In this one-shot of Yumeiro Patissiere, it's somewhere in the middle of the first season of the anime. Basically, there are two themes combined in the match: "eerie" and "romantic". Needless to say, Team Ichigo is stumped; even the Sweets Spirits are confused on how to do this.
However, they're in luck, because Ichigo herself has a trick up her sleeve: her mother sent her 4 tickets to "Phantom Of The Opera" and it's in town that weekend! But what will happen when Kashino's imagination runs a little wild during and after the show?
It was the quarterfinal match of the Cake Grand Prix. All of the teams that were still in the competition were in the hall, ready for the announcement of the chairman. Along with some of the other judging chefs and teachers in the hall, the chairman was the one taking the stage.
"I wonder what the theme for this match will be..." Amano Ichigo, the leader of her team, Team Ichigo, asked her teammates.
Ichigo herself was a pigtailed brunette of fourteen years old. While she was known as a major glutton, one would not know it upon first meeting her due to her body shape; she was quite small for her eating habits.
"Whatever it is, we'll be able to get through this match with hard work and a lot of practice." Her teammate, Kashino Makoto, said.
He was a blonde boy with caramel eyes who was just about an inch higher than Ichigo herself. He was known as a sadist amongst his team, the top of his class academically, as well as the specialist in chocolate amongst the group.
Makoto - mainly called 'Kashino' by his friends - was one of the three "Sweets Princes" in his class, along with two other boys. All three of them were on Ichigo's team, but they were also her friends and teachers.
"Don't worry about it, Ichigo-chan." Hanabusa Satsuki - called mainly Hanabusa or Hanabusa-kun by his friends and peers - said to Ichigo.
He was a green-haired, green-eyed boy with a beauty mark under his left eye. Hanabusa was known for his proficiency in candy decorations - roses mostly - and was often called a 'narcissist' for his self-absorbed attitude, constantly talking about and taking care of his appearance and his chivalrous - and flirtatious - attitude towards girls. Needless to say, he was very popular with the female students. He was also skilled in designs, so he was often the designer for his team and roses were almost always in his designs.
"Amano-san, we're not going to be able to figure out what to do for the match until we know the theme." Andoh Sennosuke, the tallest of the group said.
He was the eldest son of the Yumezuki Japanese confectionary, and his specialty was Japanese-fusion sweets, such as green tea cakes with bean paste. He was also Kashino's childhood friend. Andoh was the tallest of the foursome and he wore glasses.
All four of them had Sweets Spirits. Little pixie-like creatures from a different realm known as the Sweets Kingdom, where they would train to become pastry chefs for the royal court.
Ichigo's spirit was a blue-eyed, blonde girl clad in pink and white named Vanilla. Kashino's spirit was a red-eyed, long brown-haired girl with brown and red clothing named Chocolat. Hanabusa had a male spirit named Cafe, who dressed like a butler in blue clothing. Finally, Andoh had Caramel, an orange-haired, orange-clad female spirit that was clumsy as well as adorable.
"The theme for the quarterfinal match, or rather, the two themes, will be..." The chairman said, before the words for the themes came up on the screen.
The words were the kanji for "eerie" and "romantic" respectively.
"What? Eerie and Romantic?" Kashino asked, a little perplexed.
"That makes no sense, desu wa." Chocolat, Kashino's spirit said, in reply.
The others were also a little confused by the themes of choice. These were themes that one would not think of as working with each other right off the bat. As a matter of fact, one would think these would be complete opposites if one did not think any deeper.
"We hope to see how the students can combine these two opposite themes into one theme for the match." The chairman said, as the announcement ended for the day.
The match-ups were already decided, and Team Ichigo would be up against Team Tachibana, led by Tachibana Azuki.
Back in their baking classroom, the entire team was having a briefing meeting for the match.
"Eerie and romantic, huh? That's like combining hot and cold and trying to make it work, but we have to dig deeper for this one." Kashino said.
"This isn't just a test for our baking skills, it's also testing our critical thinking and synthesis skills, desu wa." Chocolat said.
"That's going to be easier said than done, though," Cafe said. "If I didn't know any better, the chairman probably thinks we're at a college level of intelligence."
"I see what you mean. I can understand where romantic comes from," Hanabusa said, as he sparkled and roses bloomed around it. "But combining it with something scary is a going to be a challenge. Doing a cake that's based on "Beauty And The Beast" is a cliche."
"In that case, what should we do? It's not like we can do a cake based on a wedding for vampires or zombies. That would be too predictable." Andoh said.
"That would be way too scary for me, desu." Caramel said, hiding in Andoh's shirt pocket.
"I actually have the perfect idea for this one." Ichigo said, piping up. She had a big smile on her face.
"What?" Kashino asked.
Ichigo held up a piece of paper. It was a ticket to a show.
Fanning them out to reveal there were four of them, Ichigo happily declared, "Tickets to 'Phantom Of The Opera' by Andrew-Loydd Webber."
"Phantom of the Opera?!" Everyone shouted.
"How did you get those?!" Chocolat asked.
