It was just before noon when Natsu arrived outside Le Pain du Pain, located on one of Florence's many tourist filled streets. Le Pain du Pain was a small French restaurant that had successfully infiltrated one of the epicenters of Italian cuisine. The restaurant marketed itself as a mini escape to Paris. From the food to the waiters, from the decor to the atmosphere surrounding it, Le Pain du Pain had succeeded in doing just that. One step into the restaurant and one would believe he was in France. It was that spectacular magic that it created which caused the restaurant to not only survive, but to thrive when the surrounding shop owners thought it would surely fail.
Nodding in greeting to some of the wait staff, Natsu walked across the street to set up for the day. The round tables that clustered around the front of the restaurant were quickly being filled with hungry guests ready to stuff their travel weary bodies with delicious French food. If he wanted to secure enough tips, it was his cue to get to work. Unpacking his equipment, he set up his speaker, iPod, music stand and a small table. The last thing he unpacked was his violin. He set the case on top of the table and undid the clasps, opening the lid. Inside, the violin rested on a bed of blue velvet.
He cradled the instrument in his hands as he lifted it to rest beneath his chin. Grabbing the bow, he tuned the instrument promptly before he hit the button on the first track of his playlist. Piano music began to weave its way through the crowd of clashing tongues, suppressing the chattering into a dull note. He could feel the crowd's attention being drawn to him. Their ears were opening up, letting the sounds drift in. Natsu smiled sadly as he strummed the bow against the strings and began his song. As he played for the tourists lunching at Le Pain du Pain or the ones strolling passed him, viewing the majesty of this city through a lens, he was deaf to the music he created. The notes merely drifted out into the empty space, separate and distorted. It didn't sound like music to him at all. It was like he was hearing everything underwater. His hands would move about the strings and his bow would press down and glide over them as the song dictated, but the music he wanted to create, the music he had created before, was lost to him.
He had moved to Florence six months ago with hopes to find the music again. A tragedy had wounded his heart, and from that wound, the music rushed out. Without the music, he felt empty. He thought playing in a new city, for the blurring masses of tourists, underneath the open sky would somehow cause the music to return to him. He imagined that one day it would simply drop from the sky and fill the void in his heart. However, from noon till dusk he played, but the music never came.
It was like any other day. The sun was beating down hard over Florence. Sweat dripped down his neck as he played through the heat. The tourists would nod to the beat of the song, dropping spare change and crumpled bills into his empty violin case. A waiter walked over, offering him a glass of water and plate of food. It was in thanks for treating their guests to pleasant music while they dined. He watched everything though, with dead eyes.
How can you appreciate this? He thought as he played on. What are you hearing? The song concluded and the gathered crowd applauded. Natsu bowed to them slightly, then tuned his violin once more. What am I doing? It's been six months. Why can't I get over this? With a lack of an answer, he repositioned the violin beneath his chin and began the next song.
A new crowd began to gather, and Natsu's eyes roamed over them. He played these songs so many times, there was no need to concentrate anymore. His hands unconsciously moved on their own as he surveyed the crowd. An American family snapped pictures of him, a German couple nodded to the beat as they looked over a map of the city, a Chinese tourist group was trying to orchestrate a group photo in front of him, and the rest were just a mass of faces, blurring together before him.
It's the same things. Every day. He thought. Maybe….Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I won't ever hear-
A slender arm emerged from the crowd, reaching towards him as it cupped the air and withdrew back into the masses. A beat later, a figure spun from the group, dipping into a low curtsey before springing up into a twirl. In that instant, Natsu was mesmerized. She reached with her arms into the sky, balancing on one leg and arching her back. As she spun again, her flip flops fell from her feet, releasing her. A ribbon of blonde hair trailed behind her; her eyes were closed as she moved and a soft smile formed on her lips. The loose frock she wore captured the wind as she leaped and spun and danced before him. Everything else seemed to disappear as she danced. It was just him and the mysterious girl and the music that bound them.
