Pssst. This is technically part 3 of a vocaloid fanfiction series. If you wish to read part 1 and 2, check out my page. The first story is Pride, then Lust. Okay, bye.

The vibration of the keys sent shivers down my spine. I stared hard at the dots and lines barely visible by the dim candlelight. Trying to transform the scratch marks on the page into movements of my fingers into music, I felt alive.

The song I chose at random that night was very loud and dramatic. The empty opera house burst to life with every chord. I was too immersed in the song of war to notice the inkling of approaching light out of the corner of my eye.

"Oi! Who are you?"

I jumped at the deep male voice. The music stopped abruptly. Partly frustrated at not being able to finish and partly intimidated at the large suited man holding a candle up to my face, I sneered and took off running.

My jet black cloak flapped behind me as I sprinted up the shallow steps. Heavy footsteps tailed me through the lobby and out the double doors of the great building. A pale moon and freezing air greeted me as my heavy breaths turned to white clouds in front of me. I immediately turned to the right and slipped into a shadowed alleyway. My pursuer started to lag.

I scurried along through the maze of passages I knew so well. Every turn brought me farther away from the man who I presumed was an officer. From the brief glance I had at him, he didn't seem very in-shape, so I wasn't surprised when after only ten minutes, he was completely gone.

I sighed and leaned against the nearest building which happened to be where I presided. Taking a last deep breath, I pulled open the door to the five story tenement. After walking up three flights of stairs, pushing in the small key to my rooms, and slamming the door to announce my presence, a small purple-haired girl popped out from a corner.

"You're back early, Mayu," she spoke with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

I sighed again and pulled off my cloak, revealing my blonde hair that faded into red, green, yellow, blue, and purple. It was so unique I had to wear a hood when I went out in public to not draw attention to myself. I, especially, didn't desire needless attention.

"Yeah, yeah. Some officer came in right when it was getting good. I swear they are spying on me now," I replied hastily.

"As long as you didn't bring them back here. I don't want us to spend our debuts in prison."

"Don't worry, Yuka! I am a master at deception. Plus, I think our big break is coming soon. I can feel it," I assured.

I lived with my best friend, Yuzuki Yukari. For whatever reason, I had always called her Yuka. She was the same age as me, eighteen, and was usually full of animation when it wasn't about 3 AM, which it was then. We both worked as assistants to an instrument maker stationed a few blocks down. Yuka's gift was the violin. Mine was the piano. We took care of our specialties at the craftsman's shop. We had shared the small tenement for eleven months by that time. She took me in. I had no idea where I would have been if it wasn't for her.

She had a violin, but I couldn't buy a piano. My boss would have my head on a stake if I snuck into his place to practice. So, I improvised and found the opera house.

"Well, you're back and not dead or arrested. I'm going back to sleep." Yuka yawned and stepped back behind the wall into our bedroom which held two single beds. The bedroom was to the left of the kitchen where I was, and to the right of the kitchen and dining area, there was a small water closet. That comprised our home.

I began to follow, but stopped when I spotted an envelope on the wood kitchen table.

"What's this, Yuka?" I called.

"Oh. I don't know. It's addressed to you," she responded.

I looked around and found a letter opener. It wasn't every day that we received mail, let alone I received mail. It was actually unnerving. They couldn't have found me, right? I disappeared too well for them to have found me and write a letter.

I relaxed a bit when I couldn't recognize the handwriting. That meant it wasn't from my parents or their like. Hidari Mayu was transcribed beautifully on the front. I swiftly ran the blade along the paper.

Unfolding the parchment, two smaller pieces of paper fell out. I picked them up off the floor and was very surprised to find what they were- two tickets to the opera house I had just escaped from.

Quickly, I read the letter that came with them:

Dear Ms. Hidari,

It's been a while since you left home. This is Galaco. Don't worry, I won't tell My Lady your whereabouts. Don't ask how I found you. I know you better than you think. My Lady and Lord recently bought these tickets to the opera in the capital, but threw them away after reading a bad review. I thought about how you always wanted to go, so I've sent them to you and whomever you are staying with. I probably won't write again. Stay safe.

Sincerely,

Galaco

A wide smile appeared on my face. I didn't even know Galaco could write, and she had written me a letter and sent me tickets to an opera. I was elated to hear from the only servant I cared for in my childhood. It certainly sounded like my parents to throw away perfectly good money because of a random article.

"Yuka!"

She moaned, "What? Can't you let me sleep?"

Guess where we're going this Friday?" I asked.

"Mm?"

"The opera, 'Winter's Rose'."

"REALLY?!" she regained her usual fire.

"Yep!"

I traced the name of the opera with my finger. I guessed things were starting to come together. Maybe it was a sign that my luck was turning around.