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People say that when you get to meet the one destined to be with you until the eternity’s end, a symphony will come playing inside your head. They believe that it will resound all across your inner landscape, waking the living daylights out of you. With this, you may think — will it conjure up a cataclysm within your eardrums, causing you to lose your ability to hear? It’s appalling to think, becoming deaf when you finally come face to face with your soulmate. But Koushi managed to prove that wrong during the most unforeseen circumstance.
“Hey, the name’s Daichi. Daichi Sawamura.”
Koushi had always been enamored of music. And Daichi Sawamura was a symphony heard in every part of his system.
A symphony played when you told me your name.
Those who have yet to meet their soulmates, hear only a piano sonata continuously playing for every second of their lives. A musical arrangement that requires only one instrument all throughout. The same pages of music, time and time again.
In Koushi Sugawara’s case, Mr. Frédéric Chopin , the legend himself, became his childhood friend. Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, where the four movements of the sheet music dance along the wooded floors of Koushi’s theatrical mind, wherein each imaginary finger lands on the white and black pieces like a light summer drizzle. The metrical movement of the conductor’s baton perfectly describes the innate grace that Koushi bears within his soul.
He was a lone quarter note in a sea full of eights and sixteenths, each arranged to make one single beat. Though exhibiting a compositional masterpiece, his sound was denoted as incongruous, and not exactly in harmony with the rest of his surroundings. He was an unaccompanied melody with no harmony to intertwine with his virtuous croons.
In a way, to a certain extent, he was broken.
..Or so he thought.
Until Daichi comes along, the largo-adagio piece on his ear developed into a sonorous allegro. His heartbeat accompanies the sudden change in tempo, like two bamboo sticks clashing against the surface of a timpani’s head. What started as merely a piano solo gradually grew — string instruments came into play, a bow swiftly glides along the metal strings of the violin, like how the impeccable sound of sheer excitement and unparalleled amounts of anticipation resonates by his heartstrings.
Daichi took that broken melody. And in one swift move of his calloused hands, he grasped it tightly, turning Koushi’s crippled sound into a whole melodic paragon.
Soon enough, woodwinds have taken over the stage. The multifaceted experience that comes with enticing yourself with a clarinet trill are like two sides of the same coin. It pulls you in, each second that passes by makes you spellbound, smitten by how each note dexterously slides atop of the other. But on the contrary, the intense inclination inside of you builds up, whizzing across the crimson red halls of your arteries, with little to no control. It elicits a one of a kind flame, one that evokes a certain type of passion.
And eventually, a whole orchestra came together, playing a series of unending melodies — an intimate rendezvous of instruments inside Koushi’s inner monologues. Something so foreign, yet hits too close to home. Who knew that a cacophony of clashing sounds can turn into an addicting tune, notes waltzing along the hollow walls of your hearing chambers?
It was, indeed, a musical masterpiece specially-written for their love story. Koushi’s Chopin , which has started as an opus expressing only a grand piano, as sound maneuvers from one ear to another, gained a surfeit of new and various instruments.
As soon as Daichi rids off the gap between his top and lower lip, his name penetrating Koushi’s ear in the most intimate way, a brand new concerto has now taken place inside of the latter’s eardrums. Now into a work similar to that of the late genius Mozart’s, this embarked on a brand new start, a page flip, in a concerto’s piece entitled ‘Koushi and Daichi'.
Daichi’s sound was an esoteric oeuvre with Koushi being the only person to bear the ability to comprehend and understand it all too well. It was a sign of the times. Then and there, with not even a single second of hesitation, Koushi seized that moment. He needed to be with this source of magnificent sound. He longs, craves, and yearns for the man standing before his very eyes.
And with that, just like an orchestra with all the instruments finally coming together, Koushi isn’t alone anymore — Daichi being the climax, the rise to a crescendo, placed at the bottom of the five staff lines that guide Koushi along the tedious path of life.
“Will you be my beginning, middle, and end?”
Daichi never knew that he himself was fragmented, until the eight simple words that came out of the lips of the man adjacent to him stitched him up in places he never knew needed mending. Until he finally introduced himself as Koushi Sugawara, it hit spots in Daichi’s heart that he only knew existed now.
By the sudden concerto that, like a lightning, struck Daichi’s consciousness, he immediately knew. Koushi Sugawara struts towards Daichi’s inner orchestra, taking the baton from his hand, and completely changing the rhythm of the show.
