TITLE: A Phantom's Longings

RATING: To be safe, T (for now)

DISCLAIMER: I do not have any stakes in the ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh! nor The Phantom of the Opera.

WARNINGS: Homosexual relationships, Fusion?, not very favorable to Tea

SUMMARY: Yami is a man that has lived beneath the Opera Populaire since he was a child, but when singing instructor Yugi Motou becomes the second manager of the Opera he begins to take an interest in the young man. What he, nor the others, at the Opera know is that Yugi has a past that he wishes would stay in the past.

On one note, please give this a shot.

Our story begins with an opera house of good standing and reputation called the Opera Populaire, who was renowned for their lovely and talented Prima Donna named Mai Valentine. At this very moment the ownership of the Opera was switching over from the two old men named Count Sugoroku Motou and his long time friend Arthur Hawkins to a younger generation, an inventor and business man named Seto Kaiba and the other was just a business man named Maximillion Pegasus. Both were millionaires and had figured that taking over such an establishment would be in their best interest— for Kaiba it would get his nagging step-father off of his case and for Pegasus it was because his wife adored this particular opera house and he wished to make her happy with tickets to every show. You can just see the sheer differences of opinion forming in their introductions had have to feel at least a sliver of pity for whom ever was the manager of the place when neither were present.

Marik Ishtar, the lone manager of the Opera Populaire, had arrived at the nice Romanesque opera house early on the first day of dress rehearsals with the distinct feeling he should have stayed in bed with his husband and told he world to return in a week. Unfortunately for him his husband, who was a young man that resembled him and was named Malik, was an early riser due to his job. Malik was the one that ran the offices of the opera house and kept the books— from wages and those that paid for room and board to the patrons and the such— and he liked to get an early start on things before they piled up over the course of the day. This was a complete opposite from his husband.

As the platinum haired man made it in the doors and heard the throaty and riveting tones of Mai Valentine going through one of the arias and sighed. He had been lucky that his long time friend and the Maestro of the orchestra, who went by the name of Bakura, had found the woman when he did or else they would have had to rely on a no-talent Prima Donna that demanded too much money to break the glass night after night! Or worse, he mused, that annoying chorus girl named Tea Gardener who claimed to have taken lessons from 'The Angel of Music.'

Marik snickered at the memory of that particular day. Mai had not been able to arrive to a rehearsal for the last show and Tea had stepped in, under her meek declaration, and everyone agreed that she should not ever be allowed to sing alone… ever again. He knew the so-called 'Angel of Music' she referred to, since she had said that she did not know the man but took lessons in the opera house, and knew that he had not taught the annoying chit a thing. The man that Tea had been referring to was The Phantom of the Opera, who favored card games and such instead of music. Sure he loved to listen and watch the plays from his own private box, Box Five, but he could not teach to save his life and only sung in private or when drunk. If anything Marik and Bakura drug that Phantom out to casinos and backrooms when they needed some extra money, or someone that would bring them back to the opera house in one piece after a night of drinking. This just told him that the girl had been reading those trashy romance novels again and had spotted the Phantom in the shadows and decided to make her life one.

The Phantom was not amused by this and had been fiddling around with his lasso and torture chamber, getting the techniques and such perfect for when he could lure her to her death. The agreement they had with Bakura's lover, a sweet and reserved young man by the name of Ryou who played the violin, that they would need to have a full vote of 'aye' before they let that happen.

They were one vote short every time, to the ire of those involved.

"There he is! The Phantom!" he heard a familiar voice shriek through the main doors that led into the theater proper from the foyer. He could hear the groans that cutting voice caused by its echoing off of the walls and causing everyone to groan and cover their ears. By unwritten law all opera houses or playhouses had good acoustics so that everyone could hear, when they were loud enough, and a sound like that could have deafened a pack of screeching violins with ease.