"My mom sent them to me," Ichigo said. "She said I should try and forget my troubles once in a while and she sent me these tickets; Natsume was playing piano pieces from the show for concours and mom managed to get her hands on these."
"Wow, talk about perfect timing." Hanabusa said, with a smile.
"I was planning on inviting Rumi-chan and the others, but once I heard the themes for the match, I thought this would be perfect for us to use for research," Ichigo said. "So I thought, why don't we all go? The show is Saturday afternoon and the match isn't until next week."
"Perfect," Kashino said, with a smile. "Phantom Of The Opera is the perfect example of those themes combined. You got to thank your mom later."
Ichigo smiled as she and the rest of the guys made plans to go to the show that following Saturday.
That Saturday, the foursome were in line for the show outside the theatre, with their spirits in tow. Since Spirits were intangible to those who did not have them, the entire team was capable of sneaking their spirits into the show without any problem.
"It was really lucky that Ichigo-chan had those tickets to the show," Hanabusa said to Andoh. "It's the perfect show."
"I think Amano-san's mother is the one we need to thank more than anyone else," Andoh said, in response. "I can't wait to see the show. I've never thought I'd be able to see it. I hear it's famous in America."
"It's over twenty-five years old; it's quite popular." Hanabusa said.
Kashino and Ichigo were in front of the group and they were ready to take notes on the show.
"So, what do you know about 'Phantom Of The Opera'?" Kashino asked.
"All I really know is that it's a love story with a really dark side; the heroine, Christine Daae is being controlled by her singing teacher, the Phantom, and he's extremely possessive of her. I looked up a synopsis of the show before coming." Ichigo said.
"Good, so you have a bit of background information," Kashino said. "I was expecting you to be completely clueless about the show."
"How else would I have known that this show would be good research for the competition?" Ichigo asked, a little offended at Kashino's remark.
"I'm surprised Ichigo knew to use 'Phantom Of The Opera' as an example," Chocolat said. "I was expecting her to be just as clueless."
"Stop it, Chocolat," Vanilla, always Ichigo's number one supporter said. "It's because of Ichigo that we have an idea of what 'eerie' and 'romantic' can combine to become."
"Stop fighting, desu!" Caramel said. "We have to focus on the show or we won't win the match, desu!"
The foursome took their seats inside the theatre and they were very quiet in the currently-lit room. The seats were really good; they were in the center of the house and they had a front-view of the stage.
"I can't wait to see the show." Ichigo said, a little excited.
Ichigo was sitting in between Kashino and Hanabusa, and Hanabusa was sitting in between Ichigo and Andoh.
"It's supposed to be a dark story, Amano-san." Andoh said, a little cautious.
"But even if you get scared," Hanabusa began, turning on the charm. "I'll be here to comfort you."
Everyone except for Cafe sweat dropped at this declaration; this was par for the course for Hanabusa.
The lights darkened and then the show began. Ichigo had her pad of paper and pencil out, while the others were ready to take notes on the show and how parts of the show blended both themes together.
Ichigo was paying special attention to the show; every time there was a scene that was eerie and romantic at the same time, she would take notes. For example, her favorite part was when The Phantom showed Christine the wedding dress that he had made for her. Ichigo was mesmerized by the dress's beauty, and thought it was romantic how the Phantom carried Christine like she was a bride.
"Beautiful..." Ichigo said.
"I'm surprised you weren't scared by the eeriness of the show so far," Hanabusa whispered. "I wonder why?"
"I think she's more focused on researching than anything else..." Andoh said, sweat dropping.
The team watched the show carefully; needless to say, Caramel and Ichigo were spooked every now and again when they saw some of the darker sides of the show.
The one part of the show where Christine took the mask off of the Phantom, Kashino's eyes started to play tricks on him. As soon as Christine reached for the Phantom's mask, Christine turned into Ichigo, and the Phantom's hair turned green while it was still slicked back.
As soon as the mask came off, Kashino saw Hanabusa up on stage in the Phantom's costume rather than the Phantom himself. Meanwhile, Ichigo herself did not look that much different minus the fact that her hair was longer.
Kashino shook his head as the scene got scarier. When he opened his eyes, everything was back to normal. Kashino paid close attention to the show while taking notes, while Ichigo was doing the same thing.
Near the climax, Christine was put on the spot in a no-win situation: she either had to spend the rest of her life with the Phantom and let her lover go free, or choose to leave the Phantom and have Raoul die as a result.
The Phantom was unmasked this time around and once again, Kashino saw a frightened Ichigo dressed as a bride while Hanabusa was in the Phantom's costume, but his face was deformed on one side, and Kashino himself was in Raoul's outfit with the noose around his neck, and Kashino was struggling.
Ichigo unknowingly grabbed Kashino's hand as a reflex; she was starting to get more scared with the show. Kashino felt his heart skip a beat and he blushed when he saw what Ichigo did.
However, Kashino nearly got a scare when he saw what happened next: Christine kissed the Phantom out of sympathy and compassion, but Kashino saw Ichigo kissing Hanabusa instead.
Kashino nearly shouted in protest, but then everything went back to normal and he remembered what was going on. Kashino moaned in relief; Ichigo noticed this, and she noticed that she was holding his hand. She tried to let go, but Kashino instinctively held her hand tighter.
