it's been so long since I updated sorry! especially since this chapter has been done for months :P whoops I love the reviews im getting im so glad there's phantom fans out there! well enjoy! and please review!

Months after the accident time seemed to fly much faster at the opera house. The phantom hadn't been seen or heard of for weeks but still, the performers were on guard. Tonight was the night of the New Year's Eve party at the opera house and everyone was excited. People began to arrive and walk up the stairs into the Opera house to join the fun and dancing.

"M'sieur Justin?!"

"M'sieur Stein!?

The two Managers found each other within all the dazzling Masks that were also headed towards the grand party at the Opera popular. They both had dates wrapped around their arms. While Stein wore ram's ears Justin wore a rooster mask head on his head as they cheerfully advanced towards the party.

"Dear Justin, what a splendid party!"

"The prologue to a bright new year!"

"Quite a night! I'm impressed!" Stein smiled towards Justin who held a prideful smile on his face.

"Well, one does one's best!"

"Here's to us! The toast for the city."

"What a pity that 'Phantom' can't be here!" They both said as they posed for a photo as they entered the opera house. All around the golden room there where people wearing many different colors

Red, black, blue, purple. Everyone was covered in a mask and all around people began to sing and laugh celebrating the grand New Year.

Masquerade

Masquerade! 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! Flash of mauve.. Splash of puce...

Fool and king... Ghoul and goose..." People sang as they twirled around the opera house dancing and laughing the night away. The opera house shone tonight and the gold around the room only enhanced the dancers as they continued to sing.

"Green and black... Queen and priest...Trace and rouge... Face of beast...Faces...! Take your turn, take a ride on the merry-go-round... In an inhuman race...!"

"Eye of gold... Thigh of blue...True is false... Who is who...? Curl of lip... Swirl of gown... Ace of hearts... Face of clown...Faces...!"

All around women began to gather and dance with another. They smiled and twirled as their dresses of beautiful colors swirled below them. Including gold, whites and blacks.

"Drink it in, drink it up, till you've drowned in the light...in the sound...But who can name the face...Masquerade!"

Grinning yellows, spinning reds...Masquerade!

Take your fill - let the spectacle astound you! Masquerade!

A large group of people had gathered on the main stairs and had begun to line up and down them laughing and dancing.

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!

Leering satyrs, peering eyes... Masquerade!

"What a night!" Kim Sang as she held a golden mask over her face and a huge necklace of golden jewels around her neck. Her dress brushed against the stairs as she walked alongside Ox who held her glove covered hand. He wore a matching gold outfit which complimented her.

Behind them were Madame Marie and Tsubaki

Tsubaki wore a simple white dress which made her look like a beautiful swan with her feathered white mask, her long black hair was in an up-do surrounded by a white feathered band.

Marie wore a simple black gown with small rhinestones throughout instead of a mask she brought a golden fan which she held above her face.

"What a crowd!" Ox sang as he walked further to dance with Kim.

"Makes you glad!" Justin sang as he was accompanied by a woman who wore a small hat and had a black feathered mask.

"Makes you proud!" Stein said following him holding a woman in a small white dress who had poofy white hair.

"All the creme de la creme!" He sang to Justin.

"Watching us watching them!" Kim sang

"And all our fears are in the past!" Tsubaki said smiling towards Marie.

"Six months...Of relief!" Justin smiled

"Of delight!" Smiled Kim

"And we can breathe at last!" Ox sighed as he walked further along with Kim towards the middle of the dance floor.

"No more notes!"

"No more ghosts!" Kim and ox sang

"Here's a health!" Stein said raising a glass of champagne the servants brought him.

"Here's a toast: to a prosperous year!"

"To the new chandelier!" Justin laughed

"To the year and May its splendor never fade! Six months! What a joy! What a blessed release!" Ox and Kim looked at each other and dispersed from the group to go dance.

"And what a masquerade!" Madame Marie sang as she smiled and removed the fan from her face.

From the entrance Maka and Kid walked towards the music and sounds together. Maka's hair was curled and rested down her back. She wore sparkled jewels in her hair, and her dress was light pink and dragged towards the floor with roses in the middle of it. She wore white gloves and held up a beautiful diamond ring which was held by a small chain around her neck.

"Think of it! A secret engagement! Look - your future bride!" She smiled towards Kid who smiled back but gave her a look of concern.

"Just think of it!" Kid sighed, he had worn a dark black suit with white lines across the middle and on his shoulders, and a place to hold a sword sat at his belt.

"But why is it secret? What have we to hide?" Kid mumbled as he pulled Maka aside and held her hands

"You promised me" He leaned forward and grabbed her face gently to kiss her but Maka panicked and pushed his hands away.

"No, Kid, please don't do this they'll see…" Maka turned her face away with a slight blush and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them

"Well, let them see it's an engagement, not a crime!" Kid frowned as he shook his head but smiled none the less at Maka who looked flustered

"Maka, What are you afraid of?" Kid asked

"Let's not argue..." Maka said as she glanced at him

"Let's not argue..." Kid repeated after her.

