Devil of the Opera

Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21 and I don't own Phantom of the Opera.

Chapter One: The Voice Under Me

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Deimon Opera House where you can enjoy a play of the most spectacular kind! Since the passion of our dear audience is great enough to form a flood, please allow me to introduce our star - Mademoiselle Mamori Anezaki!"

As the curtains lifted, a graceful figure appeared on stage. Dressed in a pure white gown, a girl not yet in her twenties began to sing... It was no ordinary voice. So delicate in tone but strong in rhythm, so pure in voice but rich in emotions. Before long, her voice had reached every corner of the opera house and it seemed to the audience that they were blessed by a pair of great white angel wings from heaven above.

When the play ended, the audience clapped like they had never clapped before. The show was a great success.

As the curtains came down, a young ballet girl with blue hair ran up to Mamori and hugged her cheerfully, "You did it! You did it! I told you you can do this and look at the audience now! They love you, Mamori!"

"Oh, Suzuna, don't shout so loud. The audience might hear you!"

"Let them hear it and I betcha nobody's going to deny that you are the best singer of our time!"

Mamori blushed a little but it would only make her face look cuter.

The blue-hair girl, Suzuna, seemed to be more excited than Mamori. "I've always known that you have a beautiful voice, Mamo-neechan. But what surprised me was that now you can handle your voice so well. I didn't remember you knowing such techniques before."

"Well, things happen for a reason. You have to believe me, Suzuna, no matter what I tell you."

"What is it that you want to tell me then, Mamo-neechan?"

Mamori walked closer to Suzuna and whispered to her ears, "There's a man under my room..."

"What?"

"Shoo! Don't overreact, just let me finish. There is a man, a being unknown to the outside world, that comes to me every single night before I fall asleep. When he comes, he sings to me and his voice is just... It would be the most perfect voice you have ever heard. And I would sing back to him. At first he mocked me, saying that I sang like a duck but later he slowly improved my voice... I don't know he did it but my voice did slowly change after all those nights when we sang to each other. He's a mystery to me but he is also a great teacher." When Mamori finished, her face was pale like ice, which reminded Suzuna of how frightening she still felt about that mysterious man.

"This is impossible..." Suzuna murmured to herself.

Mamori sighed, "I know you wouldn't believe it but it is true. If it weren't for him, I would still be in the chorus where nobody would notice me."

"You don't have to say that, Mamo-neechan. You are pretty enough to be notice by anyone with a healthy eyesight! But that man you mentioned... It just sounds to unbelievable."

"Do trust me, Suzuna."

Before Suzuna could reply, Wakana, a girl from the props, ran to them saying, "Hurry up, you guys, our new bosses are coming!"

"Bosses?" Mamori frowned.

"Haven't you heard about them, Mamo-neechan?" Suzuna chuckled, "Our old boss just sold the opera house to two young businessmen."

"For real?"

"Yes, and one of them is the best runner in the country. Kobayakawa Sena, that's his name."

"But, " Mamori asked, "If he's an athlete, why did he buy the opera house?"

"He earned his fortune from his athletic career but he said he has not yet found the very thing he truly loves so he quit running and changed his job." Suzuna answered with ease.

"You sure know a lot about him, Suzuna."

"It's all in the papers, Mamo-neechan but you never read the gossip page... Oh, well, I also know that the other one is called Raimon Taro, aka 'Monta' for some reasons. He and Sena went to high school together. And he's the winner of this year's International Banana-Eating Competition. Having broken the world record, he's a millionaire now."

"Wow, " Wakana exclaimed, "it just sounds so unfair that people can become rich so easily!"

"I don't think eating 100 bananas within 5 minutes is something considered easy..." Mamori said weakly.

The tip of Suzuna's hair rose and started spinning as Suzuna suddenly blocked Wakana's way and asked with curiosity, "I've heard enough gossips about you, Wakana. So tell me the truth, are you engaged to Senator Takami?"

Wakana's face immediately grew red, "Oh, Suzuna, why are you always so direct..."

Before Mamori could say anything to comfort Wakana, two short men entered their sight.

(By saying 'two short men', I really mean 'two short men' but no offence.)

"Monsieur Kobayakawa! Monsieur Raimon!" Wakana greeted nervously, "I didn't see you coming, please forgive me..."

"It's nothing, Wakana." Sena smiled, "And these two beautiful ladies are...?"

"Mamori Anezaki, our Prima Donna and Suzuna Taki, from the ballet." Wakana answered.

"Nice to meet you MAX!" Monta shook hands with them with excitement. "I'm Raimon Taro and this is Kobayakawa Sena, we now own your opera house MAX!"

"It was never our opera house anyway..." Suzuna giggled.

It was Mamori's words that kind of astonished everyone, "Have I met you before, Sena?"

"Mademoiselle Anezaki, why..." Sena's eyes opened wide as memory suddenly struck him like lightning, "Mamo-neechan?"

"Sena!"

Turned out that Mamori and Sena were childhood friends who were parted when they were really little. But they still remember each other as if everything had just happened yesterday.

"What a moving reunion..." Suzuna said, a little jealous. She had always been a fan of Sena's ever since he was regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. And Sena was cute. But Mamori had a different idea about him, "He's just like my little brother, Suzuna. You can go for him all you want. And I bet he likes you too."

"Don't give me false hope, Mamo-neechan. I think they both like you. Especially that Monta. Just think about how madly happy he was when you shook hands with him... Oh, well, I don't really care about that, Mamo-neechan, as long as you're happy."

"Why, Suzuna, you're the most lovely..." They said goodbye to each other when they reached Mamori's dressing room.

"Do come out like a queen, Mamo-neechan. I bet they wouldn't be eating anything at all tonight but just staring at you at the table."

"It's just dinner, don't overstate it, Suzuna." They both laughed and after that, Mamori closed the door and sat down, facing her dressing table.

Sena is here tonight. Why, I'm so happy to see him! Mamori thought to herself.

Suddenly, a voice came from under her chair:

Young brats are here for love

Praying to be blessed from above

While the ground under them burns

Casting an inevitable curse...

"Who is that?" Mamori asked, terrified. "Is that you?"

"Who else could it be, Anezaki?" The voice replied.

Mamori stood up and search on the floor, but still hadn't got a clue about how the man's voice came from under her.

"Are you going to dinner with those ignorant brats tonight, Anezaki?"

"Yes... But..." Mamori answered.

"They think they own the opera house now, huh?"

Mamori just stared at the floor, not knowing how to react.

"There is one thing they should know before they start running this place... And you should know that too, Anezaki." The voice said in a serious tone.

Frightened, Mamori asked, "What is it that you want me to know then?"

The man then declared with a sinister smile so evil that Mamori couldn't see or imagine, "You people should let the fact seed in your brain that this very opera house belongs to no one but the Devil of the Opera!"

Author's note: It's been a year since I started my first fanfiction "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"! And now I'm enjoying a three-month vacation with nothing to do! My first year as a fanfictionist have been marvelous and it still surprises me that I can still get reviews for my last facfic even after such a long time. I want to say thank you to all those who supported me in my last fanfic and hope you like my new fanfic~~~