Author's Note: I know I pissed some of you with the SubaruxKamui scene in the last chapter. Let me assure, I absolutely despised writing that scene. Just to let you know.
Chapter Four
Fireworks filled the night sky. Laughter rose from the Opera Populaire. Music filled the air. Costumes glittered and flowed. It was the night of the masquerade ball that Yuuto and Sorata were throwing in honor of Aoki Seiichirou's visit to the opera house. The former owner of the opera house had come to see how everything was running, to visit with old friends, and to celebrate the New Year.
Kasumi Karen came over to Seiichirou's car, dressed in a fabulous dark teal dress. Long white gloves covered her arms, and a teal and gold feathered mask covered her face. Her bright red hair was partially tied back, held in place with a large, gold barrette. She hugged her friend as Seiichirou got out of the car.
"It's been so long, Aoki-san," she smiled. "We've all missed you."
"I'm sure of it," Seiichirou said, grinning behind his gold feathered mask. His white suit stood out in the dark of the night.
"Well, come in," Karen told him. "We're all waiting for you."
Seiichirou nodded. He offered his arm to Karen, who took it with a smile. The two of them went into the opera house. The main room was full of guests, dressed in colorful costumes and masks. Everyone danced. Everyone sang.
"Masquerade!" their voices rang out. "Paper faces on parade/
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you
Masquerade! Every face a different shade
Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you."
Colors swirled as the people danced. Yuuto was seen dancing with Satsuki, who was dressed in a beautiful, emerald green dress, decorated with silver sequins arranged in a floral pattern. Her face was covered with a green and silver mask. Yuuto was wearing black slacks with a green jacket, the exact color of Satsuki's dress. He wore black gloves and had a silver mask with green glitter.
Sorata and Arashi were a simple pair, but wonderful together. Arashi had donned a pale violet dress and white wrist gloves. Her mask was feathered, white and gold. Sorata wore a simple black suit and a mask just the opposite of Arashi's: black and gold.
Amongst the crowd, a cute couple was seen. Nekoi Yuzuriha, dressed in a crème colored gown with a light, buttery yellow gauze over layer, and a white mask decorated with a couple miniscule sunflowers, danced with her childhood friend, Nataku. The white-haired boy looked sharp in black slacks and a royal blue silk shirt with white gloved. His mask was white as well and styled in a Chinese fashion.
"Flash of mauve. Splash of puce
Fool and king, Ghoul and goose
Green and black, Queen and priest
Trace of rouge, Face of beast
Faces!"
Dancers swirled around a couple of teenagers. The two Monou children, Fuuma and Kotori had just entered the room. Kotori wore a pale pink dress, frilly and decorated with black sequins shaped into a rose. Her long, caramel hair was tied partially back with a pink ribbon and she wore a pale pink mask that looked as though it was made of flower petals. She was looking around, supposedly for Shirou Kamui, who had invited her and her brother.
Fuuma, the male soprano in the operas, stood against a pillar with a flute of champagne. He was dressed in black leather pants and a black silk shirt. The top two buttons on his shirt were undone, showing off a black leather collar. His mask was simple: a white feathered mask. The young man was looking around as well, though didn't seem to be looking for anyone in particular.
"Take your turn, take a ride," the dancers sang,
"On the merry-go-round
In an inhuman race
Eye of gold, True is false
Who is who?
Curl of lip, Swirl of gown
Ace of hearts, Face of clown
Faces!
Drink it in, drink it up
Till you've drowned
In the light, In the sound
But who can name the face?"
Kanoe entered the room, dressed in a slink black dress with slits high up her thighs. The neck was extremely low-cut, showing off her chest. Her neck was adorned with a large, beautiful black and red beaded necklace. A black mask decorated with red sequins covered her face. Her partner wore a simple black suit with a similarly decorated mask. He seemed to be more interested in the soprano's chest than dancing with her.
Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning red
Masquerade! Take your fill; let the spectacle astound you
Masquerade! Burning glances, turning heads
Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you
Masquerade! Seething shadows breathing lies
Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you
Masquerade! Leering satyrs, peering eyes
Masquerade! Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you.
"What a night!" Karen sighed.
"What a crowd!" Seiichirou smiled
"Makes you glad! Makes you proud!" Yuuto said, twirling a smiling Satsuki around.
"All the crème de la crème!" Sorata commented as he danced with Arashi..
"Watching us and watching them," Kanoe said, resisting the urge to slap the drooling idiot dancing with her.
"All our fears are in the past!" Hokuto sang, as she, Subaru, and Kamui came in.
"Three months!" Sorata and Yuuto said in unison as they and their partners danced past each other
"Of relief!" Fuuma said, seeing Kamui.
"Of delight!" Kanoe added.
"Of Elysian peace!" Sorata said, smiling at Arashi
"And we can breathe at last!" Yuuto said.
"No more notes!" Kanoe grinned.
"No more ghost," Fuuma said, taking a sip of his champagne.
"Here's to health!" Karen declared, raising a glass.
"Here's a toast!" Seiichirou added. "To a prosperous year!"
"To our friends who are here!" Yuuto said, indicating Seiichirou with respect.
"And may the splendor never fade!" Kanoe exclaimed.
"What a blessed release!" Yuuto and Sorata proclaimed, taking a sip of their champagne.
"And what a masquerade!" Karen smiled.
Subaru looked around at the crowd of dancing people. The young man was dressed in leather pants and a black silk shirt, covered with a red trenchcoat. His hands were covered with black silk gloves and he wore a black cat mask that his sister had chosen to go along with her own. Hokuto was dressed in a black, asymmetrical, silk skirt that reached to her knee on the right and mid-thigh on the left, a red leather corset, and black opera gloves. Of course, she wore her black cat mask.
Hokuto had also designed Kamui's outfit for the masquerade dance. The young heir to the Magami fortune wore leather pants and a violet silk shirt that matched his eyes exactly. His long white coat had a pair of black bat wings attached and he wore a black bat mask on his face. He looked around and spotted a familiar face.
"Look over there," he told Subaru, taking his boyfriend's hand. "It's Lord Kuzuki and his son."
Subaru nodded. "Kakyou, right?"
Hokuto looked over. "Eyyyaaaaa!" she screeched. "What is he wearing!"
The older of the Sumeragi twins stormed over to Kuzuki Kakyou and took him by the arm. The blonde looked at her with confused golden eyes. He blinked.
"You," Hokuto said. "Come with me."
"A-ano…" Kakyou hesitated.
Hokuto dragged him across the room over to her brother and Kamui. She paused to look at Subaru.
"I'm going to have him borrow some of your clothes," she said. Then, she led Kakyou away.
Subaru sweatdropped as Kakyou called pitifully for help. Kamui, on the other hand, couldn't resist laughing when he heard Hokuto's voice over the crowd:
"Can I braid your hair?"
"Masquerade!" the crowd took their song up again. "Paper faces on parade
"Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you
Masquerade! Every face a different shade
Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you
Masquerade! Burning glances, turning heads
Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you
Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning reds
Masquerade! Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you."
The crowd suddenly split as another person made his appearance at the top of the stairs. An intimidating figure, dressed in tight leather pants and a crimson red silk shirt, the exact color of freshly spilled blood. A skull mask covered the top half of his face. The Phantom slowly descended the steps, a smirk playing across his lips.
"Why so silent, good Messieurs?" he asked, his deep, rich voice filling the dead-silent room.
"Did you think that I had left you for good?"
Hokuto came back into the room, dragging Kakyou (who now wore a powder blue, silk shirt, black slacks, and a pale-blue feathered mask) behind her, just as Kamui left to find a sword to keep the Phantom at bay. Subaru was frozen in place; his green eyes locked on the Phantom.
"Have you missed me, good Messieurs?
I have written you an opera.
Here, I bring the finished score.
Don Juan Triumphant!"