"Please pretend..." Maka said as she followed Kid towards the dancing

"You will...understand in time..." Maka mumbled

The two then began to dance in the middle of the dancers. Maka smiled as Kid twirled her around. They moved gracefully around the room as the dancers began to migrate through the halls. The women spinning as the men lifted them up in the air.

Maka and Kid danced close to Kim and Ox but didn't notice the scowl Kim had on her face when they passed by. As they only notice each other. To the people at the opera house the New Year ahead was already bringing better fortune than the year before.

As Maka and Kid made their way back to the center but this time Maka couldn't stop him as Kid gently kissed her. They remained this way as the other dancers gathered on the stairs and started to dance down them

Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade!

Masquerade!

They all sang As Maka and Kid watched and smiled at each other nearby.

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!

END MASQUERADE

As the dance continued, the lights began to go dark and everyone started to feel an unwelcomed presence in the room. Everyone turned to see that the phantom after a six month disappearance, had finally returned.

He held a smirk upon his mouth, his jagged teeth showing a bit as his white hair was held back. He had traded his normal side mask for a full one; covering almost his entire face except for his mouth. He wore a dark red suit along with a black belt which held a sword. One of his arms was covered by his dark red cloak.

Kid grabbed Maka's arm as she looked up at the phantom with fear, in her jade green eyes the happiness from moments ago was now gone.

Soul then began to walk down the steps his smirk still on his face.

"Why so silent, good messieurs?" He mocked as the crowd began to disperse away from the stairs.

"Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me, good messieurs? I have written you an opera!" The phantom yelled as he held up what he had behind his cloak, it was a red cover holding a script behind it.

"Here I bring the finished score "Don Juan Triumphant"!" He shouted throwing the script on the ground and unsheathing his sword.

"Fondest greetings to you all!" He smiled

As the Phantom began to walk towards the crowd Kid touched Maka's back and ran off going to get his own sword.

"A few instructions just before rehearsal starts: Kim must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting round the stage." He mocked as Kim growled in frustration.

"Our Don Juan must gain some weight - it's not healthy in a man of Ox's age." Soul once again smirked at Ox and continued giving out instructions.

"And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts!" He glared at Stein and Justin who only backed away from him slowly.

Finally Soul turned and started to walk towards Maka. Maka froze and watched his every move.

"As for our star, Miss Maka Albarn... No doubt she'll do her best - it's true her voice is good. She knows, though, should she wish to excel she has much still to learn, if pride will let her return to me. Her teacher, her teacher..." Soul put his sword away and began to walk closer to Maka.

She watched him move closer and closer her eyes never leaving his face. She then started to walk closer to him as he made his way to her. As Maka and Soul come face to face just inches apart, Kid begins to come around the corner trying to place the sword in his belt. As Kid gets closer Soul looks down upon Maka and sees the ring around her neck. He quickly yanks it much to the surprise of Maka, who in turn looks at him in shock.

"Your chains are still mine! You will sing for me!" The Phantom yells as he runs back up the stairs and disappears.

Kid realizing he was too late to catch him runs after Madame Marie who is walking off with Tsubaki. He follows her backstage frantically asking her questions.

"Madame Marie!" Kid cried as she frantically began to walk faster

"Monsieur, don't ask me -I know no more than anyone else!" She shouted glancing back to see Kid was following her closely.

As she begins to move into the darkness kid catches up and stops her.

"That's not true. You've seen something, haven't you?" Kid questioned Marie as she had finally stopped walking. She sighed and began to speak

"I don't know what I've seen. Please don't ask me, monsieur."

Kid desperately wanted answers and he knew that Marie would have them. He began to question her more.

"Madame, for all our sakes."

Madame Marie glanced nervously around her and decided to trust him.

"Very well. It was years ago. There was a travelling fair in the city. Tumblers, conjurors, human oddities."

"Go on." Kid spoke as he began to listen to her.

"And there was. I shall never forget him: a man. Locked in a cage…." Marie said as if she was in a trance reflecting on the events that occurred in the past.

"In a cage?" Kid asked

"He was a prodigy, monsieur! Scholar, architect, musician." She looked at Kid now as she spoke.

Kid then began to put the pieces together "A composer..." He mumbled under his breath.

"And an inventor too, monsieur. They boasted he had once built for the Shah of Persia, a maze of mirrors."

"Who was this man.?" Kid then began to grow impatient asking more and more questions only making Marie more nervous.

Marie shuddered and sighed "A freak of nature. More monster than man."

"Deformed. Unsymmetrical?" Kid murmured

Marie nodded "From birth, it seemed and then. He went missing. He escaped."

"Go on." Kid urged as Marie frowned and began to speak again.

"They never found him it was said he had died." She shrugged.

"But he didn't die, did he? And so our Phantom's this man…." Kid looked toward Marie who only nodded and began to walk away

"I have said too much, monsieur."
She then closed her eyes and whispered

"And there have been too many accidents…"

"Accidents?!" Kid shouted
Before Kid could ask another question he had realized Marie had disappeared into the shadows.

"Madame Marie!" He cried before running after her again.

almost to the end here! stay tuned