"Ah!! Hibi-chan! Where are you going?" Quietus chased after his sister as she walked briskly towards the front doors of the manor carrying one bag in each hand.
"Around Europe." Hibiemi said nonchalantly. She dropped one of her bags for a while and picked it up again.
"When will you be back?" Quietus asked his sister again as Hibiemi paused by putting the bags on the floor.
"I dunno… An unexpected day, I guess." Hibiemi smiled as she picked up her bags with telekinesis and rushed out of the house, "Anyway, I won't forget to send you two something on your birthday next week…"
"That's a relief." Hakkai smiled cheerfully.
"Considering it's Hibi choosing the present, it is not a relief for so long…" Sanzo grumbled as he sipped his coffee.
"Anyway, I hope you don't trespass into my room…" Hibiemi admonished the older immortals, "I have placed a restriction wind spell there. Au revoir, minna!"
"Bye-bye!" Quietus and Hakkai waved in unison, bidding their youngest sibling farewell.
Hibiemi met the vampire outside the gates of her manor. Yuri was ready to go as well.
"First stop, Paris and the Theatre Of Vampires!"
Meanwhile, the three men were celebrating their liberty… Strangely. Hakkai and Quietus smiled as they poured themselves big glasses of booze and drank them up immediately.
"Na, Sanzo… You should try doing that…" Hakkai smiled after he gulped down his share of booze.
"It's wonderful…" Quietus sighed as he plopped down on one of the lavender sofas in the manor, "Well then, what to do today?"
"Rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals…" Sanzo mumbled as he unfolded his newspaper and began to read it.
"Anyway, I'll be going off to the Classico…" Quietus said as he summoned his violin from across the room, "I need to rehearse for tonight's performance."
The Classico was bare when Quietus entered. Obviously, it was closed during the daytime that was their usual time to rehearse. The reaper got onstage and tuned his violin. After some moments of tuning, he took a deep breath and rehearsed a slow, gentle rhapsody on the violin.
"Bravi, bravi, bravissimi." The reaper heard a familiar voice cheering sarcastically from a table in the bar. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar blonde with cobalt blue eyes.
"Amida Toki…" Quietus smiled as he stopped playing his violin, "How wonderful to see you again. What brings you here?"
"Let's just say I've got nowhere else to go to. The world is a boring place when you're traveling alone." Toki smirked as he summoned a bottle of white wine from the bartending area. Quietus floated down to where Toki was staying and summoned two wine glasses.
"You're right about that, Toki-san." Quietus laughed as he poured the wine into both glasses, "So, what were you doing this past year?"
"Hunting demons. It's obvious." Toki said as he took a sip of his wine, "You?"
"Hunting demons. Don't all immortals do that?" Quietus laughed, "But I've just changed my occupation. I'm a performer here at the Classico."
"Interesting." Toki said as he looked at Quietus' face. The immortal before him was an exact replica of Hakkai; the only thing that differed was their personalities. Although both brothers were gentle, Quietus was a lot more sentimental; he also had a dark side that was clever and aggressive. Pretty much like a wolf in sheep's clothing, "Can you tell me what act you'd be putting up tonight?"
"It'll just be a simple night of music. I'll be playing my violin, aniki's playing his flute and Sanzo might be performing some tenor pieces he found in the library with aniki's help. Mind you, those two can really bring down the house." Quietus laughed as he told Toki what they would be performing that night.
"Well then, I'll be watching." Toki said as he finished his second glass of wine and began to walk out of the bar but before he could reach the doors, he felt Quietus touch his shoulder.
"I'm so happy I saw you again…" Quietus whispered, unsure if Toki would hear it, "I'll see you later, Toki-san…"
In the late afternoon, Quietus had returned to the Manor.
"Tadaima, Aniki, Sanzo-san!" He called out. No one answered, "Ah… Those two must have been going out again." Quietus walked around the Manor. It was empty. No one was there except himself.
"Ah… Alone as I've always meant to be… I'm so jealous of you, Hakkai…" He leaned against the wall of his room. The red hues of the sunset clashed with the deep azure of Quietus' room, giving the room a royal violet hue. Just a few more hours and he'd have to open up the bar.
I wish I could earn all the courage to say how I feel towards Toki… Quietus thought as he looked out the window. He heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. It was Hakkai and Sanzo.
"Tadaima, aniki!" Hakkai called out as he entered the sunset-filled lobby of the manor.
"Okaeri nasai!" Quietus replied from the second floor, "Have you opened the bar yet?"
"Gojyo has." Sanzo said, "We'll have to head over there after dinner for the performance."
Quietus and Hakkai nodded in understanding and went off to prepare dinner.
The bar was packed with people ready to watch the performance. The three immortals got into their suits and got ready to present their acts. Goku got onstage and cleared his throat discreetly before announcing what would be showcased that night.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The golden-eyed boy began, "Classico Eterno is proud to present tonight's special act! Classico Eterno's star musicians, Cho Hiro on violin, Cho Hakkai on flute and Genjo Sanzo as tenor!" The audience broke into applause as the three got up onstage and began their rendition of a wordless song Hibiemi wrote after her brother had died ten years ago. The song was eerily haunting, capturing the pain of death in full force. Finally, the song came to an end with the haunting violin solo. The audience applauded. Most of them left speechless by the haunting music. Quietus exited. It was time for Sanzo and Hakkai's duets. The two worked perfectly. The flute shaping the smooth tenor voice of Sanzo as it rang in the bar.
The audience gave standing ovations. Hakkai and Sanzo took their bows and exited the stage. When they were certain no one could see them, they shared a long passionate kiss.
"Sanzo… You were brilliant…" Hakkai beamed at his lover who caressed his face.
"So were you, my love…" Sanzo said as he kissed Hakkai a second time before shedding off his suit and putting on his clothing for a night out on the town with Hakkai, "Were would you like to go tonight?"
"There's a carnival open on the outskirts of the city. Would you like to go there?"
"Anywhere with you, Hakkai…"
The two left through the backdoor of Classico Eterno. Quietus watched them as they left. He smiled and went in the opposite direction. Toki was leaning on the wall of the bar in the narrow alley. Quietus took no notice of him.
"Oi, Quietus."
"Hm?" Quietus turned to see Toki following him.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me again."
"I am… But I don't want to feel like that right now."
"Is it because of them?" Toki questioned. Quietus didn't answer. He just continued to walk in the direction of the manor, not minding whether Toki followed him or not.
Yes, Toki. It's because of them… It's because of the feeling known as 'jealousy'. I am jealous of the both of them. Please don't try to stay with me. I know you don't feel the way I feel for you. Quietus' thoughts raced through his head as he finally reached the manor. He looked behind him. Toki was still there.
"Why do you follow me?" Quietus broke the silence between them.
"You didn't answer my question." Toki began, "Is it because of them?"
"What if I said yes?"
"Then I'd say… I'm jealous of them, too." Toki said, his arms folded upon his chest, "Onii-sama gets Hakkai all the time."
"Well then, I'd say that aniki gets Sanzo all the time as well. They're the perfect couple." Quietus smiled, his remark sounding amusing to the ears, "Goodbye, Toki-san. I'll see you again some other day…"
"Goodbye."