Shozo and Santana
Written by:
S. C. Wallace
S.C. Wallace
36 Trinity Avenue
Dartmouth, N.S.
B3A 4H7
One morning in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a brawl broke out in the streets between the Endos and the Campbells for virtually no reason as usual. It all started when two brothers from the Endo family insulting two brothers from the Campbell family in broken English. Those two brothers took exception to the insults and began to throw punches at them. Hosei Yamazaki saw the carnage and tried to separate the two families by himself.
"What are you doing? Stop fighting! Violence doesn't solve anything." Hosei pleaded. Gregory, a cousin of the Campbell family, jumped in front of him and pressed a clenched fist to the right side of his head.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" Gregory asked with an intimidating look on his face.
"No, I'm trying to maintain peace. Unclench your fist and help me maintain peace," Hosei pleaded with a more intense tone in his voice. Gregory was not soothed by those words.
"Peace?! I hate the word as I hate hell, all Endos, and you," Gregory lashed out. Other members of the two families joined the fray and it quickly grows out of control. As it gets worse, Sgt. Robin Atwell of the Halifax Regional Police arrives on the scene in her police car and everyone turned their attention to the police car.
"These fights won't continue anymore! From now on, there will no longer be violence between the Endos and the Campbells! If you choose not to heed these warnings, I'll see to it that all of you are arrested for disturbing the peace, assault, and obstruction of justice! Go your separate ways right now!" Sgt. Atwell ordered through speakers on the car before driving across the bridge to a disturbance in Halifax at a fast pace.
The Endos and Campbell heed Sgt. Atwell's order and went their separate ways, while still staring at each other. After they both went out of sight, Shozo and his friend Naoki Tanaka walk into a Tim Hortons close by, and sit at a table to have a conversation.
"Good morning Shozo," Naoki said happily.
"I'm not having a good day at all." Shozo slightly sulks.
"What's making you so depressed?" asked Naoki looking concerned for his friend.
"I'm in love with a woman, and I don't think she knows I even exist." Shozo squeaked softly.
"What is her name?" Naoki curiously asked him. Shozo looked around to make sure no one was listening to them.
"Chiaki," Shozo whispered.
"You should approach her at a party being held at the Holiday Inn Harborview tonight," he suggested.
"We're not invited though, friends and extended family of the Campbells only," Shozo explained why it is not possible to approach Chiaki.
"What we are going to do is disguise ourselves, and sneak into the hotel that way." Naoki pulls out an invitation to the party. Shozo is shocked at the sight of the invitation.
"Well, if I am able to meet Chiaki while I'm over there, I'll go." Shozo agreed.
"That's the spirit. Want to go get something while we're here?" Naoki changes the subject.
"Yeah, why not," They walked to the cashier, each ordered Iced Cappuccinos, and left Tim Hortons to continue on with their days.
At the Campbell house, everyone is getting ready for the party. While Kenneth was trying on different suits, Masatoshi Hamada steps in as he is adjusting his necktie.
"You wanted to see me?" Masatoshi politely asked Kenneth.
"Yes, I would like you to try and woo my daughter at the party."
"Sir, she's only 18 years old!" Masatoshi sounded a little confused and concerned.
"I know that. But she can make her own decisions, and I was wondering if you could convince her to choose you," Kenneth explained.
"Okay, I'll do my best," Masatoshi accepts with a sigh. Meanwhile in another room of the Campbell household, Darlene was trying on a dress while looking in a mirror to see if it fits right. She looked toward the door.
"Santana, could you come in here please?" Darlene asked politely. Just then, Santana quickly entered the room while she was in a bathrobe and her hair was damp.
"Mom, I'm here. What is your will?" Santana asked while she was drying off her hair with a towel. She puts it down when she's finished.
"There is something I would like you to do," Darlene spoke with a sense of importance in her voice.
"What's that?" Santana curiously asked.
"Will you at least dance with Masatoshi at the party tonight?" Darlene sounded a bit like a homeless person on the street. Santana thought about it for a moment.
"Okay, I'll dance with him. Just know that I don't want to get married right now," Santana reminded her mother.
"I understand your decision. You need to get dressed, don't you?" Santana looked at her bathrobe and went a little pink from embarrassment.
"I'm going to get dressed now," Santana rushed out of the room as she said these words. Evening was approaching; final preparations were being made for the party at the Holiday Inn. At 6:00 pm, everything was ready, and guests started to come in by 6:15 even though the party didn't commence until 7:00 pm. Shozo, Naoki, Hosei, and several members of the Endo family hide by a Scotiabank across the street from the main entrance of the Holiday Inn to discuss how to go into the party unnoticed by the security.
"So, everyone ready for the party?!" Hosei asked sounding excited. Shozo notices a capsule in Naoki's right hand.
