Yeah, a quick update. I'm going to be very busy these next few weeks, so don't expect too many updates. I have...two other stories to update on my other account. So bear with me.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS FIC, PLEASE!

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO, Phantom of the Opera, Phantom of the Opera lyrics, or even the "Little Ryou" thing at the end. That's based on "Little Lotte". O.o See what I meant by you guys needed to know the music very well?

Chapter Two

Ryou POV

Weeks passed. I missed my father terribly.

But…it was easing, more comforting…to have my angel sing to me at night. At first I had thought the voice to be a fluke, a hallucination, a desperate slip of insanity that was created from the news of my father's death. But as time wore on, I had begun to realize that, no, it wasn't a fable, a fluke. There truly was an angel…though where, I did not know. I never took the Millennium Ring off, and every night when I went to bed, at the darkest hour of the night, when not even the moon rose, the angel would sing to me.

He never spoke, my angel. Never. Just merely sang in my ear, and at times I could even feel his fingers wiping away my tears. They were only fleeting moments, ready to be reconsidered and shaken off, but I knew they were real. My father was right about the Sennen Items to be real; who had the right to say that my guardian angel wasn't?

Of course, my father had to pay a price to discover the Sennen Items. Who else would have to die, to discover that my own guardian angel did exist? Not wishing to risk it, I did not dare to say a word to anyone. Not even to Yugi.

As expected, Yugi proved to be, once again, the amazing game master he was, and competed the rest of the Puzzle within a day. He had looked up at me with tears in his eyes when he had finished. He promised that he too, would wear his Puzzle until the end of his life, in memory of my father.

I did not dare tell him the possibility that the Puzzle had the spirit of an ancient pharaoh housing within. For one, he would've most probably ridicule me, and I would have to explain as to why I came up with such a imaginative theory, and I didn't want that. After all, my guardian angel was an angel, was he not? His voice seemed far too kind to be that of an ancient Thief King. Therefore, I did not think that the angel was a spirit, but rather, indeed, a true holy being, sent to comfort me by my father in Heaven.

About a month later, Yugi had also received devastating news. His father had been found, after disappearing for years already, since Yugi was small-dead.

By that time, I had already begun to cheer up a bit, having my angel's voice to comfort me when I was asleep. Yugi, however, had no such luck, and I spent my wee hours telling him tales my father used to tell me.

"…the ancient pharaoh then defeated the terrible Thief King," I whispered dramatically, trying my best to hold back my tears. Retelling the tale reminded me of my father again. "…and sealed the Thief King away with all the Shadow magic there was in the world. However, the brave and noble pharaoh knew that he too, would have to stop the magic from reoccurring again in the future. So he sealed himself away in the darkness, awaiting the future so he could be released again." I sat back, breathless, as I watched Yugi give me a small smile of awe.

"How do you know all this, Ryou-kun?" Yugi asked. I was happy to see that Yugi did not look as gloomy anymore.

"I was in Egypt when I was ten or so," I explained. "Father was showing me all the tombs and treasures he had found, and I accidentally found a cellar door, hidden beneath the sands."

"And what was in there?" Yugi urged, eyes widening. I smiled again.

"A boy," I said. "His family was living in a palace underneath the ground!"

"You're kidding me," Yugi breathed. "You're kidding me, Ryou! But, those stories can't be real."

I shrugged. "Well, my father had discovered the Sennen Ring and Puzzle. Maybe there are some things in the world that seem like fables, but really are real. Perhaps we're just too afraid to see them."

"I'm not afraid!" Yugi exclaimed eagerly. "I would love to see the spirit of the Pharaoh!"

I smiled. "So would I."

Finally, about two months later, both Yugi and I had finally gotten over our depression. I would never have made such quick progress, had not I had the angel to sing to me at night. And knowing that it was my father who sent him, made it all the more bearable to realize that Father, at least, was in a better place. Probably with my mother and sister. Yugi had told me simply; that he had never really knew his father anyways. It wasn't too hard to let him go.

Yugi and I were gathering our lunch at school, with me humming under my breath and Yugi jumping up and down to get a good look at the menu. When we had managed to gather all our food, we wandered to a table, trays balancing precariously in our arms.

We sat down, ready to gorge into our food, but not before Jonouchi, Honda, and Yugi's own childhood best friend, Anzu, had appeared by our sides. Jonouchi slapped me playfully in the shoulder, before sitting beside Yugi's left. Honda sat across from us, and Anzu sat next to him, smiling friendly.

