Romeo and Juliet PH Style 2

"A long time ago, within a land called Verona, were two households in the midst of a feud. The Capulet and the Montague, as they are called, have hated one another for generations, and that loathing has yet to cease. This is a tale of two Star Crossed Lovers whose tragic deaths brought an end to this age old feud" The high pitched voice of Sharon Rainsworth resounded through the public Opera House as the red curtain was raised.

The play has now begun.

On the stage, carrying swords and shields, were two men; one was Xerxes Break currently perched atop one of the cardboard walls (with unbelievably perfect balance) and the other, Vincent Nightray, standing close by.

"On my word, Sir Gregory, we cannot let them humiliate us. We will not take their garbage" Break began, reciting his lines. His face held irritation and so did his voice. How fitting.

"No, cause then we'd be garbage collectors. We'll the occupation would probably fit you though" Vincent answered calmly, fully aware of the formers discomfort and enjoying every bit of it.

Break felt a nerve pop on his head, however he smiled, albeit forced. "We would, although I think that sewer rats fits that 'occupation' better. And if they get on my nerves then I have right to draw my sword" Break replied.

"Ah, but shouldn't you at least try to get out of trouble? For an aged man as you, it is quite surprising how much mischief you can conjure" Vincent replied, only calm in his features.

Another nerve popped. "Surprising is it? I am indeed quite the fighter, especially when I'm angry"

A smile appeared on Vincent's face, a non-too innocent one that is. "Do you? I was quite sure that you are able to hold your temper quite well" Vincent's smile only seemed to grow brighter.

"Oh, do not worry, only sewer rats can make me snap, and of course the dogs from the house of Montague as well"

"I see, but when you snap, you mostly run away do you not? A coward you are" Vincent went on.

Break could feel his veins pulsing and his hand clenching. "If it's a dog or a rat, I might get angry enough to kill them on sight"

"Ah, but isn't that something only weaklings would say? You are the type to run away as soon as you see them" the tone of the blonde's voice was mocking. He's having fun isn't he?

"Oh no, I never run away from a challenge and you know that" Break insisted. His smile was now evidently forced, and his hands gripped the edge of the cardboard wall.

"But you might hurt yourself with such rash behavior Sir Hatter. You are getting quite old"

Break felt another vein pop. "Yes, that is true, however do not worry; I still have quite a lot of strength within me" he replied.

Vincent's smile only grew brighter. "As expected of Sir Sampson, you are quite brave"

Here entered a couple more people, the first was Oscar Vessalius who looked like he was enjoying being on stage, while the other was Mr. Reim Runnettes currently cleaning his glasses while fretting silently over the fact that the other two were not following the script at all.

"Ah look, it is Lord Abraham and Balthazar. Would you be running away now?" Vincent offered.

Break only smiled. "No, I will not do such a cowardly thing as running away; but you on the other hand are free to do so if you'd like"

Vincent smiled back. "You worry me you know that? I do not run away, but we can't exactly let them pass by just like that, so shouldn't this be the time for you to bite your thumb?"

"Ah, I'm afraid I am much too old to be biting my thumb. But please do not mind me for you have all the freedom to suck your thumb as much as you like. Please, do go ahead"

Now it may not be so clear from afar especially with the clear bright smiles decorating both faces, but I'm quite sure that if you look hard enough, you would be able to see a spark of electricity between the two as murderous aura filled the air. Poor Reim Runnettes and his glasses, being hit by this aura full force.

Silence…

Then a laugh escaped Vincent's lips. And it was a very frightening laugh indeed.

"As expected. You have quite the sense of humor Sir Sampson" Vincent said, and then for the first time since the start of the play, his eyes opened, sending a very hard glare to the hatter's direction.

Break only sent it back. "Ahaha. I'll take that as a complement" he said. And then he saw Vincent hit him in the back in what was supposed to 'look' like a friendly gesture, but it had enough force in it to send him face first to the ground.

… More Silence…

Xerxes Break slowly stood up, drawing his sword. "Do you quarrel dear sir?" he said in that completely calm voice that gives people the shivers, like the calm before the storm.

Reim gulped. That line WAS part of the script, but it wasn't supposed to be from Break, and it was obvious that that line was directed at Vincent in this case.

"Quarrel sir? No sir" Vincent replied in the same tone of voice that just sends everyone quivering in their seats.

