[Hanako] Arabesque

Arabesque


There's that music again.

It plays every night for a good half an hour, maybe a little more or less depending on what day of the week it is. I can hear the piano notes hitting in a rhythmic harmony, and yet while I should be angry at the sound waking me up, I find myself relaxed with every note that is struck.

Then again, I should feel good. It's my music that I listen on a generally frequent basis, albeit I don't have too much time for music anymore.

Bach, Debussy, Chopin - just a select few of the composers I've always had a fond liking of, find their way to my ears once a night.

Only a song or two ever play, but with that being said, they're put on repeat for a pretty long amount of time.

That's not what stands out to me though.

It's not just the flowing keys of the piano.

It's the voice that pops out over top of them all, custom lyrics leading the way with the music giving it a certain flavor that most people would probably appreciate. Normally, I just lay in bed, taking in the mix of feminine vocals and orchestral sounds that seamlessly blend together.

Hanako thinks I don't hear her.

She thinks I'm a heavy sleeper, which I normally am.

But as soon as I hear the melodies beckoning me to listen in, giving me comfort and a sensational feeling of warmth in my heart, I can't sleep anymore.

It almost feels better than sleep, as the sounds take my mind away on a spiritual journey, teaching me ways of comfort and relaxation. Normally I just continue to lay in our bed, not bothering to let her know that I am nearly put to tears by her talent.

I want to be closer tonight, though.

I want to feel the sound coming from our piano or stereo.

Not to mention, Hanako's voice is on par with that of an angel. It's soft, always finding that simple way to enter your mind and progressively relax every joint and muscle in your body. Mix that with her impressive piano skills, something that she picked up during our years in college, and you've got quite a masterpiece.

I'm not saying she's a professional artist or composer.

Hell, I'm not even saying she's close to the best.

But I'll be damned if she doesn't have the most emotional and soothing voice in the universe, I don't quite know who truly does.

I kick the covers up and stand up from the bed, stretching my arms and legs. It's only a tad past midnight, but I've got to be up every morning by five, which is dreadful in almost every way you look at it.

When I go to bed around eleven, I always invite her to come join me in bed. She'll have a book or something, sitting beside me on the couch with the only remaining light in the house coming from a small one on our end table, and will give me a similar answer every time I ask.

'You go ahead, I'll catch up in a couple of minutes.'

'Let me finish this chapter, I'll be up in a bit.'

'I have a couple of things I need to get ready for tomorrow, you go on ahead without me.'

For a while, I would simply just kiss her good night and head off into my world of dreams, but after I heard her playing for the first time, my body has basically set an internal clock.

Around ten minutes after I head up the steps to our bedroom, she'll peak through the door to make sure I'm asleep. Once the act is sold, she'll step in and give me a kiss or hug, testing to make sure I don't stir.

I make sure I don't.

If I do, she hops in bed and doesn't bother going back and playing.

If I don't, she tiptoes back out of our room and sneaks her way down to the piano, which is situated in our living room.

For the first time, I want to go down and listen to her.

Yet... I still don't know if it's right.

I mean, she has been sort of hiding her singing talent from me the entire time that we've known each other, but once I finally caught her in the act, I'm terrified she'll be too embarrassed to sing anymore.

It's a risky situation indeed, but I feel like I need to at least get out of the bedroom for a more clear sound.

I breathe out a sigh and shuffle my way across the room and out of the door, creeping down the short hallway to the top of the stairs. I take a few steps down, listening to the harmony of vocals and keys string together to form a perfect composition.

I reach about the halfway point from the bottom and take a seat, peeking around the corner to get an image of the scene unfolding below.

I'm greeted by the sight of hands dancing across the piano in a series of intricate motions, lightly tugging at the strings of my heart. Her head rolls around, emphasizing the passion and emotion she releases with every high note released into the air.

I'm stunned, practically rendered to the point where I can no longer move. I'm left with my jaw hanging down to the floor, my eyes widening with the increased pleasure and clarity that emanates from her body.

I close my eyes for a moment and allow the music to sink in, evaluating the lyrics that she sings along to Arabesque #1.

It hits me almost in an instant.

She continues to go through her lines, timing each word to meet up in a near perfect flow of vocals and piano.

