I do not own Sakura Wars or any of it's characters…'cause if I did, I wouldn't be calling this a fanfic and I would be sailing on the Caribbean in my private yacht, literally swimming in pools of money.

So, now that that's over, you can read the fanfic. Enjoy!

Oh, and this is set in sort of a past/future sorta way and it's based on if Orihime and Reni hadn't come in ST2.

Jacques, Fifi, Clarice, Sophie, Mikel, Reina, Ravina, and Peter are all my characters. (Even if Fifi is a dog!) NO TOUCHIE!!!

Chapter 18

[An apartment downtown]

There was a knock at the door and a woman with dark brown hair sighed exasperatedly before speaking. "You can come in now Clarice." The door creaked open and the blonde girl of eighteen grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Sophie. You know how I am." "Yeah, I do." Sophie replied, blowing a bubble and letting it snap in front of Clarice's face. "So what did the old man want now?" "Mikel failed, and he wants you to take over for now." "For now huh?" Sophie asked, leaning back on the couch. "That's what he said." Clarice replied as she plopped down on the sofa next to Sophie and picked up a magazine. "Don't." The brunette said sharply. "Why not-oh not again!" Clarice snapped, throwing the magazine down. "It's been one article after another about that crazy Anastasia play!" "What can we do about it? They're famous here." Sophie replied. "Yeah, but it's not fair that every time I go out, the guys mistake me for the exact person we're after!" Clarice replied sulkily. "………Clarice…you just gave me a great idea!" Sophie exclaimed. "What did I do?" "It's what you said, not what you did. I'd never get an idea from you that way." The brunette jumped up from the couch and disposed of her gum. She pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and pulled it through the back of a baseball cap. Then, she pocketed her small pistol in her jean jacket. "I'll be back. The old man's gonna love this!" Sophie exclaimed, opening the door, walking out, and slamming it shut. Clarice looked at the cover of the magazine she had thrown down, then over at the mirror at the far wall. And then, it hit her. "You have the best ideas Sophie!" she exclaimed.

"I think that we should go see Commander Yoneda now." Ohgami commented after shutting the window. Maria nodded as a simple response, still getting over the shock of what Kayama had told her, and Kayama's exit. Does he think he's that Western superhero, Spiderman? Ohgami took Maria's hand, and together, they walked downstairs.

"There you are!" Kanna exclaimed as Maria and Ohgami walked downstairs. "C'mon! We were just about to go through the scripts without you guys." Maria looked questioningly at Ohgami. "You're performing with us again?" "Yes." Ohgami replied shortly. "What are you two waiting for! C'mon! Let's go to the stage! Cactus Woman is going to have a fit if we're any later than we are at the moment." Kanna exclaimed, running off. "Remember that Kayama said that I had to be your temporary bodyguard?" Ohgami asked as he and Maria walked down the hallway to the stage. "Oh…I see…" Maria replied. "Yeah. The Imperial Theater isn't as safe as we hoped it'd be." "…"

"AH! IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Sumire exclaimed as the couple walked into the 'theater' part of the Imperial Theater. "Sorry Sumire…we were…delayed." Ohgami said. "You don't have to give in to her." Maria hissed. "But I don't have to be stern either." Ohgami replied quietly, letting go of Maria's hand and walking down the center aisle.

"Okay! So, what play are we doing next?" Ohgami asked cheerfully. "Ooh, you're gonna like this one." Orihime replied dryly. "Yes, it fits in soooo well." Sakura commented. "Well, what is it?" Maria asked. "If it's that wonderful, one of you should have said something by now." Reni held up a copy of one of the scripts, and Maria was taken aback. In looming, bold letters was the title, Phantom of the opera!

