(At the Amori house, formally-dressed guests converse with each other around tables laden with hor d'oeuvres and drinks. Shou and Reichelt, both wearing suits, arrive. Shou's expression is strained.)
Shou
This place, which I thought that I would never see again—
Reichelt
Wooow.
I didn't know your family was rich, Shou.
Shou
I never thought that I would come back to this house.
That's not true. It's just that the man my mother married was rich—...
(He sees Suzuna looking over at him.)
Suzuna-chan...!
(Suzuna hides behind Shou's back when she sees Reichelt.)
Reichelt
Erg.
Yes, yes, I know I'm not welcome.
But I'm really a feminist, you know.
I'll just transport myself over there.
(He walks away.)
Suzuna
—Shou-san, will you go outside with me?
(In the garden.)
Shou
I'm sorry. I got the invitation so suddenly that I didn't even have time to prepare a gift—...
When I get back to Germany—
Suzuna
I don't care about that!
I thought that you had gone to Germany because you loved the piano.
Shou
Of course. I went because I wanted to play the piano—...
Suzuna
—That's not true.
You were running away.
—From Takashi-san.
Shou
—Running away?
Why would I
Suzuna
I never understood why you were always so contrary to each other.
Even though both of you could show such kindness to other people—...
Shou
have to run away from anything?
What
Suzuna
But I understood after listening to Reichelt-san.
Shou
would I have been running away from?
Suzuna
The two of you are so alike.
Shou
What is Suzuna-chan talking about?
Suzuna
Neither of you can be kind to the one person you love.
Both of you are such fools.
Shou
She's leaping to the wrong conclusion.
—Suzuna-cha...
Because—
Because I—...
Suzuna
—Because you're afraid of that love, aren't you?
—You're afraid...of having your kindness rejected, so you're not honest with each other.
That's how much you're afraid to lose, isn't it?
—...Takashi-san is—
(She turns and runs off.)
Shou
Suzuna-cha...!
I'm...afraid?
(He slips the bookmark out of his jacket pocket.)
But I—
Why do I always carry this with me...?
These are just dead flower petals.
Just memories.
Just something that loses its color with time.
Taking such care to carry something like this with me—
But when I have it with me, it's almost as if I'm asking Takashi to not forget about me.
That's why...
(Shou turns. Through the open glass doors, Takashi is at the piano, playing in the midst of a crowd of people.)
!
That's not it.
I...
Could it be that the one who didn't want to forget was me...?
(Someone from the crowd notices Shou.)
Guest 1
Oh?
Guest 2
Hey!
It's our leading man Takashi's brother.
Guest 1
We want to hear your playing too!
Shou
...!
I...
Suzuna
I want to hear it, too.
Shou
Suzuna-chan.
Suzuna
—I would like to hear Shou-san and Takashi-san playing a four hands duet...!
Guest 1
That'd be great!
We've rarely heard these two brothers playing together, right?
Shou
Suzuna-chan...
Guest 2
You're not going to refuse the request of our princess, are you?
Guest 1
Right?! Takashi-san.
Takashi
...
When my brother goes back to Germany, I don't know when he'll come again.
—This will be our last memory together.
Guest 1
Geez, stop talking like you'll never see each other again!
Shou
—Our...last...
Is this what Takashi wants—...?
(They sit down at the piano together, a large crowd around them.)
Then
—Liszt's Prelude—...
(They begin to play.)
Shou
When Takashi's letters stopped coming
I didn't have the courage to write to him myself.
Like those flower petals,
As time passed,
Everything faded.
Wasn't that what happened?
Surely that's why when that time we spent together changed into memory,
He was able to choose someone else as if nothing had ever happened.
But isn't that the way it should be?
Because he's my brother.
Because I should not think of him as anything but my brother.
I shouldn't feel anything but a wish for his happiness.
—I shouldn't feel anything anymore, should I?
—But
(Shou misses a note, and Takashi turns his head, startled. His eyes widen.)
Takashi
!
—Shou...
Shou
—But if that's true,
—Then why are these tears flowing down my face—...?
(In the kitchen, the chef and her two helpers are preparing some food.)
Helper 1
Listen! Shou-sama and Takashi-sama are playing a four hands duet!
Helper 2
What? I want to go see!
Helper 1
It's right next to the kitchen, so we can just go take a peek!
Helper 2
Right?
Chef
Hey, hey!
Helper 1
Just for a bit!
Helper 2
Eeek!
Chef
You two!
We're still in the middle of cooking!
(They run off.)
—Sheesh! Guess there's no help for it.
...
Then I guess I'll
Just take a quick peek, too.
(She wipes off her hands and leaves the kitchen. Behind her, a towel placed too close to the stove begins to catch on fire.)