"That's not like Kashino," Chocolat said, a little confused. "Normally he'd be really engrossed with the show without showing it on his face. What's gotten into him?"
The other spirits were unsure of the cause of this sudden change in demeanor.
After the show was over, everyone left the theatre in good spirits, albeit Ichigo, Caramel, and Vanilla were still a little spooked.
"That show was great," Ichigo said. "Albeit a bit scary."
Kashino was a little too quiet for his own good; even Chocolat noticed how he was acting.
"Kashino? Kashino!" Chocolat asked, as she fluttered around Kashino's face.
"I think Katou made the right call having Amano take the Heiress's place during that aria..." Kashino muttered.
Everyone else became confused at what Kashino was saying.
"Kashino? Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, waving her hand in front of Kashino's face.
"Amano, I'll make sure Hanabusa can't do anything to hold you captive..." Kashino muttered again.
"Kashino! Maa-kun!" Andoh shouted, patting Kashino on the back.
"Oh, um... Everyone take notes on the show?" Kashino asked, as he snapped back to reality.
Everyone was confused about Kashino's sudden change in behavior; it was as if his mind was still focusing on the show.
"Kashino, are you sure you're okay?" Hanabusa asked.
"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Kashino said. "Just don't force Amano into some handmade dress..."
"Kashino, are you still thinking about the show? We're almost back to school." Chocolat said, hitting Kashino on the head with her fork.
Kashino noticed that Chocolat was right; they were, in fact back at the school. Sadly for Kashino, that only pulled him out of lala land for a few hours.
Later, Kashino was in the kitchen, practicing his tempering as always. And as always, Chocolat was there with him.
"Excellent work as always, Kashino!" Chocolat said, praising her partner.
"Thanks." Kashino said.
However, as he saw the chocolate glide over the sheet pan, he saw the brown locks of Ichigo's hair in his mind's eye. He saw they were longer than usual and he could have sworn he saw Ichigo dressed as Christine in his mind's eye, too.
Kashino flinched and he dropped his tools on the floor. Kashino snapped out of his daze and he was pulled back to reality.
"Kashino, are you okay?" Chocolat asked, noticing the strange behavior of her partner.
"I'm fine..." Kashino began, but his mind flashed him an image of Ichigo singing for the Phantom, who was really Hanabusa dressed as Erik from the show. "Let her go!"
"Kashino!" Chocolat shouted, once again whacking him on the head with her fork.
"Ugh, what's wrong with me...?!" Kashino grumbled as he started to clean up his space.
"You've been acting weird and talking about the show ever since it started today," Chocolat said. "Are you coming up with a concept for the match?"
Kashino did not answer; he wrapped up his practice for the night and he went back to his room.
Hanabusa had already gotten ready for bed and he was helping Cafe out with his report.
"Ah, Kashino," Hanabusa said, as he saw his buddy come back into the room. "That was quick."
Kashino merely grunted before getting ready to go to bed; Chocolat flew over to Hanabusa and Cafe, a look of concern on her face.
"Chocolat, what's going on?" Cafe asked.
"Kashino's been acting a little crazy since the show started today; it's like he can't separate himself from the show and get back to reality." Chocolat said.
"Maybe once he gets some sleep he'll be better and back to normal by tomorrow." Cafe suggested.
"I hope so." Chocolat said, as she sighed and used magic to change into her pajamas. She went back to her bed and fell asleep; she was really hoping that Kashino would be back to normal soon.
However, Chocolat was wrong: in fact, Kashino was hardly sleeping at all. He was having a nightmare, actually.
~Dream~
Kashino woke up from what seemed to be a daydream and he looked around. He found himself in a balcony box seat at an opera house and he he was wearing a suit.
"What the...?" Kashino muttered, as he took another look at his surroundings.
He realized he was in the show of 'Phantom Of The Opera' itself and he was surprised that he was there.
"Monsieur DeChagny, I do hope you're wide awake! We have a new soprano singer taking the place of Carlotta tonight." Someone said next to him.
Kashino looked to the side and he saw that it was Andoh dressed in 19th century formal men's attire. He still had his glasses on.
"Ando - ah, *ahem* Monsieur Andre," Kashino said, catching his mistake and correcting his course. "I look forward to the performance."
Kashino still retained his true personality, but was surprised to find himself in this situation he was in.
'Okay, so I'm in the show itself...' Kashino thought, looking around.
"Think of me... Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye..." He heard a voice sing, and then he looked down on stage.
Kashino could not believe his eyes: it was Ichigo dressed as Christine that was standing on stage. His eyes went wide as he kept hearing Ichigo singing. It was probably the dream itself, but Kashino never noticed how beautiful of a singer she was.
"Can it be? Can it be Christine? Brava! Brava!" Kashino sang suddenly, as he stood up and applauded a bit before sitting back down. "Long ago, it seemed so long ago, how young and innocent we were. She may not remember me, but I remember her."
While he was surprised that he sang, afterwords he immediately forgot that everything was merely a dream.
"Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade. They have their seasons, so do we," Ichigo sang, entrancing Kashino. "But please promise me that sometimes, you will think of me."
Ichigo got a standing ovation and even Kashino was applauding heavily at her successful debut. He smiled brightly and was really happy with her singing.
~Dream Faze-Out~
Kashino was tossing and turning; his sleeping face was smiling and he was at peace.
However, what he failed to realize was that he was singing in his sleep. Because he was oblivious, he woke up Chocolat; Cafe and Hanabusa were heavy sleepers on the other hand.
"Kashino!" Chocolat said, moaning sleepily; she yawned once more before falling back asleep, but not before conjuring up earplugs for herself just in case Kashino did it again.
~Dream Phase 2~
Kashino was in front of the door to the dressing room where Ichigo was. The door was locked.
'Wait, what now?' Kashino thought, before registering the situation.
Apparently, he had just left the room after telling Ichigo they were to eat dinner with each other. Ichigo had protested, though. Kashino knew what was going on: it was the scene where the Phantom brings Christine to the catacombs below the opera house after Raoul left the dressing room.
Once again, he got into the dream to the point that he forgot that it was just a dream.
"Insolent boy! This slave of fashion! Basking in your glory! Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor! Sharing in my triumph!" Another male voice angrily sang from the other side of the door.
Kashino immediately recognized whom the voice belonged to: it was Hanabusa.
'So, Hanabusa's the Phantom, huh? Not on my watch...' Kashino thought, but his actions were relegated to that of his character's role in the show.
"Angel, I hear you; speak, I listen. Stay by my side, guide me. Angel, my soul was weak. Forgive me. Enter at last, master." Ichigo sang; she was in the room, singing to what appeared to be no one in particular.
"Flattering child, you shall know me. See why in shadow I hide. Look at your face in the mirror, I am there inside..." Hanabusa sang; Ichigo looked around in the room, which had turned dark due to the candles being put out, and soon looked to the mirror.
Hanabusa was there, albeit only as a silhouette in the beginning. But then as he got closer, one could make out his green hair and his half-masked face. He was also wearing a suit and gloves.
"Angel of Music, guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory! Angel of Music, hide no longer. Come to me, strange angel!" Ichigo sang, happy to see her mentor.
"I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music..." Hanabusa sang; he put his hand through the mirror and offered it to Ichigo.
Kashino started to shake the doorknob and he banged on the door before shouting, "Whose is that voice? Who's that in there?! Amano!"
"I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music..." Hanabusa sang. Ichigo's eyes lost their light and shine and they became monochrome and flat.
She lost her free will and she mechanically put her hand into Hanabusa's.
"Amano! Amano!" Kashino shouted.
Hanabusa pulled Ichigo into the mirror, and then the image faded back to normal. Kashino burst through the door, and he looked around before shouting, "Amano!"
He turned around and he saw the mirror. Kashino remembered that the mirror was a gateway to the path that led to the lake under the opera house; knowing this, Kashino jumped into the mirror to chase after Hanabusa and Ichigo.
However, Kashino became transparent as soon as he caught sight of Ichigo and Hanabusa; they were walking down the stairs, with Hanabusa leading the way and holding a lamp. He heard the music begin to play, and Kashino started to walk down the stairs after the pair.
Hanabusa was holding Ichigo's hand, and Ichigo herself was in a trance, her eyes still glazed.
"In sleep he sang to me. In dreams he came... That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again? For now I find... The Phantom of The Opera is there inside my mind..." Ichigo sang, still under the Phantom's spell.
"Amano! Don't go with him!" Kashino shouted.
However, she failed to hear him. In fact, it seemed like Hanabusa did not even notice he was there, either. Kashino looked at himself and saw he was transparent. He got the idea that he was intangible to Ichigo and Hanabusa, probably because it was merely a dream.
"Sing once again with me! Our strange duet! My power over you grows stronger yet." Hanabusa sang, while leading Ichigo down the stairs.
"And though you turn from me to glance behind... The Phantom Of The Opera is there inside your mind!" Hanabusa sang, while Ichigo glanced behind her for a second before looking back to her mentor.
"Amano! Wake up!" Kashino shouted; once again, he failed to get her attention.
He followed them down further and saw the lake, with the boat that the Phantom used to get to his hideout. Kashino saw Hanabusa lead Ichigo into the boat while he took the oar and started to row the boat.
Kashino knew where this was going to end up at. He knew that he would have to jump in and get wet to follow them, but as soon as he put his foot in the water, he realized he was walking on the water - literally.
'Wow... I'd better keep up.' Kashino thought as he started to run across the water to follow Hanabusa.
"Those who have seen your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear..." Ichigo sang.
"It's me they hear." Hanabusa sang.
"Your spirit and my voice in one combined... The Phantom of The Opera is there inside my/your mind." Ichigo and Hanabusa sang.
There were some voices in the background saying to watch out for the Phantom. Kashino kept walking across the water until they landed at the other side of the lake.
"He's there... The Phantom of the Opera..." Ichigo sang, before singing a high note.
"Sing my Angel of Music..." Hanabusa sang, as Ichigo once again sang a high note. "Sing my Angel..."