"Hey, Ryou," Anzu greeted, beaming. "How's everything going?"

I looked down at my plate, smiling a small smile. "Fine, thanks," I said softly.

"Sorry about your dad," Anzu said, nodding seriously. I looked back up, and gave her a sadder smile in return.

"It's fine. Really."

Anzu nodded, before picking daintily at her food. Trying to break the awkward silence, Honda suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Yugi asked, intrigued.

"You mean you read the news, Honda?" exclaimed Jonouchi, feigning utter shock and surprise. I giggled. "I never knew!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Honda sneered, smirking, punching Jonouchi in the arm. "Actually, I heard the news."

"Thought so," Jonouchi said triumphantly, nodding. "Knew you didn't have enough brain cells to read the news, Honda."

"Watch it," grinned Honda. He wavered a carton of milk in front of Jonouchi's face. "Or I'll spill this over your head."

"Like to see you try!" Jonouchi laughed, pouncing up.

"Hey!" Yugi protested, laughing as he and I hurried to hold Jonouchi back. "You haven't told us the news yet, Honda!"

Giving Jonouchi a challenging smirk, Honda sat back down, wolfing his food into his mouth.

"Ew, Honda," Anzu complained, wincing in disgust. "Learn some etiquette, will you?"

"Sorry," Honda said, swallowing one huge gulp. He sighed in comfort, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Madame Giry said we're doing a play this year."

"A play?" Yugi cocked an eyebrow. "We do a play every year."

"Yes," I said. "What makes this so different?"

Honda gave me a smile. "I'll give you three guesses which play it is."

I furrowed my brows as Jonouchi snickered.

"You can't even count to three, Honda."

"What is it?" Yugi asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Guess," Honda said again.

"Oh, come on!" Yugi exclaimed. "Just tell us!"

Jonouchi flashed a grin at me. "Phantom of the Opera."

My mouth literally dropped. Not possible. Our school was doing a musical? My favourite one at that?

"Do you even know what the story is about, Jonouchi?" asked Anzu wryly.

"NOPE, not a clue," Jonouchi said. "But I'm sure Ryou here could tell us. Right?"

Everyone swiveled around to see me. I could literally feel my cheeks getting hotter, my nose getting pinker.

"Ahh…"

"Come on, Ryou-kun!" Anzu chirruped happily. "Madame Giry has already told us what's it roughly going to be about…but come on now! You're the one who has the most details about this! Tell us!"

"Eh, I really don't need to hear," said Jonouchi, leaning back. "Romantic stuff…yech."

"It's not just the romance," I explained, unable to contain myself. Blushing, I looked down at my plate, poking at it, before I continued. Now that I had spoken, I had to go on. "It's really about…the Opera Populaire. It's a prominent Opera House in France, and it's been haunted for years."

"The O.G!" Jonouchi yelled.

"Sweet, a ghost?" Honda said, eyes wide with anticipation. "Like, a headless one?"

"This is not the story of Sleepy Hollow, Honda," Anzu said exasperatedly. "The Opera Ghost sings."

"Sings?" Honda repeated, wrinkling his nose. "What fun is that?"

"He doesn't just sing," I explain. "He has the most gruesome and terrifying face that even his own mother and father casted him away when he was born. Some say that he was born with terrible disfiguration and drove his mother insane. Others said he lead a decent childhood until someone spilled gasoline on half is face and lit up with a match."

"Ew…" Yugi shuddered. "What does his face actually look like, Ryou-kun?"

"A Death's Head," I whispered, caught up with retelling my tale. "A death's head. A dead skull, with holes where the nose was supposed to be, and golden eyes so sunken in that you could only see it in the dark. His skin was a parchment yellow and was just as brittle. His entire frame was a skeleton!"

"Ew…" all three of them said in disgusted awe.

"But why would anyone fall in love with him?" Jonouchi asked. "Or is it like…a reverse psychology thing?"

"I can't believe you even know that word," Anzu joked. Jonouchi flashed her a grin.

"No." I shook my head. "He has a beautiful voice, such a beautiful singing voice that it sounds even more heavenly than the most talented of choir angels. His mind is quick and creative, and highly intelligent. He can compose fantastic operas within a day, and built miraculous buildings within a month."

"Really?" Anzu asked, a little skeptically. "Such a genius with such a hideous face? So what did the girl do? Christine, right?"