Daichi Sawamura had always been one to keep the status quo, and anything beyond that would either lead him to ruckus or leave him all woozy. He was the definition of an orthodox. But this time, the unpremeditated encounter had him by the collar of his shirt. Because of how Sugawara’s eyes spoke to him in a language only he could fathom, he realized that, mayhaps, running into a few anomalies in his laid-out future can’t be of any harm. Every once in a while, maybe letting the winds take him to a whole different route than what was planned won’t seem as bad as he puts it out to be.
The niceties of songwriting never arose as a matter of interest for Daichi, nor did it have a magnetic pull towards him. He never was fond of auroras — what’s the point of prevaricating using extensive forms of grammar when you can get straight to the point with even just a single line or sentence? Daichi is the walking definition of a prose; he prefers to get the job done then and there.
The man whose silver-toned hair stuck up in various places, glasses leaving a semi-permanent mark right on the bridge of his nose, only arrived in Daichi’s sight at this moment. However, the thought that, like an overnight dream, emerged from shallow waters — is he finally ready to try his own hand at composing, especially now that he has Koushi? Maybe, just maybe, the area of the line a few inches away from his comfort zone is finally ready to be explored.
Contrastingly, Koushi found solace in coloring outside the lines. He had always been a risk-taker. There’s something about the beauty of spontaneity and its interlaced enigmatic element that fuels Koushi on a day to day basis. And by the first note played by Daichi, Koushi’s adventure-driven self was once more elated. Daichi Sawamura is a wonder ; an adventure that’ll bring Koushi to places only they’ll know about.
Koushi’s rather audacious persona is the antithesis to Daichi’s obsolete ideals, but as they say, opposites do attract, and there’s nothing more satisfying than two completely different notes harmonizing with one another. Two completely different sounds seemingly kismet, creating one perfect orchestral composition — one that will last a fleeting lifetime up to eternity.
To study a completely new piece is much similar to throwing yourself into rapid currents; you need to tread slowly and carefully, for rushing may only lead to losing yourself in the process, never knowing when and where to stop to catch your own breath. Foreign waters can be scary at first.
And that’s just what the couple did. From the first few weeks to a couple of months, getting to know one another was spent over copious amounts of caffeine and casual strolls under the dimmed twilight. Music requires maximal patience and keenness to detail, for even just a second of haste, you may overlook a lot of facets that are pivotal to the final outcome.
It seems as though Koushi was paralysed at a certain point, for over years and years of meeting and eavesdropping on idle talks just to catch someone’s name, as though it’ll unravel his foretold destiny of being serenaded by the one soul unconsciously tied onto him. He waited, until the unfathomable truth that he’ll remain only with the comfort of his own inept self is close to devouring him, his strings close to snapping and breaking.
But an inscrutable, visceral inkling, echoes inside his fragile mind, reminding him to wait. It was the crucial part of Chopin’s sonata where the music stills for a second that feels almost like an eternity, jumping onto the next movement of the piece, blindly hopping onto whatever adventure awaits the young man.
It was until one day, as Koushi scurried through the sidewalks, swerving and muttering profanities whenever his shoulders brushed past an unknowing civilian. It was a quarter past ten in the morning, and he’s fifteen minutes late to the parent-teacher meeting being held today. How convenient.
“Oh- sorry! Very sorry. Are you okay- can you stand?”
The next thing he knew, his back had met the pavement, the glasses resting atop of his nose had now flung across the walkway, and the documents enclosed in his blue binder had already scattered all over the place. Atop of all that, the most painfully noticeable one is the large coffee stain on his white dress shirt. Koushi collects himself and takes a deep breath, at least it's iced.
“Alright, I get why you’re not speaking. I- I’m sorry. Truly, I am. And, uh- that’s rough, your clothes. I am deeply sorry.”
Daichi extends his arm, offering to help Koushi up. Though a little hesitant at first, Koushi soon decided to just take it. Daichi’s rough palms rub past Koushi softer ones, just like how the sand that rides the ocean breeze lands on top of a white beach towel. It was satisfying in the least expected way.
“I really am sorry about your clothes,” With an apologetic smile, the man hands Koushi a small card with details written all over. Daichi Sawamura, Miyagi Law Firm. Why did a complete stranger give Koushi such information?
“I know it’s not much,” Koushi turns the card over, his eyes wandering around its minimalistic design as Daichi proceeds to talk. “But, if ever you’re in a fashion emergency, please do give me a call. Besides, I do owe you a nice get-up. Not that you don’t look nice today, but I-”
“Thank you,” Cutting Daichi off, a half smile lazily sits on Koushi’s lips as he nods in a friendly manner. This man does seem like a good one.
