This hurt. There was no other term for it, just watching him struggle was painful. She wanted to give him his hearing back, tried so hard to remember what they all did to gain back normality when that short, slimy creep did that. But every time she tried, the headaches hit her. Blinding her for an hour at most, making her curse herself more.
"Of all things to forget, it's that." she muttered to herself.
She stared down at the scribbled mess of the notebook, each thought and idea, another useless thing in gaining her answers. Why did this have to happen and why couldn't she remember a damn thing?
"You know he'd yell at you right now for stressing over this?"
Jenny spun around to see Motes at the door, grinning at her. His usual hyper-ness was nowhere in sight as he came over to her, looking at the notebook.
"I just...I can't just sit here." she sighed, "Doing nothing."
"You're not doing nothing, Jenny. You have been helping everyone really, including him. You just don't see it."
She glanced back at the pink haired man, "How so? I haven't been able to get his hearing back."
"Didn't you tell all of us about the cane and what it can do after you remembered?"
"Yes but-"
"Did you not help us learn a little more of Warin and the scientists in the lab?"
"Of course, but that-"
"Have you not been following Lud around making sure he was ok?"
Well, she wasn't as discreet as she thought she was. Didn't realize the others saw it as well.
Motes let out a soft chuckle, "I know something that you don't."
Jenny cracked a smile, "And that would be?"
"You both like each other."
She nearly stumbled over with that sentence. Like him? Well, as a friend, yes but more so not really. But as his words rang in her head, she questioned more of the fact.
"Lud won't say it right out. Not like him too. You'd almost have to yank it out of him. But he does. Every time you fell ill with headaches or when you were passed out before we realized who you were, he wouldn't leave your side. He asked Kanae and Liszt all kinds of questions about you until you finally gave him a chance. And that day, you could tell it was something more in him. He had more passion and determination for things."
Did Beethes really like her that much? She never noticed the notions toward her or even when they spoke, she just took it as kindness and being a gentleman but maybe he was trying to show more and she was blind to it.
"You do too. It's easy to see."
"Explain that one then?"
"Look at you now."
Jenny looked down at herself, trying to figure out what he was speaking of. Motes hand landed on the book, giving a knowing nod to her. She looked back over the book, seeing her struggle to help him, and then she realized Motes was right. She had dedicated so much time and thought to him that she looked like a mad woman on the lose.
"Motes, what should I do?" she finally got out.
"Be his friend. That's all he really needs." he replied, "There are times I think he feels like he is a nuisance to you. Just prove his thoughts wrong."
Nuisance, him? Motes, definitely, but not Beethes, "Where is he?"
"In the music room. Liszt new piano is in there and he's been staring at it for days now."
Giving him a curt nod, Jenny made her way to the room, hoping that Motes was serious and that he would be in there. Was she really plagued with helping Beethes and ignoring herself to make him feel like a thorn in her side or was it more? She tried not to dwell on the thought, there was just too much to worry over with the issue at hand. Yet with it all, she wondered if it was really true. But how? Why would a man like him like someone so plain and simple like her?
Rounding the corner, Jenny saw him in the room, glaring down at the piano as his fingers twitched to touch its smooth surface. She waited, wondering what he would do or even what she should do. With a defeated sigh, Beethes walked away, finally seeing her in the room with him.
"Oh, sorry Jenny, I didn't know you were there."
She paused slightly when she tried to enter a room, as a small thought came to her.
"Beethes, could you do me a favor?" she wrote on the pad.
"Ja, why do you need? Coffee? Gyo-" she silenced him, pressing her finger to his lips.
"None of those." she said, moving around him and to the antique piano, "I want you to ply for me."
He started at her, dumbfounded that she asked that. She knew he wouldn't react to it well, but she knew he could do it.
"Not to be harsh, but that's a little cruel."
Jenny smiled at him as the pen flew on the pad, "Some may think that, but you are the great Ludwig van Beethoven. One of the greatest composers to ever be written in history. I know you can do it."
There it was, she saw that little glimmer of hope and determination she would always catch in his eyes.
"And if I mess up?"
"What composer doesn't? Everyone makes mistakes, we learn from them to be better. You wrote some of your biggest works while deaf, tell me you couldn't?"
All she gained from him was a small shake of his head, knowing she was right, "Good. And to know you haven't messed up, I'll sing as you play."
A small pain came across his face, making her worry, "Ludwig? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just... I won't get to hear you sing."
Her heart clamped up, she knew they all loved her to sing in the house, no matter the tune, but she gave him a small smile, "You are right. But instead of hearing you will feel it."
"How do you mean?"
She took his hand, letting his fingertips lay on her throat, "Like this. Simple yet effective."
Nodding his head, he sat on the bench looking over the keys once more, "Which one do you want?"
"Moonlight please." she replied as she grabbed the key cover, "And one more thing, you can't see the keys."
"Alright, now you are being unfair." he gritted out.
