The first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" could turn even the most colored man pale, could make even the hardest of eyes flicker. The way his thin fingers pressed against the ivory keys intensified the melancholy, making her heart numb.

What amazed her the most was how relaxed he was. She wondered if the eyes obscured by those dark glasses had opened even once while he played for her. Tugging on her red scarf sadly, she watched and listened.

Daddy will never play like this, she thought ashamedly. Not like Machi.

The Borginian boy silently struck the final chord and let it ring gently before releasing the piano and turning to his audience. "Well?" he asked in his soft accent. "You like?"

"That was... beautiful, Machi!" Trucy replied blissfully. "It was incredible!!"

A satisfied blush blossomed on Machi's face, and he slowly reached up and slipped his glasses off. Trucy's face turned its own shade of pink. She was suddenly thrown back to that day, the end of the Borginian's trial, when he had shown his tender, blue eyes to the world. And the world had looked back at them with a newfound respect for the young pianist.

"Machi?"

He batted his blond eyelashes. "Yes, Miss Trucy?"

Trucy turned her had away slightly. "Why... did you play this for me?"

The boy shifted in his seat shyly. "I want... thank you."

The magician gasped slightly. "But why? If anything, you should thank Apollo for getting you off the hook."

He shook his head. "I no mean for that. I mean for... hope."

"Hope?"

Machi nodded slowly. "You give me hope... with beauty."

It was then that Trucy realized what the faint glimmer in his eyes meant.

Without speaking, she sat beside Machi and took his hand in hers. Machi watched her carefully and quivered when her gloved thumb brushed across his palm. And without speaking, she cupped his thin cheek with her other hand and kissed his forehead.

A smile crossed the boy's face. Trucy returned it delicately, cheeks brightening when she felt his thin lips against her wrist. They sat in silence, gradually beginning to hold each other, before Machi whispered a faint "Thank you."