Many thanks to katBelle for the beta.

Overture

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"A voice from above, and in my dreams,

He was always there, somewhere inside hiding,

Somehow I know he's always with me,

He, the unseen genius."

-Angel of Music, Phantom of the Opera

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Act III

"Good evening sirs and madam. Welcome to Raira Opera House. May I see your tickets please?" a young man in his teens politely asked with a charming smile decorating his handsome face. Like Shizuo he had a noticeable golden mane that seemed to shine along with his dazzling smile. This kid was obviously of foreign descent though his oriental looks were more prominent. Employing a flashy young concierge was very like the Duke and his fellow nobles who greatly favored aesthetics. Most of their stewards were easy on the eyes as appearance had been just as important to their status. It reflected their disposition. The young Viscount silently handed the concierge the tickets and the boy's eyes widened by a fraction as he automatically bowed and lead them to their assigned box.

Shizuo didn't miss the stolen glances that came their way. They were quite a striking trio, especially his beautiful female companion who looked stunning in her red evening gown, as she walked closer to him looking uncomfortable with their surroundings. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to ease her nervousness and his kouhai muttered a shy thanks as she slipped her arm into his. They looked like a couple but he and Varona were just friends. He met the Russian Baroness when he went on a vacation in Northern Ireland and had saved her red scarf that was accidentally blown by the strong wind and went into the sea.

Varona was very adamant about paying him back, and they had formed a sort of senpai-kouhai relationship. Tom Tanaka, a senpai from the Imperial Army Academy and a fellow Viscount, would always tease them but Shizuo only saw Varona as a younger sister.

They arrived in front of their designated box but before Shizuo could enter he noticed that the box beside them had some sort of barricade. Shizuo immediately asked if the box was under construction and the concierge visibly sweatdropped. "Y-yes, it had been under construction for a while now but it's nothing to worry about, Heiwajima-shishaku. Your younger brother, Hanejima-dono is already here inside." The Viscount stared at him for a long moment, and drew the heavy red velvet drapes as he stepped inside. "The performance will start in just a few minutes. Tonight's show features a new Opera and leading star, Hijiribe Ruri. Please enjoy and thank you for your patronage," the young concierge said and hurriedly left.

Kasuka was already in his seat, while Tom and Varona were seated on the left side, and Shizuo quickly took a seat beside his brother when the overture started to play. "Welcome back, Aniki," Kasuka murmured beside him and the Viscount acknowledged his younger brother with a small smile. They hadn't got the chance to bond sooner because both were busy with their assignments. Kasuka was still playing undercover but tonight he was relieved of his role under his older brother's strict instructions and personal wishes. Ever since that incident at the rehearsal, Shizuo didn't want his brother to get himself involved until he was certain it was already safe for him to perform.

They were suddenly occupied by a sweet, almost angelic voice emanating the whole auditorium. Everyone had been fully entranced by the beautiful young maiden standing on the center of the stage. The heavenly voice was coming from her. She was playing the role of a young lovesick empress who was forced to marry the emperor, an abusive man who was hungry for power. Shizuo could feel the sorrow of the empress as she sang all of her dreams and secret love for her young guard, her sworn protector, friend, and confidant. There were series of fighting, gossips running around the palace, and secret rendezvous between the two lovers. The male protagonist had supposedly been given to Kasuka but he declined the role due at Shizuo's wish and it was given to another young man named Rokujo Chikage.

Kasuka had been an understudy of Rokujo who was originally the lead tenor of Raira Opera House and was also known as a huge flirt. He tried to hit on their prima donna and the latter was not pleased. Yagiri sent a complaint to the managers and Rokujo was suspended for a month as per Yagiri's wish. Kasuka was promoted to the principal role and his natural talent had led him to become one of Raira's important faces. The withdrawal of both of their leading stars now opened the way for Rokujo Chikage to redeem his lost title and for Hijiribe Ruri's debut from being a make-up artist to lead soprano. After the first act, there was a twenty minute interlude and Kasuka suddenly rose from his seat. "Aniki, I'm just going to the backstage to check on some things."

Shizuo nodded silently and felt a bit guilty for not allowing his younger brother to join the performance because of his own selfishness. Kasuka quickly left the box, and the Viscount felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Varona, and she looked worried about him as she squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Shizuo immediately reassured her that he was just fine and squeezed her hand back. Before the start of the second act, Kasuka returned to them and Shizuo noticed that his younger brother looked quite anxious. He was about to question him but the curtains rose again indicating the beginning of the second act. There were a lot of arguments and finally the confrontation as the Empress tried to save her lover from the hands of her cruel husband but failed.

She was singing, crying her heart out for the death of her love, and Shizuo noticed that her lovely face was glistening with tears and her whole figure with sweat as she hit the highest note. It was awfully moving and her mouth was agape and the Viscount swore that she would faint. There were a round of applause and standing ovations from the captivated audience as they screamed her name and threw roses on the stage. The curtains fell down and the performance was finally over. Shizuo belatedly noticed that his brother was long gone. When he leaned over the balcony to search for Kasuka, he caught a shadowy figure at the box beside them. He leaned further, trying to take a closer look when someone suddenly pulled him back by the collar.

"Shizuo-senpai, what are you doing? You're going to fall over," Varona said in a monotone voice. "Tanaka-senpai excused himself a minute ago because something important came up. Kasuka-san must have gone backstage if you are loo- what are you looking at over there?" Curious about the Viscount's sudden odd behavior, she looked over his shoulder but only saw an empty box. "Is there something wrong, Shizuo-senpai?"

