Chapter Eight:
The Phantom's Opera
"Yugi," Joey spoke as he helped Yugi off of his horse, "Why did you stop me from killing the Phantom?"
Yugi couldn't look his friend in the eye, so instead he looked at his feet as the two entered the Opera Populaire.
"I thought you hated him, Yugi," Joey pressed on, "Why keep him alive if you hate him?"
Yugi stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes.
"Je ne lui deteste pas, Joey," he whispered.
"But how can you not hate him?" asked Joey, "He killed Tristan! He kidnapped you!"
"He didn't kidnap me, I went with him," Yugi corrected.
"But only when he was seducing you!"
Yugi didn't speak, and Joey hugged him from behind.
"Look, Yugi, I won't let the Phantom take you away again," he said quietly, "I don't want him to hurt you…I know he will…"
"How do you know?" Yugi asked him, "You know no more about him than I do…otherwise you would've told me…"
Joey was quiet for a moment.
"It's not something I know about the Phantom…" he muttered at last, "It's something he knows about me…"
"What?" Yugi didn't expect that.
He turned to stare at his friend in concern. "What do you mean?"
It was Joey's turn to look away. "Yugi…you remember at the Masquerade ball…when I…when I kissed you?"
Yugi frowned. "Yeah…"
"The Phantom knows…the Phantom knows I love you, Yugi," Joey muttered, his cheeks going red, "I have for some time…I'm a threat to him getting to you."
Yugi then remembered something.
"…the whole theatre loves you in one way or another…Joseph Wheeler loves you," these words were a growl…
"He does know," Yugi whispered.
He looked up at his friend. "I'm so sorry, Joey…if I'd never gone with him, he…he wouldn't be so jealous."
"Jealous?" Joey repeated, "What are you talking about?"
"Il m'aime, Joey," Yugi told him, "He asked me to be with him…he didn't say in those exact words…but he was going to say it. I could hear it."
Joey's eyes narrowed. "That monster doesn't know the first thing about love. Love means caring about the other person's feelings…and yet he kills mercilessly."
Something clicked in Yugi's mind, like a puzzle.
"…I was always alone in darkness with no one to love me and the only company was my music and my Duel Monsters. My own mother threw me out of my crib as a child, despite any possible motherly love she could've had in that cold heart of hers! The only love I've ever known…was your love for me as a sensei…"
"A monster," he repeated, "That's what he's always been known as, Joey…he's always been alone…that's why he's so possessive of me…because I was the only one who ever treated him like a person."
Joey bowed his head so that his eyes went into shadow, not saying a word.
"You…you love him, don't you?"
Yugi didn't know what to say at first. Then, silently, he nodded.
"I think I do, Joey," he whispered.
Joey didn't reply nor look up. Then, to Yugi's shock, he saw tears falling down his friend's cheeks.
"Joey…" Yugi took his hand, "I'm sorry…I don't mean to hurt you…but I can't lie…"
"Je sais," Joey whispered, "I don't want you to lie…I don't need you to love me back…but could…could you grant me just one baisser?"
Yugi saw the sincerity in Joey's eyes, and knew he wasn't trying to make him love him; it was just his final wish as a friend.
So Yugi moved closer to his friend and kissed him simply on the lips. He held it for ten seconds, and then pulled away.
Joey smiled through his tears. "Thank you, Yugi. And now…I need to speak with the directors…"
"We've all been blind," Joey told Kaiba and Pegasus, "The Phantom's Opera…this 'Night Seductive' might be the way to catch our clever friend."
"We're listening," said Pegasus.
"We'll perform his play, but remember, we still hold the ace," Joey added, seeing Kaiba's disgusted expression, "For if Yugi sings…he's certain to attend."
"We'll lock all the doors," Pegasus nodded.
"We'll make certain guards are there," agreed Kaiba.
"We'll make certain they're armed," Joey granted, "The curtain falls…and his reign ends!"
"Night Seductive" was on its way. Yugi was backstage, dressed in his costume and wishing there was any other option than being in this opera…any other option than betraying his sensei…any other…
The story began to unfurl; the Pharaoh of Egypt, Minuit, (being played by Duke) was determined to leave the castle for just one day…so, disguising his servant (Marik) in his clothes and jewelry, he left out the back curtain.
As Duke left from backstage, Yugi started to come on, and sing his part:
"Nothing
in his mind but innocence pure,
Nothing
cruel or evil in his soul.
All
that lies in his heart are thoughts of love
And
the soft dream of what lives up above…"
But as Duke was to come out from backstage, someone sheathed a knife and sank into his back, before taking off his own mask to put on the one for the role.
Keeping his cloak close around him, the imposter entered from the back of the stage, and started singing quietly.
"What angel is this?
What pure-thinking mind do I see and so wish
to kiss?"
Yugi's ears pricked up, although he didn't turn around; either Duke had been practicing, or someone else had taken over…and he had a feeling he knew who.
"You have come here in pursuit of your
deepest urge,
In pursuit of that wish, which 'til now
Has been silent…
Silent…"
Yugi turned on cue, and his eyes widened at the sight of the Phantom.
"I have come here," the Phantom
sang,
"So our passions may fuse and merge.
In your mind, you've already succumb to
me…
Dropped all defenses…
Completely succumbed to me.
Now you are here with me, no second
thoughts…"
Yugi felt the Phantom's eyes gazing at him through his mask.
"I've decided," he sang, "Decided…"
"Past the point of no return," the
Phantom sang, taking Yugi's hand and leading him up the steps to
the high balcony on the stage,
"No going back now…
Our passion-play has now at last begun!"
"Past all thoughts of right and wrong,"
Yugi replied,
"One final question:
How long are we to wait before we're one?
When will the blood begin to race
The sleeping bud burst into bloom?
When will the flames at last consume us?"
"Past the point of no return,"
the voices combined as the Phantom embraced Yugi from behind, his
hands moving over his body seductively,
"The final threshold!
The bridge is crossed,
So stand and watch it burn!
We've passed the point of no return…"
There was a silence in which some dancers danced a slow dance, and Yugi closed his eyes, half afraid and half content.
Then a familiar tune echoed in his ear:
"Say you'll share with me one love, one
lifetime…
Lead me, save me from my solitude…"
Yugi felt the Phantom turn him around as if they were waltzing.
"Say you want me with you now and always…
Anywhere you go, let me go too!
Yugi, that's all I ask of-"
But he never got to sing the last word, for Yugi pulled the black mask off his face, to reveal what they had been hiding all along: a pair of blood-red eyes.
People in the audience screamed in panic. One women actually fainted in shock and fear.
The Phantom's eyes at first were shocked, and then his eyes narrowed in fury as he and Yugi both saw Police Officers surround the stage. And to Yugi's shock, the Phantom smirked.
The Phantom threw the bloody dagger he'd used to kill Duke to cut a significant rope in the rafters, before sweeping his cloak over both himself and Yugi and vanishing.
The gold and crystal chandelier began to fall; the audience scattered, screaming and trying to find an exit. When the chandelier finally reached the floor, fire spread out almost immediately.
Joey jumped with some difficulty out of Box Five and ran backstage, knowing there'd be only one person who could help.
Finally, he found Ishizu.
"Where did he take him?" he demanded.
Ishizu breathed hard, before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Come with me, monsieur…I will take you to him…but remember: keep your hand at the level of your eyes!"
Marik, seeing his sister and Joey, came over. "I'll go with you!"
"No, Marik, no," Ishizu told him, "You must stay here!" she turned back to Joey, "Come with me, monsieur! We haven't much time!"
Marik still would've followed them, but the crowd was too thick, and soon they were out of sight.
