Tao fell in love with the orchestra the first time he heard the national symphony play live, and he continued to love it even after he heard his father play his last piece. 

He remembers that day well, it was one of the only days Tao remembers feeling completely happy, he can still hear his favorite pieces. The ones that made the musicians move their fingers so quickly across their strings that their hands would bleed, or that the trumpets in the back of the orchestra could finally do what they were made to do and make themselves be heard from all the way in the back section of the balcony. 

This happened to be the complete opposite of his father, who loved the music that was slow and gentle and that seemed to fit every part together in one seamless, endless chord. The music that, in other words, would put Tao to sleep. 

After the concert that day he had bought a CD recording of the music that he heard playing, and he carried it with him every day after his father’s death. 

Laying on his bed Tao could hear the faint sounds of Dvorak’s 8th symphony coming from his radio, the same music that Tao had on his CD that was carefully tucked away in his jacket. 

“One day,” he muttered to himself

“One day, i'll be as good as them, and then you will never have you worry about me again mother,”  

He sat up wiping the stray tear that had fallen from his eye and walked over to the radio switching it off. He sat down the side of the wall and his head in his hands. 

“What’s wrong honey?”

Tao jumped and hit his head on a low hanging shelf. 

“Oh let me get you some ice for that,” his mother said while scurrying off into the kitchen. 

“Mom, no, i'm fine it's not that bad,”

“But I don't want it forming a bruise. Now, here take this and put it where it hurts.” 

Tao reluctantly took the ice pack and placed it on his head. 

“Now tell me what's bothering you .” 

Tao carefully sat in a chair at the counter and began to nervously draw circles on the counter. 

“Kris is in the hospital and dying because he lost his medication and now,” he hesitated 

“Now he's going to die and I'm going to be left all alone again.” 

“But you still have me,”

“But you're just my mother. He’s, he’s my friend and a good one too. He’s the only one who’s actually cared about me and it wasn't because I was blind,”

“Honey, you're not blind you can see perfectly fine,” 

At that tao exploded 

“Perfectly fine? Perfectly fine? then how do you explain the fact that I can’t see anything but darkness and the fact that I don't even know what you look like ?” 

His mother remained silent and watched as her son seethed through with anger. She silently took a step back, and reached above the refrigerator, she then gently shook a bottle. Almost immediately tao calmed down. 

“What is that?” 

“If you think he's that special and will stay with you forever. Then go. Save him if you must. “ 

Tao reached out and took the orange pill bottle in his hands. 

“Are these-” 

“Yes, if you believe in him and not me go and leave me. But if you ever find out that you were wrong and that you made a mistake come back here. I will always be here Tao because I will always know what's best for you.”

Hopping off the chair Tao slowly backed out of the room. Turing to run he heard his mother's threats of not helping him in any way. 

Tao had long memorized the path to the hospital a while ago, getting there was easy. Getting there in enough time was not. 

-

The wind ripped through Taos hair as he ran through the cold, clutching the little orange bottle closer to his chest he paused on the corner of a street bouncing from foot to foot waiting to hear the signal change. 

The streets around him were bustling and he could hear as a little girl began to cry because of the thunder. The thunder didn't bother tao much; it had calmed him down during the nights of his father’s death and had lulled him to sleep, and had taught him to get used to loud noises when his mother would shout or when a teenager would try and ‘prove’ to their friends that Tao was actually blind.

Running Across the street Tao bumped into several people and several small animals. But he kept on running.  His father used to tell him that even though he was blind and couldn't move fast, if Tao could run fast enough and if the moment was right his soul would make it before him and save the day. 

Tao never did believe him though. Until now when his throat was running dry from the cold wind and he felt like giving up because the closer he got to his destination the further away Tao felt. 

He felt almost invisible. 

As if the rest of the world didn't care that his one and only friend was on the brink of dying and that in his frozen, cold hands he happened to hold the lixer, the antidote, the cure. 

But Tao pushed on. Because he had lived through other days when he felt like this. When the world was against him. When he felt like giving up. 

But the one thing that kept him going were his father’s words 

“Son,” he had said one day after Tao had been bullied and had cried long after. 