"For the last bloody time, there is no such thing!" he heard his sister Isis Ishtar tell the girl, her growled out statement followed with a sound of pain. Marik sighed. That had to be Isis's walking cane, which the dance mistress had taken to using after her right knee had gone out the year before, meeting the back of Tea's insanely hard head. "If you interrupt practice again I'll have you performing this routine till your toes bleed!" Marik blinked a few times because that threat was new.

Maybe he should start prodding Bakura into screwing Ryou senseless before the next vote. It would make things so much easier. "Excuse me, are you the manager of this opera house?" a rather calm, yet soothing voice asked as the blonde manager spun and seen a young man with spiky tri-colored hair in a nice formal suit. His violet eyes were wide and innocent, yet tempered by a dark show of wisdom one gains from seeing something they should not.

"I am, what of it?" Marik drawled out with narrowed eyes, but the young man before him did not flinch as he extended a hand to him.

"My name is Yugi Motou, I seen an ad in the paper about the position of manager." He stated as Marik froze, but accepted the offered hand automatically. "You must be under a lot of stress with the opening of the show in two days." Yugi added with a small smile and laugh to calm the blonde.

"Any experience with opera singers, dancers, and all around pain-in-the-asses?" Marik asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doors. He was mentally surveying the young man in front of him, from his wild hair to his thin frame.

"A bit." Yugi admitted as he removed his hat and met Marik's eyes without fear. "I am a singing instructor, if that helps any." He added as an after thought as Marik nodded and pushed away from the doors, making a snap decision that would have him in the dog house for sure but he did not really care.

"No trouble than, come in and see the disaster before it becomes a polished diamond that will have the papers glowing reviews." Marik stated pulling the young man through the doors into the theater where the rehearsals had resumed. Both stood in the aisle as the chorus and Mai, as well as the leading man named Signor Joseph Wheeler, launched into one of the infamous songs from the opera named Hannibal. They wrapped up as many were drawn to the two in the aisle. "What'cha think?"

"Absolutely stunning." He stated with a smile and bowed to the ensemble. "Your voice is stunning, Madame Mai, and you will be well on your way to being a truly legendary Diva with every show you do. The orchestra was just as well, which is why I can now understand why the papers say they are so talented." He stated as Mai curtsied to him and Bakura smirked and looked rather pleased with the statement. "I now can't wait to see what this will look like on opening night."

"And who is this delightful young man, Mr. Ishtar?" Mai purred as Yugi blushed a bit at the attention.

"This is Yugi Motou, who is filling in the vacant position of manager and part-time singing instructor. Which means we can start searching for your understudy, Ms. Valentine, and have her edges properly polished!" Marik stated as the blonde woman looked pleased with that decision. Everyone else was just as happy, but that was because it meant Tea did not have her nails sunk into that position and she would not be singing solo any time soon.

"Yugi, my old friend!" a brunette chorus girl with wide sky blue eyes shrieked, instead of whispered like it was a secret, as the auburn haired girl by her slapped her forehead and slowly edged away. This drew all attention to them, to the auburn haired girl's mortification, and the brunette did not really care about the glares or the annoyance directed at her for her shrieking.

"Do you know her?" Marik whispered to a frowning Yugi who was rubbing his ears, having dropped his hat at the loud sound.

"Not really." Yugi replied with a shiver. "I'd remember a voice like that if I did." The blonde was thankful for that, he did not need any soap operas or anything to take place in his opera house. He glanced over at his new manager again and mentally cackled. This new face was perfect to draw the Phantom from his isolation, yet also perfect because said Phantom needed to relax or at least a new hobby besides gambling.

If not, it would be interesting to lock them in a room together with some… needed supplies.

A/N: This is kinda a test run, as well as the background, since there are soooo many other stories like this. Well, not like this like this but in the sense of YGO/PotO crossover/fusion variety. This isn't a parody or anything, at least I don't think so, but a bit of an answer to slight annoyance. At this stage it is a toss up.

Flame it, I don't care. Review it with criticism, any is welcome. Leave a not of interest, and I'll cheer.