If You Love Something, Let It Go

Shiki had been kidnapped by Neku, essentially.

And of course she had. She'd known that that had been her situation for a while now.

Even when she tried to convince herself that she was Hades and Persephone-ing it with him of her own free will—for the greater good, in fear of what he might do otherwise—the back of Shiki's mind knew that this was the case.

And even when her heart ended up sympathizing with him something fierce.

But if she was a hostage, more or less… and she was the Persephone to his Hades, Shiki supposed there were worse places for her to be.

This "House on the Lake", that he'd fashioned for himself on the Shibuya River was quite lovely, all things considered.

Earlier, when Beat had been fretting on whether Shiki really loved him or not—when she'd explained to him everything that had been going on-he'd quite keenly asked if it wasn't every girl's fantasy to be with someone who fashioned themselves a king of such a place.

And while Shiki missed her freedom—missed being above ground and perhaps the flowers there most of all—she supposed she could understand what Beat had meant in that moment.

Neku had made a lovely domain here, all things considered (she wondered where he got the yen for all the candles, but she figured it had to be coming out of the money he'd swindled out of Def Märch's hands). And Shiki's room here, too—the one that he'd allowed her to create—was quite lovely, she had to admit.

"You should eat more, Shiki," Neku scolded her now, but good-naturedly, she knew, as the two of them ate dinner together. "You tried too hard to be your friend Eri. And she's anorexically thin, and having health problems for it now. And you followed that trend for nearly as long as she did. If you don't turn it around now, I'm worried it'll be the same for you."

Part of Shiki wanted to snap at Neku here. Because she knew he didn't like Eri. He thought that she was airheaded and conceded, and was getting roles that Shiki herself should have been. And Shiki despised that Neku felt this way about her best friend. She despised Neku a lot, actually. And it was crazy to think that she'd once thought that he was her Angel…

But at the same time, she knew that he was just concerned for her and genuinely trying to help. In a twisted way, everything he did was for her. And you couldn't help but be in awe at that love sometimes, despite yourself.

Especially when, after Shiki's parents had died, Shiki had thought she'd never again have that feeling from anyone again.

But then Neku had come into her life with such powerful feelings for her… far too powerful for her to handle.

There was a darkness to those feelings from him, she knew. And on nights when Shiki could almost make herself forget about the people Neku had killed to get her her singing parts (because he didn't know better, as he'd never been shown a better way, her empathetic heart knew), and the terror he surrounded her with in general, she found herself wishing that he had fallen in love with someone other than her. Someone better than she could be. Because that darkness did exist within Shiki—she had experienced in some of her and Neku's arguments, for one thing—but it scared her and she didn't know how to fully unlock it… And she knew that it was best, for so many reasons, that she did not.

"That's sweet, Neku… I'll try and eat more. Especially if you're going to go as far as to try and get ice cream for me or something. I know you really don't like the stuff, save for mint chocolate chip."

"Of course Neku doesn't like ice cream most of the time, Shiki. It messes with one's singing. You should know that better than anyone," Neku was blinking at Shiki like she had lost her mind… and it was honestly kind of cute. And Shiki found herself somehow giggling for it.

She was almost taken back to the first night she'd been here… before she'd known that her Angel and Neku were also the Phantom of the Opera, and she'd just known that her Angel—the one who had given her voice lessons, and who sang so beautifully—was this "Neku person", who was suddenly standing before her… and they'd blissfully sang the night away, before it had all gone to Hell.

Even with how things had gone between them since then, there were times where they could almost recreate that moment.

Sometimes.

And Shiki got the feeling that today was going to be one of them.

And it made her glad… for so many reasons, of course! She was thrilled to know that she would be safe with Neku for another day, and he wouldn't go off the deep end and doom all of Shibuya over her! And she relished in getting to be with her friend again… but she felt awful in that, maybe Beat's worries about her and Neku's relationship weren't always unfounded. But she couldn't think about sweet Beat right now! She had to think of the here and now, Shiki reminded herself, as she tried not to panic and begin having her arms wave frantically.

"Speaking of singing… can we sing tonight, Neku?" Shiki asked cautiously. There were some nights where this was a "no", surprisingly, because Neku was too caught up in his most recent compositions or one of his moods to entertain the idea. But that didn't seem to be an issue tonight.

"I'd have it no other way, Shiki. You know me," Neku whispered to her, as he helped her out of her chair and took Shiki's hand, so he could lead her over to his study.

Once there, Shiki sat down on the couch that looked like a pair of pink lips that Neku had brought in to his home only for her—as it wasn't his style at all—and it made Shiki belatedly realize that it wasn't just her own room here that she'd decorated… and just how much of a life she did have here… and if that meant she should be feeling guilty about certain decisions she was in the process of making right now.

But Neku brought Shiki out of that funk by beginning to play a piece that had a lot of winds to it. And he played how it would sound via the horn, and then the trombone, and finally the trumpet, before he finally sang the tune for her, so Shiki could imagine how it would all sound coming together.

And Shiki listened on, mesmerized, as it began to make her heart flutter and feel like it was going to beat free of its ribcage. This piece was lighter than Neku's usual work… and she wondered what the change was for, but she certainly wasn't complaining as he sang to her in his high tenor.

When Shiki had first heard Neku's speaking voice, she had been astonished that he could sing as high as he did—and that higher notes were actually easier for him—but it just went to show what incredible range the genius had. And she knew some people just were like that, with their talking voices and singing voices being way different. Everyone was different, and it was a beautiful world that way… and that was why Shiki was fighting so hard to protect it.

"Neku," Shiki moaned in pleasure at the song, getting to her feet once she thought he was done with the piece. "Your voice, combined with those instruments, is really going to be something! Here, let me play one of them, so you can just sing! But what- what was all of that for? It reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on wha-"

"…Does it remind you of the sound of lace rubbing together? Because it was somewhat supposed to. You once said you would have liked to be a seamstress, right, Shiki? So, this song is my gift to you." And Shiki would remember, later on, he'd been looking at her then with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. But if that had partially been because he'd been crying, she didn't know. She just didn't know.

"Neku… what are you saying?" Shiki demanded now. As much as she wished he would have a change of heart and let her go—and not have Shibuya's safety be dependent on her staying with him—she honestly didn't think Neku had learned enough or changed enough for him to do that.

And the way he was now digging into his face with his nails, in his self-hatred at his deformity, seemed to be proof of that.

Shiki gently took his hand in her own, and simply held it as it shook to get him to stop. And it was a testament to how far they'd come together, that he let her do this and didn't harm her for the action right now.

But then Neku looked at Shiki with the most tragic eyes that she had ever seen… and she didn't exactly know what she was feeling when he did so, but it was something. She felt something in the pit of her stomach, and she- "I'm saying that, as much as I'd like to keep you—and for my fake little ring to stay on your finger—I know the odds. So, if you do escape and make it as a seamstress with your Beat… remember me and this song, I guess, Angel."

And not at all knowing what had possessed her in this moment, Shiki leaned forward to kiss Neku on the lips for what was surprisingly a sweet kiss.

And she breathed out his name, "Neku," while he cried for her bliss, and for so many other reasons, she knew.

Author's Note: When I was writing this, I actually wasn't planning on the ending being the moment where Neku/the Phantom lets Shiki/Christine go. But maybe it is. It works for it perfectly in this fic and it can be. -shrugs-

Also… I'm PRETTY sure this a modern day retelling of the Phantom of the Opera somehow, but it doesn't have to be. It can be whatever time you want it to be.