I'm soooo sorry that I haven't made an appearance in a while... *scratches head while making an embarrassed smile*
Well! Since I'm going to NYC this week, I decided that I would post this story that I have been working on the side (cough cough, most of the reason why "The Mountain" hasn't updated cough cough)
I got this idea from reading Wordsorcereress story "The Pharaoh's of the Darkness", everyone who likes eventual Mobiumshipping should read it, mostly because it is absolutely incredible!
The century old opera house stood out in the bright sunlight of the Egyptian desert. Inside, performers ran rampant, collecting costumes and running on and off stage rehearsing their parts in that night's performance.
The owner of the opera house, Alister, lead two men through the chaos pointing them in the directions of rooms where objects of importance were. When they reached the main auditorium, the performers had just completed a scene and the director, Valon, was already ordering the performers to do it again.
"As you can see, gentlemen." Alister was saying to them, "We are rehearsing for a new production of 'Descent'. Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Alister tried to call the performers into attention but they continued their conversations, having not heard him. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" He tried again before sighing; he looked to his right to a woman leaning lightly on a cane. She had long black hair and wise blue eye; she used the cane not because she was injured but she thought it gained people's attention when she wielded the unlikely weapon. "Isis." He said firmly but the woman understood. She walked forward and loudly whacked her cane against the ground and all was silent. "Thank you. As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors about my imminent retirement. I can tell you now that these are all true." Some people gasped and whispered to their neighbors. "I now introduce you to the two gentlemen who now own the Opera of the Desert. Master Pegasus and Master Dartz."
Pegasus was a cheerful looking man with a long lock of his silver hair covering his left eye. Dartz on the other hand was watching everyone suspiciously, he still believed that they would try to steal any object that wasn't in his line of sight. A large man grunted lightly and Valon made a light gasp of surprise, he couldn't forget to mention 'her'. "Gentlemen, Lady Teá Mazaki, our leading soprano for the last 5 seasons."
"Of course!" Pegasus exclaimed reaching to kiss her hand, "I've seen all your greatest roles, my lady."
Teá was pale on Egyptian standards, her short brown hair barely touched her shoulders and people could tell by her eyes that she enjoyed the amount of attention everyone paid to her.
"And her companion, Sozoji Yohsio."
Sozoji was a large man with dark brown hair, he seemed intimidating but he could sing so they kept him and his betrothed, Teá.
"An honor, sir." Dartz said as politely as he could.
"If I remember rightly," Pegasus was saying to Teá, "Thalia has a rather fine aria in act 2 of 'Descent'. I wonder, my lady, could we have a private rendition? Or if Mr. Valon rejects us?"
"My managers command." Teá said in a sickly sweet voice, "Valon!" She suddenly shouted.
"My diva commands!" Valon said, trying to hide the jump from being called on unexpectedly, "Would two bars be sufficient?"
"Two bars will be quite sufficient!" Dartz growled.
Teá gathered the silk cloth from her handmaiden and everyone backed away from the prima donna. Valon started to play the piano and all was silent.
"Think of me. Think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye." Teá sang in a slight nasal tone, "Remember me, once in a while, promise me you'll try. When you find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me."
As soon as she finished the line, a piece of scenery slid down from it's position and landed right on top of the singing prima donna. The performers screamed and ran away from the impact point. Three young boys stayed nearby and shouted to the others. One had gravity defying tricolored hair with amethyst eyes, another had platinum blonde hair with lilac eyes, while the last one had white blonde hair with deep chocolate eyes; their names were Yugi, Malik, and Ryou.
"He's here! The Pharaoh of the Opera! He's there! The Pharaoh of the Opera!" All three shouted and the other performers began to immolate them.
"Young men, please!" Darts growled at the three causing them to move back toward Isis.
"Mako! Where's Mako! Get him down here!" Alister was shouting, "Chief of the flies, he's responsible for this."
When Mako arrived, all eyes were on him. "Mako! For Ra's sake, what's going on up there!" Mako looked with his eyes to his peers and said in a whispered tone.
"Please good friends, don't look at me. Ra's my witness, I was not at my post. Please good people, there's no one there; and if there is well then, it must be a ghost!" The last sentence he shouted and walked briskly back up to the scenery docks.
"He's there, the Pharaoh of the Opera!" Ryou whispered frightened to Malik and Yugi while they ran off to another dancer friend hiding behind the piano.
"Good heavens, I've never known such insolence!" Dartz shouted.
"My lady, please!" Pegasus urged the crowd to be silent and then reached his hand down to the now trembling Teá. "These things do happen." He said with a laugh.
Teá didn't find it funny.
"These things do happen." She choked out, "You have been here five minutes, what do you know?" She shrieked and slapped his hand away. "These things do happen all the time! For the past three years, these things do happen; and did you stop them happening no!" Teá shrieked now pointing at Alister who looked less then pleased. "And you!" She pointed at the new managers, "You're as bad as him! These things do happen. Well, until you stop these things happening, this thing," gesturing to herself, "does not happen! Soujozi!" She said before running off.
