Part 1 

"Arthur?" 

A demon had walked in. 

My mother. 

Back when I was a kid, the only thing I thought of her was that she was an overly controlling and strict person, especially so in my routine of becoming a skilled pianist. 

It's mainly because of her that I've been living and breathing the piano, it was only because of her that I'm only capable of playing the piano and nothing else. 

I was forced, even when she had no more control over me, to become a professional pianist, even if I didn't want to. 

It was that ingrained into me. 

Back then, she barely looked at me, only doing so to give me an irritated glare, as if she didn't care. 

I could tell, by the hateful glare she gave to me every day that...

She didn't love me. 

She didn't love me at all. 

She hated me, she despised me.

She looked down on me for not playing skillfully enough, she degraded me, looked at me as if I was trash and still forced me into routinely practice the piano for about 5 hours on weekdays, and 8 hours on weekends, straight. And I was still looked down as if I was trash, placed underneath 0 in the value scale. 

I hated it, I hated it very much. 

And I knew her reasons very well. 

Her stupid, selfish reasons for forcing me on the piano. 

It's simple:

She wanted to brag to her friends. 

Bragging.

I hear her on the phone, talking about Lukyus's violin skills, sugarcoating my piano skills. 

She would punish me if I didn't perform well at concerts. 

That was the only time she cared, she only cared if I played well, or if I didn't. 

"Yo, older brother, I'm surprised you're here, with that Charlotte it seems too." 

My younger brother, Lukyus stood behind mother, waving toward me blissfully. 

"...Arthur?" 

Noticing how I was frozen, Charlotte lowly called my name as she grabbed onto my sleeves, pulling on it. 

But right now, I couldn't feel anything. 

I was numb. 

Mother and I had met gazes. 

"..." 

"My talentful son, Arthur, how are you?" 

My mother approached me, and tried to grab my hand. 

"Don't touch me." 

A slapping sound waved in the speed of light as I smacked her hand away. 

I could feel the sweat accumulating in my hands. 

Like none other than before, on a scale incomparable to that of the small fight before and that of my first live musical performance. My heart, it was beating so fast that it could explode into a gushing of a violent explosion of guts and blood. It was burning deeply, sizzling my lungs, reminding me of a deeply ingrained and impaled scar as my skin paled, my mouth tight shut. 

"What's the matter, aren't you happy to see your mother after five years?" 

Mother's face contorted into a frown. 

That's right. 

When I was sixteen years old, I made full use of my musical scholarship and with the help of my teacher, escape into a university, living in its dorms until I graduated. 

I escaped that hellhole. 

And since then, for five years, I haven't seen a glimpse of my parent's faces. 

Those, black, blurry, hateful faces. 

I never want to see them again. 

"Go... Go kill yourself, you fucking trash."

I slowly clenched my fist as I heaved out those hateful words. A deep black fog followed my words, numbing the atmosphere around us. I could feel a pain in my chest as my sharp spiteful glare pierced mother's eyes. 

"Hey! What the hell did you say to mother?! Don't say things like that, insensitive freak!" 

Lukyus stood in front of mother, and grabbed my shoulders, shaking them. 

"Get your hands off of me you... You who was loved by both mother and father!" 

With my inner ropes torn, I yelled at Lukyus. 

Lukyus's eyebrows rose as he froze. 

"Get a hold of yourself, this isn't about that-" 

As my heart spilt, I finally broke. 

My vision went red. 

"Why wasn't I loved? Why was I the only one left behind, treated like trash and thrown into the dirt?! If you don't understand that, then get your fucking hands off of me you stupid narcissist!" 

I could feel my eyes go red as the corner of my eyes began to go wet. 

With my powerful grip, I grabbed his wrist and pushed his hands away. 

His body followed as he hit the wall to the side. 

Mother screamed, helping him up. 

Right now, everything looked to be a blur as I went into my pockets, and stomped over toward the counter and slammed the money onto it before trampling out of the electronic store. 

I still haven't let go of the past. 

Part 2 

Charlotte's POV

My name is Charlotte. 

And I'm standing alone in an electronic store, in front of my owner's parents and younger brother. 

"So you're his girlfriend, huh? Lukyus told me all about you. Isn't it unbelievable what he just did? Even though I was doing everything for him, he looked at me as if I was the villain here. You should stay away from Arthur for your own good, or he'll turn on you like he turned on me." 

Hearing her self-validating words, seeing her carefree, cold and i-don't-care look relaxing on her expression I clicked my tongue and clenched my fists. 

"...You really are trash." 

I muttered under my breath, a shadow cast over my eyes as I slowly walked out of the shop, following Arthur. 

"-What did you say?" 

What she did was not for Arthur, I know that for sure. 

Because, in their home, I could hear everything. 

Everything was for herself, to show off her musical talented children to her friends. 