Kashino, horrified, shouted, "Amano! Don't do it!"
Ichigo started to sing her high note a little higher this time, and she was trying her best to hold it.
"Sing for me!" Hanabusa sang.
Ichigo went even higher with her trilling and she tried to keep her air.
"Sing, my Angel!" Hanabusa sang, and Ichigo went to an even higher pitch.
"Amano! Don't sing! Stop!" Kashino shouted.
However, like previously, he was neither seen nor heard. He had no idea why he was unable to be noticed by the other characters.
"Sing for me!" Hanabusa sang once more.
Ichigo went to her highest with her high note before exhaling rapidly and then breathing heavily after that.
~Dream Faze-Out~
This time, it was Cafe that woke up from the noise from Kashino's in-sleep yelling.
"Kashino really knows how to shout in his sleep..." Cafe complained quietly, as he rose up out of his sleeping spot. He rubbed his eyes in annoyance before falling back to sleep.
Just like Chocolat did, Cafe conjured up some earplugs to help him sleep just in case Kashino decided to talk in his sleep again.
"I just hope I can actually get some sleep with Kashino around..." Cafe said, yawning in his sleep.
~Dream Phase 3~
Ichigo was sitting on the rooftop in the middle of the night, crying. She was very scared about her situation and she had no idea what to do. People assumed she was dreaming whenever the Phantom Of The Opera. She was scared that Kashino would think the same.
Kashino was watching this from behind Ichigo, and he felt like she was his responsibility. Kashino gripped his hands tightly before relaxing them. He went over to Ichigo and gently put one of his hands on her shoulder.
Ichigo looked up and saw Kashino looking at her. She stood up before bawling into Kashino's chest. Kashino hugged Ichigo to him and he strengthened his resolve to protect Ichigo from the Phantom.
"No more talk of darkness. Forget these wide-eyed fears," Kashino sang, as he tried to make Ichigo look him in the eyes. "I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you."
Kashino used his gloved hand to wipe away Ichigo's tears, and Ichigo calmed down a bit.
"Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to guide you." Kashino sang.
"Say you'll love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of summertime," Ichigo sang, taking her turn. "Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you."
"Let me be your shelter. Let me be your light," Kashino sang. "You're safe. No one will find you. Your fears are far behind you."
Ichigo turned her head to look at the cityscape.
"All I want is freedom. A world with no more night," Ichigo sang, before turning back to Kashino. "And you, always beside me. To hold me and to hide me."
Kashino smiled and he took Ichigo's hands.
"Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude," Kashino sang, as he hugged Ichigo from behind. "Say you need me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too. Amano, that's all I ask of you."
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you." Ichigo sang, feeling better.
"Share each day with me, each night, each morning." They sang together, in a duet.
"Say you love me..." Ichigo asked, as she turned her body around and looked Kashino in the eyes.
"You know I do." Kashino sang.
"Love me... That's all I ask of you." They sang together, before sharing a kiss with each other.
They held it for a little while, before breaking it and they sang together, "Anywhere you go, let me go too! Love me, that's all I ask you."
They kissed once more and Kashino hugged her tightly and pressed her closer to him.
"I must go," Ichigo sang, as they stopped their kiss. "They're going to wonder where I am. Wait for me, Kashino!"
Ichigo headed for the door back downstairs, when Kashino shouted out to her.
"Amano, I love you." Kashino said, blushing.
"Order your fine horses; be with them at the door." Ichigo sang, asking Kashino this favor.
"And soon, you'll be beside me." Kashino sang, as he led Ichigo down the stairs.
"You'll guard me and you'll guide me." Ichigo sang.
They were soon out of sight. However, they had no idea that they had company.
Hanabusa, dressed as the Phantom, came out from behind the statue. Hanabusa had a suit and cape on, his hair was slicked back, he was wearing a mask that covered half of his face, he had a fedora on his head, and he was gripping a rose in his left hand. He was shaking with rage and tears were streaming from his face.
"So... This is what you do to me? After all I've done for you to help you, Ichigo?!" Hanabusa gritted angrily.
He took the rose in his hand and he shredded its petals to pieces. He threw it on the ground and he squished it with his foot. Tears were leaking from his eyes heavily and he felt his heart be broken into pieces and ripped out of his chest.
"You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you!" Hanabusa hollered.
~Dream Faze-Out~
"Kashino!" Hanabusa hollered, hoping to wake up his roommate; he was standing over Kashino, angry.
Cafe and Chocolat were sleeping like rocks at that point. Hanabusa saw Kashino toss and turn in bed; it was as if the show itself was playing in Kashino's mind and he wound up a part of it somehow.
Hanabusa shook his head in annoyance. He took the earplugs out of Cafe's ears and whispered a request for his own pair.
Cafe conjured up a pair of earplugs for Hanabusa in his sleep, and Hanabusa yawned before going back to bed.
Kashino was still sweating while having his nightmare.
~Dream Phase 4~
Kashino, Ichigo, and Hanabusa were down in the Phantom's hideaway once again.
Ichigo had somehow wound up forced into a wedding dress that was handmade by Hanabusa himself.