“Ah, you may have read my name now on my business card, but I presume it would be rude if I won’t give any proper introductions.” Daichi clears his throat, holding his hand out for a friendly handshake.
“Hey, the name’s Daichi. Daichi Sawamura.”
And there goes the orchestra, thud after thud, every eager pulsation that strikes inside of Koushi’s chest felt similar to the way a conductor harshly moves their hands. Right from the bottom and to the pinnacle of the music scale, from a c flat to a sudden a major, Koushi can feel his blood crawling up his arms and onto his flushed face. His entire life had just flashed before his eyes. Is this finally it, Koushi?
Koushi just stood there, incredulous and rather perplexed. Seeing Koushi’s expression go from vapid to instant awestruck, Daichi couldn’t help but feel baffled himself. As he was about to ask Koushi if he’s okay, the other male began to once again speak.
“I,” Though stuttering, his eyes managed to keep locked at Daichi’s. “I, my name is Koushi Sugawara.
Oh. So this is why.
For as long as he could remember, Daichi’s heart was in deep slumber. He knew about the concept of destinies and soulmate folklores, yes, but never put much thought into finding his own. He was an instrument waiting to be played. Or, a canary that can’t sing. Yet, it only took one morning, one that involved a certain silver lining that woke Daichi up to a giddy haze. That silver lining was Koushi Sugawara.
From the peaceful Claire de Lune, the piece by the French composer Claude Debussy, Daichi found ease and comfort from his own sonata. The sudden digression, however, left him at a deluge of notes and string arrangements. He was not ready to hear the sudden call of destiny. As he listens attentively to the symphony in a frenzied state, Koushi speaks up once again, finally asking a question that’ll seal Daichi’s future, turning it to something out of the ordinary for the said man.
“Will you be my beginning, middle, and end?”
And Daichi took it gladly.
Fast forward to Daichi and Koushi’s first year together, nearing the end of their prelude, Daichi still never fails to inadvertently compliment his lover. Koushi is a revolving door of expressions and effervescence, Daichi’s morning cup of sunshine. Total chaos enclosed in wavy silver strands; a beautiful pandemonium that Daichi dotes on at every given moment.
As days went by, Daichi began to see the affinity between his Koushi and a sonata. He takes notice of how Koushi moves almost metrically, and at the same time, blithe spirit. With this sonata, the new found solace dappled with unending lullabies is the music that keeps Daichi going on a daily basis.
And Koushi, the endearments and sweet nothings that come out of his mouth never falter. Slipping a few every chorus and verse, the push and pull tension the two have going on between them just keeps on getting stronger. And with that said, we can surmise that Koushi has fallen head over heels for Daichi, and so does the latter for him.
Everything was going by indisputably, every hour and day spent with each other and every predicament they faced appeared almost like a cinch.
However, being inexperienced with love, you can never expect everything to turn out perfectly. Daichi and Koushi’s love is solely based on a music piece, you’ll need to go through a lot before properly grasping it.
“Are we even doing this right, Koushi?”
When you stray away from your strings of love — beginnings, middles, and ends get all mixed up. What once was cakewalk can feel like violent rain pelting down, each drop comes with searing pain. You may even feel like the once lucid light shining in your eyes wavering, as each note turns barely legible, as dark and misty clouds begin to shroud your view.
The middle section of the piece is considered the most crucial, and for some, it may even hold the peak of the orchestration. Some tend to give up then and there, for the pressure of the locus unbeknownst to them, opening up a room for qualms and uncertainties.
However, the love that Daichi and Koushi have for one another is undeniably stronger than any futile thought or bitter ambiguity. Even though along the lengthy road, their strings got tangled up, they managed to find a way out of the woods even stronger.
And thankfully they did.
“Do you remember my question a few years back, love?”
“Hmm, which one? You do ask a lot, mister.”
Daichi lets out a chuckle, as one hand intertwines with Koushi’s, and the other in his back pocket. “The answer is yes, we are doing this right.”
“May I share more beginnings, middles, and ends with you, Koushi Sugawara?” He bends down on one knee, the hand that was once inside the pocket of his jeans now holds a velvet box. Slowly, he opens it up, revealing a ring and a winsome smile. "Will you marry me?"
The end of something is the door to a whole new adventure, after all. The dawn of a brand new movement in Koushi and Daichi's symphony.
“Yes, Daichi.”