A guest
Wonderful!
A guest
They played in perfect synchronization even without a score!
A guest
They seem to get along really well with each other, don't they?
Shou
!
Takashi
—Shou.
(A guest behind Takashi notices something.)
A guest
Hmm?
Takashi
There's something I want to say to—...
A guest
Hey,
Do you smell something burning?
A guest
Now that you mention it—...
A guest
Kya...
Kyaaaah!
A guest
FIRE!
A guest
Kyaaah!
A guest
Don't shove!
A guest
Let's evacuate! Hurry!
Shou
How could...
How could something like this happen...
Reichelt
Shou! Let's hurry up and get out of here too!
Shou
!
It's not here.
The bookmark.
The cherry blossom petals
The only thing I have of Takashi—...
Reichelt
What's wrong? Shou!
Shou
—Sorry, Reichelt.
Go on ahead!
Reichelt
Shou?!
Shou
The fire hasn't spread yet, so I'll be fine!
I'll come right after you!
Reichelt
Shou...!
—...
(Outside, the guests are milling around.)
A guest
—Is everyone safely out of the house?
A guest
Everyone, please double-check those who came with you!
Reichelt
I'm telling you that the person who came with me hasn't come out yet!
Takashi
!
Hey! What happened to Shou?!
He's not still—...!
Reichelt
Takashi...!
It's...
It's all your fault...!
Takashi
?
What are you talking about—...?
Reichelt
—You sent him that letter, didn't you...?
Those cherry blossom petals
Shou went back in to get them...!
Takashi
!
Cherry blossom...?
But Shou never came to the airport.
So I thought that it meant that he had totally forgotten about me—...
I—...
Reichelt
—Why...!
Why?!
He's always treasured it!
If he can't get it back...!
Takashi
Treasured...that—?
(Takashi runs off.)
Reichelt
Takashi...!
—No way...
He flew into the house without any hesitation at all—...
That's—...
(Shou is down on the floor against a wall, flames roaring around him. He coughs.)
Shou
This is...bad.
There's no place left to run.
I'm such a fool.
(He holds up the bookmark, smudged with ash.)
Using the excuse that I had dropped this to come back.
I wonder if I'll die here like this.
I wouldn't mind dying.
Because I truly...
Because with you—...
With...you...
(Takashi crashes into the room with a chair in his hands.)
Takashi
Sh...
(Takashi flies across the room and clutches at Shou.)
SHOU...!
You...idiot...!
How could you worry me like this...!
Shou
—But now—...
Takashi
—I love you.
I don't care anymore if I'm nothing to you...!
I wanted to tell you at the airport in Germany, but it doesn't matter anymore...
—Shou
I have
—always
loved you...!
(For a moment Shou leans into Takashi's arms.)
Shou
Now—oh, now...
—I guess you beat me to it.
—I think I can say it.
Takashi
What?
Shou
—...I also—
You see, there's something I also want to say to you.
If we can get out of this...can I say it?
Takashi
What are you talking about, you idiot!
Of course we'll get out!
—I'll take you to the exit...!
(Takashi holds out his hand.)
Shou
Of course.
It was the same back then.
You were the one to push me.
(Takashi and Shou run down the hall side by side, Takashi's jacket held over their heads.)
So that these legs that had already given up movement could step forward.
I abandoned the piano for my mom's sake, but
That wasn't the only reason I stopped, was it?
Because back then, whenever I played, you had such a look of hurt on your face—
I didn't want to be hated by you...
How did I lose them? That time, those memories?
It didn't matter if we played well or poorly.
Yes.
Like that first time that we touched the piano keys—
I only wanted to be free to be happy with you—...
(In Shou's memories, a tiny Takashi leans against the piano and grins at Shou as he plays.)
What was...
My true wish—...
(At the airport.)
Reichelt
—This is fine.
Shou
Sorry, Reichelt.
You're going back alone after all...
Reichelt
It can't be helped.
—Because I wasn't the one to save you...
He dashed into the flames without a moment's hesitation.
I had already lost, then—
Shou.
You know, I...
I thought that he only made you unhappy.
I no longer have the right to take you back with me...
—But I was wrong.
It hurts you because you love him.
But even if it hurts you, you want to be with him—...
That's...what he is to you, right...?
(For a moment Shou looks stunned—then his eyes soften.)
Shou
—Within me
—Yeah...
—Frozen time begins to flow once more...
Like a melody.
Reichelt
...Will you come back to Germany sometime?
I want to work with you—...
Shou
...I will.
(Takashi waits nearby.)
—There is so much music I want to play.
In Japan. At Takashi's side.
What will we play when we go back?
Yes, for now
Let us start with the prelude—...
END