"What's in your hand?" Shozo asked sounding a little suspicious.
"It's ecstasy. This drug will help melt your stresses away," Naoki explained mysteriously as he placed the pill onto his tongue and swallowed it. Moments later, Naoki's behaviour started to change dramatically.
"Naoki, are you feeling okay?" Shozo sounded concerned.
"Never been better. By the way, I saw this penis on the internet today and I thought WOW! That's just fine!" After thinking about it for a moment, Shozo grabbed Naoki toward him and slaps him in the face out of disgust.
"Quit making those gestures, they're gross and just wrong!" Shozo whispered angrily.
"I can't help it. Besides, I'm just having fun." Naoki blurred as he danced toward the main door, but Shozo pulled him to behind the Scotiabank after he, Hosei, and his brothers looked for their invitations, but come up empty.
"Where are our invitations, anyway?" Shozo sounded a little annoyed with Naoki at this point. He pulls several invitations out of weird places in his clothes and hands them to the Endo brothers, Hosei, himself, and finally handed one to Shozo.
"That's better," Shozo calmed down a little bit.
"Now you're getting into the mood, let's go!" Naoki yelled in the excitement as he and the rest of the group were heading to the main door of the Holiday Inn. Shozo reluctantly placed the pill onto his tongue and quickly followed them and went through security without any problems. As the party got underway, there was a lot of socializing, dancing, and eating food that was scrumptious. When Shozo saw the scene, he felt more relaxed. As he danced through the crowd, he sees an enchanting aquarium on the left side of the main ballroom.
While Shozo is looking at the fish swimming in the aquarium, he sees another human eye on the aquarium's other side. They both look at each other for a moment, and seem to have fun looking at the fish together. In an instant, Santana is whisked away by her mother as Shozo follows them. When Darlene and Santana reach Masatoshi, Shozo hides behind a pillar within the ballroom full of guests.
As Shozo hid behind the pillar, he thinks about Santana even though he hasn't met her yet.
"Who is the beautiful lady that I have just seen? I never seen true beauty until tonight, there must be a way for me to speak to her." Shozo muttered in his brain while staring at the ceiling. While he was 'swimming' in his infatuation for Santana, Gregory spots him from a distance as Kenneth talks to a guest while standing next to him.
"That is the vile Endo; I'm not responsible for his murder!" Gregory angrily muttered under his breath. He cautiously walks toward him when he gets intercepted by Kenneth who had to finish his conversation with a guest early.
"Gregory, why are you so angry?" Kenneth asked while in celebratory mood.
"He is an Endo, our enemy; he doesn't deserve to be here!" He whispered to avoid bothering the guests close by.
"That man had an invitation to attend this party, and he's not causing a disturbance among any of the guests," Kenneth tried to calm him down by explaining the situation. Gregory wasn't soothed by his words.
"It doesn't matter; he does not deserve to be at this party!" Gregory protested with haste in his tone.
"But he does deserve it, this family is well-respected around the world, and you will not tarnish that respect, understand?" Kenneth whispered sternly. Gregory did not say word afterwards, and enjoyed the evening with the other party guests. Santana felt the need to quench her thirst.
"I'm going to pour myself a glass of punch," Santana muttered to Masatoshi who briefly stopped dancing to talk to her.
"All right, I'll be right here when you return," Masatoshi whispered into her ear as she left for the refreshments table. Shozo got up from the pillar and followed her toward the same refreshments table. At the table, Shozo tried to make small talk while Santana was pouring some punch into a glass.
"So, a beautiful night, isn't it?" Shozo asked politely to Santana as her glass was half-filled of punch already.
"It's nice, no complaints," Santana sounded calm. Shozo takes one look at her dress, and was stunned.
"You look fantastic tonight," He was trying to catch his breath after looking at her dress.
"Thanks, it's in my favourite colour too, which is a bonus," Santana felt pleased. Shozo tries to introduce himself to her, but struggles to find the courage to do so.
"I haven't seen you around here before, what's your name?" Santana asked curiously. Shozo went slightly pink and began to breathe harder and faster as he heard those words. Shozo quickly stretched his hand toward her.
"I… uh, I'm Shozo," Shozo stuttered while beads of sweat trickled down his face.
"I'm Santana, nice to meet you," She shook his hand as if they're already friends. He felt a bit shaky afterwards; he was thinking of something else to say as her glass was now completely filled with punch.
"Well, it was nice talking to you," Santana patted his right shoulder before walking back to Masatoshi with her glass of punch. Shozo felt shocked as Naoki ran toward him.
"Shozo, we're going to leave now, it's getting late," Naoki pointed sounding more sober.
"Who was the lady over there with that voluptuous body?" Shozo points to Santana dancing with Masatoshi across the room.
"That's Santana, a Campbell, the only daughter of your most loathed enemy," Naoki warned.
