Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It is hard to explain the day before the show. It is hard to articulate the panicked hysteria that happens before the big day in lovely poetic prose. That is only because there is nothing to describe. There is no true recollection of the night before a show. Those who try to reminisce about the day before are met with nothing but a frenzied desperation. The only proof that it had happened is the remnants of things that had managed to get lodged in your mind just in time for the show. Everyone leaves with something different.

Aoi had an anticipatory buzz that was thinly veiled in friendly conversations and overcompensated smiles.

Mitsuba’s was a renewed determination that forced him to make peace with the decisions he made. 

And Nene?

Nene was left with music. Music had filled her body, mind, and soul. It was all his. It was all Hanako’s.

Every melody she could hear him humming from afar. When she holds a note she can feel him guiding her. 

Tonight they will take down a phantom but she was still being haunted. 

And Nene was afraid to admit it. 

Mostly due to the fact that she knew that she was on the brink of discovery. But she didn’t want to pull back any more veils. 

She couldn’t dwell on the meaning of her fantasizing about her phantom. She had no reason to delve into why she had spent the night before staring into the stars and dreaming dreams about his eyes. 

But even as she put those thoughts on lock and key, she could not escape the music. 

“Nene?” 

And just like that Nene had returned to this world. She blinked owlishly into the mirror, remembering that Aoi had also been in the room brushing Nene’s hair. It was hard to remember the last time Aoi had been able to do something like that.

She missed the way they would talk as Aoi gently let the brush run through Nene’s hair. But there hasn't been much time for that in recent months. And Nene hadn’t been able to tell Aoi anything. 

But still Nene appreciated their last ditch effort at normalcy. It was very kind of Aoi to pretend that this was just another show, even if it was anything but.

“Nene, have you heard a single thing I have said?” Aoi asked. 

“Not exactly.” Nene said sheepishly. Aoi didn’t seem to mind too much. She just shook her head and repeated herself. 

“I was saying that I think I might say yes next time Akane asks me to marry him.” 

Nene whipped her head around, surprising both of them. 

“Really? I thought that… you always said…” Nene stammered as Aoi flushed a bright pink.

“I know!” Aoi squeaked. “I always said that he never said anything that set my heart a flutter. “

“What changed?” Nene leaned in expectantly. This was a gigantic deal. Nene had been watching Aoi dodge Akane’s advances for years. 

“Strangely enough, everything and nothing.” Aoi’s eyes shined. “Akane didn’t change but everything else did. No matter what happens, everything is going to be different. We could lose everything. And if we did, what would I want to hold onto?” 

“And you chose Akane?” Nene asked. 

“More like, I suggested. But then the idea wouldn’t leave me alone, just like the real thing. I couldn’t think of anyone else. It went from nothing he said made my heart race to just the thought of him proposing makes my heart beat.” 

Even as an avid believer in romance, Nene still felt a great deal of whiplash. 

“How did things change that drastically?” Nene asked. 

“It didn’t. I feel like I always knew. I just needed to accept it.” Aoi shrugged. “Trust me, even when you don’t know, you know.”

Nene was about to ask another question when there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” Aoi said.

The door opened to reveal Kou. He was dressed in a tux with a rapier hanging from his belt. Once again, he was holding flowers. A mixed bouquet full of flowers that Nene recognized.  

“Let me leave you two alone.” Aoi said. “I’ll see you on stage.”

The door shut leaving Kou and Nene alone. 

“For you.” He offered. Nene thought it an odd arrangement but she still greatly appreciated the effort. She looked over her gift with a careful eye. Daffodils, yellow roses, and…

“Begonias?” Nene asked. 

“Thought I’d try something new. I’m sure you mentioned them before.” He said. 

“I used to give these to my father before every performance.” Nene said, breathing in the scent. “I guess it’s fitting.”

“You miss him, don’t you?” Kou’s eyes were filled with sympathy. A look she had unfortunately become familiar with. 

“Every single day, Kou.” She set the flowers aside. 

They were silent for a beat. Both of them were unsure on how to breach the topic. There was a Herculean task ahead that will forever alter the course of their future.  And naturally they were scared. There was so much unknown whether they got out unscathed or otherwise. 

Kou broke the silence first. 

“Did you ever think we would turn out like this?” Kou asked. Nene looked at him for a second before laughter started to bubble to the surface. Did she ever think- Could anyone really predict this course of events?

“I guess you didn’t.” Kou smiled at her. 

Nene wiped a tear. First tear she had cried in a while. It was probably a good omen that it was born from happiness. 

“No, Kou. I didn’t.” She said. “It’s like the rumors say. I have gotten everything I wanted but at a terrible price.”

She was Prima for a sold out show but it wasn’t born out of her own merit and popularity. She was finally being treated like she was more than a chorus girl but instead she was a key part in a plan of capture. It truly was a double edged sword. 

“I think I might move on from the opera house.” She said. “I think that my priorities have shifted.”

“Shifted?” Kou raised an eyebrow. 

“Say Kou, if we ever get married like we promised, I want to live in the countryside.” She closed her eyes. Warm sunlight. Peace and quiet. And at night the stars would stretch for miles. “I think I want to garden like I used to back when Father was alive.”

“Consider it done.” Kou said. “No marriage required. After all, I think I owe you for this one. You are risking everything for all of us.”

“Kou, don’t you think that’s a bit much?” She asked. Kou has already given her so much. Giving her a home in the countryside felt like it was a serious gift, one she could never be sure to return. It was asking too much of him. 

“Absolutely not. I would go through hell and back for you. I think this is the least I could do.” He said. When she looked into his eyes she could tell that he was not going to budge on this. 

“Fine. Then I want to reside in that nice little cottage that is a walking distance from that villa you own.”  She said. 

“A cottage? Wouldn’t you want something a little bigger?”

“No. I want a cottage.” Nene insisted. “Unless you don’t want me living near you.”

Kou frowned slightly before his face slowly lit up. 

“You know what, I like that! That way instead of going into town for food, I can just take it from your garden.” Kou said proudly. “I think that’s the perfect arrangement!”

It was Nene’s turn to frown. 

“Absolutely not! If you want something from my garden you will have to work for it!” Nene said. “None of this whole taking from me business.”

“Fine, how about a compromise. From now on, every time I want something from your garden, I’ll duel you for it.” Kou said. 

Nene hummed tunelessly considering his offer. It was a very childish way to settle it but when it came to Kou she hardly cared about being seen as mature and reasonable. Teru had already decided that neither of them were either.

“That’s fair.” She said. But then Kou smiled and Nene remembered something. 

“Wait a minute, no it’s not. You can catch me now! You’ll win every time!”

“Too late! You agreed!” Kou said with mock evil laughter. “I am going to have free vegetables for life!” 

Nene immediately launched into a tirade about how Kou could not raid her garden of all its vegetables. But it was clearly not having much of an impact because her speech was being overrun by Kou’s legitimate laughter. 

“Think you’ll grow radishes in this garden or will that not be necessary because you have that covered?”

Nene rolled her eyes. 

“Nobody asked you Hanako-“ 

She looked at Kou who had stared ahead with big bewildered eyes. In the same breath they seemed to realize who had come to visit. 

“Hanako!”

They rushed to the mirror. 

“What are you doing here?” Nene asked, trying to ignore the blood rushing to her cheeks. 

“Yes, what are you doing here? ” Kou’s voice had a very dangerous edge to it. 

“I could ask you the same question, what are you doing in her dressing room?” Hanako asked coyly. 

Kou crossed his arms. 

“I was invited. Don’t compare Nene letting me in here to the sick implications of you being behind her mirror.” Kou said. “Now I am going to ask you again. What are you doing  here?” 

“I don’t know why that concerns you. Nene was perfectly aware that I come and go here. What does it matter to you what our purposes are with this mirror?” Hanako said. This only seemed to agitate Kou further. 

“Nene, you allowed this?” Kou asked, clearly frustrated. Now the heat was on her. 

“Now, Kou, you have to remember to listen to me.” Nene scrambled for an explanation. While his glare wasn’t nearly as intense when directed at her, she still couldn't stand it. “Kou, you’re listening right? Kou? ”

“I’m listening.” He said, which only made things even worse. 

“Listen, I didn’t- I mean, I never-” Nene tried to search for the right words but she was too embarrassed to find them. 

“What Nene and I do behind closed doors or through glass mirrors is between us.” Hanako cut in. 

“Hanako!” Nene flushed furiously. Leave it to him to make things worse.

“I never said anything that was untrue.” Hanako batted his eyes innocently. “Isn’t that right, dearest?” 

“Don’t speak to her like that.” Kou snapped at him.

“Oh right, I forgot. You are a jealous lover.” Hanako tutted. “I’m sorry, beloved. I’ll try to get behind your mirrors as well.”

“You are such a pain in the ass.” Kou glared at him. 

“Oh, you would like me to be wouldn’t you?” Hanako smiled smugly from behind the glass. “You can be such a pervert Kou.”

“I know you aren’t talking. He’s the pervert, right Nene?”

“And he’s being jealous and nosy, right Nene?”

Nene sighed. They were getting off track. Normally, she would just let them tire themselves out but if she didn’t stop them right then, they were just going to bicker until the show and even that might not stop them. But still it was nice to know that even with the daunting task ahead, they still found room to argue. Nene was actually a little impressed.

“I think we all need to focus.” Nene said. “Hanako, did you need to tell us something?”

“Oh yes, that.” Hanako looked serious. “Tsukasa and I spoke, and he’s aware that there is something going on. He doesn’t know that I’m in on it but I want you two to be on your guard. We still have no idea what he’s planning. Especially you, kid.”

“Me?” Kou pointed to himself. 

“He wouldn’t be brash enough to do something to Nene, at least directly. But you are fair game to him. Don’t let him get into your head.” 

Kou placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. 

“I understand.”

“Nene, I am going to need you to put on the best performance you have ever done. Let nothing stop you from shining like you were meant to.” Hanako said. “Promise me that.”

Nene put her hand on the glass.

“I promise.” 

“What about you?” Kou asked. 

Hanako simply fixed his collar. 

“What do you mean?” Hanako smiled at the two of them. “I have a premiere to catch.”

He turned away but then he hesitated. He turned towards them, smile still on his face.

“And one last thing, for the both of you.” The mirror opened and Hanako stepped out. “Good luck.” 

Nene and Kou stared at him.

To Kou, Hanako was his accomplice. He was a personal annoyance. To Nene, Hanako was her angel. He was her personal enigma. But at that moment all they could see was their friend. 

And after this, there was a chance that neither of them would see Hanako again. And so they embraced him. They held tight as if letting go would allow him to slip through their fingers. 

When they let go, Hanako looked stunned and flustered.

“I know it doesn’t mean as much from me as it does from Nene. But I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say this,” Kou said. “Stay alive, Hanako.”

Hanako looked at the two of them.  He smiled at them with no hint of teasing or sarcasm.

“How could I say no to that?” He said.

And with that he disappeared behind the mirror.

*** 

Kou was more determined than ever that this show had to go on without a hitch. He had people he wanted to protect and he could not afford for this to go wrong. The stakes were far too high for that.

He looked at the guards stationed all throughout the theater. There was no way Tsukasa could hide from them. Not with so many eyes.

He was lucky that he was good friends with both the chief fire officer and the chief of police. Yokoo and Satou, respectively, were very sympathetic to his plight. The plan was simple. Yokoo and his team were going to lock the doors and evacuate everyone if an emergency should occur. Satou and his men were there for Tsukasa. They were going to have him, dead or alive.

They were all standing on stage looking over where everything was stationed. Teru and Akane were talking amongst themselves not too far away. Kou knew that they were counting on him.

“Are you sure that you understand the plan?” Kou asked for the millionth time.

“Yes, we understand it just fine.” Satou said. “I think we understood it the first time too.”

“Don’t worry Kou, you can count on us!” Yokoo saluted him. 

Kou sighed. It would have to be good enough.

“Thank you two for doing this for me.” Kou said.

“Of course, we’re friends.” Satou said. 

“Also I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the Phantom in action.” Yokoo beamed. Satou seemed to shiver at the thought. 

“Okay, then. Refer with your men.” Kou relented. 