Soujozi followed then stopped. He turned toward the managers and gave one last remark.
"Amateurs." Then walked off again.
"If you need me," Alister said with a scared face, "I shall be in Greece."
Pegasus tried to follow the retreating form of Alister but soon stopped. He sighed and turned to Dartz.
"Lady Teá will be back." He said with a forced smile. At least he hoped he hoped so.
"You think so, sir?" Isis asked walking forward.
The dancers all cared for their teacher as a friend but they knew when she was not to be trifled with. Right now, since it was a recent display of the Pharaoh, was one of those times. "I have a message from the Pharaoh of the Opera." The performers gasped and all eyes were on the dance teacher.
"Ra in the heavens, you all are obsessed!" Dartz moaned to himself.
"He merely welcomes you to his opera house. Commands that you continue to leave the Pharaoh's box empty for his use. And reminds you, that his salary is due."
Both men laughed. How could a ghost receive a salary? "Master Alister paid him 45 gold pieces a month." The men stopped laughing, that much money was leaving their accounts a month? "Or perhaps you could afford more? With the Lord Timaeus as your patron."
"My lady, I had hoped to make that announcement myself." Pegasus huffed.
"Will the Lord be at the performance this evening?" Isis asked.
"In our box." Dartz said.
"My lady, who is the understudy for the role?" Pegasus asked trying to take Isis' hand.
Valon stormed across the stage and said annoyed. "There is no understudy, sir! The production is new!"
"Daphne Milore could sing it, sir!" Yugi said pulling up his friend. A young girl with long black hair and blonde highlights running through it. She pulled against the boy's grasp but Ryou and Malik pushed against her back, continuing to push her forward.
"A ballet girl?" Dartz said distastefully.
Isis looked over at the girl and gave a thoughtful look.
"She's been taking lessons from a great teacher!" Ryou exclaimed continuing to push Daphne into the managers.
"From whom?" Pegasus asked curious.
Daphne didn't answer for a second but then stuttered.
"I don't know his name, sir." She said.
"You as well? Can you believe it? A full house and we have to cancel!" Dartz groaned.
"Milore." Pegasus said calling the girl over. "A curious name. Any relation to the famous actor?"
"My father, sir." Daphne said.
"Let her sing for you, good sir." Isis said approaching the two. "She has been well taught."
There was a moment of silence as Pegasus thought then realized that trying the girl out couldn't hurt.
"Very well."
Dartz groaned and was about to argue with Pegasus but the director spoke, leaving Dartz's words unheard.
"From the beginning of the aria then." Valon said pulling Daphne toward the piano.
Malik handed her the silk scarf and whispered good lucks to the nervous girl. Valon started to play and on Daphne's entrance, she messed up a few notes.
"Think of me. Think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye."
She tried to run away but Isis noticed and whacked her cane on the ground.
"Remember me, once in a while, promise me you'll try." She sang again messing up another note or two.
"Pegasus, this is doing nothing for my nerves." Dartz mumbled to Pegasus.
"Don't fret, Dartzy." Pegasus mumbled back.
Daphne, not hearing the conversation, suddenly got over her fear, fully becoming the character and let her voice ring out, resembling an angel.
"When you find, that once again you long to take your heart back and be free; if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me."
Not even a few hours later, Daphne stood on the large stage. Her voice filled the filled hall and all were entranced on the new star.
"We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea. But if you can still remember, stop and think of me. Think if all the things we've shared and seen, don't think about the way things might have been..." Daphne smiled and played lightly with the silk cloth.
"Think of me, think of me waking silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying to hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days look back on all those times, think of the things we'll never do. There will never be a day, when I won't think of you!"
The audience applauded and Dartz and Pegasus nodded to one another. Dartz had finally given in that auditioning Daphne was a good idea. She had taken the opera house by storm and the money would come pouring in.
Up in the Queen's box, sat a young man with a scar covering his eye. He was the Lord Timaeus and he recognized his childhood friend.
"Can it be? Can it be, Daphne?" He asked himself. "Brava, Brava! He shouted, "Long ago, it seems so long ago, how young and innocent we were. She may not remember me, but I remember her."
Daphne had returned to centre stage and held the cloth in front of herself.
"Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade, they have their season, so do we. But please promise me that sometimes, you will think..."
Daphne paused for dramatic effect then showed her range by singing an increasing note for the word 'of'. Then let herself reach the highest note, making the crowd grow more excited. "Of me..." She finished throwing the silk cloth in the air and bowing as her character was supposed to do.
The audience stood and clapped for the singer. Flowers were thrown onto the stage and the curtain closed.
Sorry again for not updating in a while!
Please favorite and review! It would help me greatly and ideas for other stories may be helpful as well...
*I do not own Yugioh or PTO but I do own Daphne*