Think Of Me

I know what you all are thinking. What the fuck? She's already in the middle of another KakaNaru fic, what is she thinking? And normally you'd be right. Usually I hate to start a fic in the middle of another one but this idea came to me as I was watching one of my favorite movies, “The Phantom Of The Opera,” and I just couldn't resist putting my spin on it. The plot will, of course have twists, you all know me well enough by now to know that I love putting spins on shit and not conforming to traditional ideas of what is and is not acceptable. So I hope you enjoy, if not you know where you can go to get your fics...somewhere else.

Prologue

Madame Giry stared at the small huddled figure of the nine-year old boy she was to be responsible for. He was a miserable little figure and she couldn't even make out his features with his head bent as it was.

“Naruto?” she asked, uncertainty evident in every nuance of her voice.

At his name being called, the child's head slowly came up to look at the person who had uttered his name.

Madame Giry barely held in a gasp.

He was easily the most beautiful child she had every encountered, even more so than her eight-year old daughter. Eyes as sea-green as the ocean, and seemingly almost as wide looked up at her, filled with tears and as much, if not more confusion. His hair was the most golden-blond she had every seen and stood straight up in adorable little spikes around his head. His face was round, in that way that children's often are. On each of his cheeks were three lines, seemingly drawn on to his face, that should have detracted from his looks. Strangely enough, they suited him and added to the mischievous look that no doubt would have been present if not for the grief that marked every line of his body. Such sadness was not usual on so young a face.

Cautiously she asked again, softer this time.

“Are you Naruto Uzumaki?”

“Yes.” was all that was whispered, as the little boy wiped the tears from his eyes. “That's me. Are you Madam Giry?”

“Why yes.” she replied, surprised, this child was not slow at all. “I am here to take you to your new home”

“I have a home.” the child argued. “I will go with you, for father instructed me to do so. But wherever it is that you are taking me, it will never be home.”

“Of course.” Madame Giry, replied, not willingly to dissuade what he was saying, though inwardly her heart was weeping that so young a child was so very mistrusting. “I never even thought to try and replace the only place you've ever known as home” she attempted to console him. “Eventually though, I hope you will come to think of the ballet dormitories as a place you will always be welcome, and as a sort of home away from home”

The child nodded, conceding that point to this woman who was at least attempting to be kind.

“Ballet dormitories?” he asked curiously, the tears that had been present in his eyes before drying before her very eyes. “Is that where I will be staying?”

At her nod, the inkling of question in his eyes turned into full blown confusion.

“Am I to be a ballerina then?”

“Of sorts.” she told him. “You will be a male ballerina.”

“But I can't dance!” Naruto pleaded with her. “Sasuke always said that I had two left feet when father attempted to teach us to dance!”

“Sasuke?” she inquired curiously as she gathered the boy's meager belongings, which really only amounted to one carpetbag.

“Sasuke Uchiha.” the child sniffed, as if everyone in the world should know who this 'Sasuke' was. “He is my best friend in the entire world!”

She smile, relieved to know the child had had some semblance of a normal childhood before his entire world was ripped away from him.

“Well no matter what Sasuke says,” she brushed his worries aside, “you will be a ballerina. Don't worry” she reassured as his eyes lit up in that way children's do when they think they're right. “I will instruct you myself. Soon it will be as if you never had two left feet.” She laughed as if the idea was amusing.

“Well all right.” Naruto frowned, as if not happy with the idea, but willing to give it a try. “But later, don't say I didn't warn you.”

“I consider myself aptly warned.” she smiled softly. “Now we really must get going.”

Walking out the door of the only place he had only known as home, Naruto climbed into the carriage that was waiting for them outside.

As Madam Giry debated the length it had taken to them to come out, and they finally took off, Naruto looked at his home through the back of the carriage, saying goodbye to yet another thing that was being torn away from him.

“And this will be your new room.” Madame Giry explained as she lead Naruto into an empty room. It wasn't anything fancy, containing nothing but the barest of essentials. Namely, a bed, bureau, and washing basin.

“Thank you.” Naruto said politely.

“You are more than welcome.” Madam she smiled at him warmly. Already she was protective of this child. “We will begin your training early tomorrow morning. I will wake you up.”

At his nod of ascension, Madame Giry almost hugged him, but stopped herself just in time. Instead she smiled.

“Good night Naruto.”

“Good night, Ma'am” Was all he said.

Shutting the door quietly behind her Madame Giry, walked down the hall to her quarters, a new determination filling her steps. The reason? To eventually have that endearing, yet mistrustful little boy confide in her.

Naruto, in the mean time, unpacked his meager belongings and put them in the drawers that were provided. It didn't take long.

Opening the door to his room he quickly glanced both ways to ensure no one was coming.

Seeing nothing but pitch black, he lit a candle and quietly made his ways down the eerily silent corridors, with is little bag in tow.

Eventually he came upon a flight of stairs that descended downward, of which he took.

He came to an empty room, the only feature of which could be boasted was a stain-glassed window of an angel with a harp.

Silently exclaiming in the simply beauty of the window, he was reminded of the Angel of Music that his father used to tell him about.

“Naruto.” his father had told him, “The angel of music, is just a story.”

His father had wanted his son to have a very firm grasp on reality, of which was very effective. The little boy did not believe in anything that he could not see for his own eyes.

Opening his bag, Naruto pulled out a music stand that had belonged to his father...except he did not set any music sheets upon it. The next item he pulled out, is the only thing he set upon it. And that item was a picture of his father.

