5
Underground Lair
Natsumi couldn't sleep.
All sorts of memories were flooding back to her… memories from her past life… memories of herself, and of her Angel of Music…
Who was now Giroro.
Natsumi felt warmth flood into her cheeks. She knew that in a past life, she had chosen him over Raoul- the Phantom just took it the wrong way. But then… But then…
She didn't remember what was filling the pit of her stomach with dread. She just knew something terrible had happened, something that was both beyond and completely in her control.
Natsumi had pretended she hadn't heard Giroro's cry of frustration, yet it had shaken her to her very core. She knew- she just knew- he was berating himself for the murders he had committed in his past life. And she knew he would have changed what he did if he could. He had done it because… because…
Because he had been madly in love with her.
But no. It couldn't be. He was Giroro now, not Erik or the Phantom. He couldn't possibly love her.
Although it would be nice if he could…
Whoa, she thought. Where did that come from?! Then, tentatively, she reassured herself, it's just because I fancied him in my past life.
Natsumi glanced at the clock. 1:15 A.M. She sighed, resigning to the fact she wasn't going to go to sleep anytime soon, and then dragged herself out of bed. She shivered- resolving to get a wrapper, no matter how old-fashioned it was- and then headed downstairs for a glass of warm milk.
When she walked into the kitchen, she saw a tall figure sitting at the table. Natsumi caught her breath and flicked the light switch, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Giroro's masked face.
"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked.
Natsumi shook her head. "Not a chance. Too much happened today."
"That's an understatement."
She sighed. "Darn Kururu. Did he find a way to change us back?"
"He knew how to from the beginning, but he said he"- and here Giroro made quotation marks with his fingers- "'wanted to see how this played out first'."
"Ugh," Natsumi groaned, promising herself to give the freak a piece of her mind later.
"Well," Giroro finally said after an awkward silence. "As long as we're awake and stuck like this, there's something I wanted to show you."
Curious, Natsumi rose, but Giroro chuckled. "First, put this on. I want the experience to be as much like the movie as possible."
Natsumi looked down at the white dressing-gown in her hands. "No way," she realized. "You didn't possibly make-"
"Well, technically, Kururu made it," Giroro responded with a smile. "Now get dressed."
"Well, now I don't have to go out and buy a wrapper," she laughed.
He grinned as well.
When Natsumi had gotten dressed in her (more old-fashioned) "pajamas", she went back downstairs to find Giroro waiting in the outfit he had been wearing when he first turned human- that is, the old-fashioned suit that she now recognized to be the outfit the Phantom wears in Music of the Night. "You ready for me to show you my 'lair'?" he said, chuckling.
Natsumi's smile broadened. "Will you sing for me down there?"
His smile widened as well. "But of course."
He offered his hand, and Natsumi took it, trying to ignore the small shiver the gesture gave her. Will I ever be able to act the same around him, now that I know who we're reincarnations of? she wondered.
Giroro began to lead her down to the secret base, and then winded through the hallways until he got to a random section next to the command center. Letting go of Natsumi's hand, Giroro leaned on a spot in the wall where two different plates joined and pushed his weight on the section until one of the plates slid behind the other, revealing a much older looking stone passageway behind.
"No way," Natsumi gasped.
"Yes way," Giroro replied almost smugly. Then he took Natsumi's hand again and led her through the hallway. When they reached the end, he silently continued to a downward spiral staircase, taking a wooden torch off the wall to provide lighting. The stairs led to another hallway, wider this time, which in turn led to an underground river with a boat waiting for them. By now Natsumi was beaming. Giroro could have chosen just about any place to live now that he was human- Kururu was a genius, albeit a very creepy one- and Natsumi wasn't surprised he had chosen his past life's dwelling, but the fact that he chose to show her this, now, after things had changed so much, made Natsumi's day. Giroro helped Natsumi into the boat and began to steer it with a long staff down the river until they eventually reached a small portcullis leading into a cave filled with candles.
"So you decided on your old home," Natsumi mused.
Giroro nodded. "Do you like it?"
"It's as amazing as I remembered."
He smiled, then took a deep breath. "You're sure you want me to sing? I haven't done it since I became Keronian."
"I highly doubt your voice got any worse for the wear."
"True."
And then he helped Natsumi back out of the boat and began to sing.