Work Text:
A birthday cake with five candles lied in the middle of the table, the flame illuminated the entire room. A girl with long white hair giggled as her parents held her hands and helped her blow out the candles. “Happy birthday, Kanade,” her mother said, clapping her hands as the final candle goes out. Kanade laughed some more, clapping along with her. Her father walked over to a corner of the room, and Kanade jumped up to see that her dad had brought out his guitar.
“Daddy, are you going to sing a song,” she asked, holding her arms to her chest. Her mother lifts her onto the couch as her dad gets ready to play. When he does, it’s an angelic tune. Kanade closes her eyes and envisions the feeling that it brings. She has seen her and her parents over the years. Celebrating more birthdays together. Going through moments of love and heartbreak together, never once giving up. To her, her dad’s songs could make the worst moments better. It can make moments like this beautiful and colorful….
“Hopeful,” she whispered as she laid against her mother’s sleeve. She could feel her mother stroke her face and move some hair behind her ear. This was the type of moments that made Kanade’s heart flutter with dreams and hope.
One day… I want to do that too.
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On the day of her eleventh birthday, her mother had to buy a cake from the store. Kanade didn’t mind. Recently, her mother had been struggling more with her illness. It meant more than enough that she thought to do something for her birthday.
Like years prior, they all sat around the table, hand in hand, as Kanade blew out her candles. Sometime after that her mother went to rest and her father went to comfort her during some of her more painful moments. Kanade, however, went to her room and sat at her synthesizer and did what she knew could help.
Her mother once told her that her father’s songs brought a sense of warmth to her. A warmth that fought through the doubt and pain in her worse moments. Her dad once said that she was blessed by music when she made a song for his birthday. Her songs could bring a similar joy. The idea of that made her heart flutter.
She had found a dream. And that dream meant composing a song to help her mother, to comfort her in her worse moments. To comfort even though right now, things seem quite hopeless. A song that can brighten her day, if even for a single second, before her world got enveloped with darkness.
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Candles the shape of 1 and 5 sit on top of a birthday cupcake. Kanade’s father spent the first part of the morning making it and the sweet smell was what she woke up to on her 15th birthday. After a couple moments, her dad disappeared into his room, working more and more on a commission that he was paid for.
It had been a few years since her mother passed away, yet Kanade always thought she was nearby. Always with her for her birthday. It was the hope she needed to keep her and her father going. She moved to the couch with her cupcake, a nice memory playing in her mind. A time a few years ago, they all sat here together. Her father playing that same angelic tune…
She tapped her foot to the rhythm, as best as she could remember it. She started humming and closed her eyes, watching that day in the park once again they once shared. The nice carnations that her mother loved. The song her father played that day and the warmth that it brought.
The cupcake was gone by the time she finished the melody. Tuning back into reality, she could hear the sound of her dad’s synthesizer, stuttering on the same part.
…He’s hard at work today… I should get lunch ready for him.
A few days later, Kanade finds herself at her desk. Her father’s composing program is loud enough for her to hear the part he’s been working on endlessly. On her table is a notebook, with a few chords written down. Hearing her father work endlessly after that contest made her want to do something for him.
He’s been working tirelessly, making music that could bring the same feeling of hopefulness and delight that his songs did for mom. When she was younger, she once told her mom she also wanted to make songs that could make people happy. That dream will start with making her dad happy.
This song… this song will bring the same happiness that he’s given me. I hope he’ll enjoy it.
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There is no cake. Who would she even eat it with? She must compose. How old was she today? A couple classmates tried wishing her a happy birthday. There wasn’t any point though. Starting in April, she wouldn’t see them again. She has to compose.
There is no cake. There’s no point in it. She has to compose. She needs to make a song that will save someone. If she can save someone… then maybe she could forgive herself for-. No. It was her fault. Nothing can change that. Nothing could redeem her. So, she’ll compose to save someone…to never make that mistake again.
She has to compose.
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“Yuki, I’m sorry we missed your birthday,” a voice called out. Amia.
“To be fair, we only did just start working together a little while ago,” Yuki reassured them. “Besides, there’s always next year.”
“Still…we should figure out each other’s birthdays though,” Enanan said. “We can always say something to each other in the group chat you know?” It had been a couple months working with Enanan, Yuki, and Amia. Kanade could see the growth that her songs were growing. It was thanks to them that her songs were reaching so many people now.
The illustrations that Enanan made, perfectly capturing the emotion that she wanted to convey, Amia’s editing skills that truly made the illustration and video pop. Yuki’s arrangement and lyrics that could always pierce into someone’s heart. It was perfect. Asking them to join her was one of the best decisions she’d made.
Now she can truly save someone. One song at a time.
“K, are you there,” a voice said, bringing her out of her thoughts. Ah…she’s muted again.
“I’m here. What’s up, Amia?” The question caused Enanan to giggle a little.
“Were you working during the whole conversation? We were asking you your birthday K. So, we can send a birthday message when the time came.” Birthday? That’s right…she didn’t really do much for her birthday last year.
“February 10th.” She'll be seventeen. In seventeen years, her life changed so much.
“That’s a few days away,” Amia shouted.
“Amia, keep yourself quiet. It’s too late in the night to be yelling.”
“Another day, another scolding from Enanan, hehe.” Kanade soon muted herself again and went back to work on the current song.
The day of her birthday quickly came and when she got up, she was met with three messages from Yuki, Enanan, and Amia.
Amia: K! Happy Birthday! Thanks for bringing me on! Here’s to another year of great music together!
Enanan: Hi K! Happy Birthday! Enjoy it and relax a little today before getting to work.
Yuki: Happy Birthday K! I can’t wait to hop online later and get to work. See you at 25:00.
…Thank you, you guys.
A familiar warmth warms Kanade's heart. It felt like that day in the park.
Let’s get to work.