Yokoo stood up straight, and walked to the edge of the stage. He called out to the theater where dozens of firemen were stationed at every entrance.

“Do you understand your instructions?” 

“Sir!”

“When you hear the whistle, take up your positions. I shall then instruct you to secure the doors. It is essential that all doors are properly secured.” 

Kou could hear Teru and Akane talking amongst themselves. It had to be hard for the two to watch. Akane especially seemed to suffer. With this being the theater’s first show since the incident, he had been very wary of everything going on. It was no secret that their investment in the theater has been everything but profitable. Akane was in no hurry to cut ties while his beloved Aoi was still in the fray, though it was hard to ignore the growing price tag of it all. 

When Kou had asked the two how things were going on the business side of things, the only response he received was one word: painful.  

“Are you sure we are doing the right thing?” Kou heard Akane say. 

Kou looked forward, nervous to hear Teru’s thoughts. 

He heard his brother sigh. 

“The time for better ideas was months ago.” Teru’s tone was teasing but even Kou could feel the heavy implications. “But even so, I’d trust Kou with my life. So I am not going to doubt him with my theater.”

Emboldened by the trust of his brother, Kou had no choice but to press on. 

“Am I to give the order?” Yokoo asked him. 

Kou nodded. 

“Give the order.”

The shrill sound of Yokoo’s whistle pierced through the air. The firemen marched on to their post as Kou turned his attention to Satou and his men. 

In the wings lay a marksman. Kou had already explained to Hanako that he would not offer his brother the same mercy he offered him. Kou may have been a good man but he was no saint.  If his brother so much made a sudden move in that box, Kou will not hesitate to end it all there, for Mitsuba’s sake. 

“You there,” Kou said.  “Do you have a clear view of his box?”

Out of the right wing came the marksman. Even with a strong posture and a sharp salute Kou was sure he couldn’t have been more than a few years older than his sister.  He still looked a little wet behind the ears. But Satou had delivered him a marksman, so he would have to do.

“Yes, sir.”

“Remember, when the time comes, shoot. But shoot to kill.” Kou said. “The moment you think we’re in danger.”

“How will I know?”

“You’ll know.”

As Kou waved him back into position, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. 

“Have you seen Nene today?” Akane asked. “She hasn’t changed her mind has she?”

“She’s right where she belongs.” Kou affirmed. “Don’t worry so much.”

“We’re in your hands.” Teru reminded Kou. They were both well aware of the gamble they were taking on this plan. There was no room for disaster.  

“My men are in position now.” Satou notified Kou. 

“Go ahead then,” Kou stood out of his way. 

Satou sounded his own whistle. The high pitch squeal made Kou wince. 

“Are the doors secure?!” Satou shouted. 

One by one the doors were affirmed as secure, shutting close with such finality. There will only be one way into this theater once the show starts. And that will be how they win. 

That was when they heard it. Laughter spilling into the theater, flooding the room and drowning everyone inside. Yokoo and Satou’s eyes were wide. Satou from fear and Yokoo could not contain his excitement. This was Tsukasa. It had to be. There was too much enjoyment for it to be anyone else. 

“Oh wow, all of this for me?” Tsukasa asked gleefully. His voice was coming from somewhere in the house. Somewhere on the right side. Guards rushed over to apprehend him. 

“They look like little toy soldiers! You really wanted to play games, huh.” It came from the back of the theater. Kou remembers this trick. There would be no telling where he was. 

“I guess it’s a little unfair to add so many players.” Tsukasa pouted. Kou held his arm out, telling them to freeze. They had to wait. It wasn’t time yet. There was no telling where he was or what he would do. 

“Though, I guess that’s what makes it fun.” Tsukasa laughed again. Where was he coming from? How did he manage to pull this off?

“Here I am! Try to catch me!” It came as clear as a bell from Box Seat #7. 

BANG!

That damned marksman. 

Kou turned to where he was. 

“You absolute- you could have killed someone!” Kou shouted. “I said: ‘ when the time comes.’ ”

What has he done?

“B-but you said-“

“No ‘buts!’” Tsukasa said in a sing-song voice. “For once, I think he’s right!”

This was bad. 

“I have to admit, this was much more fun than I thought it would be. Maybe I should have taken more time to play with you.” Tsukasa said wistfully. “Still, even I have other things to do. House should be open by now! We have an opera to put on!” 

With that, Tsukasa disappeared. 

Kou hated to admit it, but Tsukasa was right. The show must go on. 

***

“I’m sorry, why are you up here again?” Tsuchigomori asked as he stepped past Hanako watching the show from above. 

“They have every gun on the force pointed at my seat. It makes for a very hostile viewing experience.” Hanako insisted. “Also it’s in use right now.”

Still, he missed his box seat. It was such a small sacrifice compared to everything else but he couldn’t help missing it greatly. The irony of finally putting on his own opera but having to give up the best seat in the house was starting to wear on him.

So, instead he watched from the catwalk where Tsuchigomori was handling the flys. 

“How are you enjoying the show?” Hanako asked him. He had been gracious enough to let the old man work in silence up until that point. 

“It’s certainly something.” Tsuchigomori shrugged. “It’s like nothing I've ever seen before.”

“Isn’t it?” Hanako smiled fondly. Though there couldn’t be any worse circumstances, putting on a show of his own invention was thrilling. His vision that he had been slaving over had sprung to life. Not to mention that it was being fairly well received by the audience. 

“It really is. As someone once told me, ‘You can really tell that there is something wrong with the composer.’” Tsuchigomori’s voice did little to hide his amusement.

“And who told you that? ”

“Yako,” He looked over at the leveled stage to see Yako conducting the music in fierce concentration. Hanako had insisted for the orchestra pit to remain empty, instead having the orchestra play behind the backdrop. “You really put that woman through the ringer.”

“Unintentionally.”

Tsuchigomori scoffed. “You were lucky it was funny.”

“I’m sure you are exaggerating.”

“First you make her attempt to understand orchestrations written by Tsukasa, then you take her pit away.” He tutted. “There is a pile of discarded conductor’s wands sitting in my office as we speak.”

Tsuchigomori pulled out a spare conductor’s wand from his pocket.

“I’m surprised she didn’t call it quits. She may be a pain but her tenacity is commendable.”

“I’m glad she didn’t. I’m quite fond of her, though not as much as you seem to be.” Hanako grinned at him. “You should tell her someday.”

Tsuchigomori rolled his eyes. 

“I know you aren’t talking to me about revealing feelings.” Tsuchigomori didn’t elaborate. Hanako didn’t need him to elaborate. Hanako’s entire opera was a thinly veiled attempt to suppress his feelings. It didn’t take a genius to realize how well that was going.

“Are you actually prepared for this?” Tsuchigomori asked him. 

“I’ve been watching operas for years now.” Hanako scoffed. “I think I’m prepared to watch a show of my own making.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” 

“I know.” 

Tsuchigomori sighed, running his hand through his graying hair. Hanako tried to focus on what was happening below him. The tiny actors moved from place to place, saying words that Hanako had written. 

“You're trying to take Tsukasa down. Are you prepared for this?” Tsuchigomori put a heavy hand on his shoulder. 

“I think it's a little late to ask me that.” 

“Well I’m asking you now. If something happens to your brother, are you prepared to deal with those consequences?” 

Hanako looked at Tsuchigomori. The old man was worried. Of course he was worried. 

“I-“

That was when he saw him. Tsukasa. He was climbing down one of the ladders of the catwalk.

How did he manage to get past him? Past the guards? He was in Box Seat #7. Hanako saw him. 

“I have to go.” 

Tsuchigomori didn’t respond. He just stepped out of Hanako’s way. 

This was a bad sign. 

This was a really, really bad sign.

Tsukasa was finally making a move and he had no idea what that meant. 

Currently on stage Natsuhiko as Don Juan is explaining his plan to be with Aminta. Nene was going on stage right after this scene. Not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. 

“Tsukasa, what are you doing?” Amane’s whisper came out harsh as he tried to keep his voice down as best he could. 

“Shhh!” Tsukasa winked at him. “There’s a show going on, you know.”

Amane looked at what Tsukasa was holding. 

Rope.

Another bad sign.

“What is that for?”  Amane pointed at the rope. Tsukasa cocked his head innocently.

“It’s for the next scene.” Tsukasa smiled. 

“The next-“

The sound of Natsuhiko’s laughter cut off any more questions Hanako had. That was Natsuhiko’s cue to exit.

“We have to go!” Amane grabbed Tsukasa’s hand. “He’ll see us!”

Tsukasa slapped his hand away. 

Before Amane could do anything Natsuhiko entered the room. There was a moment of silence as Natsuhiko was clearly trying to put the pieces together as fast as his little brain could. 

The color drained from his face. 

“You two aren’t supposed to be here.” That was the only thing Natsuhiko could manage to say. 

Tsukasa lunged at him. 

Amane watched in horror as Tsukasa made quick work to gag and beat him. He moved so fast that Amane was barely cognizant of what was taking place. The way Natsuhiko thrashed around like a fish caught in a net was both hard to watch and hard to turn away from. Tsukasa didn’t seem to mind. 

He simply straddled him, put the rope around his neck and pulled. 

What snapped Amane out of his daze was the sudden silence of Natsuhiko.

“You're going to kill him!” Amane pushed Tsukasa off, removing the rope from his neck. Seeing Tsukasa’s work up close, it was much worse than he thought. Natsuhiko was just a mess of purple, blue, and black with red spilling out of him like one of Tsukasa’s free form paintings. But he was breathing, albeit with great difficulty. “I thought you liked him.”

“I do, which is why it was a big sacrifice for me.” Tsukasa took the rope form Amane and began tying Natsuhiko up.

“What are we going to do?” Amane haphazardly ran his fingers through his hair. “He was the lead! He’s in the next scene!”

“Oh boy, I guess we are in a bit of a predicament.” Tsukasa tapped an inquisitive finger on his lips. 

“Don’t ‘this a predicament’ me! This is your doing!” Amane was doing everything in his power not to scream. Why would he do this? Who was going to take Natsuhiko’s place? There was no understudy. Was this payback for Il Muto ? If so, Hanako would have never done it if he was not sure the role would be perfect for Nene-

Oh god, Nene . 

Amane nearly forgot that Nene was performing right as they speak. She couldn’t know everything had gone awry. He had to think of something. Anything!

“Well,” Tsukasa picked up the cloak that Natsuhiko had dropped in the struggle. “The show must go on.”

***

In the warmth of the limelight, Nene was sure she would burst. They were nearly there. They were so close to the end of the opera. She had no real idea of how the inner workings of this plan worked. All she could really do was continue to perform with the hopes that everything was going well. 

As the scene goes, Don Juan, played by Natsuhiko, had just explained his plan to his friend Passarino, played by Mitsuba. Don Juan dressed as Passarino will trick her character, Aminta into thinking that she and Passarino are up to mischief in Don Juan’s home. They would indulge in the feast left behind for them. Don Juan will try to seduce her and she will try to resist temptation. 

Of course, Hanako would write something scandalous like that. 

Though this show was a bit of a burden on everyone, Nene could not help but to feel a certain kinsmanship to her character. Sure, Nene was no thief. But young, romantic, and naive to a fault? That was Nene to a tee. Not only did Hanako know how to pick roles for her, he certainly knew how to write them. 

Still, even Aminta is just a role. A role that she must play perfectly. 

“No thoughts within her head, but thoughts of joy,” Nene’s voice rang out as she went over to the spread on the table. “No dreams within her heart but dreams of love.”

To a tee. 

As Nene grabbed an apple from the table, she waited for the trap to be set for her.

“Master?” Mitsuba called out. 

It was quiet for a moment. Then it was quiet for two moments. Then three moments. 

The silence was getting a little too long. Did Natsuhiko fall asleep in the wings again? 

It took everything in Nene to act spaced out and innocent as she stared at the red apple she had in her hand. Where was he?

“Master?” Mitsuba tried again.

“Passarino, go away!” Don Juan whispered harshly. She saw Mitsuba visibly relax and run off stage. Nene brought the apple to her lips as a show of good faith. “For the trap is set and waits for its prey...”

Nene froze on the spot. This was bad. 

Ba-bump! 

This was not a trap for Aminta anymore.