"A new love sprung from old hate, not a lot is known, yet known too late. I'm supposed to hate the enemy, but I love the enemy's daughter," Shozo said to himself loudly. Shozo and Naoki leave the party after the other members of the Endo family already left. On his way home, Shozo sneaks away from the rest of the group when they're not looking and jumps over a fence into Santana's yard. Naoki and Hosei notice that Shozo is missing, which makes them worry.
"Where is Shozo? I don't see him anywhere!" Hosei whispered to Naoki sounding worried.
"Don't worry about it. I'm tired, and he'll show up at Birch Cove tomorrow," Naoki sounds tired and reassuring as they walk past the Campbell mansion to their separate houses for the night. Shozo emerged from a nearby bush and walks toward the balcony.
"I've never seen a woman as beautiful as this one, I must hear her voice again," Shozo spoke to the balcony as Santana walks onto the balcony and stretches.
"She appears, and her beauty shines through the darkness of night," Shozo muttered with his heart racing and trying to catch his breath while looking at her. Santana noticed Shozo standing next to the ladder and was surprised by seeing him there.
"Shozo, what are you doing here?!" Santana asked sounding surprised.
"I wanted to see you again," Shozo whispered as he climbed up the ladder to Santana's bedroom balcony so they would have a normal conversation. They kept their voices at low volumes so nobody would notice Shozo trespassing.
"I just can't stand being away from you for another moment," Shozo whispered with a sense of seduction in Santana's right ear. She felt a little aroused, but she knew that she had to go to bed.
"Listen, I can't have this conversation tonight because I'm tired. Why don't we go to the Sportsplex and have this conversation tomorrow," Santana explained.
"Okay, bye-bye!" Shozo blows Santana a kiss as he climbs down the ladder and sneaks out of the backyard to avoid detection by the police and Santana's parents. The next morning, Santana woke up from her bed feeling more refreshed than usual. After eating breakfast with her parents, she walked from her house to the Sportsplex with her swimsuit, and towel in her bag with a long strap over her shoulder. Once Santana changed into her swimsuit and headed toward the leisure pool with her towel placed on the bench, she was surprised to see Shozo already in the left end of the pool.
"Surprise!" Shozo sounded mysterious and friendly as Santana looked astonished and a little shocked.
"Wow! You're here early!" Santana responded with a surprised and turned on tone to his voice. Shozo checked out Santana as she slowly and gracefully walked toward Shozo in the leisure pool and stood next to him.
"So, about that 'conversation' we're going to have," Santana said as she undid her ponytail to Shozo's moans of arousal and excitement. Shozo began stuttering a bit just to find the right words to say when he found them seconds later.
"When I first saw you at the party last night, you were as beautiful as an angel from heaven," Shozo complimented while trying to catch his breath at the sight of Santana's flowing hair.
"That's so sweet coming from you," Santana felt touched by those words.
"I think you are a smart, kind, funny, and beautiful person even though your dad hates my dad," she added. Shozo felt touched and saddened at the same time.
"Why can't they get along like we are?" Santana exclaimed in anger.
"There is something that I want to ask you, it's kind of hard for me to say," Shozo struggled to spit it out. Santana was curious of what he was going to ask her.
"What is it?" Santana asked while sounding concerned.
"Is it possible if you could go out on a date with me?" Shozo blurted out much to Santana's surprise.
"Are you serious?" Santana asked with sudden haste. He quickly nods yes.
"Okay, we just need to make sure our parents don't find out about it." Santana accepted the offer and warned him at the same time. Shozo looked worried after hearing those words.
"If they find out about this relationship, they'll disown us," Shozo cries out while sounding scared. Santana and Shozo both tried to think of ways to have an amazing date without making their parents worry. Santana comes up with an idea.
"How about a picnic in a park?" Santana muttered in excitement, relief, and amazement. Shozo thought the idea was a good one.
"That is a … great idea!" Shozo struggled to spit it out in Santana's presence. It was time to leave the pool as Santana and Shozo said their good-byes. They took one more look at each other before entering the Men's and Ladies' dressing room doors which stood next to each other. At the beach on Birch Cove, Naoki and Hosei are sun-bathing while still worrying about Shozo's whereabouts.
"Do you know what time Shozo will show up?" Hosei asked Naoki while they were under a shady tree. Naoki is lying on his back while Hosei was on his stomach. Naoki checks his cell phone and sees a text message from Shozo.
"He says that he will here in three minutes," Naoki explained as if it was no big deal.
"Unless there was some sort of traffic trouble along the way," Hosei pointed out while trying to get sand out of his swim trunks.
"That's possible," Naoki added as he was removing sand from his swim trunks as well. Just then, Shozo is seen walking toward the beach much to Hosei and Naoki's relief. They noticed a smile on Shozo's face and a spring in his step.
