With a huff, the ebony and scarlet haired woman leaned against a tombstone. She lifted the case she had in hand into view. She sighed but smiled afterwards. Turning around, she set the case on the stone, flipping the clasps open. Raising the lid, the smell of varnish and resin hits her nostrils, this was a memory almost forgotten. Inside, lying on a bed of dark green velvet was a violin of beautiful quality. She gingerly picked it up, holding it gently in her hands vertically. Her golden eyes travelled over the strings, the shining exterior, and the black velvet chin-rest. She set it back down just as delicately as she did picking it up, now taking up her bow and a square of resin. She ran the resin over the strings of the bow, knowing that would guarantee it would play as well as she remembered.

“Ranini?” A child’s voice called from behind her. The woman that the child Ranini turned around with bow in hand and violin in the other. “Are you going to play for them again tonight?” The ebony haired child with her midnight blue eyes asked. The woman nodded but then asked her own question, “When are you going to start calling me something like ‘Sister’ or my actual name, Rani? I don’t mind you calling me what you always have, but I was just wondering little sister.” The child shrugged. “When are you going to start calling me more then little sister, like my name, Ashalana?” Rani smiled, her smile bigger then usual. “Fine, its back to Ash you go.” Rani laughed her bell-like laughter softly.

Ash sat on the ground, crossing her slender legs. “Sister, why are you so sad?” The question was out of the blue, it was something that shocked Rani to her core. She had been about to play, but now the instruments in hand lay at her sides as she looked at Ash with a blank expression. “What do you mean dearest?” Ash tilted her head to the side, much like her sister often did. “Your smile is always sad, you never go out anymore other then come here to play for them, you’re always sighing when you think I don’t notice. What’s wrong? What can I do to help?” Ash sometimes seemed older then her nine years of age and sometimes it felt like Rani was the younger rather then the older sister.

“When you are older, I shall tell you. For now, enjoy the sound of freedom from all our troubles, like having only me and not Mother or Father, whoever they were.” Ash stood then, walking towards Rani. Taking the hand that held the bow, Ash clutched it, whispering, “You’re all I have or need to survive.” Those words broke and melted Rani’s heart, she nodded as tears blurred her vision. She bit her lower lip, nodding still. “Alright, if you insist Ash. What are you going to do when I am gone?” Ash smiled sweetly, “Carry on your job and survive until it kills me too.” Knowing what Ash spoke of, Rani nodded grimly, putting the bow to the strings of the violin and she began to play what her sister loved most; music from the heart.