“Life is like a piano. The black keys represent sadness and the white represent happiness. But you must remember one thing are you listening ?” 

Tao had nodded through tears and snot 

“Even the black keys make music.” 

-

The warm air of the hospital was a great contrast to the frigid air outside. He paused inside the door unsure of where to go. Taking a few steps forward he bumped into someone 

“Watch it.” The person hissed 

“Sorry” Tao mumbled. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

The man hissed again. 

“Im blind sir, I’m very sorry I didn't mean to run into you it’s just I'm here to see my friend and I don’t know where he is and could you please help me find the front desk,  thank you,” Tao rushed out 

The man’s anger immediately dissipated. 

“Of course it's over here.” 

Gently holding onto the man's arm he led him over to a small desk where Tao then thanked the man, and asked for Kris’s room. 

“Just down the hallway to your right. If you follow the hallway, there should be another one on your left it will be the third room down on the second hallway,” 

“Thank you,”. 

Tao took off running and immediately apologized when he bumped into several nurses. 

Dragging his hand along the hallway he found the hole leading to the second hallway and he began counting down the doors, his heart beating faster as he got nearer 

“Three more.”

Boom

Two more

Boom 

One more 

Boom 

Boom was the sound Tao’s hand made as it connected with the pale green wood of the door. 

The man in the crisp clean suit gently opened the door. 

“May I help you?”  

“Yes, you  see my name is Tao, I’m Kris’s friend and I knew that he was going through some, well issues and I seem to have fo-” 

Tao was cut off by a small scream. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing of your concern. What did you say your name was,” 

“Tao sir would you please let me in I have some very-” 

“No” 

Tao whined 

“Why?” 

The man gulped and lead Tao over to the giant glass window that was placed on the opposite side of Kris’s bed. 

Kris’s attacks were happening more and more frequently and he was thrashing around on the bed while several nurses were trying to get his body back to a lucid state but it seemed to be of no use. 

“Look through ther-”

“Sir I can’t see I’m blind.”  

“Of course you are. Now I was saying if you could see through there master Kris is dying. Hes flatlined once already and a do not resuscitate has been signed. I'm sorry. But this is probably going to be the end of it.” 

Tao shook his head he could feel the tears began to flow. 

“No, no he cant die. I made a promise to my mother. She’s the one to blame she took these from him. She was afraid that I would leave her for him but that's not true I just wanted a friend, but see I've got the pills here, please he's my only friend, please you've got to, please you must, please save him.” 

The man gently smoothed Tao’s hair. 

“I can't.” 

“But the pills. They'll help.”  

“About three hours ago they would have. I'm afraid he can't swallow anything right now, I’m sorry,”. 

Tao shakily pressed the bottle in the man’s wrinkly hands. Tao felt him leave and he felt around for the window and he pressed his face to the glass. 

“I'm sorry.” He gulped 

“I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry I didn't make it. I'm sorry”

He heard another scream

“I'm sorry” Tao sobbed

Please save him. Please you've got to” he yelled at the glass as if the nurses inside could hear him. 

“You can't go yet. You can't leave me here with these people. I need you to show me new stuff and learn new things. Please.” He continued as a nurse tried to pry him away from the window. 

“No! No!”  Tao thrashed about in the woman's arms tears and shot streaming down his face like he was a child again 

Tao heard the heart rate monitor drop in the one note.

The one note that tao hated and feared the most. 

C. 

The note that showed that death was no longer coming but was here. 

Tao hoped that wherever Kris was now it was better that the hospital in which Tao was standing. 

‘Somewhere where there's lots of music and an endless supply of cellos.’ 

Tao thought as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

A/N:   

Wow, I finally finished this story  im really sad but really happy. Soon there will be a poll asking if you all want an epilouge or not and what you might want to happen. Once I figure out how to set it up. 

But yay its finished !!! Sorry for the rushed ending I had an idea and typed it at 11 last night. Hope you all like it anyways !

Please please leave comments I love and value them so much !  

Love you all, untill next time !!!

Ring-Ding-Dong 

Here's the links for the poll: 

http://www.asianfanfics.com/poll/aff_view/117648

http://www.asianfanfics.com/poll/aff_view/117649

Let me know if these do not seem to work!