Ba-bump! 

This was a trap for Nene.

Ba-bump!

Because that wasn’t Natsuhiko who sang that note. 

Ba-bump!

That was Hanako.

Ba-dump!

And the show must go on. 

Hanako stepped out from behind the curtain. He felt as if he were in some sort of nightmare. How could forcing Hanako to perform in Natshiko’s place have anything to do with Tsukasa’s plan? In Hanako’s frantic panicking to keep Nene from realizing that something had gone horribly wrong, he had also barred himself from alerting Kou that things had gone south. 

But he had to stick to the role. Nene should be none the wiser. Hanako knew the show by heart. 

“You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge,” Hanako’s voice rang out in the theater. “in pursuit of that wish, which till now has been silent.”

He raised a goblet from the table. 

“Silent.”

Though nobody could see through the cowl over his face. Hanako was making a point not to look at Nene. Though it was ridiculous, he felt that if they met eyes, she would immediately see through his deception. 

“I have brought you,” Hanako continued, “that our passions may fuse and merge.”

It was then Hanako made the irrevocable mistake of looking over at her. 

He had never seen her in this specific costume. Mei had finished it so last minute that he had no clue what the final product looked like, let alone on her. 

She was an absolute vision. 

The ruffles framed around her neckline like a painting. Her skirt was just short enough that he could see her calves. Not to mention, the fact that her much beloved ankles were on display, which he had no complaints about. The pink of the dress just drew out the flush in her skin. Her long hair was pulled back showing the soft curves of her neck.

But it wasn’t just the costume, was it?

No, it was the way she bit into the apple in her hand with her perfect lips. It was the subdued look in her doe eyes. It was the way she was perfectly pure in every sense of the word.

How could he have let someone else have this role - this moment even - with her? There was no place he could settle his eyes without sinful thoughts cropping into his head. 

And he was absolutely and utterly drawn to her. 

“In your mind you've already succumbed to me,” His voice softened as he approached her. “dropped all defences completely succumbed to me.”

“Now you are here with me,” As Nene went for a second bite, he swiped the fruit from her.  She looked at him, eyes half lidded and filled with desire. He longed for it to be for him. “No second thoughts, you've decided.” 

He handed the goblet to her. 

“Decided.”

She looked at him, unsuspecting and unassuming. 

“Past the point of no return, no backward glances,” She looked away from him. Allowing him to touch her for only a moment to guide her gaze back to him. “The games we've played till now are at an end...”

She made a show of drinking the goblet as a sign of her falling deep into temptation. Though it was not real, the way she wiped her lips with the back of her hand was. Did she taste like the sweetest wines? He was dying to know.

“Past all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when’ no use resisting,” His hand caught her wrist. They danced, eyes locked tight. And he almost felt as if she knew that it was him. “abandon thought, and let the dream descend.”

He let her go, allowing her to run off. There was something so magnetic about Nene acting coy and defiant. Just like in real life she was asking for more trouble than she bargained for. 

“What raging fire shall flood the soul?” Nene sat at the table. The light hit her as if she had a halo around her. If Hanako wasn’t so hellbent on not being found out, he would have stopped performing. “What rich desire unlocks its door?”

“What sweet seduction lies before us?”  

Nene felt Hanako next to her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest like a wild animal. It was taking every inch of her willpower to not lose her composure. Nene was terrified. But much to her surprise, she was not scared of Hanako. No, that would have been easy. She was much more afraid of herself. 

Despite the implications of Hanako being on stage with her, she found it a thrill she could not get enough of. 

“Past the point of no return,” Hanako’s honeyed voice was hypnotic. It took every bit of training that she had not to tremble as he touched her as directed. His fingers traveled up her outline leading up to her neck leaving a burn wherever he touched. “the final threshold. What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn?”  

“Beyond the point of no return.” As he sang to her, he guided her hands along her body. She pulled back from him separating herself as if she had been knocked out of a daydream. As scripted as this scene was, her feelings couldn’t have been more real. 

Nene was being tempted. This was a trap for her. 

She needed to refocus. This was pretend. None of this was real. They were acting. And she had to take control of the situation. She had the upper hand. He had no clue that she was aware of his substitution. 

This scene may have been Hanako’s beautiful trap for Nene, but she was not about to let him win. And she was not going to allow him to outperform her either. If he wanted nothing to stop her from shining, then she was going to blind him. Icarus has flown too close to the sun for the last time. 

“You have brought me to that moment where words run dry,” Her voice took command of everyone’s attention with its siren song, “to that moment where speech disappears into silence.” 

She stepped back in a defiant twirl.

“Silence.”

“I have come here,” she strode towards him. “Hardly knowing the reason why.” 

“In my mind, I've already imagined our bodies entwining defenceless and silent.”  

Though as Aminta she admitted this confidently, Nene herself had a much harder time. She wondered if he wrote that line just to hear her say it. If Hanako truly wrote this role for her, did he write it for an ego boost, knowing that he was going to do this scene with her? 

Or even worse, was he aware of those said dreams she has been having about the two of them? Was he aware of those late nights when Nene would wake up confused and wanting? Did he know that she was driving herself to the brink of madness as she tried to ward off such images without much luck? 

Or did he wish for her to indulge in thoughts of them sharing a sin together? Shedding his wings to succumb to carnal temptation with her?

“And now I am here with you, no second thoughts,” She leaned on the table with Hanako well within arm’s reach. “I've decided.”  

“Decided.”

“Past the point of no return, no going back now.” The weight of the finality of their performance was weighing on her as well. There was no going back. No returning to what once was, and she knew for a fact Hanako knew it as well. Was it worth surrendering into this fantasy?

“Our passion-play has now, at last, begun.”

Nene’s notes were perfect and Hanako was hanging onto every one. He was so enchanted by her that he could hardly focus on the task at hand. This felt so real. Nene’s attention felt authentic and he was going to take it as long as he had it. 

She was right. There was no going back from this and they were just starting. 

“Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question.” Hanako thought that he was almost lost to the world when he touched Nene. But when she touched him, he realized that this was where the real test began. “How long should we two wait, before we're one?”

How was he supposed to act with her pressed against him, singing words like those into his ears? 

He swore he lost his senses when she grabbed his hands, slipping her slender soft fingers between his. 

“When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom?” The sweet syrup of her voice added to the heat of the words. She had complete control over him. And with every touch they shared, he had a harder time controlling his impulses. “When will the flames, at last, consume us?”

And with that question, Hanako realized that showmanship ceased to matter. They were lost within each other, speaking exclusively in their craft. 

“Past the point of no return, the final threshold!” Their voices meshed together perfectly as they stood together. “The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn!”

They fed off of each other. They needed each other. This duet was written in the stars. It was meant to be, they were meant to be. No performance will ever be as passionate or as perfect as the phenomenon happening on that stage for everyone to see. Nene understood that. There was no way she didn’t.

“We've passed the point of no re-“

“Turn.” Nene finished for him as she quickly pulled off his cowl, shattering the spell. 

Nene heard the gasps as everyone found out what she had already known. But she couldn’t focus on that. No, she had her eyes trained on Hanako. He looked so surprised, a look she has never seen before.

“Hanako, what is all this?” Was all she managed to say.

Hanako blinked owlishly. That was a good question. What is all this? What were they doing? What was even being accomplished?

Hanako shook his head. He managed to get caught up in the illusion.The fragile fantasy they shared was still just a fantasy. The stage was the extent of them. Hanako and Nene were nothing more than performers on that stage. There was no hope for them. No future for this. 

He realized what he had to do. He was going to miss her. 

“Nene, don’t fret.” His voice was even as that guarded grin slipped in place of his surprise. “Everything is going to be okay, if you just-“

Guards swarmed the theater. They were surrounded on all sides, guns pointed directly at them. 

Before she could react, Hanako scooped her up in a bridal carry.

“Don’t shoot!” She heard Kou shout. 

“Hanako?!” Nene stared up at him. What was going on? Why was he doing this?

“Hanako, you have to turn yourself in,” She heard Kou say.  “You know there is no way out of this. You're sealed in. Let her go.”

“See, this is why I had to clear the orchestra pit.” Hanako sounded amused as he often did when he had an ace up his sleeve. “A back door is crucial in these situations.”

“What on earth are you going on about?” Kou narrowed his eyes. 

“Nene, have you ever wondered about how the orchestra pit trick worked?” He asked her. 

“Did I- no! Hanako don’t.” Nene cried out. She remembered how he would fall into that deep pit with no hesitation. There was no way he was serious. 

“Sorry, Nene. But like we’ve been saying,” Hanako smiled at her, backing into the edge of the stage. “We’re at the point of no return.” 

And he fell backwards as Nene shrieked a loud and clear:

“HANAKO!”

***

Sakura watched as everyone on stage rushed to the edge of the pit. Audience members were now aware that this was not all a part of the show. She could hear the panicked whispers among the crowd. 

“Dammit Hanako!” Kou’s outburst only confirmed what Sakura had already suspected. They were already gone.

That was when they heard the scream. 

Once again Aoi’s voice tore through the night as the curtain fell revealing Natsuhiko’s brutalized body. Sakura rushed to his side as the theater broke into a frenzy. She was sure that this was Tsukasa’s work. She checked his pulse. 

He was alive. 

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She immediately started untying him. The poor fool never stood a chance. 

“Natsuhiko! Oh my god!” She heard Mitsuba rush over. 

“He’s alive. Barely.” Sakura said, continuing to work on those knots. This wasn’t Hanako’s doing. No, this was more of Tsukasa’s handiwork. But why? Had she imagined the animosity between them? Were they working together?

Or was it something else? 

She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. 

How did Tsukasa manage to tie such intricate knots in such a short time?

“We don’t have time for this!” Kou shouted, taking his sword and slicing Natsuhiko’s ropes. “Every second we spend here, Nene gets farther and farther out of our grasp!”

“I’ll go with you!” Aoi insisted. 

“No! We can’t afford to lose you as well.”  

They turned to see that Teru and Akane arrived on stage. Aoi looked ready to argue with Akane’s command but was stunned into silence at the sight of them. They looked like they were torn apart in the crowd. Akane’s tux sleeve was missing from his jacket which was barely hanging off of him. Teru completely lost his jacket, and his shirt was torn.

But they were okay. 

Aoi rushed into Akane’s arms without hesitation. 

“I’m so sorry, Teru. You trusted me and I let you down!” Kou’s knuckles were white as he clutched the hilt of his sword. “I let down everyone.”

“Not yet,” Teru said. “I think that we still can fix this. This can still work.”

“But Nene-“

“They couldn’t have gone far.” 

“How can you be so sure?”

 “Every exit was sealed.” 

“Not every exit.” Sakura realized. 

“What?” The two looked at her as if they had forgotten she was there. 

“There is one more, I can’t believe I’d forgotten.” Sakura rushed into the wings to grab a lantern. “The Phantoms have a hidden exit, he could be planning to escape with her!”

“Where is it?”  Kou took the lantern from her. 

“Past the Phantoms’ lair, they have to leave through there.”

“Phantoms’ lair?” Kou repeated. Sakura nodded.

“Down below in the underbelly of this theater. There are many hidden passages running throughout it. It’s a labyrinth that only they truly know the extent of. Though I have no clue where exactly they are but if we were to intercept them before the exit. We can win.” Sakura said. 

“How can I trust you?” Kou said. Rightfully so, might she add. 

“You don’t have any other choices.” She said. “I will guide you myself-“

As she said this, she felt someone grab her hand. Teru. It’s always Teru. 

“Sakura, are you sure?” He said. “You do realize what you are risking.”

She looked up at him. Teru. Beautiful, perfect Teru. He had thrown caution to the wind so many times. He had risked so much more just to save her from her own demons. 

But they were never just her demons. They were her friends. She always felt that her attachment to Tsukasa was one sided. Tsukasa clung to her and she had no part in that fact. But the truth was that she allowed this. She sat there passively hoping that there was just a little bit of that bright young boy still in him. But she was wrong and it was up to her to right those wrongs.

“Promise me, you’ll come back. Promise me, you will be safe. I don’t want anything else from you.” Teru’s eyes burned bright with desperation and she found them beautiful. 