He threw a package at Sorata and Yuuto's feet. A few sheets of music slipped out of the package, revealing the title "Don Juan" written at the top in elegant, swirling handwriting. The Phantom smiled at the crowd as the room faded to black all around the people. Faded pink cherry blossom petals fell from nowhere.
"Fondest greetings to you all," the Phantom sang, his voice echoing.
"A few instructions just before rehearsal starts
Kanoe must be taught to act
Not her normal trick of strutting round the stage…"
Kanoe let out an indignant snort. Fuuma began to snicker, until the Phantom turned to him.
"Our Don Juan must go get laid," the Phantom sneered.
"It's not right for him to be celibate."
"Oh, burn," Fuuma smirked.
The Phantom ignored the younger man, turning to Sorata and Yuuto.
"And my managers must learn that their place is in an office
Not the arts."
Finally, as Sorata and Yuuto sputtered, the Phantom turned his piercing gaze on Subaru. Alook of longing in those eyes, he opened his mouth and continued.
"As for our star, Young Subaru-kun...
No doubt he'll do his best
It's true his voice is good he knows
Though should he wish to excel
He has much still to learn
If pride will let him return to me
His teacher…his teacher..."
Subaru, captivated by the older man, took a step towards the Phantom. The Phantom offered a hand to the Sumeragi. Subaru reached to take it; just as the light from the now fading illusion caught the promise-ring Kamui had given him that he wore around his neck. The Phantom's eyes narrowed from behind his mask. He reached out and tore the ring from Subaru's neck.
"Your chains are still mine!" he declared. "You belong to me!"
Kamui pushed through the crowd and charged towards the Phantom, one hand on the rapier he had retrieved. The Phantom chuckled, a look of amusement on his face. He stamped a foot against the floor, triggering a mechanism, which opened the trap door, and disappeared. Kamui leapt down the trap door, just before it closed.
Mirrors surrounded him. Reflections of himself filled his vision. There! The Phantom was on his left! Kamui swung out with his sword, but hit nothing but air. He saw the Phantom on his right and tried once more to strike, but once again failed. He turned around, and a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned once more to see Karen behind him.
"Karen-san," Kamui said, as the red-haired woman led him out of the mirror room.
"Please, Kamui," Karen replied. "I know no more than anyone else."
"That's not true!"
"I'm serious, Kamui," the ballet mistress said, turning to Kamui. "The Phantom has been here for ten years, that's all any of us know. We, Aoki-san and I, don't know why he chose to come here. I'm just the woman he pays to be a messenger every so often."
Kamui nodded. "I understand."
"There have been rumors, though…"
Kamui looked at Karen. The red-haired woman looked wistful.
"What rumors?" he asked.
"Ten years ago, an infamous government assassin disappeared. This woman was the most feared assassin, powerful, and rumored to be quite lovely. However, in the winter ten years ago, her body was found in the snow. There was a hole in her chest, right where her heart was. The snow around her was bloodstained."
"What does…?" Kamui began.
"Her son has been missing ever since."
Author's Note: Cliffhanger! X3 Thanks to my friend, Satsuki for helping me with Satsuki and Yuzuriha'sdresses and for helping me come up with the line that the Phantom sang for Fuuma. Thanks to my cousin for helping with the bit with Kakyou. Now all of you enjoy visions of sexy guys in leather.
Duelist of the Sands: I hope you liked this chapter. I know I sent you spoilers over e-mail, so relish the thoughts of what I am planning.
Little Owl: Yes, Hokuto is still a firm believer that Subaru and the Phantom belong together. And yes, SuKam is…ew. Really, I absolutely hate writing it. But Charon insisted, so…yeah.
Jen: Yes, restrain from gagging. I know it's horrible, but we all have to deal. At least for a couple more chapters. Yes. Foreshadowing. X3 Enjoy visions of guys in leather.
MoongirlSelene99: I'll drink to that statement! Viva SeixSu! 3
Haunted Quill: Thanks for shielding me! Here's an update for you1