"Yes," I nodded again. "Christine Daae fell in love with his voice, as he did her. However, when she first came to the Opera Populair, everyone thought her to be …a toad, really. Someone who couldn't sing very well. So then, the Phantom began to haunt her room through her dressing gown mirror-"

At this, Anzu gave a wrinkled snort. She would never have anyone live should they be spying through her mirror. I continued.

"-and began to teach her how to sing. However, in payment for her singing, she had to be loyal to him. She couldn't fraternize with other men. But it didn't matter to Christine Daae, for she loved the Phantom like a father, a friend, a companion. That is…" I put on a smile, for suspense effect, "…until her childhood lover came back…the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny!"

"So what did the Phantom do?" asked Yugi, eyes wide. I looked around, and indeed, my small audience was entirely enraptured by my tale. I smiled again, more brightly as I continued.

"Threatened Christine not to see him again," I said. "That night, he brought her to his underground lair, beneath the Opera house on a lake, that he had made entirely himself!"

All three of them were gaping. Quickly, I hurried to finish my tale.

"-and the Phantom kills again, and again, and he was ready to kill Raoul. He told Christine to either chose him or Raoul. Should she chose Raoul, he would die. Should she chose the Phantom, Raoul would live."

"Go on!" whispered Yugi.

"So Christine chose the Phantom," I concluded. "And being so touched by her judgment, the Phantom sent them on their way, and …" I smiled. "…disappeared."

The three of them were utterly in awe. Suddenly, Anzu recoiled back, shaking her head.

"Euch. I'm not going to audition for Christine anymore."

"Heh," Jonouchi shrugged. "I think I might try out. Sword fighting, yeah!"

"The Phantom's disgusting," Honda said, still in disbelief. "I mean, I've heard of obsession, but that's…just…not nice!"

"The Phantom does frighten me," Yugi admitted, shaking his head. "But I love the tale!"

"The Phantom didn't deserve Christine's love," Anzu said simply. "I mean, she was in love with Raoul. If the Phantom really loved her that much, why didn't he just let her go?"

I sighed, looking down at my plate. I knew exactly what was my opinion of the Phantom, and I knew I was going to get appalled looks for it. Expectedly, Anzu turned to me.

"Don't you agree, Ryou-kun?"

I tilted my head a bit, in a sort of, reconsidering manner, before I looked back up.

"Well…when she left," I said softly. "The Phantom sang a very sad version of a song that was supposed to be very happy. You know there was supposed to be a Masquerade, a happy ball where everyone dressed up and hid themselves behind a mask?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well…" I shifted uncomfortably. "He sang it…sort of …really sad…"

"Sing it!" Yugi said immediately. "Please, Ryou-kun, sing it please!" I used to sing a lot to Yugi when I was younger, and he always liked hearing my voice, even though I always thought it was ludicrous.

"Yeah! Sing it!" everyone else urged. I shifted comfortably again.

"You'll hear it later, right?" I blushed.

"But we want to hear it now!" Jonouchi whined. I sighed, then directed my gaze to the table again, my cheeks flushing.

"Masquerade…paper faces on parade, Masquerade.

Hide your face so the world would never find you…"

I looked up, tears threatening at the corners of my eyes. It had always been the saddest part of the entire play. No matter how many times I heard it, I cried. "Erik never had anyone to love, or to love him back. Christine was the first. And to let go of something everyone always had, when he had nothing, was just too much to bear for him. He didn't deserve all that he had to go through, just because of his face."

There was a small silence, as everyone drank in these words. Until Yugi spoke up, that is.

"You mean like the Thief King, Ryou-kun?" he asked. "I remember you told me that we shouldn't hate the Thief King either, because it wasn't his fault that he went all bad. He had a bad childhood, just like Erik, right?"

I nodded. "Right."

There was a small silence again, and I could tell that they weren't about to agree with me any time soon.

"Ryou," Anzu piped up suddenly, "why don't you audition? You can really sing! And I don't think anyone else really wants to do the Phantom."

I blinked repeatedly, ready to jump away. "What?" I stuttered.

"Yeah!" Jonouchi agreed. "You can do it. You can play the part of Phantom."

"What? N-no…" I said weakly, blush tinting my face again. "I don't think I'll ever have the courage to stand up there and sing…"

"Your classmates are right," said a voice. They all turned around to see Madame Giry standing behind them, a small smile on her face.