“Monsieur Teru Minamoto, I will come back safe.” She pressed a kiss to his hand, holding his gaze. 

“You… you called me by my full name.” He said slowly, eyes wide with astonishment. 

“With honorifics.” She added with a soft smile.

He didn’t say anything. He just pulled her into a kiss as if nothing else will matter ever again. And to her, they didn’t. Because she loved him. She loved him more than anything she had ever known. And that was all that she could afford. 

They broke apart, their foreheads still pressed against each other. 

“I prefer autumn weddings.” She said to him, still a little breathless. 

He just nodded, completely dumbstruck. 

She pulled away from him though it pained her to do so. But she had a job to do and the clock was ticking.

“Take care of things up here for me.” She said. 

“Yes ma’am.”  Teru said, though he was a little dazed.

Her hand slipped out of his, leaving him to take charge.

Kou looked at her with wide eyes as she took the lantern from his hands. 

“Wait, so how long has that been-“

“Let’s go save Nene, shall we?”

***

Nene was not sure what lessened the impact of her fall as she kept her eyes screwed tight the entire time. It wasn’t until she heard the sound of rustling from beside her. She blinked away the blur as her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. There was a hall that was dimly lit with candles every ten meters or so. 

Where was this? Was she still in the opera house?  And where was…

She felt herself get lifted up and set up right. 

“Hanako?” Nene recalled. 

“Are you okay? I never tried that while carrying someone else before.” He said with a small laugh.

Unsure of how to respond she just nodded. 

“Good, we have to get out of here.” He immediately took her wrist, quickly leading her through the hallways.

“Wait!” She said. She was still processing what was happening- what had already happened- she needed an explanation.

“Nene, as much as I would love to indulge you, we don’t have the time.” He said without a hint of him slowing down. “You know how these things go.”

That wasn’t good enough. Not this time. 

“Hanako, I’m serious!” She insisted, but he just kept going. Not even bothering to answer her the second time. In fact she was sure he was going faster.

“Hanako.”

And faster.

“Hanako!”

They were running now.

“AMANE, STOP IGNORING ME!” She shouted, digging in her heels, and snatching her hand from his. 

He stopped. He finally turned to her. He had that smile on his face. The knowing smirk he had etched into his features from the day she met him. 

“Hanako, I don’t understand.” She felt her throat tighten. “What happened up there? I know you wouldn’t do something like this. Not without a reason. What are you doing now?”

He didn’t say anything.

 “You are always like this.”

“Like what?” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Playing me for a fool.” She said. “Lying, making decisions without breathing a word to anyone. What is it about me that makes you think that I’m stupid? Explain this. Properly. ”

There was a beat of silence. 

“Tsukasa is after us. I have no idea where but if we move fast enough it won’t matter.” Hanako said calmly. There was no panic or fear, just a statement of facts. “So, I need to get you out of the theater.” 

“That may save me tonight but what about later? When I come back I-“

“After tonight, I will be releasing you from my contract.” Hanako confessed. His words were like ice water. He wasn’t suggesting what she thought he was. 

“Your wish has been fulfilled. You were Prima Donna. I don’t know if it will lead to love but it was the best that I could do.” 

But he was. 

“No. You can’t…”

She just recovered from the six months of separation. She can’t go back to the listless isolation she found herself in during that time. He can’t do that to her. 

“You will leave this mess behind. Forget about me. Forget about all of this.” Hanako shrugged as if it were the plainest thing in the world. As if he was not sentencing her to a special suffering that she had no desire to return to. “Regardless of whether tonight’s incident is my fault or not, I chose to perform and so this was the course of action we needed to take.”

“Hanako, you’re wrong. This isn’t what I wanted.” 

He was quiet for a moment. His smile only grew as his stare grew more intense.

“So that’s it, huh?” Hanako shook his head. “Just because it wasn’t what you imagined, I was wrong.”

“But-“

“You believe in me that little.”

Nene felt her blood start to simmer. Had he even realized what a bold accusation that was to make?

“Are you questioning my devotion to you?” She asked incredulously. “You cannot possibly be questioning my belief in you.”

“Do you deny it?” He asked.

“Do I deny it? Are you listening to yourself?” Her face flared red in indignation. “You deceived me and you are putting me on trial? How can you be so self-centered?”

“So you realize it now?”

He let out a small laugh with no humor behind it. Just like how there was nothing behind his eyes or his grin. How did he manage to smile but still have such a blank expression?

 “Nene, I have been nothing but selfish this entire time.” He admitted as he walked towards her. “It’s in my nature. You can’t possibly expect me to change. I’ve told you that I was a monster.”

“You were supposed to be my angel.” She snapped at him. 

“Even angels are monsters,” He said darkly. “It’s time you accepted that, Miss Yashiro. As far as I am concerned we are finished. Sorry that it’s not the ending that you wanted but you and I both know this was the natural conclusion.”

“The natural conclusion?” This was the natural conclusion to all of this? She could never have imagined a world so bleak.  

He cupped her face. His amber eyes glowing and unblinking in the dim light. 

“That’s what happens when you spend all your wishes on fairy tales.” 

Her hand raised without her realizing. 

All she wanted to do was wipe that stupid smile off his face. It wasn’t fair for him to say these things after everything they shared.  

But he was so prepared for her to hit him. His eyes closed, face accepting and ready. It was as if he wanted her to do it. 

But she couldn’t do it. 

She just couldn’t. 

She loved him. 

Hanako opened his eyes to see that Nene was grasping his shirt like he would disappear. He knew that he was being cruel. But maybe if she hated him, it wouldn’t hurt as much if she left. They couldn’t see each other again after this. 

“Please.” Her voice was so small. “Don’t leave me again.”

This wasn't like the last time they were divided. He was sure that she knew that. He had given an explanation. True or not, it should be enough.

She looked up at him. Her eyes shining like the stars. Tearstained and so beautiful. She was the moon. And just like his beloved moon, he must love her desperately from a distance. He pried her hands off him, separating himself from her. 

Must she make this so difficult?

“I can’t promise you that.”

“Why?” She stepped closer, lessening the space between them.

“Because.” He said his voice clipped.

“Because why?”   The force behind her words only increased as she stared intensely at him. “I don’t understand.”

Her lack of understanding felt deliberate. She was doing this to challenge him. As if the universe wanted to mock his pain.

“Yes you do. I know you do-”

“Is this some sort of punishment?”

“No, of course not!”

“Then why-“

“I’m doing this because I love you!”

The silence was deafening. She just stared at him as he did her. He didn’t mean to say that. He didn’t mean to let that slip out. 

“Is that the truth?” She asked carefully. 

He nodded wordlessly. It was too late to take back now.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. He closed his eyes as he braced for rejection as he has been preparing for months. What he hadn’t braced for is the feeling on Nene’s lips on his. 

His brain was moving a mile a minute, trying to piece together what was going on.

But whatever loose thoughts he managed to put together were behind a much less coherent thought that had forced its way to the forefront of his mind.

Soft.  

She was much softer than he could have ever imagined.  And that was a feat as he often thought about this. 

But just as suddenly as it started, it had ended. She looked almost as startled as he felt. She kissed him. And not just that she kissed him on purpose. 

“I’m sorry.”  Was the first thing that had tumbled out of her mouth. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, I’m sorry.” Hanako insisted. 

“For what?”

It had only lasted for a second, maybe less. But that was all it took for him to get hooked.

“I still can’t help but to be selfish once again.”

She didn’t even bother to ask for clarification. Without hesitation, she kissed him again. 

This time however had none of the tentativeness from before. He had no idea she was capable of the feverish way that she had pounced on him. And Hanako was more than willing to keep up pace, pinning her to the wall to keep her in place. 

They were moving in tandem like a perfect harmony. And Hanako’s mind was buzzing just from the contact. He was beyond aware of how one hand grabbed his collar.  The other had laced her perfect slender fingers between his, squeezing his hand like a lifeline. 

But he wanted more. No, he needed more. More of her. More of everything she could offer. 

Once again. Her lips were so soft. So very soft like a ripe fruit. And much like that said fruit, Hanako had to bite. And the sound that she made when he did was just as lovely as an aria. 

Perhaps it was the musician in him, but he wondered what other beautiful sounds his muse could make. 

He broke apart from her, allowing her to catch her breath. 

“Nene,” He said her name like a prayer and every prayer demanded attention. 

“Sing for me.”

Before she could answer,  he went to work on her neck that he had been dreaming of marking up for almost a year. 

And the noises she made was a sweet song made just for him. Each breathy note, better than the last. 

“Hanako,” The special cadence of how she moaned his name only made him even thirstier for her than he had been before. 

“Hanako, I-“ She was cut off by a squeak she made as he bit her. 

“Amane Yugi!” She said firmly, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head away from her. It hadn’t hurt more than it surprised him. He looked at her, seeing her face flushed and lips slightly swollen. 

“Yes, Mademoiselle?” He smiled at the sight of her and the sound of his name, barely catching his breath. 

“Weren’t we escaping?” She said. 

“Were we?” He raised an eyebrow. He brushed a finger over her lips with a smile playing on his own. He still had her pinned to the wall. It would be awfully inconvenient to move from that spot. 

“ Amane. ”

He groaned, reluctantly letting her go. He used to have to constantly bring her back down to earth when they practiced. When did she get so focused?

“Oh come on, Hanako. Don’t pout.” She said, slipping her hand in his, pushing onwards down that hall. 

“First you seduce me then you act as if it were my fault that we are off task.” He lamented. 

“Seduce?” She turned a bright red. Seduced him? She never thought of it that way. In a strange way, she supposed she did. But Nene wouldn’t consider herself seductive. Did he think she was seductive?

“That is what makes you blush?” He laughed. “The things we just shared are fine but what I just said is a scandal?”

“Stop making fun of me, I thought you loved me.” She was the one pouting now. 

“I do love you my muse, which is why I tease you.” He said. 

“I suppose. I’ll allow it.” She said, unable to come up with a good response. “However, if I didn’t love you I would never put up with it.” 

“Oh, but you do love me, Mademoiselle. How unfortunate.” He said. 

“Unfortunate indeed.” She nodded. “I guess I will have to endure-“

He held out his arm, stopping her from moving forward. There were no more torches to light up their path. Everything ahead was bathed in a foreboding darkness. 

“Stay here, I need to check something.” Hanako said. She nodded as he walked ahead. He disappeared in the darkness. 

Nene waited for him for a solid five minutes. Then she started to worry. 

“Hanako?” She called out. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer. 

“Hanako? If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working.” She grabbed a candle and walked into the hallway. It was so unbelievably dark that it barely lit what was in front of her. 

It was quiet still. She called his name again even more worried than before. 

“Nene?”

She heard from ahead of her. 

“Hanako?” She called out. 

“Nene, are you there?” She walked faster. 

“Hanako! I’m here!” She called out. 

“I’m over here!” He shouted which made her run towards him. She dropped her candle and embraced him at full speed. 

“You scared me.” She said.  “I thought something happened.” 

He didn’t say anything. He just petted her hair as comfort. She looked over his shoulder to see that her candle had rolled near something. She squinted her eyes to make it out. It was a body.  Hanako’s body. Her heart stopped. 

“You’re not Hanako.” She breathed. 

“You’re right. I’m not. Now be a good girl and go to sleep.” 

Before she could react, she was restrained and a rag was put to her face. The light illuminating Hanako’s face faded away. Leaving her consumed into the night. 

***

Kou was getting restless in that maze of tunnels they were walking through. And with every step he took with Sakura the guilt weighing in his chest only grew heavier. How did he get fooled like that, by him no less. 

Hanako tricked him like he had tricked Nene prior. He fooled Kou into thinking they were equals born from the act of co-conspiracy. And even worse he made him believe they were friends. But like always, he was wrong. 

And even with that knowledge, there was a small sliver of him that still believed that Hanako was still on their side. That there was a plausible explanation for all of the nonsense that was happening. Even when staring at the deception in the face, Kou still managed to find the space to foolishly hold onto the hope that things were not what he thought they were. 

The silence only seemed to worsen the conflict in his mind.

“Any idea how much farther?” Even with his voice low, there was still a slight echo. 

“We’re close.” Sakura said. 