"Sorry I made you too worried about me," Shozo sounded apologetic while still maintaining the infatuated tone to his voice.
"How was your swim at the Sportsplex?" Naoki asked with some curiosity in his tone of voice.
"It was refreshing, and I met a girl over there!" Shozo explained.
"You did? Who did you meet?" Hosei asked while sounding curious.
"I met Santana Campbell at the Dartmouth Sportsplex!" Shozo yelled in pure excitement. After that, silence fell over the three men.
"Are you damn serious? She's an enemy! Why did you meet her?!" Hosei exploded suddenly.
"What's wrong? We were just swimming and nothing went wrong!" Shozo explained in a defensive manner. Hosei calmed down after those words were said. Just then, Santana's friend Hitoshi Matsumoto arrived just as Hosei and Naoki were leaving Birch Cove beach.
"So, you met Santana at the Sportsplex. How was she?" Hitoshi asked.
"She's smart, funny, and we're having our first date this evening at the park!" Shozo confided into Hitoshi while being in love with her.
"That's nice; do you want me to let her know you're ready for this?" Hitoshi reminded while they're both heading to their cars.
"That'd be okay, thank you so much," Shozo felt relieved as he went to his car and turned the key around his ignition. Shozo drives toward the park while Hitoshi drove toward Santana's house. Three minutes later, Santana walks out of her shower and puts on her bathrobe while Hitoshi rings the doorbell, much to her surprise. She rushed to the door, fearing it might be a murderer. When she sees Hitoshi in the doorway, her fears are no more.
"Hitoshi, you do realize that I just got out of the shower," Santana looked disapprovingly at Hitoshi who looked at her bathrobe with a sense of surprise on his face.
"Sorry about that. Shozo told me to remind you that he is ready for your date tonight at the park," Hitoshi said as if it was an announcement.
"Tonight?! Well, at least I made the picnic before I took this shower." Santana sounded panicky at first, and then reassured herself. Hitoshi picks up a bag with one hand and a checkered sheet in the other hand.
"Perfect, do you want a ride to the park?" Hitoshi offered. Santana runs toward her bedroom door.
"I need to get changed first!" Santana screams as she slams the door and quickly puts some clothes on. She rushes back to Hitoshi with a black tank top and purple capri pants.
"Yes, I guess you arrived at the wrong time when you saw me in the bathrobe," Santana laughed while walking into Hitoshi's car, much to Hitoshi's surprise. Santana closes her passenger door as Hitoshi walks into the driver's seat and shut the door.
Five minutes later, Santana arrived in the park with the picnic, and Shozo was sitting on top of a large piece of cloth.
"You made it," Shozo spoke in an excited tone as Santana got out of Hitoshi's car and he left. She placed the basket on the cloth as she sat down next to Shozo.
"This is nice," Santana remarked while she opened the basket and took out some different foods and refreshments and putting them in front of herself and Shozo. He looked pleased and surprised at the items that were in front of him. The aromas were like heaven. Shozo took a sandwich that was closest to him and took a bite with a sense of curiosity.
"This is delicious! What's in this?!" Shozo yelled in satisfaction.
"Well, there is some ham, some cheese, and my hair," Santana spoke in the midst of all the compliments she was receiving from Shozo.
"What?" Shozo asked while sounding surprised.
"My hair usually smells like bacon after I come out of the shower. I just cut off the dead ends and put it onto sandwiches sometimes. What do you think?" Santana felt slightly afraid of his answer.
"It tastes good, and you sure are creative," Shozo answered with a smile and a small sense of confusion.
"Thank you for the compliment," Santana responded in the same way. The rest of the date went more smoothly than they had expected, and before they knew it, the date was all over. Santana packed up her picnic basket as Shozo gets up and wipes grass off the back of his pants.
"I guess this is goodbye," Santana felt a little bit awkward as she began walking home. She turned toward Shozo as he gives her a hug.
"For now," Shozo walks toward his home as Santana is already out of sight. On his way home, he walks into Father Luke Richards' office at St. Parish. Father Luke was working on talking liquids from certain plants and creating death-like potions. Shozo felt relieved to see him.
"Good evening how was your day so far?" Father Richards asked in his normally calm and mild-mannered nature.
"Better than usual, father." Shozo explained while looking up to the ceiling in a state of love.
"Is Chiaki on your mind again?" Father Richards asked.
"Chiaki? I've moved on to another woman," Shozo spoke with a greater sense of confidence inside of him.
"Really? What is her name?" Father Richards was curious about what was the name of Shozo's new woman. Shozo thought about it, and gathered up the courage to say it.
"Her name is Santana Campbell!" Shozo spoke in a loud whisper. Father Richards looked shocked and excited.