"Ah, but your movement proves otherwise" Break said, noting the sword prepared in front of Vincent.

"Then I suppose I do"

Red eyes meet as the swords clash.

Reim watched the exchange of blows, terrified out of his life not only because this wasn't how it should be played but also because those two were seriously trying to KILL each other. He could feel his glasses slide down his nose and lightheadedness strike. Oscar Vessalius seemed to be enjoying the exchange as he sat down on one of the wooden chairs, bringing Reim down to the one by his side. "Well, isn't this interesting? Should we join in?"

Thus, poor little Reim went to heaven.

Backstage

"What are those two doing?" Elliot Nightray asked, he could feel his eye twitch as he watched the misplaced fighting on the stage.

Sharon Rainsworth calmly took a sip of the earl grey tea she was drinking before replying. "It might not have been such a good idea to put those two together after all" she contemplated.

"No kidding"

Onstage

Oz Vessalius watched the little mishap with a sweatdrop and decided it best to get on the stage. And so enters Benvolio, sword drawn.

"Now now, calm down both of you. You shouldn't be fighting each other you know" he said, trying to break up the fight.

He was completely ignored.

"I said break it up you idiots" Oz snapped. This seemed to have caught Break and Vincent's attention, but only for a moment as they went right back into trying to kill each other.

That was the time Gilbert got on stage. And the audience cheered.

Feeling small, Gilbert tried his best to recite his lines… keyword, 'Tried' "W-what, a-rt -thou drawn am-m-ong these ha-heartless hinds? T-t-turn th-ee, B-b-benvolio, l-lo-ok up-pon th-thy… thy…" he trailed off, unable to say that word… especially to his masted

Oz noticed this and smirked. 'Ah Gil is as useless as always, maybe I can have some fun' "Tybalt! Are you here to have my head? But I have done no wrong and have only attempted to stop this quarrel. Please put down thy sword and help me part these men" he said in an overdramatic tone of voice.

"W-hat… talk of p-peace when y-your sword is d-drawn? I h-hate all y-y-y-M-montagues. Let-let us duel" Gil delivered weakly, hand shaking over his own sword and unable to draw. He hated having to draw his sword to Oz even if it was a play.

Oz just smirked mischievously.

"Ah! Well if it isn't the Prince of Cats" Break announced, noticing the newcomer. Vincent stopped to look too. "GIL!" he exclaimed, dropping his sword and giving his brother a bear hug.

Gil felt his soul fly out. "C-Ca-cats…. P-Prince?"

"Useless as ever isn't he?" Break whispered over to Oz. Oz just nodded in reply. "Ah, you stopped fighting" the blonde noticed.

"The sewer rat saw his older brother" and that was all that needed to be said.

"Reim-san is fainted over there you know" Oz pointed to the table. Break followed his arm and, indeed, the brunette was there sprawled over the chain and table. Break grinned. "So he is"

Apparently, it wasn't over yet as Gilbert tried to shake Vincent off, to which the blond landed on Break and the quarrel started yet again, this time, Oz got involved in the fight and Gilbert tried to get Oz out of there. That's not all. Apparently, Alice was forced on stage with the role of Lady Capulet, but since she saw Oz fighting, she joined in too… thus triggering Gil's overprotectiveness and Oz being fought over… again. Eerily, Jack and Glen picked that perfect time to suddenly pop up on the stage as they acted out the lords of Capulet and Montague.

I'm quite sure you all know what happened next.

All Hell Broke Loose.

Backstage

Elliot face palmed. He was incredibly ashamed that two of the idiots were in his family.

Sharon just sipped her tea. Although secretly planning to strangle Break the next time they meet.

Onstage

WHACK!

…. S I L E N C E

Oscar Vessalius watched from the sidelines, completely amused, as the six were knocked to the ground by a single Giant Harisen, now at first I'm sure you'd think it was Lady Rainsworth, but she is currently at home being cared for because of her health and wasn't able to come. The Harisen belonged to none other than Duke Barma, who was riding on a horse (one of his illusions probably, seeing how behaved it was) effectively stopping the eyesores.

And apparently, his presence was enough to bring Reim back to the world of the living. "D-Duke Barma!"

"Although I may not care if you people kill each other, I would like it better if you do it elsewhere. Now if you all don't drop you're weapons and stay away from each other to listen to your very very very annoyed Prince, I'll have you all hanged" Barma stated. And it was clear that his annoyance was genuine.