She... she's not singing about a general topic. It's not about love or a random thought that her head managed to encounter.

No, it's something far different than that.

She's singing about me.

Her words form a creative description of my body and personality from her perspective, even touching on the details of our relationship, such as my 'peculiar taste in fashion' and 'our love forever lasting'.

My vision begins to cloud up, a couple of tears rolling down my cheek as my grin widens at my moment of nearly bursting out laughing.

Nothing about what she's saying it comical.

It's all just amazing to hear her depict how she feels about the two of us and myself as an individual in such an artistic manner.

My train of thought is snapped as the closing notes strike and the piano and voice coming from the living room fall silent. A faint click of a lamp being turned off is the last thing I hear before I realize she's standing at the bottom of the steps, staring at me with horrified eyes.

I stand up and take my time as I stumble down the stairs, her eyes looking away from me out of pure embarrassment. Once I finally reach the bottom, and I stand toe to toe with her, picking her head up to look at me.

A smile forms on her lips, but it's not one of happiness. It's her shy side taking hold of her once more, tucking whatever I had just witnessed and locking it away in a dark cell within her body.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her into a tight embrace, another drop managing to escape from my eye. I pull back and push my forehead against hers, her eyes continuing to look like those of a deer caught in a pair of headlights.

"Hanako, why do you always hide these kind of things from me?" She seems to ponder my question for a moment, closing her eyes and burying her face into my chest.

"I-I'm not very good at playing piano or singing..." She trails off, causing me to feel slightly upset at her. I pick her head up once again, basically forcing her to look me in the eyes.

"Listen to me. I've been listening to you play and sing for the past couple of weeks every single night." Her eyes go wide and her body begins to shake a bit, nervousness over taking her senses at a time when sleep should.

"With that being said, I would have told you to stop if you weren't 'that good'. Your voice is absolutely mesmerizing. Not to mention, you picked up some of my favorite compositions to sing along with..."

A smile forms on her face at my recognition of her piano playing ability. Arabesque is definitely not the easiest song to play on piano, and I can say I am damn proud that she could play such a song in a flawless manner.

"Can I a-ask you a question, Hisao?"

"Sure."

She pauses for a moment and gathers the words in her head, delivering the question shortly after.

"Did you... did you hear w-what I was saying? In that last song, I-I..." She fumbles her words and finally stops speaking, her cheeks burning a bright shade of red.

"Why does that matter?"

"Because the words were so cheesy. I-I lost focus on what I was writing and it all just turned out so ba-"

I silence her by pushing a finger to her lips and letting out a resounding 'shhh'. She falls silent and looks at me in the eyes, a slight twinkle finding it's way to hers as she's lost in a deep pool of thought.

I grin at her.

"I think they were the most beautiful words I've ever heard sung, and that's not even just trying to make you feel better about yourself."

"My v-voice isn't anything special.."

I grind my teeth a bit. I hate when she puts herself down like that, because it really makes me feel terrible about myself in return.

I'm not letting her get away with a demoralizing victory against herself.

I never do as it is.

"I think you're just pretty incredible as a whole, Mrs. Nakai." I lean down and plant a romance filled kiss directly on her lips, a slight sigh coming from her as she melts into my arms.

After holding each other for a few moments, we finally split apart, a massive grin on both of our faces.

While she still looks embarrassed, her eyes are closed as she attempts to take in the lingering sensation, her teeth showing to me. I lean down and place my lips close to her ear, trying to draw a playful reaction out of her.

"I think you should put a show on for me more often. For now, though, what do you say we get to bed?"

She nods her head with her smile still visible, her hand reaching down and grabbing mine as she basically pulls me up the stairs.

"Geez Hanako, what's with the force?"

"Y-You have to be up early. Not to mention, you w-weren't supposed to be listening to me play in the first place!

I offer an exhausted laugh as we reach our room, closing the door behind me before quickly inserting myself back into bed. Hanako changes into her nightgown before joining me, cuddling her body up nice and close as her head rests against my chest.

Before ceding defeat to slumber, a final thought crosses my mind.

I think I could go for this every night for the rest of my life.



'Arabesque #1' is a piano composition by Claude Debussy.