Heart of the Beast
Part Seven: Duke Orsino and Lady Viola




The lights were staggeringly hot, Brad couldn't show his nervousness. He stepped up onto the stage as the revealing of Viola and Sebastian came up. Basara was very pretty in that black uniform and wearing a fake white mustache although he was meant to look like Viola in Sebastian's clothes. The make-up artists did a good job, Brad was thoroughly pleased. During the unveiling, Brad feigned shock and appallment rather well. During the kiss scene between Viola and Duke Orsino, Basara closed his eyes upon Brad's lips touching his.

//Oh gods, he kisses like Brad!!?? Ross is so talented!!//

//He doesn't know... does he? Better way to keep the suspicion low...//

The curtains lowered and Brad rushed for the back stage, Basara still winded by the kiss. The female director walked into Ross's room and heard pounding coming from the closet. She opened the closet and Ross spilled out onto the floor.

"There's an imposture in the theater!!"

"What?" The female director frowned, then stuffed him back into the closet. "Well, I never did like you anyway, Ross."

"You can't do this to me!! I'm an actor!!!!"

"A BAD actor..." She closed the door and locked it again, just as Brad walked into to adjust his mustache. He soon found the African-American director standing there.

"....oh.... the secret's out I guess."

"You are brilliant!" She slapped her hands on Brad's shoulders. "The crowd loved you and I don't even know your name!"

"To tell you the truth..." Brad looked back, then at the director. "You won't believe me if I told you... I am a mage, my lover's in this production. His life is in mortal danger. I posed as Ross to see him safely through the play without harm."

The woman blinked, then saw the Amethyst Cross sparkling from his neckine. Her jaw nearly dropped and then she presented her Order of Hermes' pendant from her neck.

"I knew there was an odd aura about you." She smiled with a believing sparkle in her dark brown eyes. "Well, I believe you."

"Thank-you."

"Get out there and knock them dead, sugah!" She smiled and walked out. Brad grinned and nudged the door. "Sorry, Ross..."

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!!! I AM AN ACTOR!!!!"

Brad casted a Mute spell and walked out. "Ahhhh, silence is fucking golden."


Tanaka looked off to the side with his silver eyes and spotted a familiar head of auburn hair sitting behind Janus. He opened his pocket watch and looked inside, then slowly closed it. Looking around, Tanaka stood up but then felt an amazing force sitting in the back of his row. Looking in that direction, he spotted a handsome red-head looking back at him, smiling recognizingly. Tanaka moved through the crowd, sitting next to the German, taking out a small vial of blood. The German snatched it and drank it. "Danke." The German grinned, presenting his Euthanatos pendant.

"For a mage, you make a killer vampire." Tanaka whispered.

The German removed the fangs from his mouth and put them in his pocket. "I had to do something to explain my Shadow magic."

"Lasombra."

"Ja." The German handed Tanaka some papers. "This is some juicy tidbits on Janus Fairbane."

"We both were right, Janus is a fallen star looking for a quick rise to fame."

"But..." The German grinned and flipped the page to the side. "That's not all. The Leonharts are very very famous theater actors. Most of them have won at least one Tony for their roles in certain plays. But they are most credited for are playing very convincing... strong emphasis on 'very'... female roles. With the exception of Carishär Leonhart and his 257-pound body of pure muscle..."

"But Caris was a Khan, most Leonharts were Khans."

"Right, that's why most Kindred don't want to Embrace a Leonhart, the risk is super great. And since Janus is a Toreador with no combat skills whatsoever..."

"She hired someone else to soften the first Leonhart son up so she can move in for the kill."

"Bingo." The German nodded and smiled, shuffling through the papers. "Her chauffeur was the one who roughened him up. He's a Nosferatu."

"And Nosferatu have Fortitude and Celerity."

"Ja."

"Bingo."

Tanaka and the German mage turned toward the direction where Janus is sitting. The Yakuza hitman and his companion went closer to the seats and sat down almost behind the auburn-haired man. The handsome man looked almost exactly like Tanaka, only with slate-blue eyes and normal glasses.

"Who's that?"

"Kenshirou... he's my twin brother." Tanaka whispered in the German's ear. "I assigned him guard duty to watch Janus like a hawk."

"The play's coming back on."


"Basara." The female director walked up, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You were magnifiscent!"

"Thank-you, Donna." Basara giggled, tipping his head foreward.

"This final scene you'll be dancing with Duke Orsino in a costume masked ball."

"B-but the final scene isn't a..."

"We made some changes to the script."

"Oh! I get it!" Basara giggled, then went to look for a ballroom mask.

Brad followed Basara, wearing his ballroom mask as well. When Basara stepped back, he accidentally bumped into Brad. Turning around, the pretty snow-angel smiled sweetly. "Hello, Ross. Can you help me find a pretty mask?"

From behind his cape, Brad pulled out a white cat mask and slid it softly on Basara's face. Giggling softly, Basara slid his hand in Brad's and smiled under the furry cat mask. "Ready for the big moment?"

Brad nodded, keeping his silence. "You don't talk much, Ross. You're usually a yapper and you love to flatter me or yourself."

He shrugged in response, Donna walked in and signalled for them to enter the stage. The two masked lovers walked in and got into a waltz stance and began to dance to Feste's music.

"Something about you is strange, yet very familiar." Basara whispered under the gleem of the music. "Do I know you?"

The resistance was too great, Brad leaned forward and kissed Basara during the waltz. Another actor nudged Brad, breaking him from his kiss, Brad and Basara continued waltzing.

"...Brad? I-is that you?"

"Yes." Brad whispered very softly, very lovingly.

"Why did you...?"

"I had a vision... you were attacked during the final scene." Brad replied, his fingers in between Basara's.

"Oh Brad."

"If anything happened to you..." Brad's eyes narrowed sadly under the mask. "I'd never forgive myself."

Basara's smiles got a lot sweeter, more beautiful than before. "We should do this more often." Brad whispered, smiling back.

"I hope so too."

A shriek came from the audience as a cloaked figure jumped down and snagged Basara. Brad flew back into the seats, then got back up. The thing turned around as Brad began to advance on them, it turned its' claws to Basara's neck and hissed.

"It's a vampire!"

Kenshirou ripped Janus from the seat and put the katana to her throat. Tanaka had his Masamune at Janus's chest and the German mage had his gun to her temple. The vampire hissed and threw the fainted Basara into Brad's arms and ran for the three hostage takers. It smacked Kenshirou in the face, kicked the German in the gut and tripped Tanaka. Janus collapsed in the Nosferatu's arms, causing it to run off with her. Tanaka threw a spell at them as they made their getaway, finally, they were gone.

"SCHEISSE!!!!" The German slammed his gun down against the ground. "They got away!"

"Not quite." Tanaka got up and brushed himself off.

"What makes you say that, brother?" Kenshirou adjusted his glasses.

"I cast a temporal spell on Janus. She'll be feeling her age here shortly. The best part is, since she's Kin-Jin, it's totally irreversable."

"Brilliance." The red-headed German grinned.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"Nugh... what happened?" Janus reached for her purse, pulling out a compact mirror. "I feel like shit." Opening it up, she saw what exactly the spell had done to her. "DAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" She screamed, throwing the mirror out the window. "DAMN YOU, MIDNIGHT!!!!!"




-Continued-