As a piano, I sat and watched Arthur being punished and smacked by his mother as they sat in front of me, practising pieces on me, every day. For an entire 11 years, ever since I was bought. I could see everything. Arthur changing, Arthur crying, Arthur lying on his bed staring at the wall with a dead expression, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, everything. 

Arthur was my everything, literally. 

And I soon become infatuated with him.

As time went on, the life in Arthur's eyes as he sat in front of me, practising the piano slowly disappeared. 

In the first year, he sat in front of me, his smile radiated, warming my heart. In the second year, that smile stayed, although his eyes were slightly sparkling. By the fourth year, the life on his expression was lesser compared to years earlier. 

With each passing year, his eyes became dark and jaded, his smile turned into a neutral line as he pressed on my keys like a puppet. 

He was slowly dying inside. 

Until he truly died. 

Sometimes, I would turn into my human form, and clean up his room and hide some extra food in his room in case his father decided to starve him, which happened frequently. 

His father was abusive, while his mother was strict and a control freak. 

From downstairs, I could always hear his father screaming at Arthur, only to see Arthur walk back into his room with life-threatening wounds. 

From his eyes, I could tell that Arthur wanted to kill himself. 

One time from school, he returned home, with bruises all over his body. 

He was being bullied, but his mother and father looked at him and shrugged. 

One time from school, he returned home, crying. 

It was clear something bad happened, but his mother and father looked at him and shrugged. 

One time from school, he returned home, holding a paper that needed to be signed. 

His father glared at him, and smacked him in anger and irritation, shouting obscene things. 

One time from school, he returned home, holding a suspicious metal ruler. 

And he cut himself. 

He grinned suicidally as he did it. 

After cutting himself, he smiled with his dead eyes like none other I've seen.

And muttered: 

"This is a sign, of love for myself. I make myself feel better, so I'm receiving love from myself, right? Ha, ha, hahahah... Hahahaha... Puahahahahahaha!"  

He was laughing maniacally with lifeless jaded dark eyes, with an unnatural smile. 

"..."

So, I had to do something. 

I had to bring in some sort of dynamics. 

So I began to make fun of him subtly. 

I began to compliment him more frequently. 

His reactions were cute, funny and satisfying. 

He would either cry, laugh or be confused as he heard my sudden voice, he would put his ear on the wall, thinking it was a neighbour. 

As time went on, I complimented him more than I made fun of him. 

The life in his eyes slowly reappeared, the will to improve resurfacing. 

I was rebuilding his humanity, and confidence. 

It all went like so until one point. 

"Mother, father, I'm leaving. Don't follow me." 

By 16, I had finally encouraged Arthur enough for him to stand up to himself. 

I had prevented the creation of a doll, solely created to mechanically play pieces on a piano. 

I had reshaped the soul of someone who's had their own shattered. 

I had saved a life. 

...

.....

.......

..........

As I stepped out of the shop, Arthur was nowhere to be seen 

"Arthur?!" 

I shouted out his name, my neck tensing as I frantically looked around. 

I ran in a random direction, hoping I would find him. 

After a while, I found a figure standing alone, its shadow overcast by the darkness of the alleyway it stood in. 

His sparkly black hair, his sharp handsome face. His back rested gently against the damp alleyway walls, wearing the shirt I had picked out for him earlier today. 

It was definitely him. 

Despite my efforts of trying to help him, he fell right back into his dead state.

His eyes were colourless and dark, void of light. 

I can tell already, he's in so much pain, his heart is aching. 

His heart is hurting, because he was reminded of how much the world doesn't love him. 

The man I love is in pain. I love him. I could feel my heart racing and burning, both in pure love and melancholy. I love him so much. Ever since I met him, and our time together. 

I love you so much, so please, don't look like that. 

Don't look like you're in so much pain. 

As long as he is haunted by the past, he will never love me back. 

I... I don't want that. 

I want him to love me back. 

But he won't, not until he's healed. 

"...?"

Immediately after seeing me, Arthur froze, tensing up. 

His dead eyes sparkled just a tiny bit, recovering. 

All of a sudden, I felt his hard chest hit my face. 

He hugged me. 

His cold warmth melted into me. 

"I'm sorry Charlotte... Even though, even though you told me not to- I still haven't let go of the past. I'm sorry." 

I could hear the tears in his voice as he spoke into my ear. 

"It's okay, even if they won't love you, I always will."

I spoke into his ears 

Ever since Arthur was born, he had never received any love, from anyone. 

Literally, no one. 

The world hated him, and he laid in defeat. 

Imagine a life where everyone who's supposed to love you, just don't. Instead, they glare at you with hate. 

Arthur lived through that, every day. 

So, with my proclamation: I felt his shoulder quiver, as he began to sob into my body, for the second time. 

"...T-Thank... y-you."

I caressed his warm silky hair as my face rubbed against his hard chest. 

His tears running down onto my head. 

He made sudden movements in response to his sniffing and sobbing, keeping quiet. 

I will save him. 

And when I do, he'll finally love me back.