Setting candles in a circle around the stand, he lit a match and lit them.

Upon gazing at his father's visage, Naruto's beautiful eyes filled up with tears.

“Father,” he sobbed, “why did you have to leave me?”

His father, of course, said nothing. Just continued to smile blankly at him as pictures are wont to do.

He continued to cry, finally grateful to put aside the brave front that his father insisted he put on, if only for a little while.

The sobs eventually died off, and Naruto wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Father, I'll sing you the ballad you used to sing to me.”

His voice trembled at first, the memories of his father singing it to him, causing it to waver, then it grew strong, glowing in clarity.

Have you heard of the Angel of Music?

He appears to those who believe.

The Angel of Music is always present, he will never leave.

If you believe with all of your heart, then maybe he'll come to you too.

The Angel of Music will always be with you, no matter what you do.

His voice filled the empty room with its beautiful, clear sound. Amazingly developed for a child of his short years.

It did not escape the notice of the one who almost never slept.

His ears immediately picked up on the wondrous talent of the owner of the voice.

This is who I've been waiting for, he thought covetously, whoever the owner of that voice is, he is mine.

Becoming one with the shadows, as he did seemingly instinctively, he followed the sound, pinpointing the origin of that extraordinary sound.

He was surprised when his eyes gazed upon the source.

A child? He thought surprised, a child has that caliber of a voice? He got over his surprise quickly, admiring the boy's perfect features.

Suddenly the singing stopped.

“Who is there?” The child accused, “I know someone is there, you might as well come out.”

“I'm sorry,” the figure apologized, not really sorry at all. “I don't respond well to commands.”

Naruto involuntarily shivered at the voice of whose face or body he could not make out at all.

“Don't be frightened,” the voice soothed, seeming to come from all angles. The fact that the room was comprised of hard surfaces was not helping Naruto discern the direction it was coming from.

“I am not frightened!” He denied, despite his slightly shaking form. “I just don't like hearing voices that come without a body. Call me silly, but it creeps me out.”

“Well,” the voice replied amusedly, “aren't you quick for someone so young?”

Naruto pouted visibly at that.

“I am not that young” he insisted. “I am nine years old!”

“You're right.” the voice consoled, strangely soothing, “Nine years old is the epitome of ancientness.”

Naruto picked up a candle up, breaking the circle he had painstakingly set up, attempting to find the voice's point of origin.

“Now, now,” the voice cajoled, “we can't have you finding me before the game is up, now can we?”

Naruto's forehead crinkled in confusion. Setting the candle back in place he sat down on the ledge of the window.

“What game?” he asked, giving up on trying to find this mystery person.

“The game that I've decided to include you in.” the voice continued, explaining without really explaining.

“I don't believe I volunteered to play this game of yours.” Was Naruto's cool response. Sitting up from the ledge he stood up, walking over to the candles, blowing all but one out, he picked up the still-lit candle.

“I don't believe I mentioned anything about volunteering.” was all the voice sneered at him, before going silent.

“I'm going to bed.” Naruto announced, just before he started up the stairs the voice stopped him.

“Wait.”

Naruto froze mid-step.

“What do you want now?” Naruto demanded. “I already told you, I refuse to play your game.”

“What if I told you I could help you with your singing?”

Naruto scoffed at that.

“Please, as if I need your help.”

“You do.” the voice insisted. “You're voice is all right for an amateur, but I could help you learn to control it, you could be a famous singer.”

Naruto full out sneered, now.

“Why would I want to be a singer?”

“Wasn't your father a singer?” the voice inquired, already knowing the answer. “You're father was Minato Namikaze, correct?”

Naruto's stiffened.

“How would you know that?!”

The figure in the dark smiled. I have him now.

“Who hasn't heard of Minato Namikaze? He was viewed as a modern-day marvel.” the voice droned, bored. “He was a genius with a violin and his voice.”

Naruto's head bowed, as if the reminder of this father's accomplishments were weighing him down.

“Well a lot of good those things did him.” Naruto tightly replied. “He is still dead at the end of the day.”

“Well yes, that is true...” the voice agreed. “But what if I told you, you could be greater than your father?”

Naruto sat down at the foot of the stairs, in deep thought. If I could at least be as good a singer as father then maybe everyone would quit looking at me in disappointment. Finally I could stand on my own two feet, as my own person.

As Naruto stood up, the figure knew his little trap has worked.

“How soon would you start 'helping' me?” he demanded.

“This very night.”

Naruto responded without noting the triumphant note in the, arrogant, smug voice.

“I agree.”

“Very well.” the voice conceded.

Instructing the child on an exercise that would help improve his tone, the figure listened as the voice repeated what he had told him, already showing improvement.

He really is who I have been looking for, the figure smiled selfishly, he is all mine....of course he won't know it until it's too late. I will have him so enmeshed in my web that he won't have a chance in hell of getting out of it.

As he looked on the boy's features, he felt a stirring in him that even the most beautiful females had failed to achieve.

Looks like he'll be mine in more ways than I thought, satisfaction filled the man as thought about a now-brightened future filled his head.

Realizing his attention to the 'lesson' had dwindled he put his focus back on the exercise his new pupil was currently repeating. Knowing that the plans he had had for years would bear fruition, he had all the aces up his sleeve...now it was only a matter of time...

End of Prologue

Holy shit that was the longest freaking prologue I have ever written...but it turned out well. Now this story is not, of course going to follow the original...that would be boring...so I hope you all enjoy the twists that no doubt, will ensue. Stay tune for the next chapter * Laughs Manically*