"Clarice gave you my message, didn't she?" Was the first thing Sophie heard as she walked into the old, abandoned, fishing shack. With a small smile on her face, Sophie sat down and tossed her pistol around by the trigger. "How'd you know it was me?" she asked. There was a click, as a lighter came on and the flame showed part of the face to whom the voice belonged to. Taking one gloved hand out of his pocket, the man lit a cigar and passed it to Sophie. "Ahh, my favorite brand. You knew I was coming, huh?" she asked, raising it to her lips. "Yes. And next time Sophie, don't call me 'the old man,' even if you are roommates with a teenager." The brunette nearly choked on the smoke from the cigar. "What?! How did you-" "Ah, how quickly we forget that I have spies all over this city." the man said, stepping out of the shadows. The sun that was poking through the clouds shone on his gray and silvery hair as he sat down across from Sophie. "So. What this great idea of yours that you had to tell me?" he asked. "You heard it all, didn't you?" Sophie asked. "You've got the place bugged, don't you?!" "Temper, temper Sophia Alexandra. You should keep your cool in a place like this." the man stated calmly. Sophie, who had stood up, her face full of rage, sat down and puffed on the Cuban cigar. "Now. What was it that you were dying to tell me?" the man asked. "Clarice bears an uncanny resemblance to the person we're tracking down, Maria Tachibana." Sophie started. "And?" "What if we were to let her be 'Maria' for a day or so?" There was silence, and then the man chuckled. "You are a clever one aren't you Sophie?" he asked. "No more than you…Vladimir Alexandrovich." "Please Sophie, you know I hate formalities… please, call me Valentinov."

"Well…I hate to say it, but it looks like we're in big trouble now." Ohgami commented after rehearsal. "Do you mean we're in trouble with Sumire for casting me as Clarice and you as the Phantom? Or that this just gives the phantom that's stalking me another chance to strike?" Maria asked. "Both." came Kayama's voice. The startled couple looked up at the staircase to see him, sitting on the railing, strumming a guitar. "How in the world do you manage to pop up in one place or another?" Ohgami asked. "And didn't you say that you'd be back in a couple days?" "I'll answer both questions if you two follow me." Kayama replied cryptically. Maria and Ohgami sighed simultaneously and followed the captain of the Moon Division as he hopped off the railing and the white guitar magically disappeared behind his back again.

"Uh, Kayama, where are we going to?" Ohgami asked as Maria and himself were led through Ueno park. There was no answer, as Kayama was concentrating on where he was going. Maria looked at Ohgami reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." she said. The spiky-haired captain of the Flower Division looked at Maria in fascination. She's amazing…never worried, never scared…Wonder if I taught her to loosen up, she'd teach me some discipline? Ohgami turned his head abruptly as Maria sensed that he was staring at her, and turned to look at him. What are you thinking? She wondered. What's running through your mind at this very moment? Are you thinking about me? Because…I know I'm thinking of you. What do you see in me anyways? *sigh* I wish I could get inside your head to see what you see when you look at me…Ohgami…I wonder if- "We're here!" Kayama exclaimed, snapping Maria out of her thoughts in shock.

Interesting…so that man in the tuxedo is in cahoots with us…but who is the man with the spiky black hair? He and Clarice seem awfully close! AAAHHH! And he's kissing her! Whoa! Wait'll Sophie and the old man hear about this! A man with reddish brown hair ran out of the park and back to the old fishing shack. "Ooh… Valentinov will be mad as a hornet when he finds out all this!" he exclaimed.

"And so-" *WHAM!* Sophie's sentence was cut short, when the door burst open. Acting on instinct, the brunette whipped out her silver pistol and pointed it straight at the intruder. "Whoa! Easy there Sophie! No cause for alarm!" came a familiar voice. Sophie put down the pistol and smirked as the figure came into full view. "Ah, if it isn't Jacques "Fifi" Andres." she said. "I told you to stop calling me Fifi! You know I hate that!" Jacques protested. "Will you two shut up!" Valentinov snapped. "Honestly! Sometimes I wonder if Clarice is the only mature one around here!" There was silence, and then Jacques spoke up. "Sir…there's something you ought to know…"