Have I ever mentioned that I love phantom of the opera? Because I LOVE phantom of the opera. This isn't going to follow the original plotline specifically, but it's got the same premise. Both Naruto and Phantom of the opera belong to their perspective authors. The characters might be a bit ooc to fit the story but I'll do my best to keep them in character. I'm going to try and make this story short since I've got a lot of work lately.
Well. Kakashi sighed, only looking slightly perturbed. I guess the day could have gone worse.
Danzo wore the same identical frown that seemed to be burned onto his face. If Kakashi didn't need to cover his eye for health reasons he would use it to double check that the frown wasn't painted on. "…This is for the best Kakashi," He explained, though Kakashi was certain he had heard that before.
Luckily Kakashi was a pretty easy going person, or he would have made more of a fuss. Running one hand through his hair he sighed evenly. "I suppose it's up to the managers anyway."
"Yes, it is!" The red headed women at Danzo's side smirked, her smile tinged with a hint of darkness. Kakashi decided it was better not to mention he couldn't remember her name.
Danzo glanced back at the girl with the same expression. "Karin, why don't you go check your new stage? I'm sure you'd love to see where you will be working from now on." Karin nearly bounced up and down with glee before skipping towards the stage area. When she was gone Danzo turned back to Kakashi with an expression so grim he was sure someone must have died. "Before you leave, I would appreciate if you introduced Karin and myself to the crew."
(Just to clear things up, I don't hate Karin. She's not my favourite but I don't hate her. I actually think she can be a pretty cool person when she's not obsessing over Sasuke. Unfortunately she is one of my least liked characters, and I wasn't sure who else had the character to fit the role, considering she's very sneaky to get what she wants at times. I'll try not to bash her unless it fits with the story. Sorry Karin fans!)
Kakashi nodded respectfully. "Of course. I'll get them all ready now." Danzo nodded. Without another word he turned on his heel and headed in the direction his skipping niece had gone to. Kakashi watched them go silently, unsure what he was feeling at the moment. Disappointment? Sadness? No, he wasn't bothered by this new development enough to feel any of those.
Perhaps concern was the winning emotion.
Turning, he headed down the stairs of the familiar front hall. The entrance to the opera house was grand, the stairs painted gold with statues of beautiful women and men dancing on either side. In the back of his mind Kakashi made a mental note to visit the opera house as often as possible. He was going to miss the architecture if nothing else.
"Kakashi?" He glanced up in surprise. Only then did he notice a number of his staff were watching eagerly, waiting for an explanation. He wondered how long they had been watching him and Danzo talking for. The women at the front, Hinata, took a nervous step forward. "I-Is everything alright?"
"Ah, well…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, not sure how to put it. "I've been relieved of my position as manager of the opera."
"WHAT?" Naruto, one of the main actors, exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "How could they? But Kakashi, you can't go! You don't deserve that! Why would-"
"Calm down Naruto," Kakashi assured him with a slight laugh. "It's not a big deal. I was going to retire in a year or two anyway."
"But Kakashi!" Ino, a dancer, stomped her foot on the ground. "That's not fair! You're the best manager we could have asked for!" If Kakashi didn't insist on wearing a mask all the time to avoid anyone catching his frequent colds they would have caught his blush.
"That is very kind of you Ino, but don't worry about me,"
"I'm not worried about you!" She interrupted. "I'm worried about us! What will we do now that you are gone?" A silence fell over the group as they all turned to stare at her. "Ah…I mean, I am worried about you to. But, uh, you did say you were fine with it!" Fine with it wasn't the words Kakashi would use.
However he forced himself not to show his thoughts. "Don't worry about that Ino. I'm sure Danzo knows what he's doing. He'll be a great manager, I'm sure." There was a flurry of skeptical looks that were passed around through the crowd. Kakashi couldn't blame them. He himself wasn't feeling too good about the situation.
He could handle losing his job. Money was never a problem for him considering how little he bought and how much he was paid. It was leaving the opera house that was a problem.
It was leaving him alone that sent shivers up his spine…
What am I even doing here? Sakura wondered to herself.
Baka! You've been thinking that for the whole journey! You're going to make me sick! Her inner Sakura yelled back at her. She pointedly ignored her.
No turning back now, Sakura thought as she forced herself to take a deep breath.
That's what I've been trying to tell- That was about the time Sakura stopped listening to her.