"Do you know what this means?!" This union could be the thing that eliminates a centuries-old feud between these families," Father Richards spoke in a louder whisper than Shozo.
"When do you want to marry her?!" Father Richards assumed as he placed a small vial in his desk as he prepared to leave for the evening. Shozo pulled his left shoulder toward him and felt worried.
"We don't want to get married right now! Do you know what happened to Romeo and Juliet? They wound up dead by the end of the play, and we do not want to suffer that same fate!" Shozo explained with some concern in his tone of voice. Father Richards suddenly sees the Romeo and Juliet situation in his mind and realized what Shozo had said to him was true.
"I see what you're saying, you and Santana don't want to go through what Romeo and Juliet went through in the late 16th century, do you?" Father Richards asked while sounding more understanding with Shozo's situation. Shozo shook his head no.
"I'll head home now, goodbye," Shozo waved goodbye as he walked out of Father Richards' office. Minutes later, Father Richards left his office and returned to his house which was on a hill close to the church. At around late sunset time, both Shozo and Santana returned to their homes before their parents began to worry about them. During the next late-morning hours, Hosei and Naoki were walking around the streets of Dartmouth feeling exhausted from the summer sun.
"Naoki, let's go to the beach. The sun is hot, and the breeze makes me feel in the mood to swim," Hosei yawns a little as he stretches his arms, almost hitting Naoki in the face.
"You could watch where you stretch your arms, can you?" Naoki sounded irritated. Hosei felt like the anger was unnecessary. Naoki realized it and apologized to Hosei and they quickly made up. Just then, Gregory and some members of the Campbell family were about to cross their path.
"Here come the Campbells!" Hosei points out and loudly speaks to Naoki as they approached closer and closer. Gregory stands close to Naoki.
"What are you doing here?" Naoki warned him.
"Don't worry about it. Me and my boys are just enjoying the sun. Going to your boyfriend's house for sexual favors?" Gregory jokes as Naoki becomes agitated by the assumption that he was gay.
"You think that I'm gay?! That's crazy! He's my friend, not in that category!" Naoki yells as he pulls out a gun.
"Take that remark back, or you'll DIE!" Naoki threatens Gregory, but he isn't fazed by it.
"Here comes your friend," Gregory snarls as Shozo approaches the group.
"Hi, Greg. Lovely weather, isn't it?" Shozo asked Greg about the weather, completely off topic.
"You know what would make it even better? A fight." Gregory goads Shozo by trying to slap him across the face. However, Shozo catches his hand and places it to his side.
"I don't want to fight you. All of the conflicts our families have had, do you want to resolve them with me?" Shozo tries to calm Gregory down, but to no avail. Gregory exploded and tries to make Shozo fight him by shoving him a little bit, but Shozo pushes him to the ground in a way of saying no.
"Dumb submission, I'll fight you myself!" Naoki yells as he pulls Gregory off the ground and begins to fight him. Shozo tries to break them up, only for him to be pulled back by Hosei. Just as Naoki is set to kill Gregory, Shozo pushes him aside and trying to keep them apart. Gregory finds a shard of glass and stabs Naoki in the stomach.
"I've been stabbed. Shozo, why did you come between us?" Naoki whispered as he gasped for air. Hosei picked up Naoki and carried him toward a tree near Dartmouth High School.
"I thought it was best!" Shozo yelled to Naoki just as he dies from the wound. Hosei runs toward him with a sense of sadness on his face.
"Shozo! Naoki is dead! He is with the angels now," Hosei reminds Shozo which shocks him. The members of the Campbell family make crying noises and pretend to wipe away tears. Just then, Shozo explodes and beats down Gregory, which makes the other Campbell boys run away. Shozo finds a large, sharp knife next to him and stabs Gregory in the heart, killing him instantly. Hosei grabs the knife and throws it into the trees.
"Shozo! Let's get out of here! Gregory is killed and the police are coming this way!" Hosei screams as he orders him to run toward St. Peter's Church.
"I am fortune's fool!" Shozo yells to the heavens as he runs toward St. Peter's Church as he was told. Minutes later, Sgt. Robin Atwell and some paramedics arrive on the scene, along with Mr. Endo and Campbell, their wives and others.
"Where are the vile beginners of this fray?" Sgt. Atwell asked after she got out of her police car. She walks toward Hosei who was sitting down on the sidewalk crying about what had just happened.
"There was a fight around here, and I saw Gregory kill Naoki," Hosei struggled to explain what happened because he was so shocked. Darlene ran toward Sgt. Atwell after paramedics took Gregory into an ambulance and drove toward the morgue in Halifax.
"I know that Shozo did this, he deserves to be punished!" She begs Sgt. Atwell, but she isn't fazed by the plea.