"No, just proving that you can do it."
She waited for him as he looked at the hidden keys, she could see his thoughts racing as he tried to figure it out. Begrudgingly, he let his hands skin the hidden pieces, randomly hitting a few as it let out a distraught tone. But then she saw him lay his head on the cover, relaxing as he rested his ear to the wooden frame. Then, it happened. The familiar somber notes lifted into the air, as he let out a peaceful sigh.
There. There he really was. The man that created bounds of music even in his darkest of times. He continued to play as he seemed to flow with the music. She felt herself smile as she rested her head against his shoulder, just to take a breath and sing the song she had found not long ago. She followed his rhythm, his passion, as she continued singing.
Moving around him, she saw as he closed his eyes, remembering every key to the famous sonata. Her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling his head back to rest against her neck. She knew he could feel the vibrations of her voice, yet with it, she felt more connected to him. Maybe Motes was right about the two of them.
Opening her eyes she never realized were closed, she was awed with what was around her. The familiar room was nowhere in sight as her past of Sweden and the circus collided with Beethes years of composing in Germany and the harshness of his years. She saw history before them, their history. What really made the two of them. The cloak flowed around her, feeling his cravat brush against her hand as it rested on his chest. They had activated their Musik, somehow flowing together as the song continued on.
She was shocked to see it all blend together, memories swirling and dancing together in harmony. For Jenny, it was just too beautiful.
The last notes of the famed piece called it to its end, and with it, so did their Musik. Jenny looked at Beethes, wondering what it had done for him.
"Danke, Jenny, danke."
"Varsågod."
His teal eyes look at her, his emotions hiding behind them as he smiled at her, "Really, thank you for proving I could do this still."
She let out a small giggle as she sat down beside him once more with the pad, "I always knew you could. Just had to pull your head from your ass."
"Hey now." he smiled at her.
"Honest." She replied, seeing the Musik they made in her head once more, just as a thought crossed her mind, "Beethes?"
He looked over as she tapped his shoulder, "How far are the wood trails here?"
"From here to there?" he asked as she nodded, "A few minutes, twenty or so, why?"
"Come with me." she stated, wondering if her music could do what she thought.
He wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but she was truly determined to prove something. She dragged him up the hill as they ventured to the top, her blue eyes sparkling with something he wasn't sure if it was happiness or wonder.
"Jenny." he called to her, "What are we doing?"
She quickly pulled out the familiar pad as she penned within it, "You'll see."
"Answers would be nice now."
All he gained from her was a shake of her head and that bright damning smile from her. She was up to something and he knew it. But what, was the main wonder. Yet his mind didn't last there long for he watched every move she made and took in everything that was her. From her long honey-brown hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall, to the fair soft white skin that seemed to give her an angelic glow. Her dainty hand wrapped around his own as she pulled him along, oddly from such a short-statured woman was strong but a woman no less in her body.
Beethes quickly shook his head, knowing that he shouldn't think in that way of terms with her, especially knowing that the feelings weren't returned. It felt as if an eternity had stretched by as they ventured up the large hill to look over the city below, but finally, they were there. The small city stretched out as far as he could see, proving how big the place really was.
"Alright Jenny, we're here." he sighed, "Now what?"
That beautiful smile crossed her face as she looked at him, jotting in the pad again, "Just enjoy the view."
That was strange. He watched as she backed away slightly, her smile never faltering and her eyes never leaving his. She was hiding something. Closing her eyes, her Musik unfolded before him. The familiar cream-colored cloak and dress covered her, the hood of it no longer hiding her face. Her hair in the low ornate bun as a stray white rose found itself tucked behind her ear. Dear God, he thought she was striking before, now she made him stop breathing.
He watched as she placed her finger to her lips, a familiar notion of silence as she wrote once more, "I may be able to bring Sweden to Japan for just a brief moment. As long as my Musik can do so."
He gave a simple nod as she readied herself, her blue eyes sparkling as she seemed to prepare herself. Laying her hand lightly on her lower chest, she began to sing. There was no change in her, nor around them, just her singing something that he couldn't hear. How defeating that was. One of his favorite things about her and he couldn't witness it. He could see her tempo move a little faster as her eyes wandered the open dusk sky before them, proof that the night was growing ever closer to them. He could almost hear her in his head, as she seemed to rise up and down the scale. A part of him wanted to forgo it all and leave before his own depression sunk deeper yet the other was determined to stay. Not for himself, but for her.
Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of green and blue caught him. Turning to find the source, he was taken aback. There within the turning night sky was an array of colors. Lights to be more exact. The northern lights. He was stunned, the sheer beauty that they were was just something he had heard about in his years yet never witnessed but now, now he was gawking at the sky like a schoolboy seeing his mates after a long day. He saw the small notes lifting into the air as stray petals joined them in their magical dance with the lights.