Sakura Haruno stood in front of the grand opera house of Paris. An opera so large and famous the stories of it were spread all throughout France. Sakura had never actually believed she would see it in real life. But there she was, standing where she had been directed to go by the man who apparently was one of the opera's main donators.
Sai…Sakura held tightly onto the locket around her neck with closed eyes. I can't wait to see you again.
It took all her strength to force herself to finally open the doors and walk inside.
Once inside Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock. The front entrance was absolutely marvelous! Red carpets decorated the floor not covered by gleaming marble. A set of golden painted staircase led form the center of the room and branched out to three different balconies that looked down on the hall. Sakura had never seen something so marvelous and spectacular in her entire life. I can't wait to see the stage! She thought gleefully.
"Hi there!" Sakura jumped in shock at the voice. Spinning on her heel she found a strange looking man wearing a lame bright green tux and sporting a black bowl cut. If nothing else, his grin held no ill will and he seemed friendly enough. "And who might you be? A beautiful lady exploring the city?" Sakura made a face at the man's loud outbursts, hoping no one else could hear him.
"I-ah, I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura," She added quickly with a polite curtsey. "I was sent here by Sai. He said I should talk to someone named Kakashi Hatake about getting singing lessons?"
The man's eyes lit up with recognition and-she was panicked to see- sadness. "Ah, Kakashi. I'm sorry my dear but I doubt he can help you. He was let go just this morning."
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. WHAT? She wanted to scream, but her self-control kept her in check. Barely. "B-but I came all this way…" Sakura didn't know what to do. She'd made a lot of sacrifices to come to the opera house. Her family was of a lowly clan and she'd had to use all the money she had saved up for years just for the trip there. Sai had promised her that she would get singing lessons and then a position in the choir for a job. But now that that option was out the window, she didn't know what to do.
I-I told you this was a bad idea! Her inner self yelled at her.
No you didn't! Sakura yelled back.
"Whoa whoa, don't fret little lady," the man assured her, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "Never let it be said Gai didn't help a lady in distress! Come on, the new manager is meeting with the crew now. Sai's a big supporter of the opera and I'm sure the manager will do what he asks." Sakura gave a weak smile, not wanting to get her hopes up. Nervously she allowed him to lead her away, not sure she had any other options.
I guess things could be worse…
Kakashi spotted Gai finally coming through the doors. He also noticed a young women with short pink hair and bright green eyes following behind him. She wore a dirty pink dress and carried a small bag on her back. He recognized the familiar situation immediately. Sai…Kakashi shook his head. This is the worst timing.
With the final member of the crew there however, Kakashi knew Danzo wouldn't wait any longer. He stood from his chair on the stage to face the crew of the opera sitting in the audience. Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Suigetsu and Chouji all had to be woken up by an annoyed Ino and Karui. Lee was practically sparkling, excited to do his part. Neji, Tenten, Shino, Gaara, Kankaro, Jugo, and Temari either looked bored or disinterested. Hinata and Matsuri both looked nervous, glancing at the unfamiliar faces on the stage. The whole crew was a lot bigger of course, however those were the faces he recognized the most. They were all around the same age, 20-24. Most of them had grown up together and somehow managed to all find jobs in the opera house. He almost felt like a teacher to them.
All their attention turned to him as he got to the centre of the stage. "Good evening everyone. As I'm sure all of Paris knows, I have been relieved of my duty as manager of the opera."
"NO!" Naruto screamed.
"Boo!" Shikamaru cupped his hands to yell. The others hushed them silently.
Iruka behind Kakashi sent Naruto a glare to silence him. "I'm afraid so. But don't worry, Danzo is in charge of many different entertainment establishments and he will be sure to keep the opera house running smoothly. I expect all of you to treat him the same as you did me."
"Fat chance," Temari mumbled under her breath. The stone faces of the rest of that group in particular said that many of them agreed.
"…I said, I hope that you will all treat him with the utmost respect." He put on his innocent I'm-not-really-innocent-I-will-kill-you-if-you-disobey-smile. "Understood."
A large number of them gulped. "Y-yes Kakashi!" They didn't even need to see his mouth to know that expression. Tsunade snickered from the chair to his left.
He nodded. "Good. Now everyone, please welcome Danzo the new manager." Danzo got to his feet and stood proudly. A few people offered weak applause but characters like Naruto and Ino who were not only loyal but stubborn refused to do anything but glare. "As well as his niece, Karin, who will be a fellow actor of yours in no time." There was even less applause that time, which did not surprise Kakashi. Taking a manger role was one thing, but trying to force yourself into a cast that treated each other like family with that betrayal? Things did not look well for the smirking, red haired girl who tilted her glances up with one finger as she ate in the sight of the crowd.