"There is also information that Gregory killed Naoki before he too was killed. For that offence, he will not be allowed to return to Dartmouth. He'll be forced to go to Halifax," Sgt. Atwell pointed out before going back to her car and driving away. The Campbells and Endos drive away too; In St. Peter's Church, Father Richards and Hitoshi Matsumoto comfort Shozo in this difficult time.
"I can't believe that I did that," Shozo felt ashamed for what he has done. Hitoshi gave him a tissue to blow his nose, while Father Richards was giving him absolution from his sin.
"You didn't mean to do it; you wanted to avenge your friend's death," Father Richards muttered while Shozo sobbed over not only the guilt of the murder, but also the fact of being exiled to Halifax.
"That's it. I'd rather be dead than be exiled!" Shozo yelled as he pulled a knife out of his pocket and tried to stab himself in the chest. However, Hitoshi grabs his wrist and takes the knife out of his hand.
"You know there's an alternative to this extreme," Hitoshi reminded Shozo as he sobbed over the failed suicide attempt.
"What's that?" Shozo cried.
"You can go to Santana's house and make peace with her before you leave in the morning," Hitoshi pointed out as Shozo wiped away his tears.
"Okay, I'll go," Shozo said while he gets up from his chair and prepared to leave; Hitoshi left with him too. They go to Hitoshi's car and drove toward Santana's house. When they arrived, she was praying for Shozo's safety. After the praying was over, she felt relieved to see Shozo and Hitoshi climbing up the ladder into her bedroom. Hitoshi hides in the hallway in front of her bedroom door.
"Shozo, I thought you got killed!" Santana cried after kissing his left cheek. Shozo felt worried and ashamed.
"There is something that I should tell you. If I don't before I leave in the morning, I'll never forgive myself." Shozo muttered as if he was guilty of something.
"What is it? Did something bad happen?" Santana felt concerned about what happened.
"I killed your cousin. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Shozo confessed in a state of overwhelming guilt for the murder. Santana burst out sobbing over the news of her cousin's death. Shozo knew she was upset, so he sang a song to her which originated in his native Japan.
"I love you ima dake wa kanashii uta kikitakunai yo. I love you nogare nogare tadoritsuita kono heya. Nani mo kamo yurusareta koi jyanai kara futari wa marude sute nekomitai. Kono heya wa ochiba ni umoreta akibako mitai. Dakara omae wa koneko no youna nakigoe de.
(*) Kishimu beddo no ue de yasashisa wo mochiyori Kitsuku karada dakishime aeba, Sore kara mata futari wa me wo tojiru yo, Kanashii uta ni ai ya shirakete shimawanu youni.
I love you wakasugiru futari no ai ni wa furerarenu himitsu ga aru. I love you ima no kurashi no naka de wa tadoritsukenai. Hitotsu ni kasanari ikiteyuku koi wo yume mite kizutsuku dake no futari de yo. Nando mo aishiterutte kiku omae wa kono ai noshi de wa ikite sae yukenai to. Repeat (*)," after he finished singing, she felt touched.
"That was the most beautiful thing I ever heard," Santana kissed Shozo on the nose before Hitoshi ran into Santana's bedroom again.
"Santana! Your mother is coming!" Hitoshi warned with a sense of urgency. Shozo and Hitoshi ran toward the ladder, while Santana stayed on the balcony.
"Shozo, will I ever see you again?" Santana asked as he and Hitoshi were close to the grass.
"Maybe, maybe not, who knows? Good-bye," Shozo blew Santana a kiss before Shozo went into Hitoshi's car, and Hitoshi drove Shozo to Halifax. Just then, Darlene walked into Santana's bedroom while wearing a nightgown.
"Santana, what are you doing?" Darlene asked, much to Santana's surprise.
"Looking out toward Halifax Harbour," Santana spoke in a calm voice as if her conversation with Shozo never happened.
"There is something your father and I want to talk to you about, but we'll tell you during breakfast tomorrow, good night," Darlene whispered before leaving Santana's bedroom. Santana then walks toward her bed and falls asleep. The next morning, Santana was curious about what her mother and father were going to talk to her about while the three were eating breakfast in the dining room.
"Mom, what is it that you and dad want to talk to me about?" Santana asked without even thinking about it.
"Your father and I think that it is best for you to marry Masatoshi at St. Peter's Church on Thursday morning," Darlene beamed, but Santana was stunned and angry at the news.
"Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?!" Santana asked with some disdain in her voice.
"I'm afraid so," Kenneth added. Santana experienced an outburst of rage.
"Are you that old-fashioned, Dad?! We are not living in the 19th century where arranged marriages run rampant like you think we do! We live in the 21st century where girls and young women like me have more equality and opportunities than any previous generation, even mom's generation for crying out loud!" After the impassioned speech, Darlene and Kenneth were taken aback by what they said about her marrying Masatoshi.
"We're sorry, we just thought of what was best for you," Darlene is trying to hold back tears.