Music? It had been so long since Natsu had last heard the music that defined his life. As she danced, it swirled around her. It was as if her movements were gathering the music from the void and bringing it back to him. Her arms arched down from the sky; her bare feet moved airily across the ground; her body spun in every direction. Every move she made caused the music to become clearer. The disjointed notes connected together in the air and the music filled the space. I-I can hear the music. Shocked by this revelation, Natsu almost stumbled over the notes. Though he wanted to continue watching her dance, he closed his eyes, allowing the music to take command of his senses as it had once done.
For so long he had been underwater, his music drowned and lost to him. Now, it felt like he had broken through the surface and he was falling into the sky. The music swirled around him, the notes from his violin mingling with the soft tunes of the piano. His heart was beating rapidly as the song progressed. It was the most thrilling sensation he had ever experienced. It was like he was hearing music for the first time. In that moment, it was the most alive he ever felt.
Natsu wanted the song to last forever. He didn't want to let it go. He opened one eye, watching as the girl still danced to his song. She was so graceful and elegant, letting the music move her body. It was like watching a flower bend in the breeze. Her feet fluttered beneath her; her hands caressing the space around her. Watching her, he could see she didn't want this moment to end either. Yet, they both knew. They both felt the coming of the end. The music faded out slowly as she, again, reached out her slender arm towards him, cupping the air before bringing her hand to rest above her heart.
The song had ended, but the air between them was still charged. The echo of the music hummed in the air around them. Natsu stared at the girl, transfixed by her. She stared back at him, tears glittering in her eyes as she smiled. The memory of her dance was imprinted on his mind. He had never seen anyone move the way she had. What they had shared, transcended speech. Natsu felt he knew her like he knew his own soul. They were kindred spirits bound to music. It was what made their hearts beat; it was what defined them. Natsu had lost the music, but she had gathered it up and brought it back to him by opening up her heart to the sounds he created. He realized now, he had been afraid. He had been afraid to open up his heart again.
The crowd around them burst into applause, snapping his mind back to the world around him. The girl straightened and closed the distance between them. She took his hand, raised it with her own and dipped them both into a bow. The crowd continued to cheer, but all Natsu could do was stare at the girl bent beside him. As the applause died away, she straightened them both.
"Sorry," she said, blushing. "It sounded like your song was calling for something…someone. It was so sad, like someone was crying. I-I couldn't help myself. I wanted…I needed to dance, to show it wasn't alone. That whoever it was calling out for would return." Her blushed deepened as she looked away. "This sounds silly. Dancing in order to comfort a song." She laughed, ringing a melody into his ears. Her gaze met his again, her brown eyes bright and shining. "But what's even sillier is that I felt—I felt as if the the song changed. Like it wasn't sad anymore, as if it understood what I was trying to say."
"Luuuucy!" A group of girls stood at the edge of the dispersing crowd, waving the girl over. Lucy smiled at them, waving back.
"What I'm trying to say is," Lucy started. "Thank you for the beautiful music. I'll remember it and this moment forever." With that, she released their hands and walked towards her friends, stopping to collect her discarded shoes before being swallowed up by the throng of tourists rushing about.
All he could do was stare after her. The girl who opened her heart to his music, and reminded him to do the same. He felt a tugging sensation on his arm, and he reluctantly looked down. A young girl wearing a cowboy hat smiled up at him with big round eyes.
"Will you play another sir?" She asked.
Natsu stared down at her, shocked. The girl…Lucy was gone. How could he recreate that magic again? Without her, would he still be able to hear the music? He was afraid. He didn't want to lose it a second time. He closed his eyes, repositioning the violin under his chin and took a deep breath, opening his heart. He could see her there. Lucy was bent in a curtsy, her muscles tense with eagerness to move. She was waiting for him. waiting for him to play. He raised the bow into the air; her head tilted up. As he brought the bow down, gliding it once over the strings, Lucy straightened out of her curtsy. The two locked eyes, before closing them slowly as they let the music overtake them.
The little girl gasped once the final note drifted away, before clapping her hands together. She thanked him before running back to join her parents.
Natsu felt a tear trickle down his cheek as the notes to another song began to play.
"Me too" he whispered. "I'll remember forever."