“How do you know about this anyway?” Kou asked as Sakura turned the corner. “I’m assuming these secret tunnels aren’t common knowledge to the staff.”

“I’ve been there. After all, I was the first.” 

“The first?”

“Muse.”

There was a cavernous silence that passed between the two of them. Should he give his condolences? Should he be even more wary of her? He wasn’t sure. 

“It’s okay if you don’t trust me. I wouldn’t either.”

“I assume Teru was aware?” Kou asked. 

“Oh, he knows.”  Though her sights were trained on what was ahead, her eyes were darting back and forth at the slightest sound. “I think he realized my involvement before he even knew what it was.”

“I’m sorry if he gave you a hard time.” If Teru had noticed then Kou could only imagine what methods he used. After all he was a very persistent man and he often got what he wanted. 

Sakura shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

“No, I wouldn’t trade the time I spent with him for anything. No matter how much of a nuisance he decided to be.” 

Kou didn’t even know how to breach the topic of her newfound relationship with his brother. He was aware of their friendship prior but he was caught by surprise by this development. Sure, Kou could be a little obtuse at times, but how did he miss something as big as this? 

“So you and Teru?” Kou offered, unwilling to let the conversation die. 

She nodded. 

“I tried to convince him that it was a bad idea at best and a death wish at worse but he was-“

“Tenacious?”

“No, I was going to say a bit of a fool.”

“A fool?” Kou was a little stunned. He had never heard his brother described like that before. 

“Since I am still bound by contract, being involved with him would be dangerous and yet he persisted.” She sighed. 

“Which phantom?” Kou asked. “If you don’t mind.”

“Tsukasa.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kou said instinctively. It was such a stupid thing to say to her. No apology will ever change the facts. “This is a big sacrifice you're making.”

“Perhaps.” She said, “It’s a small price to pay for freedom. I’m sure you understand that. You have already decided to risk your life as a price for their freedom. The ability to sacrifice must run in the family.”

“It’s a noble trait to have.” Kou said. Sakura laughed, ruffling his hair. 

“Well, it’s something I’m trying out. So we’ll see if-“

She paused holding him back. He looked at her wide eyed.  She put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to join her against the wall. He did what he was told. She shielded the light coming from her lantern. 

They were silently huddling against the wall for a few minutes. Kou held his breath. That was when he heard it: shuffling and whispering from afar. 

"Where did they go?" He heard someone say. "I swear to god they were here just a second ago."

Kou reached for his sword but Sakura steadied his hand. The voice was getting closer. 

“Serves me right for trying to be all noble. Now it’s all dark and I’m going to die down here.”

Kou raised an eyebrow. They were right around the corner. Was that who he thought it was? 

“Couldn’t I have grown attached to someone without a savior complex?” 

It certainly sounded like him. But why would he be down there?

“Kou?” The voice called out. “Kou! Kou -mmph! ” 

Kou grabbed him, cupping his hand over his mouth. 

“Shut up! Are you trying to get us killed?” Kou whispered roughly to his struggling victim.  Sakura brought out the lantern illuminating a very terrified Mitsuba. 

Kou removed his hand from Mitsuba’s mouth. 

“Kou?” Mitsuba asked, looking up at him. 

“Thank god, it’s just Mitsuba.” Sakura sighed. Kou let go of him. “Alright, let’s not waste any time.”

“Mitsuba, what the hell are you doing down here?” Kou asked. “This is the last place you belong.”

“You forgot to say goodbye.” Mitsuba crossed his arms. It was enough to make Kou tear out his hair. 

“Are you joking?” Kou deadpanned. 

“I’m still not hearing a goodbye.” Mitsuba’s insistence only agitated him further. 

“I cannot believe you would do something so stupid!” 

“Stupid? After I came all the way down here!”

“You are supposed to be up there where it’s safe!” 

“I don’t want to be where it’s safe, I want to be with you!”

Mitsuba immediately covered his mouth. Kou however was still trying to process that.

“What?” 

“I mean, I wanted to make sure you didn’t die.” Mitsuba backtracked. 

“Mitsuba,” Kou stepped closer to him. He lifted Mitsuba’s chin making his eyes mirror his own. “Do you care about me?”

“Me? Care about you?” Mitsuba sputtered, tearing himself away from him. “Don’t be stupid. If you die, then who is going to take me to the countryside?”

Kou couldn’t help but smile.

“Besides, if I save Mademoiselle Radish, she’ll be forever indebted to me.” Mitsuba crossed his arms. “And I can’t pass that up.”

“You sure have a funny way of worrying for your friends.” Kou shook his head. “I’m sure Nene will be grateful either way.”

Their conversation was cut off by Sakura’s call.

“Boys, you might want to see this!”  Sakura was much farther down the corridor. Kou wondered how she had gotten so far.

When they caught up to Sakura, he saw her standing in the entrance leading to a much more open area. Kou could tell that they had made serious progress.

“Thank you Sakura for helping us.” Kou offered his hand. She shook her head.

“Don’t thank me yet.” She said, pointing past him. “This is as far as I’m willing to take you.”

Kou looked to where she was pointing. The path ahead was flooded with water. He was surprised but not deterred. 

“Just keep going down that tunnel and you will reach him,” She said.

“No boat?” Mitsuba asked, staring out into the water.

“They must either be in use or already docked.” She said, “Which means you should hurry.”

Kou understood immediately what must be done. 

“Mitsuba, take off your jacket.” Kou said.

Mitsuba sputtered at his request.

“Excuse me?”  

“Jacket. Now. ” Kou ordered. 

Mitsuba’s protests seemed to die on his lips. He just did what he was told. There was an indignant pink flush on his cheeks as he handed his jacket over.

“We’ll swim, that way we have the advantage of stealth.” Kou said, taking off his tuxedo jacket and handing both jackets to Sakura. 

“I know you said it was too early but I thank you anyways.” Kou said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If I don’t make it, just know I know you and Teru will be very happy together.”

She shook her head, eyes shiny.

“Kou, if my phantom asks, tell him it was a hard choice but I don’t regret it.” She said. 

Kou nodded. It was the least he could do. Sakura left him and Mitsuba standing on the edge of that misty lake.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Mitsuba said. 

“You chose to follow me and there’s no going back now.” Kou offered his hand. “That’s the hard part about friendship.”

 Mitsuba stared at it for a moment before taking it.

“And just to set the record straight before we get ourselves killed, I’m not doing this because I’m your friend or hers.” Mitsuba said as they stared into the water. 

Kou looked at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Mitsuba averted his gaze.

“You’re…not?” Kou asked. “Then… why?”

“Because I…” Mitsuba motioned to him. 

“Because you…?” Kou pointed to himself, unsure of what he was trying to say. 

“Because-“ He sighed. “God, we just do not have time for you to be a dumbass.”

Before Kou could respond, Mitsuba kissed him. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

A slow smile spread across his face. 

“So you do care for me.” Kou smiled. 

“Man, you’re such a pain.”  Mitsuba said before pushing Kou into the lake and then quickly jumping after him. 

And so they took the plunge.

***

Nene slipped in and out of consciousness like a needle and thread through cloth. Her head was too filled with cotton to panic and she couldn’t make sense of the stuff she did experience. Candlelight. The sound of moving water. The feeling of someone stroking her hair, whispering for her to go back to sleep like a good girl. It was all so strange.

Even with the fog in her mind finally clearing enough for her to think semi-coherent thoughts, she still felt like she was dreaming.  It could be a dream for all she knows. 

Why else would she be sitting in a chair, arms bound together, facing a mirror, wearing a dress that made her feel inherently uncomfortable?

There was nothing wrong with the dress itself. It was a white ball gown with a high collar and puff sleeves. Though it wasn’t something Nene would necessarily pick for herself, it was classy. No, the problem lies in the fact that she doesn’t remember putting on a big white classy ball gown. 

But that wasn't the only thing in this scene that felt as if she were in a strange hallucination.  The room she was in was barely a room at all. There were privacy screens set up to make what looked like a makeshift dressing room.

It just didn’t quite make sense. What was she doing there? Where was Hanako? Was he okay?

“There she is!” 

Nene felt a chill run down her spine. 

She could see him in the reflection of the mirror. The other phantom that haunted their dear theater. He was smiling at her like a cat that had just caught the canary. 

He was so strange to see. He looked slightly removed from reality. 

He looked just like Hanako. As a matter of fact he looked too much like Hanako. He looked so much like him that it was clear that it wasn’t Hanako at all. 

It was hard to explain the difference between them. After all they were identical, inseparable in many ways. But there was an uncanny valley aspect that really set them apart. 

A wrongness about him that was hard to place. 

Though they had only met once, Nene now could easily tell them apart. And it went beyond fashion choices and mask placement. Though he managed to trick her the first time, it was only because she was under the assumption that there was only one phantom. These important deviances were excused with the fact that something was just a little off about Hanako. 

It was the first time she had seen him as he truly was, which was someone else entirely. 

“Oh my, what’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He walked towards her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, pressing his face against hers as they looked in the mirror. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“Tsukasa…” The name felt heavy on her tongue. “You’re… Tsukasa?”

His eyes lit up. She wouldn’t even hesitate to say they sparkled. 

“You know my name!” He threw his arms around her. 

She wasn’t sure how to react. As the panic flooded her system, the best she could do was freeze.  

“Are… are you going to kill me?” She asked wearily. 

Tsukasa laughed at her. 

“Of course not,” He said. “You’re my most important piece in my game!”

She was unable to come up with a viable response to that. 

“I hope you’re ready for your big day.” He beamed. “Amane is waiting for you, you know.”

That brought Nene to her senses. It shocked her so much that she immediately stood which caused her to be hit with a wave of dizziness that led her to stumbling into Tsukasa’s arms. Curse her weak constitution. Curse that heavy dress. And above all else curse her infallibly chubby ankles. 

Tsukasa shushed her, stroking her hair. Though the action was comforting, she was finding this to be more alarming than him doing anything else. 

“So eager.” Tsukasa laughed to himself. “I couldn’t let him see you yet, it’s bad luck.”

Bad luck? What was he babbling about?

“Is Hanako… is he okay?” She asked him, too terrified to break from his embrace. 

“He’s fine. And he’ll be better than fine.” He then put her at arm’s length. “After all, you are going to help me surprise him.”

Surprise him?

“Which reminds me...” He grabbed the rope that bound her wrist to lead her to  where he had come from. “I almost forgot, close your eyes.”

She didn’t want to but she was much more afraid of the alternative. She felt something get placed on her head. 

“Perfect.”

It was quiet for a beat. 

“Oh! We don’t want to be late!” She felt Tsukasa tug her by the ropes. 

She opened her eyes, just for a second only to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. 

She hoped her eyes were playing tricks on her. 

He tugged her along for what could have been a minute or even a few seconds. Whatever length of time, it was far too long to keep her eyes closed. 

“Since you’re Prima, I’m sure you know how to play a role. You need to listen to everything I say.” Tsukasa told her. “I’m trying to not get so mad so fast like Amane. But if you mess up, I will have to punish you. Nod if you understand.”

Nene remembered Fuji‘s blank eyes. The way that his neck looked stretched out from the strain of hanging from so high. She did as she was told. 

He hooked his arm with her. 

“Good girl. Now open your eyes.”

When she did, her fears were confirmed. And everything finally clicked into place. 

The dress. Her “big day.” Seeing Hanako was “bad luck.”

It was her wish. 

It was a wedding. 

Nene hadn’t been to many weddings though she dreamed about them often. The last one she went to, she was invited on behalf of a fellow classmate of the conservatory. Though there was nothing that was out of ordinary about the affair itself, Nene will never forget that walk down the aisle. The way that all eyes were on the bride as she made her way to meet the love of her life. How she was the center of attention but everyone could tell the only thing on her mind was the person at that altar.

Nene hadn’t been to many weddings but she would not hesitate to say that Tsukasa had been to less. 

Though her view was obscured by the veil Tsukasa had covered her face with, she could see how he had transformed their lair into a twisted concept of what was supposed to be a  wedding. Various chairs were lined up, separated by an aisle. In each chair sat a mannequin, each wearing various costumes. And in this nightmare wedding, she was the blushing bride.

And much like any other blushing bride, she was going to make it to the altar. She heard Tsukasa humming the Wedding March as he walked her down the aisle. At the end of that aisle awaited her precious Hanako. 