"Marrying Masatoshi right after my cousin's death is not the answer to all of my problems!" Santana points out before leaving the table and going to St. Peter's Church. At the church, Father Richards studies his Holy Bible when Santana knocked on the door quickly and hard. Father Richards puts his bible down at the page where he was interrupted, and opened his office door.
"What seems to be the problem?" Father Richards looked surprised when Santana was at the door seething with anger from her argument with her parents.
"Shut the door, if you can't give me any help, you give me no choice but to kill myself with this bloody knife!" Santana pulled a knife and tried to plunge it into her heart, but Father Richards lightly pulled the knife out of her hands and placed in onto his table.
"Hold on! I do see a kind of hope where a desperate execution can be prevented. If rather than to marry Masatoshi, you have the strength of will to kill yourself. There is a safe alternative, which will give you a remedy." Santana felt calm afterwards.
"What is the remedy you are suggesting?" Santana asked as if she was addicted to drugs.
"What I am suggesting might seem unorthodox." Father Richards warned.
"You can tell me," Santana wanted the truth, and Father Richards knew it.
"I want you to go home, apologize to your parents, and consent to the wedding. When you go to bed tonight, make sure you are alone. Take this vial, and drink it, once it's swallowed, your body will be deprived of necessary nutrients which will remain so for 24 hours. When the bridegroom comes to rouse you from your bed, there you are dead. In the event of your funeral, you will be buried in the vault where all the ancient Campbells lie. In the meantime, Shozo will be notified of the plan by his younger brother. He will be there when you will awake, and the two of you will flee to Halifax." After he said these things, Santana took the vial and ran out of the church toward her house after saying thank you.
When she arrived at her house, Kenneth was writing down some cheques in order to pay some bills. Santana slowly walked into the room, and didn't exactly feel happy to see her.
"Where have you been complaining, my headstrong?" Kenneth mocked before returning to his cheques. Santana didn't look at her father, she just spoke out loud.
"I am sorry for the way that I acted at breakfast, and I give my consent to the wedding to Masatoshi on Thursday morning," Santana said with confidence, shame, and happiness all mixed in.
"This is wonderful, you'll be very happy with him, not those Endos." Kenneth hugged his daughter tightly before returning to his cheques. Santana left the room without saying a word, to leave Kenneth in the dark about her having a relationship with Shozo. She went to her bedroom, hiding the vial from everyone. When she put on her nightgown, and knew that she by herself, she poured the liquid down her throat; she died while on top of the covers.
The next day, Masatoshi arrived at the Campbell's house, dressed in his best tuxedo. Santana's parents Darlene and Kenneth were in their best clothes as well.
"I am here to wake up my bride." Masatoshi said with a smile.
"Her bedroom to the left upstairs." Darlene exclaimed in excitement. Masatoshi ran up the stairs and slowly walked past two doors on his left, and slowly opened the door; not knowing that Santana was dead.
"Wake up, sleepy head." Masatoshi whispered as he tiptoed toward Santana's bed before seeing her lifeless body with an empty vial in her hand. He ran out of the room screaming and crying toward Santana's parents.
"Is there something wrong? Darlene asked with some concern.
"She's dead!" Masatoshi screamed while crying at the same time. Kenneth and Darlene were stunned and saddened by the tragic news. They had a significant change of heart about what they intended to celebrate.
"A vibrant wedding will be changed to a sad, black funeral. Let's change the arrangements immediately." Kenneth and Darlene run toward their master bedroom to change their clothes. Santana's funeral was a very solemn one at best; everyone in the HRM surrounded St. Peter's Church to support the Campbell family during this most tragic time. After the ceremony concluded, Father Richards was close to the entrance of the Church when Jyunji, Shozo's younger brother arrived at the main entrance.
"Are you here for the info of the plan?" Father Richards whispered into Jyunji's ear sounding like a top-secret spy.
"Yes, I am." Jyunji whispered in the same way before Father Richards gave him an envelope with a piece of paper that has instructions on it.
"Make sure you give this to him at this address," Father Richards kept the conversation secret so no suspicion would arise in the minds of the mourners. Jyunji left swiftly to a house that Shozo already owned before the family feuds began. Shozo was thinking about all of the events that led to this moment. He felt surprised and a little scared when he heard the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, he was relieved to see his younger brother on the other side.
"Jyunji! Do you have any news from Dartmouth for me?" Shozo asked out of the excitement of seeing him.
"Father Richards sent this to you through me," Jyunji handed the envelope to Shozo. He opened it with some caution because he didn't know what could be inside. When the envelope was open, he pulled out the piece of paper, and read the message.
"When should I go to St. Peter's Church?" Shozo asked his brother.
