Don't you realize how embarrassing that'll be for the both of us?" Mari said, any sense of patience before completely abandoned. Sunny's face flushed red, the corner of his eyes beginning to fill with tears as he puffed his cheeks. Mari rubbed her temple, trying to soothe her growing migraine at Sunny's incompetence.
Sunny tightened his grip on the neck of his violin, turning it out of tune. But he didn't care, couldn't care anymore. He was tired of this, tired of being locked up in the same stupid room every day. With the same stupid song, he could never get right.
The same stupid violin .
The violin turned Mari into a strict bully, wasting his days in the room over and over again. All this violin ever did was hurt and steal him away from his friends and sister. How much longer was he going to stay trapped in this prison cell? How much longer would he let his friendships wilt away?
He looked down at his hands, the tips of his fingertips having bled down the bow; staining the hairs red.
Sunny felt FURIOUS.
Mari pushed herself out of her seat, shuddering. She tried to walk away, convincing herself she did a good job; but still not enough to quell the nagging voice in the back of her mind. Calling her incompetent, useless, a failure.
She dragged her feet along the floor, looping around to meet the bottom of the STAIRWELL; towering over her like a skyscraper. She turned upwards, the stairs being faintly illuminated by the growing moonlight. But not enough for her to be comforted. She gripped the handrail; tightly enough to strain her fingers, and slowly ascended the stairs.
Putting one hand over the other, the memories continued to nag at her; far louder this time. Sounding like someone shouting directly into her ears, mocking her for her mistakes.
Memories of picnics, birthdays, friendships, and past promises; all abandoned by her.
'Coward...' SOMETHING muttered. Mari shuddered, darting her eyes back and forth between the walls of the house. Trying to find it. Her breathing deepened heavily, a wave of nausea overcoming her; her body becoming unable to support her any longer. She collapsed along the steps, her head slamming against one of the wooden steps. She groaned, staring towards the ceiling in misery. The plague of memories continued to consume her, all asking 'How could you?'.
She wasn't sure when it had started, or how long Sunny had been suffering. But what only mattered in the end, was that despite being his big sister; she never noticed.
A loud shatter made Mari shoot up straight, quickly jumping out of her chair in worry. She called out Sunny's name, her heart thumping in worry. She ran out of the music room looking everywhere for him while crying out his name. Her heart continued to race till settling at the sight of him at the top of the stairs. Only to have her heartbeat jump back up when she saw what he had done.
At the bottom of the steps laid his violin, shattered into unmendable pieces; an abandoned mess.
MARI BECAME FURIOUS.
She yelled his name, stomping up the stairs before grabbing his arms. She pulled him towards herself, yelling at him; asking him what he had done. Sunny kept his anger, his eyes still staring towards the ground. She asked him again, what he had done. Her nails began to dig into his shoulders, and her grip only tightened causing him to squint in pain. She paid no mind.
He ruined everything. Months of blood, sweat, and tears; all ruined over some hissy fit! How could he do this? How could he destroy their future?
She yelled louder again, probably loud enough to alert the neighbors. Sunny tried to move his way out of her grip, pushing her away but to no use. He lost his balance, practically being swung around by Mari. His anger was replaced with utter fear. He began to sob, the reality of his situation setting in; he had ruined everything. He began to wail, mumbling nearly incoherent apologies; snapping Mari out of her anger. She loosened her grip, reaching for his eyes to wipe them; before being pushed away.
Letting him fall back towards the stairs.
He tried to cover himself as Mari stretched out an arm to reach him, but she wasn't fast enough. He slammed into the steps, screaming in pain before settling at the bottom. Face first into the broken shards of the violin. Mari's brain stopped for a moment, dead with fear. Before a scream of anguish brought her back, Basil; god knows how he managed to get in. The only witness to the whole tragedy.
She quickly descended the stairs, reaching out her arms to take Sunny in. He pushed himself off the ground, turning towards her; showing Mari her worst nightmare. A singular long spike of wood impaled into his right eye. Sobs mixed with blood as he pushed her away, terrified of being near her.
He no longer deserved her.
He tried to run, the adrenaline pushing him faster than ever. Mari chased after him, screaming at him; begging for him to come back. With the door left open by Basil, Sunny bolted through. Mari continued to give chase, trying to move past her body's pain; feeling as though someone was stabbing it with a knife. Her vision gradually muted, covered in tears as she saw Sunny's figure become fainter in the trees. Her panic raised more and more, only worsening her grip on the situation. Eventually, after what felt like a mile her body just gave up, as she collapsed into the ground. Her knee felt torn apart. She could hear distant yelling behind her, some stranger calling out in concern.
But it didn't matter to her, an overwhelming sense of cold came over her. Trapping her inside.
She had lost her sun, the only sense of warmth being the hot tears streaming down her face.
Mari sobbed on the stairwell, a broken, pathetic mess. Too exhausted to move, she considered just passing out along the stairs. Not like anyone would mind. Mari tried to shut her eyes, wiping away the wetness of her cheeks; to little success as she was still crying. She wrapped herself in her arms for some grasp of warmth, rubbing her biceps. Eventually even got a bit comfortable, at least by her standards. Before she was oh-so rudely interrupted.
Three knocks came against the wood of the door before the man on the other side asked,
"Mari? Are you there...?"
Her Hero was trying to sweep her off her feet.