"I thought I saw a figure over there," Shizuo said in confusion but he quickly dismissed it and went to look for his younger brother. He asked the concierge from before to take them backstage though the Russian Baroness apologized, saying that she couldn't come with him. They parted ways but not before she placed a kiss on his left cheek and Shizuo blushed slightly. He wasn't really accustomed to these western gestures and he could see the boy beside him was bright pink and awkwardly apologized. Shizuo cleared his throat, as they continued on their way. Working men passed them and everyone looked really busy cleaning up when one of the ballet girls approached them.

"Masaomi, why have you brought the Viscount here? This isn't really a good time to be giving private tours here in the backstage. Hijiribe-san is not in a very good condition to entertain guests so admirers would have to wait until the doctor allows it," the girl said in a hushed voice as she looked warily at him and stiffly bow her head in greeting.

"It's okay Saki, the Viscount isn't here for Hijiribe-san. He's looking for Hanejima-san. Do you happen to know where he is?" the concierge, Masaomi, asked.

The young ballet girl named Saki only looked more hesitant, and Shizuo was getting impatient as he interrupted. "I'm actually Hanejima Yuuhei's older brother. I'm really sorry to bother you but could you please lead me to where he is?" She appeared visibly surprised when he mentioned that Yuuhei, or Kasuka, was his brother.

Shizuo was already used to such reactions because he and his brother didn't really look alike, not to mention people always mistook him for a foreigner because of his blond hair. Some had boldly assumed that they were half-siblings or one of them was adopted because of the great differences in their appearance and personality, and though they were both labeled very handsome the older Heiwajima was loud and rowdy while the younger was quiet and timid.

He followed the girl, and they arrived in front of the dressing room of Hijiribe Ruri. Before he could ask why they there she knocked on the door three times and turned the knob.

Kasuka was there inside sitting on a stool beside the bed where the star of the night was lying unconscious. And standing at the foot of the bed was his friend Shinra. The doctor turned to him in surprise. He heard Shinra asked why he was here but Shizuo only walked closer to the bed to look at the young soprano. She looked sickly and pale, and Shinra took the liberty to explain the situation. The girl had fainted right after the performance and the doctor had diagnosed it as stress due to pressure. The sudden withdrawal of their prima donna and the right-to-the-last-minute decisions had likely caused this, and Shizuo felt sorry for her. He also didn't miss the way his younger brother was holding her hand and the Viscount couldn't help but felt slightly embarrassed.

Kasuka wasn't really an open book like his older brother and sometimes Shizuo had a hard time trying to read between the lines but it was now very clear that the younger Heiwajima was completely taken by the beautiful soprano. Hijiribe Ruri's name had appeared a number of times in Kasuka's letters and Shizuo thought she was a close friend but it appeared that wasn't the case. "Angel," she murmured in her unconscious state and the Viscount raised an eyebrow.

Angel. Shizuo had heard it beforehand from Kasuka that aside from the Opera ghost, there was this angel who taught the former make-up artist to sing. Ruri slowly opened her eyes. "Angel, where are you?" the poor girl uttered dreamily, her voice sore from all the singing. Shizuo wondered if they would allow her to perform again after this. Ruri was clearly not ready yet for this kind of pressure and she wouldn't be able to handle the fame. The girl was too delicate. "Yuuhei-san?"

"I'm here, Ruri-san." Kasuka gently took her hand and even though his younger brother's expression didn't change, Shizuo could tell that he was really worried about her. "Everything's going to be alright, Ruri-san. You are going to be fine, I promise. Kishitani-sensei told me that you need a breather from all of this practice, and I already asked Kujiragi-san to allow you for a little vacation," he said with a small smile. "I have arranged us a trip to Kyoto. I remember you mentioning before that it was your hometown and that you'd wanted to pay a visit someday. We could leave tomorrow if you've fully recovered by then." This was the first time the Viscount had heard about this trip, but he wouldn't stop them if they ever wished to elope. He was already prepared to give them his blessing.

Ruri suddenly grabbed Kasuka's sleeve in panic and there was a wild look in her eyes. "No, no Yuuhei-san. The Angel of Music is very strict. I…I can't go with you. Please forgive me, things…have changed," she said in a rather desperate voice and Shizuo couldn't comprehend the hidden plea in her tone. It was as if she was asking to be saved but from whom? This Angel of Music?

The poor girl started to sound delusional and his friend, the doctor, took the chance to explain that Ruri had a lunatic stalker from before who had killed her cat in an attempt to wound her emotionally and mentally, and had threatened that he would hurt everyone she cared about. Apparently, she was traumatized after that incident and found comfort through daydreams. The young soprano sounded mad to Shizuo, as those daydreams were not dreams but delusions.

The Viscount suddenly found himself with a huge dilemma. Although, Ruri seemed to be kind and sweet according to Kasuka's letters, the poor girl would seriously need some professional help if she kept going on about this Angel of Music of hers. She shied away from Kasuka's touch and continued rambling about how strict the Angel of Music was and told Kasuka that she would stop seeing him as per ordered by the Angel of Music. Angel of music, angel of music, angel of music!

Shizuo was getting irritated by all of this delusional talk and his younger brother wasn't really much of a help either because he was head over heels crazy for the poor soprano. Shizuo vowed that he would protect Kasuka at any cost, even if he had to offer his own soul to the devil, Opera Ghost, or Angel of Music.

Note:

Red scarf – this is a scene from the novel of how Raoul first met Christine when they were children, in which he reminds her that he is "the little boy who went into the sea to rescue your scarf." Though, Ruri is like the counterpart of Christine in here while Kasuka is kind of Raoul.

Feedback are much appreciated.