Whether it was due to the script or the fact that Duke Barma really DID look quite scary then, the six stopped trying to strangle each other, dropped all their weapons, and scooted as far away from each other as possible.

"Good. There will be no bloodshed within the streets of Verona. Three times have you all caused so much trouble, I will not let it happen again. If you ever start another riot I will not hesitate to have you all killed. Is that clear?" Barma gave a glare and the guys gulped.

"Clear Prince Escalus"

"Good" and with that Duke Barma disappeared. Yes… he really did 'disappear'… into thin air. And everyone stared.

"How did this chaos start again?" Jack Vessalius asked Oz. The later smiled and replied "It seems Break and Vincent got into each other's nerves, I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen. Then Gil came and a whole new type of chaos ensued" he replied.

And then everyone finally noticed the presence of the Hero and Villain.

And stared…

…..

"Ehehe" Jack scratched the back of his head. "Uhm… we should be going now" and just like Duke Barma, Jack faded into thin air, dragging Glen with him by the collar.

Somewhere in the Crowd of Spectators

"Mommy look, it's Jack Vessalius and Glen Baskerville! AH! they disappeared!"

"Yes Dear, the four Dukes really does put up quite a play. They even have such great effects"

Back on Stage

Break, along with Vincent, Gilbert, Oscar and Reim left the stage.

Suddenly, Echo appeared (from behind the curtain this time) and tugged on Oz's shoulder.

"Ah! Echo-chan. Hello" Oz greeted.

Echo cleared her throat while looking at him. "Have you seen Romeo? I'm glad he's not involved in this chaos" she recited. Oz and everybody else then finally realized that they were in the middle of a play.

"AH! Right. Ehem" Oz cleared his throat "Madam, I had a lot on my mind before dawn this morning so I went for a walk. Underneath the Sycamore grove that grows on the west side of the city, I saw your son doing the same. I was going to go greet him but he fled when he saw me, but he saw me. I thought he must be feeling the same way I was—wanting to be alone and tired of company. I figured he was avoiding me, so I just left him alone" he recited. Calm once again on his face.

"Ah yes that boy, he's been doing that for days. Heading out before dawn but returning just before the sun peeks out as if avoiding the light. Then he locks himself in his room for hours. Someone needs to snap him out of it before things get worse"

The voice came from out of nowhere. Although it was obviously Jacks.

…..

"My noble uncle, do you know the cause?" Oz asked thin air, being the first to snap out.

"I don't know, he won't tell me" Jack's voice resounded again, his body appearing just beside Oz, surprising a whole lot of people (except Oz himself) "I tried to talk to him, but nothing works" and here, a sigh. Oz just smiled.

And here, finally, came Elliot. Face a light shade of red and eyebrows twitching, he tried his best to keep his nerves in check.

Oz's smile brightened. "In that case, leave it to me. I'll get it out of him whether he likes it or not"

Jack just nodded before once again disappearing into a glow of light.

"Good Morning cousin. How are you doing today?" Oz started cheerily, approaching the taller teen.

Elliot gulped and took a deep breath. "I-Is it that early?" he asked.

"Yep, it's just past nine o'clock" the blond replied. Skipping alongside the Nightray heir.

"I see. Time seems to flow so slowly when your d-depressed" Elliot recited. He was feeling really awkward, pulling at him collar. "Was that Jack Vessalius just now?" Elliot asked, staring at the spot the legendary hero was just a second ago.

"Yep it was. Now mind telling me why you're so down?" Oz urged. His smile was unsettling, because Elliot could clearly see the mischief in his expression. He gulped again.

"Alas, my dear cousin. I have not what can make time fly" the brunette recited. Oz was seriously having too much fun.

"You've fallen in love?"

Elliot's mind automatically went back to the sight of his servant in a pink dress and immediately shunned the thought. Although the blush was evident in his face, he replied with his lines. "Out"

"Out of Love?" Oz urged again, a knowing and mocking smirk on his face.

"Out of her line of sight. I fell in love, but she doesn't love me" Elliot replied… feeling a vein pop in his head at the sight of the blonde's face.

Oz frowned and stepped away, moving his hands in what's supposed to be a dramatic pose. "Alas, Love is supposed to be so sweet and yet it can also be so painful. You poor poor thing" he continued, patting Elliot on the shoulder, much to the latter's chagrin.