Hanabusa had lost his mask, revealing that his face was deformed heavily. His face was scarred heavily, there were parts of his skull that were exposed, his lip was swollen on one side that revealed his teeth, etc., and was overall hideous.
"Let her go!" Kashino shouted.
He was separated from Ichigo via a metal gate. Kashino had his hands on the gate and was banging on it, demanding Ichigo be let go.
Hanabusa merely gave a grunt before turning to Ichigo and yanking her up into his arms.
"Do whatever you want, just let her go! Don't you have any sense of pity or compassion?!" Kashino demanded.
"How should I know? No one showed me any compassion!" Hanabusa said, as he kept a tight hold on Ichigo.
"I love her!" Kashino shouted. "Let me see her!"
"Ugh, fine." Hanabusa said before raising one of his hands and then snapping his fingers; the gate went up and Kashino ran over to Ichigo.
Hanabusa let go of Ichigo before walking off a little bit.
"Your arrival really has made my day; did you seriously think I would do Ichigo any harm?" Hanabusa said, as he prepared a noose.
"Yes, I did," Kashino said. "Since you've already ended the lives of two people, I was afraid she was next."
"Out of the question," Hanabusa said, as he shook his head; an evil, sickeningly twisted look was on his face. "After all..."
Kashino was so concerned with Ichigo's safety and well-being that he failed to notice what was coming next.
"Amano, are you okay?" Kashino asked.
"I'm fine, but..." Ichigo began, but she saw Hanabusa coming towards them with the noose. "KASHINO, WATCH OUT!"
"She won't be punished for YOUR sins!" Hanabusa said while tying the noose around Kashino's neck and laughing maniacally.
As Hanabusa let go, the rope started to dangle in mid-air.
"KASHINO!" Ichigo shouted, as she ran over to him; Hanabusa yanked Ichigo by the arm to stop her.
He gently pushed her aside to hide her behind him while mocking Kashino.
Kashino was flailing his legs while grabbing the rope around his neck in an attempt to loosen it and get free. Kashino was trying to breathe while he struggled.
Hanabusa was still laughing like he was insane, and did not even care that Ichigo was crying her eyes out.
"So, Kashino! Order your finest horses; raise your hand up to eye level! You're not going to go anywhere! Nothing's going to save you!" Hanabusa cackled. But then he had the look on his face that made it seem like he had an epiphany of sorts.
"Well... nothing except Ichigo." Hanabusa said, as he turned to Ichigo with an evil smile.
Kashino's eyes went wide; he knew what was coming.
"Start a new life with me!" Hanabusa sang, as he approached Ichigo. "Buy his freedom with your love! Refuse me, and you'll condemn him to death! This is the choice! This is the point of no return!"
He played a few notes on his pipe organ.
"What?! You're asking me this?!" Ichigo asked.
"Amano! Say 'no'! I did all of this to set you free! Don't let it be in vain, even if I have to die!" Kashino shouted.
Ichigo was stuck looking between Hanabusa and Kashino.
"I don't believe you," Ichigo said, nearly crying. "I thought you were an angel... I thought you were my friend! But now I see who you really are! The tears that I cried once out of pity for you are now turning cold and hateful!"
"You're trying my patience, Ichigo," Hanabusa said, as he approached Ichigo. "Make your choice!"
Ichigo looked between distressed Kashino and impatient Hanabusa. Ichigo swallowed a lump in her throat.
"What life have you known...? You poor thing..." Ichigo said, as she approached Hanabusa. "You're not alone in this world..."
Ichigo took Hanabusa's face into her hands and she pulled it closer. She puckered her lips a bit.
Kashino's eyes shot open and his face paled.
"AMANO! DON'T KISS HIM!" Kashino hollered; Ichigo was about to kiss Hanabusa, when...
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
~Dream Faze-Out~
Kashino shot up in his bed and he started dripping sweat.
Looking around, Kashino saw that the others in his room were waking up groggily and were not happy with their wake-up call.
"Kashino!" Chocolat shouted, as she got out of bed and flew over to him. "What was going through your brain last night? You were both talking and singing in your sleep and woke up all of us."
"Ugh..." Kashino said, rubbing his head as if he had a headache. "What the heck..."
"Come on, Kashino!" Chocolat said. "Hurry and get dressed! Breakfast can't wait forever."
Kashino begrudgingly got out of bed; Hanabusa was still in front of the mirror, but he looked very tired from lack of sleep.
"Hanabusa, didn't sleep?" Kashino asked, as he went to the mirror.
"No thanks to you, Kashino," Hanabusa said. "Now my beautiful face will be ruined by fatigue."
Kashino sweat dropped.
"Did I really make that much noise?" Kashino asked, a somewhat irritated look on his face.
"You were singing in your sleep." Chocolat repeated to Kashino.
Kashino once again sweat dropped. His face went blue and pale and he grew stiff, too.
After changing clothes and eating breakfast, Kashino joined the others out in the labs, and this time they were working on entremets (whole cakes) for practice.
Kashino, however, was quite distracted; the dreams from the night before played over and over in his mind, and it was giving him quite a bit of grief.