"They bought their way in," Kiba growled.
"Are you surprised?" Shikamaru muttered back.
Kakashi waved to Danzo, gesturing it was his turn as he took a seat. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Gai whispering to the young girl who sat near the back. She was obviously not from Paris, but he had to admit she was a pretty girl. He just felt bad that Sai kept sending these girls to him. All he could do was give them a small role when they probably expected the world. He would at least make sure Iruka or Tsunade got her some job so the trip wasn't for nothing.
His thoughts were interrupted by the start of Danzo's speech. "Good evening everyone. I hope to get to know each and every one of you personally in the future." Someone in the crowd mumbled fat chance again, but at least that time they were quiet about it. Danzo paused at the interruption, then went on to advise his speech just a bit. "I understand that many of you are saddened by losing your previous manager, but I assure you I am not trying to replace him. I am merely trying to maintain the glory of the opera, and I hope all of you will come to work with me in this." Kakashi heard one of them mutter he's older than Kakashi, why isn't he retiring? Kakashi himself had to hold back a smile at that one.
"This may be a big change, but in time you will come to understand-"
He was interrupted by the sound of lightening.
Everyone jumped. A few people screamed and Kiba had jumped into Shino's arms in surprise. Karin had fallen back into her chair in shock while others had rushed to their feet, heads shaking this way and that to find the source of the noise. In the back, Sakura had covered her mouth to hold back the scream. She had just been outside, there was not even a cloud in the sky! How was their thunder?
"What was that?" Gai's screaming was almost as loud as the lightening. Sakura winced but was too surprised to punch him into silence. A few others at the front started yelling the same protests.
"Was that one of the stage effects?" A man with dark hair tied up asked.
"But there is no one in the rafters, everyone is here!" A man with pale eyes argued back.
"Who did that?" The girl with red hair at the front shrieked.
"What just,"
Everyone's screams were interrupted by the lightening, even louder that time. Their shrieks were filled with even more fear that time, and a few hugged the arm of the person next to them in fear. The women at the front was shivering as she took nervous steps back while the older man with dark hair and a few bandages trembled slightly. Sakura hadn't even realized she had gotten to her feet till she was also spying the ceiling, looking for the source of the noise.
But there was no answer.
Instead, from the roof, a small, white envelope fluttered down to the front of the stage. The red-head let out a yelp and jumped back, catching everyone's attention. They all watched as the piece of paper fluttered down, landing exactly in front of the feet of the new manager.
There was a silence for a few moments as everyone stared at the paper on the stage. The silence was finally broken when a blonde man yelled out. "Opera ghost!"
"Naruto, shut up!" A girl with two matching buns cuffed him upside the head. Sakura wasn't sure she had heard him right.
Opera ghost?
While the others remained unmoving, the man whose masks covered all but one eye moved towards the letter. "Ah, I suppose he would want a say in all this," he muttered while he took the letter in his hands. After turning it to see both sides he handed the letter to Danzo. "It's alright. Just a greeting from our friendly little ghost."
There was another boom of lightening.
"Well, perhaps not little," Kakashi corrected through the screams of fear.
Sakura watched in awe as the man took the letter in his hands, checking over the paper. Sakura couldn't see much of it, but she noticed on one side there was what looked like a fan, red on the top and white at the handle. The symbol didn't mean anything to Sakura. However, when the man turned it over to see the sign, he froze. Others were all too preoccupied with the false lightening, but Danzo was staring at the letter as if it was a ghost of his past coming back to haunt him.
Kakashi didn't notice right away, instead rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It looks like the higher ups didn't tell you. They probably wouldn't know how to explain it…" Kakashi waved towards the ceiling, and they couldn't tell if he was referring to the noise or the entire opera. "This opera is haunted. Congratulations."
"Excuse me?" Karin shrieked again, gaping at Kakashi as if he'd just said the most absurd thing in the history of the earth. For someone new hear it probably is just that.
"We call him the opera ghost, or sometimes the phantom. He has a small list of demands, but if you follow them then you will hardly notice he is there. The lightning was probably just his way of getting your attention." When the two of them continued to stare at him Kakashi scratched his chin. "It's really hard to explain it all now, but if you like I can tell you everything once we are done here."