He was dressed in a fancy black tuxedo. He was blindfolded and bound to a pillar. He was fighting against his restraints as best he could. He had to be absolutely terrified. 

As they made their way down the aisle, Hanako’s thrashing became more violent. 

“NENE?” Hanako called out. “ WHERE IS SHE?”

Nene wanted to call back to him. Reassure him that she was alive. But one look at Tsukasa said it all. She was going to have to remain silent. 

They reached the end of the aisle. Tsukasa lifted her veil. From where she was standing she could see the entire “wedding.” The grins he had painted on every mannequin seemed to mock her. But even more disconcerting was the painted portraits that sat in the front row of various people from their theater. All staring at her with strange smiles on their faces. 

“Amane, it’s time.” Tsukasa said to him. 

“Tsukasa?” Hanako called out to him. “Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me,” Tsukasa put a hand on his face which Hanako responded with an attempt to bite him. Tsukasa didn’t seem to mind, he just ruffled Hanako’s hair.

“I swear if you touch a single hair on her head-“ 

Tsukasa took off his blindfold. Hanako was stunned into silence.

What was there for him to say? 

He had spent so much time trying to guess what Tsukasa was up to.  Months of planning to counterattack on the off chance Tsukasa was truly planning something. In the last few minutes he had only managed to make enough wiggle room to grab a knife Hanako had stashed in case of an emergency. But with the awkward angle of the knife and his lack of sight, he wasn’t making much progress to his restraints. 

Alone in the darkness, Hanako strained to hear any indication of the state Nene was in or what Tsukasa was planning. And when he finally could see, there are no words to describe his confusion.

No, there were a few words. 

“Tsukasa, what the hell is this?” 

There were several things to address but Hanako was focused on Nene. Her arms were bound together. She was in a wedding dress. And above all else, she looked terrified. 

Hanako had no clue what Tsukasa had done to her while he was out. But from what Hanako could see, she was unharmed. 

But even so, the question still remained. 

Tsukasa looked taken aback. 

Why? Hanako had no answer because to him it was a fair question. 

What the hell was this?

“Isn’t it obvious?” Tsukasa cocked his head to the side. “I’m granting a wish.” 

WHAT?

Hanako remembered Nene on the rooftop. How her eyes shone so bright when she spoke about her desire for love. “A wedding with a big white dress” were the words she used. Did Tsukasa hear? Had he seen them talking about her plans? 

All this time was he trying to beat him in a race to give Yashiro what she wanted?

“But…” 

Nene’s voice came out so tentatively that Hanako thought he’d imagined it. 

“My wish wasn’t yours to grant.” Nene said. “My contract wasn’t yours to fulfill. It was Hanako’s.”

Tsukasa laughed as if what she said was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Laughing so hard that Hanako swore it filled the room, surrounding them on all sides. 

He wiped a tear from his eye.

“Amane, you never told me how funny Miss Yashiro is!” He said, cupping her face.

“Don’t touch her!” Hanako snapped at him. He pulled against his restraints to no avail. It was as if someone had poured molten lava in his veins. He couldn’t- Tsukasa was not allowed- to touch Nene. 

“What, like this?” Tsukasa lifted her chin as if he were to kiss her. Nene’s eyes widened in fear. It was enough to give Hanako the motive to kill. 

“Tsukasa… get your hands off of her.”  

Tsukasa laughed at the warning tone in Hanako’s voice. 

“Sorry, Amane.” Tsukasa wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her hair. “You can’t order me around. You have to be nice to me. Right Miss Yashiro?”

Nene looked like she was in pain but she nodded. 

“Tell him.” Tsukasa’s grip on her had only grown tighter. 

“You… have to be nice to him.” 

“So obedient.” Tsukasa marveled, pinching her cheek. “Oh, she will make a wonderful wife.”

Nene grimaced at his words and Hanako felt the same. 

“But she is right,” Tsukasa said, letting her go. “She’s not my responsibility.”

“Then why are you trying so hard to grant her wish?” Hanako asked. “Miss Yashiro’s needs are my responsibility.”

What was his aim? His goal? What was the point of any of this?

Tsukasa simply sighed. Obviously he was bored of the convictions that Hanako had been expressing for the last several months. 

He slung his arm around Hanako’s shoulders. Hanako held onto his knife as tightly as he could, unsure if he would rouse suspicion. 

“You don’t seem to get it, do you?” Tsukasa poked Hanako’s face.  “I’m granting your wish.”

HIS WHAT?

“Hanako, you made a wish? That has to be against some sort of rule.“ Nene said. 

“I did nothing of the sort!” Hanako insisted. He had never made any sort of deal with Tsukasa. Tsukasa was lucky they were on speaking terms, a privilege that Hanako will revoke the moment this was solved. 

“Oh, but you did though.” Tsukasa insisted. “You want her.”

This was dangerous territory. The only instinct that Hanako had was to lie. 

Hanako scoffed, “Nene is my muse. She already belongs to me.”

“Does she know that?”

Hanako fell silent. He couldn’t make the words come out. Hanako should be laughing at him. Tsukasa was wrong. He was a fool for assuming that Hanako would ever want more with Nene than he already had. 

Nene narrowed her eyes. 

“Of course I do.” She said, “I understand our contract just fine. I have signed myself over to him.”

“See?” Hanako said. “She’s well aware-” 

“Wrong!” Tsukasa shouted. “You’re lying Amane. I know you better than that.” 

Nene didn’t seem to agree. 

“He’s not-“ 

“Oh but he is.” Tsukasa mused. “Amane wants to pretend that he’s giving it his all. But I know restraint when I see it.” 

“Tsukasa .” Hanako’s tone had changed from warning to pleading. There were still things that Nene shouldn’t know. There were still things about himself that he had to keep hidden. Tsukasa had no care for those boundaries. 

Tsukasa  walked over to Nene, forcing her to look at Hanako directly. He couldn’t hold her gaze, her beautiful trusting eyes that shone with affection. 

“You see, we Phantoms are selfish souls. Amane is no different.” Tsukasa shook his head. “After all, we are the same. Two halves of a whole. Two notes in the same beat.”

“No. I’ve seen you two. I can tell the difference.” Nene said. 

“Everyone says that.” Tsukasa laughed. “Sakura complains that I have no self-control. That Amane has limits. But that’s just what he wants you to think.”

“Amane hides what he wants until he explodes.” Tsukasa’s eyes lit up. “And when he does, it’s spectacular . Have you ever seen it? The look in his eyes when he just stops holding back, it’s worth dying for.”

Nene turned a bright red and Hanako knew. He knew that she had seen it. In the corridor right before they were caught, she had to stop him. He had lost control. 

“Oh, you have seen it!” Tsukasa grinned. “It’s written all over Amane’s face.”

“Right now, he wants you.” Tsukasa pointed to her. “You should see the thousands of scribblings of music he has dedicated to you. Full arias dedicated to his muse that he adores. You’re the name he murmurs in his sleep! He even refused to share you with me. Me! His favorite brother!”

Hanako’s body went cold. There was no need for him to tell her these things. Tsukasa knows how deeply Hanako wants. How he aches from his core and the way he clings to things like a parasite. 

He puts the things he loves out of his reach so he couldn’t destroy them in his obsession. There’s a reason why his first love hangs in the sky where he could not follow. This is why he should have just let go. 

“But he has me.” Nene said. “I promised him that.”

“That’s what I told him.” Tsukasa said. “But then I realized you didn’t seem to understand what that meant.”

“Excuse me?”

“Because if you did then this- ” Tsukasa reached into his pocket and produced her promise ring still on its chain. “-would not be here.”

“My ring!” Nene took a step towards him but Tsukasa held his hand out. 

“Not a step out of line.” Tsukasa glanced at her and she stiffened like a board. 

“Where did you get that from?” Nene demanded.  

“Found it.” Tsukasa smiled at Nene as if it were a little secret that the two of them shared.

“Found it where?” Hanako asked. 

“She knows where.” 

Hanako had never liked an answer less. He looked over to Nene who couldn’t even meet his eye. 

“Tsukasa, where did you find it?”

Tsukasa simply rolled his eyes. 

“Tell him.”

Nene looked uncomfortable. At least even more so than someone in her situation would be, which was quite a feat. It made Hanako even more nervous than before. 

“I kept it tucked in my corset. I thought it would be safe there but obviously I was wrong.”

Hanako cursed his restraints and cursed himself for being so stupid. 

“What did you do?” Hanako hissed at his brother. 

Tsukasa shrugged, not concerned by the veiled threats of a trapped man. 

“How do you think the bride got into those wedding clothes?” Tsukasa said in his childish cadence. “Sure, Sakura said it was rude to lift a lady’s skirt but these are special circumstances. This just happened to slip out, I didn’t do anything bad which is more than you can say.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad that you already had your honeymoon.” Tsukasa shrugged. “It just proves my point.” 

“What point? What justification is there for any of this?” Hanako was getting impatient. Impatient and irritated over what any of that means. There was no true sense in what was going through Tsukasa’s mind but Hanako can occasionally follow his logic. But this? How did he come up with this?

Tsukasa’s eyes got wide. 

“Don’t you know? It’s about marriage!” Tsukasa continued on. “I used to think ‘who cares if she wanted to get married’ but I realized you do. You care if Nene wants to get married!”

Hanako shook his head. 

“That was her wish and it was my job to-“

“But was it? It was, ‘ become Prima, win over the hearts of men. ’ Hardly a prayer for marriage.” Tsukasa recalled. “But here you were accepting this request that goes against your contract just for her.”

Nene looked like Tsukasa had shot her. He could see her blaming herself for this. 

“That was my decision.” Hanako said. “The choice to compromise my terms was mine. Nene has nothing to do with any of this.”

Tsukasa laughed. Even more than he had before. 

“Of course she does!” He snapped. “She made you think that there were things she wanted that you can’t give her here, things like marriage. But you can! Right now! She’s waiting for you in this theater! You can’t get that anywhere else!” 

Hanako understood now. Tsukasa thought that reinstatement of Hanako's need to escape this place was Nene’s doing. 

“Tsukasa, you have this all wrong. I can’t force Nene to be with me!” Hanako said. 

“Yes, you can! She already belongs to you!” Tsukasa stamped his foot. “You know that! You’re just being difficult!” 

“I’m being difficult?” It was Hanako’s turn to laugh. “I’m sorry, I must have missed the part where I tied you to a pole. My apologies Tsu.” 

“I’m doing this for you! You can have everything if you just stay here!” 

“And what? Live a lie, like you?” Hanako asked, voice bitter. “Why would I want Nene to suffer the same fate?”

The temperature dropped in the room as the silence smothered them in its wake. No one was sure what Tsukasa was going to say next. 

Tsukasa walked over to Hanako, placing his hand on his brother’s face. 

“Amane… you’re trying my patience.” Tsukasa spoke slowly and deliberately so he would not be misunderstood. “If you’re not going to play nice, I’ll just take your toys away.”

Despite Tsukasa directly threatening Nene, Nene had no words to describe how she felt at that moment. To say “terrified” doesn’t seem to cut it. And though the word “frightened” felt accurate, it didn’t necessarily capture the range of the emotions coursing through her. 

The best way to put it is that Nene had gained a million wishes for nobody to grant. She wished to run. She wished to cry. She wished to scream. She wished to disappear forever. But she didn’t do any of those things.

With the sheer amount of weight this situation had, she had no room for the same panic she had the night of Fuji’s death. Not to mention there was something about Tsukasa that bothered her or at least something new about Tsukasa that bothered her but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Are we finished with our tantrum yet?” Tsukasa asked Hanako, breaking Nene from her thoughts. “We still have a wedding to do.”

Nene held back a cringe as Tsukasa remembered what they were all there for.

“Which reminds me that this is a formal event,” Tsukasa said. “Making this a ‘mask off’ event.”

Nene heard Hanako stop breathing. 

Nene knows what Hanako looks like underneath the mask. She was sure that Tsukasa knew as well but that was hardly the problem. From what she understood, Hanako needed the mask to function. And Nene was sure that Tsukasa was aware as well.

But he didn’t make a single move towards Hanako. Instead, he removed his own mask. 