The spirits were watching the whole thing. Caramel and Vanilla were acting quite normal since they got enough sleep. Cafe and Chocolat, on the other hand, were really exhausted from deprivation of sleep.
"Chocolat, Cafe, are you two okay? You look exhausted." Vanilla asked.
"You don't know the half of it," Chocolat complained. "Kashino was talking in his sleep all night."
"Singing, too." Cafe complained, yawning loudly.
Caramel and Vanilla sweat dropped.
"Talking and singing in his sleep? What's with that?" Vanilla asked.
"Could have been the show yesterday." Caramel said.
"It mostly likely was," Cafe said. "Since almost everything Kashino said was from the show."
Kashino was whipping his batter in the bowl, but his mind was elsewhere. Every time he looked at Ichigo, he saw her dressed as Christine; each time he glanced at Hanabusa, he was dressed as the Phantom.
Because he saw them together, Kashino nearly flinched in surprise and tried to make a move to "save" Ichigo. Because of it, he dropped his whisk and bowl on the floor.
"Ma-chan, what's wrong? That's the third time you've dropped your whisk and bowl," Andoh asked. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," Kashino said, picking up his tools; he scrapped what he was doing, cleaned his tools, and started over. "Besides, Hanabusa's the one I should be worried about..."
The others failed to hear this last comment.
"Kashino certainly is acting weird," Ichigo said. "Maybe he liked the show so much that he can't stop thinking about it?"
Chocolat sweat dropped; that was part of the reason Kashino was not acting right.
"Ichigo-chan, chop chop," Hanabusa said, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "Your cake won't bake itself."
Kashino's eyes went as he saw the scene go down. Hanabusa was once again the Phantom and Ichigo was Christine, with the Phantom reaching out for her with hostile intent.
"STOP IT!" Kashino hollered; he threw his tools aside, causing them to fall on the floor and have his cream spill everywhere. He yanked Ichigo towards him and he glared at Hanabusa.
The entire group was in shock at this outburst. Ichigo herself was quite surprised at how Kashino was acting out of the blue.
"Kashino..." Andoh began, surprised.
"Free her! Do what you like, only free her! Have you no pity?!" Kashino shouted to Hanabusa, in song.
Everyone was surprised by this sudden twist in his behavior. Ichigo was blushing while in Kashino's one-armed embrace.
"Kashino's certainly passionate right now..." Hanabusa said to Andoh, a little surprised; he had a half-smile on his face, a cocked eyebrow, and just looked confused overall.
"Kashino! Wake up!" Chocolat shouted, as she whacked Kashino on the head with her fork.
Kashino did not snap out of his daze and he sang-shouted.
"I love her! Does that mean nothing? I love her!" Kashino shouted in song, pulling Ichigo closer. "Show some compassion!"
"Kashino!" Andoh shouted. "What are you talking about?"
In spite of Hanabusa and Andoh's shock and surprise at Kashino's outburst, the one who was the thrown for a loop the most was Ichigo. While she was in Kashino's embrace, Ichigo was dizzy with confusion at his behavior.
'K-Kashino...?! What's going on?! He... He loves me?! Why is this happening?! He's always calling me 'stupid' and the like...' Ichigo thought, blushing.
"Kashino!" Ichigo shouted. "What are you talking about?"
Kashino soon realized what he was doing; he saw Ichigo was in his embrace, the others were staring at him in surprise, his tools were on the floor.
Kashino's face started to go red from bottom to top as if his head were a thermometer. Steam started blowing out of his ears, he flinched and let go of Ichigo, and then he started to flail his arms in surprise and embarrassment.
"Wh-Wh-What's going on?! What was I doing?!" Kashino shouted, embarrassed.
"That's what we should ask you." Vanilla said.
Ichigo was still red in the face; she kept acting shy and felt really embarrassed about what Kashino had said about her.
"Kashino?" Hanabusa asked. "Are you alright? You're acting weird."
Kashino hung his head in embarrassment; he took a quick glance at Ichigo before lowering his eyes to the floor again.
With Both Ichigo and Kashino acting shy, the boys knew they had to break the ice somehow.
"Kashino, shouldn't you clean up your tools?" Andoh said, snapping his fingers at Kashino.
Kashino was soon brought back to his senses and he sweat dropped; he picked up to tools and started to wash them. While all seemed normal, everyone else knew that Kashino was all but in a good state of mind.
"Kashino, what was that all about?" Hanabusa asked.
"You haven't been yourself since last night." Chocolat said; Kashino finished washing his dishes and sat down on the stool near his workstation.
"Well... The show got to me in more ways than one," Kashino said. "I guess when Hanabusa put his hands on Amano just now, I lost it."
"No kidding," Andoh said. "You totally went nuts. That isn't like you at all."
"I got overwhelmed. I saw the Phantom in Hanabusa's place and it looked like he was after Amano, so I went crazy." Kashino said, while blushing.
Ichigo was still blushing heavily and very confused about Kashino's declaration of love.
"Just be glad you lost your cool with just us here," Cafe said, gently. "If there were more people standing around, they'd think you were crazy."