"I think all of the mourners left, so now would be the perfect time to do so," Jyunji said in a slightly happier tone. After Jyunji told Shozo of this, they both got into Jyunji's car and drove up to St. Peter's Church. All of the mourners have left, just like he said; so they sneak into the church to avoid detection by police. What they didn't realize was that Masatoshi was mourning Santana's death privately. Jyunji hid behind a door so he wouldn't be seen; while Shozo sneaked into the main part of the church.
"My dear wife, why did you have to leave me so soon?" Masatoshi whispered to Santana while crying. He suddenly feels an unwelcome aroma; so he turns around, and finds Shozo in the center aisle. Masatoshi is angry to see him there, but Shozo doesn't want to have any conflicts; especially in a church.
"Why are you here?!" You're supposed to be at your house!" Masatoshi screamed at Shozo while maintaining a low volume so no one close by could hear him.
"Masatoshi, I just came to mourn Santana's loss. I'm not looking for any trouble." Shozo tried to explain to Masatoshi, but Masatoshi wouldn't have it.
"You've got trouble if you don't beat it!" Masatoshi whispered to Shozo in seething rage. Shozo still tried to calm him down.
"Why should we fight here? It's going to disrespect the deceased." Shozo explained to Masatoshi while still whispering.
"It doesn't matter. I'm putting you under citizen's arrest for breaking the law," Masatoshi grabs Shozo's shoulder and tries to drag him out of the church, but Shozo breaks loose. Shozo gets annoyed at Masatoshi for not wanting to respect the deceased who was in front of them.
"Is that how it's going to be? Then let's settle this!" Shozo jumped onto Masatoshi and began punching him in the face. Masatoshi also landed some punches of his own on Shozo. The fight continued for about two minutes; when it looked like Masatoshi would get the upper hand, Shozo grabbed a knife from Masatoshi's hand and jammed it into Masatoshi's heart. He clutched his chest in great pain.
"I have been stabbed," Masatoshi gasped before collapsing and dying right in front of him. Shozo didn't know what else to do, so he laid his body next to Santana on the altar. He realized he had to do one last thing in the letter from Father Richards, and that was to kiss Santana. So he kneeled close to Santana and whispered into her ear.
"You are the only one for me; I could never live without you." Shozo leaned in and kissed Santana on the lips gently.
"I love you Santana," Shozo said in a normal volume. Just then, she slowly begins to regain consciousness.
"And I love you too," Santana groggily mumbles as she opens her eyes, and sits up from the altar. Shozo helps Santana get off of the altar.
"I knew that you would return for me," Santana spoke in a heartwarming tone. Just before they share a hug, they hear screaming and gunshots from outside.
"Do you hear something?" Santana asked out of curiosity. Shozo seemed a little puzzled and curious as well.
"It's coming from outside!" Shozo was worried and Santana was as well. They both ran outside of St. Peter's Church, and what they saw was pure carnage between their families. Shozo would not stand for it, so he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"STOP IT!" Everyone stopped fighting immediately to listen to both him and Santana.
"Can't you see what this fighting is doing to the younger kids? The whole cycle of abuse and violence can end with you guys. Shozo and I love each other, and nothing is going to change our relationship," after she said this, members from both families shook hands and began to mend a broken bond between them.
Much to everyone's surprise, Shozo went down on one knee, took out a small box from his pants pocket, and reveals a diamond ring.
"Santana, I don't know how to ask you this but; will you marry me?" She was more surprised than everyone else. It took some time to think about her answer.
"Yes," everybody cheered as Shozo took the diamond ring out of the box and placed it on her ring finger. After Masatoshi's body was taken to the mortuary, Santana and Shozo's wedding took place one week later. The service was similar to Romeo and Juliet's except that their families supported them. After the processional, they said their marriage vows.
"I, Shozo, take you, Santana, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." Santana then said the same vows.
"I, Santana, take you, Shozo, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." Once those vows were said, they exchanged rings.
"I pronounce you husband and wife, that God joined together, let no one put asunder. Shozo, you may now kiss your bride," Shozo and Santana kissed, much to the guest's delight. They both triumphantly walk down the aisle toward the entrance/exit of the church. Once they were outside, citizens threw confetti and blowing bubbles at the young couple wishing them a good marriage. Shozo and Santana walked into the car, and it drove to the reception hall at the Dartmouth Sportsplex.
The reception was beautiful and goofy at the same time. Santana and Shozo danced to 'The Rose' by Westlife, and everyone danced like there's no tomorrow. Santana threw her bouquet into the crowd of eligible bachelorettes, and Shozo took Santana's garter off her leg using his mouth. He threw the garter into the crowd of eligible bachelors, and Hosei Yamazaki caught with his mouth. After all the dances were finished, Shozo and Santana left the Dartmouth Sportsplex, got into their 'Just Married' limousine, and drove toward Halifax Stanfield International Airport.