The room went still. 

Tsukasa’s face was scarred beyond recognition. It was blistered and warped around his features like it was a mask itself. His skin was a mix between pale discoloration and an inflamed redness swirled around the topography of his face. 

It made Nene’s heart feel as if it would burst. Someone did that to him. Someone did that to both of them. 

To say Tsukasa was the unlucky twin to have healed the way he had was simply incorrect. From the severity of it, it was more accurate to say that they were lucky to have survived and Hanako was nothing short of a miracle to heal the way he did.

She glanced over at Hanako. His eyes were wide with fear. She could hear him trembling from where she was standing. She had never seen him so frightened. 

“Isn’t that better?” Tsukasa touched Hanako’s seal. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

He could only let out a small whimper in response. She watched as tears silently fell from his eyes. Hanako was petrified of his own brother.

“Amane, we’re twins, right?” Tsukasa asked. “Twins should match.”

“T-twins should match.” Hanako agreed. 

Tsukasa reached towards Hanako’s mask and without thinking she pushed Tsukasa away from him. 

Nene realized what she had done. She winced as the thought of her and Fuji wearing matching rope necklaces side by side flashed in her mind. But she didn’t budge from Hanako’s side. He needed her.

Tsukasa’s smile didn’t budge as a matter of fact she’d say it grew. 

“Wow,” He slowly began to stand, dusting himself off. “You aren’t half bad.”

Before she could even respond, he yanked her arm, forcing her to be eye level with him. She felt her heart pounding in her ears. He studied her for a second, his eyes burning a hole into her head.

He let go of her, turning away from her.

Before she could relax, she felt his hand on the back of her head. And before she knew it she was careening towards the ground. She braced for impact but…

It never came.

Instead she felt Tsukasa put her back upright.

“Let’s let that be a warning.” Tsukasa said, fixing her veil then leading her to her “spot”. “Sakura said I should be gentle with girls. So, I’m going to let that go. But next time, I won’t hesitate.”

***

Sakura didn’t even  reach the surface. No, she had nearly made her return before she ran into a large outcry. She thought that the theater would have emptied in the chaos but instead they have only moved into the Phantom’s labyrinth. Before she could even respond to this new development, she was met with a strong embrace. Teru immediately ran to her. He had squeezed her so hard she’d thought she’d pop. 

Though she reveled in being in his arms, there were more pressing matters. 

“Teru, what happened while I was gone?” 

“People were agitated over the state of Natsuhiko. They want justice.” Teru sighed, letting her go. She watched as people pushed past them with torches of their own. “They’re after the Phantoms.”

“This is dangerous.” Sakura said as Teru led her through the crowd. 

“I know. I tried to stop them but the police outrank my personal requests.” 

“Then why are you-“

“You and Kou were still down here. I have to make sure you two are safe.”

“If this mob gets to the Phantoms while Kou is sneaking around that could put him in real jeopardy.” Sakura said. 

They would alert the Phantoms that people were down there. It wouldn’t just put Kou and Mitsuba in danger but Nene as well. 

“How do we fix this?” Teru asked. “What do we need to succeed?”

“Time.” Sakura said. “That’s all we could ask for. We just need to pray that all goes well on their end.” 

“So let’s stall for time.” Teru said. 

But how? With so many people determined to go after them, what do they do?

She caught a glimpse of Tsuchigomori in the front. She realized that he knew where they were going. If they could lead them astray then they could give Kou and Mitsuba enough time to save the girl. 

“Okay, Teru. Grab Akane and Aoi. Meet me in the front with Tsuchigomori.” She said. 

“Do you have a plan?” Teru asked. 

Sakura nodded. 

“Alright, Madam Sakura Nanamine, your wish is my command.” He kissed her knuckles then slipped into the crowd. Even now he found time to be an awful flirt. 

She took a deep breath. 

Confuse the crowd. Buy them time. 

She sure hopes that things were going well on Kou and Mitsuba’s end. 

***

“So,” Tsukasa swiped Hanako’s mask from him. Hanako seemed so stunned from the previous events he didn’t even react. “Let’s finally get this wedding-”

Tsukasa paused. He closed his eyes, listening for something. 

“Did you hear that?” Tsukasa asked. 

“Hear what?” Nene asked. 

Tsukasa paused again. 

“Guests.”

Hanako snapped his head up. 

“Guests?” Hanako repeated. 

If Hanako thought Tsukasa had truly lost it before, he was even more sure now. 

“Wedding crashers, actually.” Tsukasa clarified. “After all, I didn’t invite them.”

Tsukasa walked down the aisle, clearly agitated. That was when Hanako realized that he was trying. Tsukasa was trying to keep it together and he was slowly reaching his limit with every interruption. 

Tsukasa left the room from where Nene had entered. With Tsukasa finally distracted, Hanako got back to working on his ropes.

“Don’t worry Nene.” Hanako said to her as he struggled. “I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“Hanako, be careful.” Nene said. “I don’t know how much more bloodshed I can take. If he hurts you...”

“Not if Hanako hurts himself first.” Hanako heard from behind him. “Because he continues to handle his knife this… well at least God gave him two hands.”

Between Nene’s expression and Hanako’s memory, he was sure he knew who just spoke.

“Kid?” Hanako struggled to turn to see him. Kou moved into view, giving him a small salute. Hanako had never been so glad to see that big goofy smile that Kou wore like a uniform. 

“At your service.” Kou whispered. Hanako felt Kou take the knife out of his hands and begin cutting at his ropes. 

“You came for us?” Nene said, her voice wobbly with emotion. 

“He came for you .” Hanako clarified for him. “I’m pretty sure, he thought I betrayed him.”

“To be fair, I hoped you didn’t.” Kou said. “And for once in my life, it looks like I was right to hold on to that hope.”

“Aww… I knew love as true as ours would stand strong.” Hanako cooed. 

Kou didn’t even bother to groan, instead choosing to laugh at his comment. Kou must have truly been relieved that Hanako hadn’t stabbed him in the back. 

“I don’t suppose anyone can fill me in on what the fuck any of this is?”  Hanako watched as someone else made a beeline towards Nene, struggling to untie Tsukasa’s knots. 

“Is that Mitsuba?” Hanako blinked. What was he doing at this rescue?

Mitsuba glanced at him before doing a double take. 

“Is that… him?” Mitsuba asked, looking over  Nene’s shoulder. “The other phantom?” 

Nene sighed. 

“Nice to finally meet face to face.” Hanako grinned at him. 

That only made Mitsuba shirk behind Nene. 

“Mistuba, come on now. He doesn’t bite.” Nene said. 

“He dropped a backdrop on me.” Mitsuba said.

“Would you forgive me if I said sorry?” Hanako batted his eyes at him to which it only made Mitsuba withdraw even further, much to Hanako’s amusement. 

“Can we focus ? We’re on borrowed time. ” Kou snapped at the two of them. Kou tossed Mitsuba his sword. “Cut. We don’t have all day, Signor .”

Mitsuba didn’t argue. He simply unsheathed the weapon. 

“Ready?” Mitsuba asked Nene. She nodded, squeaking as he raised the blade. The ropes were slashed in one fellow swoop. 

As soon as her ropes fell, she immediately embraced Kou. Hanako couldn’t make out what she was saying as she muffled her weepy words into Kou’s shirt. But he can tell that Nene was definitely relieved now that help had arrived. As Kou consoled Nene, he jerked his head into Hanako’s direction to let Mitsuba know that it was his turn to be freed. 

Mitsuba cautiously walked towards Hanako. 

“I should kill you.” Mitsuba said as he unsheathed the sword once again. 

“Perhaps.” Hanako agreed. 

“But I’m freeing you anyway.” Mitsuba sighed in disappointment. 

Mitsuba raised the weapon. 

“Now, what do we have here?” 

The sword clattered to the floor. 

All eyes were on Tsukasa. He stood at the center of the aisle with his hands folded nicely behind his back and a small smile on his face. That expression said it all for Hanako. 

Tsukasa was livid. 

Tsukasa breezed past everyone and went straight to Mitsuba. 

“Showing up to someplace you weren’t invited?” He placed a hand on Mitsuba’s shoulder. There was a flash of movement between the two of them. And by the end of it, Mitsuba had a knife in him. 

“That’s not very nice. ”

Nene screamed as Kou froze, eyes wide with alarm. From Hanako’s point of view there was no telling where the blade hit him. Though if he were to guess it looked like it was possible his chest, maybe even his heart. 

Mitsuba didn’t even make a sound as his face was frozen in shock.  He fell to the ground, his breathing ragged. 

He raised his hand to reveal that no- it wasn’t his chest. No, Mitsuba caught the blade just in time as it was stuck in his left hand. 

And when he looked to see the wound?

The scream was bloodcurdling. 

Kou rushed at Tsukasa only for Tsukasa to smash his head against Hanako’s pillar. Hanako didn’t miss the smear of blood left in its wake. From what Hanako saw, Kou was hit pretty badly. 

“How did you two even manage to get here?” Tsukasa wondered. 

“Sakura…” Kou answered for him. “She wanted to tell you that it was a hard choice but she doesn’t regret it.”

Tsukasa didn’t blink. He didn’t even react. 

“I suppose a conversation is due.” 

“Hey! Not so fast!” Kou grabbed his shoulder. Tsukasa glanced at him for a moment before flipping Kou over his shoulder without so much of a change of expression. 

He turned his focus to Mitsuba. 

Tsukasa pulled Mitsuba up by his hair.

“You made a wish to me, wanting to be remembered.” Tsukasa said. “Is this audience big enough for you?”

Mitsuba couldn’t even answer. 

“That can’t be right.” Tsukasa said. “I wonder who tried to convince you otherwise.”

He sighed, removing the knife from his hand with ease. It was slick with blood. 

“I suppose we’ll have to work on that in the future.” Tsukasa dropped him without much of a thought. “I’ll fix you as soon as I have this all taken care of.”

“I swear, I just can’t leave anyone alone for five minutes.” Tsukasa said, casually cleaning the blood off the blade with a handkerchief. “And here she is back with her patron. And you wonder why I think this was necessary. She doesn’t understand what our terms are.”

Hanako looked at Mitsuba whimpering as he watched the blood flow from his hand. Hanako would never treat his muse that way. And the fact that Tsukasa kept insisting that he would, only made Hanako angrier. 

“ Our terms? Why do you keep saying that? Our terms. Our show. Our theater.” Hanako said. “These are your wants. And you can’t always get everything you want! I should know because I never wanted to be stuck here with you!”

That was it. Tsukasa was splintering. This made him snap.

Nene felt the air shift in an instant. Tsukasa laughed. He laughed louder and brighter than ever before. He laughed so hard that it almost sounded like shrieking. 

“Ungrateful.” Tsukasa managed between laughs, pointing his knife at Hanako. “Everyone is so ungrateful.”

“I have been planning this for months. Trying to make sure you were happy here. Trying to do things your way. ” He wiped a tear. “And yet here we are, once again archenemies. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“I just wanted to teach you to be grateful for what you have, Amane!” Tsukasa shook his head. Then he paused as if to realize something. “I think I can teach this lesson in a better way.”

“And I think it all begins with you.” He slung his arm around Nene. 

Kou immediately reached for his sword. Kou was fast but Tsukasa was faster. 

“I’d rather you not.” Tsukasa said, with his knife angled at Nene’s throat. “Any sudden movements and I’ll make one myself. Is that clear?”

Kou glared at him, his fingers only a few millimeters from his weapon. Nene’s eyes locked with his before Kou slowly retracted his hand. 

“Crystal.”

“Good.” Tsukasa said. 

“Now, Nene,” Tsukasa said sweetly, “Since everyone is so willing to throw everything away for you. I think it’s about time for us to play a little game.”

“A game?” Nene echoed. 

“Nene! Whatever he’s offering it isn’t worth it,” Mistuba insisted. 

“I mean there is the alternative of me killing all of you!” Tsukasa offered. 

“No!” Nene could not live with herself if another person died on her behalf.  “Tell me about your game.”

“Good girl.” Tsukasa nodded. “It’s about your wish.”

“M-my wish?”