"Zat was a wonderful retelling of the Phantom's story, Monsieur Bakura," she beamed. "And indeed, you should ought to play ze of ze Phantom. All you need is a little confidence."

"I can't…" I stuttered, ready to swear that my cheeks had turned beet red. Madame Giry had heard? Oh my…

"But you 'ave such a lovely singing voice!" Madame Giry pressed. "I remember my own mother telling me how Meg Giry was so surprised to see Mademoiselle Daae sing so lovely. All she needed was a little lesson and she was a success."

"But…I don't think I can…" I said weakly. "I'm sorry, Madame Giry, but…I'm too shy. I don't think I can ever go on stage." I looked back onto the floor shamefully. Everyone looked so disappointed. "I'm sorry."

Madame Giry placed her hand underneath my chin and reverted my gaze to her face. She gave me a sad smile.

"I was 'oping you'd make your father proud, Monsieur," she said. "'E would love to see you upon the stage with one of 'is favourite tales."

Immediately, I felt extremely guilty. My father would've been glad to see me on stage, but I never dared to go anywhere than included everyone staring at me.

Madame Giry smiled again. "Come, Monsieur Bakura. I want you show you something."

Quickly, she grasped my hand and pulled me away from my food. I sent Yugi and the gang desperate looks that silently wailed, 'Help me!' before Madame Giry quickly disappeared with me. She led me from hallway to hallway, from corridor to corridor, until we had reached the eastern part of the building. She threw open the golden oak doors to the auditorium and hurried me in.

I gasped audibly. The entire auditorium was a deep, wine red of colour, its seats and its walls all reflecting every shade. However, what got my attention was the breathtaking chandelier that was hanging precariously on the ceiling. Many people were screaming and shouting commands, and a couple were heaving it into the air.

"Madame Giry…" I whispered, "we're really going to play the Phantom of the Opera here?"

"Yes," Madame Giry smiled. "We are. Quickly, Monsieur Bakura. Come with me. I 'ave something else to show you."

She grabbed my wrist again, and led me away. We went down corridor after corridor again, and down circular stairs. Finally, we reached into a lobby of marble and gold. I recognized it as the boarding school's museum. Technically, we students weren't allowed in it unless it was for research issues, and even then, we needed teacher supervision. Our boarding school was located in a neighborhood that was very tight on heritage. This area was known to have ancient treasures and other past activities. Heck, we still even had horses occasionally pulling carriages to the school for special occasions. Father knew I would be happy in a place like this.

"Um…Madame Giry?" I asked tentatively.

"'Ush," she whispered eagerly. "Come, Monsieur Bakura. Inside."

She quickly opened the doors and ushered me in. Once again, my mouth fell at the sight before me.

Golden artifacts surrounded us on every wall. Papyrus samples hung on the walls, weaponry strapped under display cases. Tombs, coffins, painted with dark kohl lines and decorated with mounds of jewelry glittered about us. Hieroglyphics were etched into the walls themselves.

An Egyptian exhibit.

"Madame Giry…what is all this?" I whispered. I stepped forward; my fingers brushing delicately pass a glass display case. Beneath it, a mummy's tomb, with sculpted holes to fit other treasures. I peered down more quizzically upon it…one of the slots looked like my Millennium Ring! Was this…was this from the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb?

"Your father gave it all to us," Madame Giry explained softly. "This entire exhibit was a gift from him."

I blinked, whirling around.

"He…he did?"

"Yes," Madame Giry nodded. "Some of the treasures are missing though. But it's not of any matter, really. We have so much now, because of him." Her eyes glittered. "Can't you do this, just for him?"

Swallowing, I turned back to the display case, my fingers itching to feel the Egyptian coffin beneath me. Tears threatened at the corner of my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Madame Giry…" I whispered. "I can't."

Since Madame Giry permitted me to explore the entire exhibit (in silence), I had returned to my room quite late. Everyone was already dead asleep in their own rooms of the dormitory, and as I changed into my pajamas, I couldn't help but think of Madame Giry's words.

I didn't have enough guts to perform on stage. I was far too shy. As much as I wanted to do this for my father, I couldn't …I didn't have enough courage to actually even make it to the auditions.

My heart sank. I so desperately wanted to please my father, but it was so hard! I wanted to audition, to play in the play in memory of him, but I didn't have the nerve! Why was I so utterly weak?