Kashino blushed and sweat dropped, all while keeping a straight face on. Ichigo, on the other hand, was standing off to the side, all flustered.
"Ichigo! Are you okay?" Vanilla asked, checking on her partner.
"No... No, I'm not. Why did Kashino say that?" Ichigo said, muttering.
The rest of the day went by amicably; the team managed to pull together in time to get their practice session done. However, this time around it was not Kashino who was distracted - it was Ichigo.
That night, a few hours before curfew, Ichigo was in her bedroom. She was reviewing what she had practiced in her room, but her mind was elsewhere.
"Ichigo, what's going on? Are you feeling okay?" Vanilla asked.
Ichigo shook her head.
"No," Ichigo said. "I'm still a little shaken up."
"By what Kashino said?" Vanilla asked.
Ichigo nodded.
"I'm not sure whether or not he was just too into the show, or if he really means it." Ichigo said, lying on her bed.
"I can understand," Vanilla said. "With the way Kashino picks on you all the time, it's probably hard to know when he's being honest or not."
Just as Vanilla had said her piece, Ichigo heard a light thumping against her window. She got off of her bed and she went to the window. Ichigo opened it, and saw that Kashino was standing outside the girls' dormitory and he was waving at her.
"Kashino?" Ichigo said aloud.
"Amano..." Kashino said. He then cleared his throat. "Can you come out? I need to talk to you."
Ichigo nodded, unsure of how to reply; she put on casual clothes and left the dorm to meet with Kashino outside.
Kashino had a blush on his face, and he was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Come on..." Kashino said, as he took Ichigo's hand and started walking.
Ichigo walked with him, and she started to feel her heart throb.
They were soon near the lake on campus, and Kashino stood before Ichigo, putting on a brave face.
"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, a tad nervous.
"It's about... What I said during practice." Kashino said.
Ichigo blushed; she was afraid this was what he wanted to talk about.
Kashino first handed her a small box. Ichigo took it, opened it, and found some chocolates inside.
"Chocolate?" Ichigo asked.
"Go ahead and try one." Kashino said.
Ichigo took a chocolate piece and ate it. Chewing it, she detected bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and candied strawberries. Ichigo sensed shyness, inability to express oneself, the feeling of passionate love, and devoted affection.
"I know how good your palette is..." Kashino said.
"You... really do like me?" Ichigo asked.
Kashino nodded, before going into song.
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Lead me, save me from my solitude," Kashino sang, as he worked up the courage to tell Ichigo how he felt about her. "Say you need me with you here beside you..."
Ichigo's eyes widened a bit, as she was aware of what Kashino was going to say, or rather sing next.
"Anywhere you go, let me go, too! Ichigo, that's all I ask of you!" Kashino declared, in song.
Ichigo, moved, threw herself onto Kashino; she hugged him, and he hugged back.
"Say you love me." Ichigo sang.
"You know I do..." Kashino sang back.
"Love me... That's all I ask of you..." Kashino and Ichigo sang together, before sharing their first kiss with each other.
What they did not know was that Andoh and Hanabusa were watching them in the distance; even the spirits were watching the action go down.
"Well, Hanabusa," Andoh said. "How does it feel to be the Phantom?"
"Unlike the actual story, I don't feel jealous in the slightest. In fact, I'm happy Kashino and Ichigo-chan have found their way to each other." Hanabusa said, with a light chuckle.
Kashino and Ichigo then held hands before looking at each other in the eyes.
"Come on, let me bring you back to the dorm." Kashino said, before bringing Ichigo back to the girls' dorm.
Vanilla and Chocolat were happy that their partners had found love with each other.
As Ichigo made it to the stairs of the dormitory, she turned back to Kashino and said, "Thank you; goodnight."
"Night..." Kashino said, before blowing Ichigo a kiss and then turning to leave for the boys' dorm.
Ichigo caught the kiss and put it on her cheek before walking into the dorm.
Just like Christine and Raoul did in the actual show, Kashino and Ichigo got their happy ending, too...
The next day, they won the competition with their entry.
It was a tiered chocolate cake that depicted Phantom Of The Opera, with little marzipan figurines of the characters of the show. Kashino was Raoul, Ichigo was Christine, and Hanabusa was the Phantom. Hanabusa and Ichigo were in a boat made of chocolate and marzipan while the river was blue icing. The river descended down the cake. The next tier down depicted the scene of Raoul and Christine swearing their love for one another. The tier on the bottom was the climax scene.
Kashino and Ichigo were secretly holding hands at the judging table as the judging commenced.
The final score for Team Ichigo was 469 points, while Team Tachibana lost with 381 points, mainly because their piece fell apart in the middle of everything.
Knowing that the semi-finals were now upon them, Kashino and Ichigo looked at each other. Once the match was over, Kashino brought Ichigo over to the curtains, opened them up to hide the two of them, and then enraptured Ichigo with a kiss.
The silhouette of the Phantom seemed to lurk behind them a bit, but neither Kashino nor Ichigo were concerned about it. In fact, the creepy piano music turned romantic as the scene panned out.
That's a wrap. I think the ending could have been a little better, but this was the best I could do. I hope you like it.