“I understand your wish, truly. Because it’s more than finding a beau or a husband. You want to be appreciated. You want to be seen.  And as far as I am concerned anyone can do that.” Tsukasa smiled. 

In a strange way Nene felt seen but at the same time violated. 

“You dreamed of getting a wedding and a wedding we shall have. All you need to do is pick a groom.” He said. 

Nene felt even more hopeless than before. 

“Two men have risked it all just for you. Amane, your phantom and Kou, your patron. Which one do you want to marry?”

This was too simple. Far too easy for that to be all.

“What’s the price?”

“Well… a wise man once told me ‘you can’t always get what you want.’ And I think he was right.” He said. “Decisions here are final. I kill whoever didn’t make the cut. A life for a life seems rather fitting.” 

Nene could have sworn her heart stopped beating. 

“WHAT?!” 

“You see I know you want them both in your life but I don’t want to spoil you. This way, the other doesn’t interfere with your new life.”

Nene looked between her best friend and the love of her life.  

 Kou has a family who loves him. He has responsibilities. And what about Mitsuba? He would be devastated. She would be devastated. Kou had been for her when nobody else was. He stood by her when everyone was against her. He tried to understand. He cared for her in her time of need. He never gave up on her so why should she give up on him. After all, they were birds of a feather.

Hanako was the man she had fallen deeply in love with. The man who haunted her for half a year. She had already thought she lost him once and she had lost herself in a sadness so deep she could not see the sun. He believed in her. He cherished her. He saw her and she saw him. And in what they saw they loved. That wasn’t a connection that she could get from anyone else. He was her angel. 

Nene could not even imagine the despair she would be in if she lost either one of them. 

“Mademoiselle, please, just pick Kou.” Hanako pleaded. “I’m the Phantom. There was no way we would get the epilogue we deserved.”

“No, pick Hanako.” Kou insisted. “Nene, you don’t love me! I can’t live knowing that I goaded you into making the wrong choice.”

“Nene, I’m telling you. Just pick him.”

“No, the smarter decision is to let me go.”

“It’s okay to choose him.”

“Nene, please!”

“Nene, I am begging you.”

“Choose him!” 

The experience of having people you love begging you to cut them loose cannot be an easy one. Two twin stars begging to be snuffed out to let the other one shine. A cacophony of crying, begging, and bargaining for her to kill them.  Who will be the star in her recurring nightmares? 

They can’t all win. 

“You would kill your own brother?” Nene asked. She looked over at Hanako who looked as serious as a heart attack. She knew that it meant he would. He would kill him. 

She felt the cold blade press against her neck. 

“Make your choice.”

It was then Nene understood. Nene realized what it was about Tsukasa that bothered her so much. 

Just like how Tsukasa saw through her, she saw right through him. 

Tsukasa was just like her. 

He may be Hanako’s twin but she saw herself in him. 

She empathized because she realized that she used to be just as codependent. Just dying for attention and affection and refusing to let go of the ones who do. Nene saw herself putting in all her effort in the wrong thing on the off chance that it would bring in the person she latched onto. 

A person who refused to learn to let go.

She saw herself and it made her feel upset. 

But though she empathized, she didn’t sympathize. 

It was more than teaching Hanako a lesson, Tsukasa needed to have control. 

And as far as she was concerned, that was something anyone could provide. 

“Are these all my options?” Nene asked.

“Why? Would you prefer Mitsuba?” Tsukasa asked, with clear amusement in his voice.

“No.”  She had no intention to involve him any further in her mess. 

She glanced at Kou and Hanako, their eyes shiny with desperation. Mitsuba looked at her helplessly. Nene was going to have to solve this on her own.

“What if I were to marry you?” 

Tsukasa’s eyes widened with surprise before he settled into a wide smile.

There was immediate protest from the three spectators but Nene silenced them with a raise of hand. She will not be swayed from her decision.

“Marry me.” Tsukasa mused. “Amane would hate that.”

“I will be yours to control forever but-”

“But?”

“Let them go and release Mitsuba from his contract.” Nene said firmly. “Unharmed.”

“Unharmed?” Tsukasa whined. 

“I’ll do everything you want,” She reminded him.

“You’ll be mine forever.” Tsukasa brought his face close to hers. “You’ll never see them again.”

She briefly gazed at her friends; bleeding, broken, and bound. She was in this position because she never let go.

But she can this time. 

“Do you accept my proposal?” Nene asked. 

“I-”

Before he could finish his statement, Hanako crashed into her. He managed to knock her into Kou effectively putting Nene out of harm's way much like how she did earlier. 

“Sorry but I can’t just let anyone marry my muse.” Hanako said, brandishing his knife. Within seconds, both of their weapons were  pointed at each other. 

“To be fair, she wasn’t asking you .” Tsukasa lunged at him and once again Hanako was on the defensive.

“Too bad, she’s my responsibility.” Hanako pressed on, making his movements more aggressive. 

“Not anymore. You should have married her when you had the chance.” Tsukasa was not leaving any openings for him. “And I have every intention to marry her.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” 

Hanako had never fought so desperately in his entire life. This was no sparring match to keep their abilities sharp. This was a death match and Tsukasa would not hesitate to kill. 

Hanako created distance between them. He hardly had any time to think. If Hanako slipped up it could mean the end of his life. He took a deep breath.He just wanted to focus on the task at hand which was to win this fight. Immobilize his brother and get him sent to the authorities. 

“If you want her, then win.” Tsukasa rushed towards him. 

Hanako tried to catch his arm but instead Tsukasa knocked the knife out of his hand. Before Hanako could do anything Tsukasa pinned him to the wall.

“Too slow.”

Tsukasa had once again backed him in a corner. And this time Hanako was going to pay with his life. 

Tsukasa raised his knife and Hanako caught it instinctively. 

“I promised my new wife that I won’t kill you.” Tsukasa pushed the knife towards him. “You wouldn’t want to make me break my promise so soon.”

“She isn’t your wife so do as you must.” Hanako said through gritted teeth. 

Hanako could tell that if he failed here, this was it. With Tsukasa keeping him down, it was far more likely for Hanako to tire out faster. Tsukasa once again had the upper hand. He needed to change momentum and fast. 

Where was his knife? He dropped it somewhere in the scuffle but he didn’t see where it landed. 

He tried his best to scan the area for it and then he saw it.

It was at Kou’s feet. Kou caught his gaze and picked up the weapon. He just needed him to pass it to him. 

“Any last words?” Tsukasa asked him. The blade was so close to his neck that he could feel the cold emanating from its steel. 

“Yeah.” 

Hanako took a deep breath. 

“Hey Kid! Pass me that knife!” 

That was when Tsukasa became distracted. The opening that Hanako needed so badly.  Kou had understood and he had thrown the knife. Hanako already knew that Tsukasa would catch it before him, which he did. But in Tsukasa’s distraction Hanako has taken Tsukasa’s knife from him. 

Tsukasa glanced at their knife swap. 

“Oh, we can’t have distractions like this.”

But instead of going after Hanako again, he switched targets. He instead ran off towards Kou.

Hanako panicked. 

Tsukasa was going after someone else. He was going to hurt someone else. 

Hanako ran after him practically jumping at Tsukasa to stop him.  

And at that moment, Hanako took his knife and…

And…

He took his knife…

He took his knife and… 

Hanako got him. 

Hanako had stabbed his brother. 

It happened so fast.

He ran after him, trying to keep him from hurting Kou. He turned Tsukasa around and without thinking he stabbed him. 

It was silent as everyone had realized what he had done. 

Tsukasa touched the knife in his abdomen, in shock and amazement.

“I guess you won this time.”  Tsukasa chuckled before stumbling. 

No. No. No. No. 

“Tsukasa!”

Amane immediately ran to his aid. 

No, he couldn’t die on him. Not here. Not then. 

There was red. Red pooling from his body and onto the floor. Onto Amane’s hands.

“I can’t believe you won,” Tsukasa laughed before it turned into him coughing. 

“Tsu, I’m so sorry.” Amane choked on his tears. “I didn’t mean… I never meant-”

“Yes, you did.” Tsukasa smiled at him, putting a hand on his face. “Because I saw that look on your face. The one you make when you stop holding back. You’re even making it right now.”

“No, I never wanted you to die!” 

“It’s so beautiful. The look in your eyes. It’s like stars. You remember the stars, Amane?” Tsukasa asked him. 

“Tsukasa, please don’t go. Don’t go.” Amane squeezed his brother’s hand. “We’re two notes. Remember? Don’t you want to stay with me?”

It was then Tsukasa laughed. The same bright laugh, so carefree and antagonistic. 

“Oh, Amane. We can’t always get what we want.”

And then he was gone with a smile on his face. 

The room went still as Amane held his twin brother’s cold hand. 

There will be no purging of the sin Amane had committed. 

Unless…

He gripped the knife that fell from Tsukasa’s hand. His hand was shaky with understanding. 

Unless they matched. 

God was punishing them because twins were supposed to match. 

Twins should match. 

Twins should match. 

Twins should match.  

He felt someone steady his hand. 

He looked up to see Nene, looking like an angel from above. Her eyes shiny from tears. 

“Hanako. Don’t. Please. No more.”

He dropped the knife and she held him. 

And in his angel’s embrace did he feel safe enough to anguish. 

***

 Nene could have held him for hours. She really could have.  

“Did you hear that?” 

Mitsuba had said it. Just as soon as Kou had his wound dressed and bandaged. 

“Hear what?” Kou asked. 

Nene paused, listening intently. 

People. 

There were people nearby. 

“It sounds like a mob.” Nene agreed. 

“We have to go.” Kou said. “Now.” 

Nene nodded. Who knows how they would react to the scene before them? Their prized opera singer had been stabbed in the hand while Nene was in a wedding dressed now decorated with blood stains. With Hanako as the remaining Phantom, they might try him for the whole of the namesakes crimes. 

“Hanako, is there another way out?” Kou asked. 

Hanako stood. Clearly weary from what had just transpired but he gave him a nod. 

He walked them over to a deeper part of the cave that was hidden from sight. There was a boat that seemed to take them out from under the Opera house. 

“Alright, let’s-“

“No.” Kou said. “Not all of us need to go. The mob isn’t after me or Mitsuba.” 

“Then what do we do?” Nene asked. 

“Find someplace safe.” Kou took her hand. “I don’t care where just someplace safe.”

“But-”

“Send me a letter. To the villa. The one next to that cottage you live so much. I’ll send for you. But first I need you to be safe.”  Kou insisted. 

Nene sighed in resignation before giving him a hug. 

“Don’t worry. It will only be for a little while.” Kou said. 

“Okay.” 

Mitsuba tugged Nene’s sleeve. 

“I… I found this.” He took out a chain in his pocket with a silver ring on it. “I believe it’s yours.” 

Nene looked at her promise ring that signified a promise that will never see the light of day. 

“I supposed I would give this back to Kou.” Nene said.  Nene had enough marriage perhaps for a lifetime. 

“No.” Kou said. “Keep it. It signifies our friendship.” 

Nene smiled. 

Kou turned to Hanako. His face was serious and his eyes were pleading. 

“Promise me you’ll take care of her.”  

Hanako smiled. 

“Of course I will. I love her.” 

Kou gave him a soft smile. 

“Good. I was counting on it.”

Hanako stuck out his hand for a handshake but Kou opted to embrace him instead. 

“Thank you.” Kou didn’t need to elaborate what for. 

“Nene, are you ready?” Hanako held out his hand, ready to take her away. 

There was so much left to say and they were running out of time. 

“Kou, what about you?” Nene asked. 

“Me…?” 

“Yes, will you be okay?” 

Kou looked at her and Hanako. He then looked at Mitsuba slipping his fingers between his. 

“I’ll be fine.” He smiled. “I really do think that.”

Nene’s eyes were watery again but happy. Happy that they both found the happiness they deserved. 

“Let’s go, Hanako.”

***

Hanako and Nene’s escape was silent for the most part. 

The couple had so much to say and so much to mourn. 

Because the question still hung in the air. 

What happens next?

Tsukasa was dead. The Phantom was dead. There was no “returning to the opera house.” No fame. No money. And strangely no music. 

There was no going back. 

Only forward to an unknown future as the silence surrounds them. 

But that was okay. 

Because they had each other. 

And that was enough.