I sat back on my bed, groaning, running various methods to get myself at least to the auditions. No such help. I couldn't imagine myself anywhere near the auditions and nowhere near the stage unless I was in the audience. I sighed. Perhaps I was never meant to sing in this play. Even when we were singing in choir, I always hid among the back. I never attempted a solo, and I never even dared speak up in class. I was just far too shy. Softly, I began to cry again. Why was I so utterly weak?

"Hush…don't cry now, Ryou Bakura…"

I snapped my eyes awake. What? Where…Where did that voice come from? Was it my angel?

"Don't cry, Ryou Bakura…"

My eyes widened as I looked about the room. Biting my lip, I hesitantly called out, "Angel?"

The voice laughed, a rather eerily laugh that didn't quite suit it.

"I suppose you can call me that, Ryou. I am the dark angel of the Sennen Ring."

My eyes widened drastically as they jumped down to my Millennium Ring. The eye upon it began to glow, to illuminate against my features in a holy light. I took a step back, before quickly falling to my knees, staring at the treasure upon my chest.

"Angel…?"

Another laugh. "Hush now, Little Ryou. What is it that you wish? Tell me."

Shivering slightly, I looked up to the ceiling, expecting my angel to appear before me. Nothing. The room was bathed in entire darkness, except the single ray of moonlight from my window.

"I wish…I want to be stronger, Angel!" I cried. "I want to be stronger, Angel!"

There was a soft, contemplating silence as I held my breath.

"Please Angel…" I whispered softly, hugging my knees to my chest. "I don't want to be alone, Angel. Please don't leave me."

"Do not cry, Little Ryou. Your prayers have been answered." He paused. "I know all of your wishes, Little Ryou. I know how you are treated in school. How you are invisible to those around you, how you are bullied and constantly protected by your friends. " He paused again, and when he spoke once more, it was soothing, tempting, as though right in my ear.

"And I can help you with that, Little Ryou," he whispered. "But in return, you must obey me. You must be solely loyal to me, and no one else. You cannot allow yourself to be tempted by the siren forces of love. You must be determined."

" I will be, my Angel," I promised, nodding my head rapidly. "I will be."

"Then go to sleep, Little Ryou," he coaxed, "go to sleep. You will only be weakened if you do not have energy. I shall be with you, Little Ryou. You do not need to fear anything. Not even the darkness."

"Why?" I asked as I slipped under the covers obediently. "Why should I not fear the darkness?"

"Because I am living in the darkness."

I nodded, slipping my eyes shut. "Angel….you won't leave me, will you?"

I felt his fingers, once again, slip past my cheeks in a soothing, loving manner. I murmured satisfyingly beneath his touch.

"I will never leave you, Little Ryou. Now go to sleep. The auditions are not far away, and you and I will have to work very hard to get your confidence up. One cannot be strong when they are lacking confidence."

I nodded again, forcing myself to doze asleep, despite my eagerness to stay awake and hear his voice. My Angel was real! He was sitting beside me, stroking my cheeks, calming me to sleep! How I longed to throw myself into his arms, and give him everything I had in thanks. My father was right. My guardian angel was real!

He seemed to sense my inability to sleep, and softly, began to sing that my father used years before.

"Little Ryou, let his mind wander.

Little Ryou thought: Am I a fonder of dolls

Or of goblins, of shoes, of riddles, of souls

Or of chocolates…?"

He paused, and I smiled. His voice chased away the loneliness of the night that I so feared. I longed to snuggle close to him, but to feel his fingers slipping pass my face was enough for now. I began to doze off in a slumber, singing the ending to the song in my head as he allowed his voice to travel into my ears…

"No, what I loved best, Ryou said

Is when I'm finally asleep in my bed

And the Angel of Music sings songs in my head…

…the Angel of Music sings songs in my head…"

In my head….

Yeah, this might be a little dark. Whoever had actually read Phantom of hte Opera and "Phantom" , knows exactly how dark this can be. XD And with ...well, I suppose you can all guess now who's actually the "Phantom". XD Oh yeah...in the actual Phantom of the Opera play that they're playing, guess who's who. The PotO play for them is sort of...a distraction. It's not really what the story is about. It's something much deeper than that. (beams)

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!

OR BE CURSED TO HAVE A CHANDELIER CRASH UPON YOUR HEAD!

Erik: Oooh ooh! (rubs hands)

Bakura: ExCUSE me...? (grabs chandelier)

Erik: (starts to sing)

Baku: (faints)

Erik: Thank you.

XD