"Are…Are you kidding me? A ghost? That's absolutely insane!" The few who had finally calmed down in the crowd muttered to each other that the girl was in for a rude awakening. "Is this supposed to be some kind of prank?"
It would be easier if it was, Kakashi mused. "I assure you this is not a trick. It may be someone playing a prank, but if it is none of us know anything about it and they have been pulling this particular prank for many years now. None of us can really come up with an explanation, so we all just call it a ghost." She must have thought Kakashi was an idiot, and probably thought the rest of the crew were idiots for believing him to. The story would probably sound absurd to anyone new.
"Well I don't believe in ghosts!" Karin exclaimed with a huff. A few people in the crowd snickered but she shot them a glare that sent them into silence. Kakashi let out a sigh, already feeling bad for the poor, innocent girl who would soon be dragged into a mess she couldn't control. And worse, if she didn't get rid of that attitude and started doing as the ghost said he doubted that the phantom would be merciful. Glancing over at Danzo he noticed the man had returned his focus to the letter. He hadn't opened it yet. Oddly, he was just staring at the symbol on the back.
"…Is there something wrong with the symbol Danzo?"
Danzo shot up, a bit of fear in the eye that showed. "No," he blurted, his first loss of control. "No, nothing at all. It is just odd is all."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, his own skepticism refusing to let him believe his words. But with no argument at the moment, he could only shrug. "It's what he uses. You can always tell it was the phantom when you see that symbol." Turning back to the now calm crowd he waved to them easily. "Now that the show is over, why don't you all get back to work? I've already got tickets to the next play and I don't want to be disappointed."
"Yes Kakashi!" A few of the more friendly ones called while the others just nodded or ignored him. Slowly people pulled away to either start their own discussions or get back to their work.
Their previous manager on the other hand gave a quick bow to the new manager. "If you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to take care of. Once I'm done I'll come find you and explain this opera ghost to you. Ooh! Or you can ask Iruka, I'm sure he'd love to explain it all to you!" Iruka scowled at Kakashi but hurried to make it look like a smile for the new manager. "Anyway, I must be going. See you around!" Without another word Kakashi slipped out of their view and passed wordlessly through the crowd towards his final destination.
Sakura on the other hand was still in shock. She stared to where the letter had landed, the sound of lightening still clapping in her ears. She couldn't understand how everyone else was able to recuperate so quickly. Did that kind of thing happen often? Not only was she not going to get to sing like she had wanted, but the place she had been sent to was haunted?
Maybe Sai secretly had something against her…
"Don't worry your pretty little head about the ghost!" Gai interrupted her thoughts. "It's just a myth people use to explain all the weird stuff that happens. I don't believe in it at all!" Sakura wasn't sure how you could not believe something wasn't going on after that display. "Now considering your situation…" he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'll go find Tsunade. I'm sure she'll be able to find you a job somewhere in the crew. She's in charge of the dancers, is that alright?" Sakura actually turned a little pale. She never wanted any kind of big role in the theatre, but she'd at least wanted one where she could sing. It was what made her feel the most at home, no matter where she was.
"B-but I was promised singing lessons," she tried to get his attention, but he was out of her grasp in an instant. If nothing else, he was fast! All Sakura could do was stand there in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
In the end, she only knew for certain that she was lost in a strange place and had no idea what to do.
The door clicked shut behind Kakashi. Turning he found himself alone in his-soon to be Danzo's- office. When he knew he was alone he let out a sigh. This was what he had been worried about. Of course he wouldn't make things easy for him.
So much for a happy retirement.
With another long sigh he went over to his bookshelf. It may have looked like an ordinary bookshelf but Kakashi knew it wasn't. Slipping a hand around he pulled the shelf away from the wall, revealing a large door-shaped hole in the wall revealing a dark tunnel lit by fading candles. Kakashi took the familiar route down the hallway, leaving the opera house behind him and entering a world that truly shown with the magic of the theatre.
Well, he would have if he hadn't been stopped at the entrance.
When he reached a small room, one that obviously was used for nothing more than throwing around random costumes and set pieces, he stopped. In a place so empty and devoid of light, it was almost impossible not to notice when you weren't alone. Cautiously, he called out to the darkness.
"Sasuke?"
"I hope that girl and new manager aren't stuck on not believing in ghosts," the voice in the dark answered. "Or else things are going to get much worse."