"What's sad is that love is supposed to be blind, but it can still make you do whatever it wants. So, where should we eat?" he offered, and then saw the ragged state of his cousin's clothes, plus the blood (REAL blood) that was splattered on the floor. He twitched. "Oh my! What fight happened here? No, don't tell me—I know all about it. This fight has a lot to do with hatred, but it has more to do with love. O brawling love! O loving hate! Love that comes from nothing! Sad happiness! Serious foolishness! Beautiful things muddled together into an ugly mess! Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake—it's everything except what it is! This is the love I feel, though no one loves me back" Elliot forced out of his mouth, he was indeed twitching, a light shade of pink from his neck to face. "DON'T LAUGH!" he yelled, grabbing Oz by the collar and shaking him.

Oz couldn't help it, he tried so much to muffle it, but his hands can only cover so much. It wasn't just him, everyone backstage was cracking up… well except for a couple of people. ("Wow, I didn't think Elliot has the guts to seriously say that out loud" Leo said. "I didn't think you could actually wear a dress" was Break's reply. "Good point")

Oz tried to seize his laughter and calm down. "I-haha-I'm not l-haughing dear cousin. I-ha-I'm crying because of how sad your situation is" he stated. Rubbing the tears (which were obviously from laughter but hey they work) from his eyes.

Elliot really didn't want to continue, but he can't back down. "Yes, this is what love does. My sadness sits heavy in my chest, and you want to add your own sadness to mine so there's even more. I have too much sadness already, and now you're going to make me sadder by feeling sorry for you. Here's what love is: a smoke made out of lovers' sighs. When the smoke clears, love is a fire burning in your lover's eyes. If you frustrate love, you get an ocean made out of lovers' tears. What else is love? It's a wise form of madness. It's a sweet lozenge that you choke on" Elliot heard a very rude noise and he knew just where they were from. His eye twitched. Again. 'Seriously, those were in the script. Don't tell me I'm the only one who bothered to actually read it'

Without any warning he just suddenly walked off on his own. Leaving Oz, who was still dying of (un)concealed laughter, trying to catch up to him. "WAIT! I'll come with you! If you leave me like this then you are doing me wrong"

"I am not myself. I am not here. This… this isn't me, this isn't Romeo" and for one dramatic moment, his words held fitting emotions, whether he was conscious of this or not.

"Seriously, will you tell me who she is who stole you're heart?" Oz asked.

With a very convincing, solemn sigh (wow, Elliot can be quite the actor ) "You wouldn't tell a sick man he "seriously" has to make his will—it would just make him worse"

"But keeping it to yourself will only cause heavier burdens"

"She… she's beautiful. " Elliot began. "She remains ignorant to love. She's as clever as Diana, shielded by the armor of chastity. She doesn't listen to words of love, or let you look at her with loving eyes, or even let you approach her with confidence for she crushes it with just a single innocent smile. She's rich in beauty, but she's very naïve and is also poor, because when she dies her beauty will be destroyed with her" he recited, expression serious.

"So she's sworn to remain chaste forever?"

"Yes. She's too beautiful and too wise to deserve heaven's blessing by making me despair. She's sworn off love, and that promise has left me alive but dead, living only to talk about it now" Elliot sighed.

And at this moment, Ada Vessalius entered the stage along with a couple of maids, merely passing bye.

"That's her" Elliot sighed in fake dismay as he treaded out.

Oz saw this and realized that, yes, Ada WAS playing Rosaline. Grabbing Elliot's shoulders in a death grip, he turned and glared Elliot eye to eye. "Take my advice and don't even think about her" he said darkly.

Elliot sweatdropped. Feeling an even more deathly glare directed at him, he peeped backstage and, indeed, saw Oscar there glaring daggers at him. He could have sworn his eyes were glowing red. They couldn't be taking this seriously could they?

"H-H-Ho-ow?" he forced out.

A smile bloomed on Oz's face and, grabbing a rose from out of nowhere, he stated "Let your eyes wander freely. There are plenty of beauties within Verona. I'm sure you'd be able to find another"

Elliot was cautious on whether he should continue reciting his lines. He fears for his life. And so he decided to play it safe. "T-then show me someone w-who can rival hers"

And here a glint appeared in the blonde boy's eyes. "I will, dear cousin. Just leave it to me"