Beethes couldn't turn away, there was just no way he could. Heck, he knew the people below were even stopping and watching the mystical show they were witnessing. The colors morphed and danced around, almost like a game of tag with one another, yet he knew how it was all possible. Finally tearing his eyes from the sky, he watched as the embroidery of her dress gave a small glow, her own cheeks were flushed with happiness as she watched what she created. She was doing this without anything but her voice. Sheer happiness radiated off of her as she let her voice soar above it all, letting the sky dance to her voice, and damn was she beautiful.
He watched as she let her hands flow with the sky, as if she was painting them herself. Giving a story of light and wonder to all around that would see it. Beethes didn't know which he wanted to watch more, the sky or her, for both fit each other perfectly. As one dance and the other sang, high notes of a soprano filling the air, the lights following her pitch and tone, as if he could...he paused. The high A sharp to dip into a B5 just to bounce back to an E6, it couldn't be. He leaned his ears towards her, hoping his mind wasn't playing games on him as the little notes and petals floated around him. Yet as he watched the sky, her voice wasn't just singing a song, it was almost calling out to everyone, letting them know where she was and what she was doing. It was then he saw some of the animals of the forest watching her as she continued, practically oblivious of their stares. But it was true, it was real. He could hear her.
He heard the wind blow past him as she continued to sing, to the gentle flaps of wings of the birds finding a perch to watch from to even the quiet calm of the city below awed of the nighttime spectacle, it was real and he could hear her. He snapped his fingers by his ears, testing one out after the other, amazed that it was over and that it was her voice that ended it all.
Slowly, the song came to an end, the sky growing darker as the noise of every day went back to normal. Her Musik faded and once again, she was back in her usual clothes of business. She looked at him, the smile never fading as she wrote in the pad again.
"Jenny?" he quickly called out, hearing his own voice as well.
She looked up at him, curiosity laying in her features, "Just speak to me, please."
Worry came across her, "Ludwig, what's wrong?"
Oh, she spoke his name. Not Beethes or Beethoven but his first name, how wonderful it sounded passing from her lips. He felt the small pinpricks of tears trying to claim his eyes as she came before him, her thumb wiping lightly under his eyes, "What's wrong?"
He couldn't stop. Before she could say another thing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace and swung her around as his own happiness poured out of him. The small giggles and protests that left her was truly music to his ears.
"Beethes, what is going on?"
"Danke Jenny, danke. Thank you." he nearly shouted as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
Oh, that wasn't meant to happen. He backed away slowly, afraid he overstepped more than he should of, her own face full of shock and awe of what just happened. Well, there went all thought of-
"You can hear me, can't you?"
Looking at her wide-eyed face, he gave a small nod. An excited shout left her as she bounded towards him, just to wrap him in a tight hug, "It worked, it really worked."
"Yea, it did Jenny." he smiled against her shoulder.
Pulling away, she clapped her hands as her smile struck him harder, "I'm so glad it did. I can't say how long I tried to figure out how to help you and now, now I did it. Oh, I'm so happy now."
"I'm glad."
"Aren't you happy?"
That shocked him, "Of course I am."
"Then why the low face?"
Could she really not tell why he was silent like? How he jumped so many scales and crossed paths he should never have with a woman like her, it was something unforgivable in his years before but now it-
"Are you upset about the kiss?"
Oh, maybe she did understand. Beethes tried to find the words to explain his mind yet it was nothing more than a jumbled mess of everything. A small peck of a kiss came to his cheek. Looking down at her, he was shocked to see that familiar smile on her as she seemed to be just as nervous.
"Equal trade, ja?"
"Ja." he finally muttered out.
"Ludwig?"
He nodded to her, "Is it true what Motes said, that you feel for me?"
Ok, now he was going to hurt the man, "Well, I-"
He was silenced with her finger to his lips, "No need to go so deep in thoughts. Just yes or no."
Swallowing the growing fear of rejection he finally replied, "Ja."
"Good" she smiled, "And it's the same for me too."
Now he wasn't sure what to think. She liked him back, dear god, she liked him back. He felt himself become as giddy as a schoolboy again as he tried to find the words he wanted most.
"Johanna."
"So formal now." she giggled.
"Yes, well, I feel that it would be right." he paused trying to keep his composure, "I know that it hasn't been that long since we first met and more but when we did have those moments it was as if there was nothing there and yet everything felt good. That not even gyoza or coffee could make me as happy unless I talked to you. So with that, I uh, was hoping you would, uh, take upon and court?"
A blush bloomed over her supple cheeks as her eyes widened at him, yet the bashfulness that came as she looked away gave him a lingering hope.
"You want to court, little Jenny Lind, Mr. van Beethoven?"
He smiled at her, "If Miss. Lind will let me."
She grinned up at him, almost like a cat as she pulled him towards her to place another kiss on his cheek. No need for her reply with that action, yet he knew she would. Just so he could hear her voice.
"Of course I will."