8/1 1966 (Yes, this date's correct)
Weather: Cloudy
Time: Evening
Paul reached into the back of his mind and tried to remember the whole event. It had happened 46 years ago in Tokyo, Japan. Paul and the others had just finished performing at the Budokan Hall, and have now spent the last 30 minutes trying to shake off some crazed Japanese fans.
Paul once again ducked into the smelly alleyway, narrowly evading a rabid group of fan girls. Next to him was fellow Beatle and rhythm guitarist John Lennon. They were the best of friends, and also extremely tired. They had switched limos about a dozen times, changed into wacky disguises, and even put on fake mustaches, and now the Asian fan girls were barely leaving them alone.
John exhaled with relief, "That was a close one!" He walked deeper into the alley, following their manager's plan to rendezvous back at the hotel.
Paul followed the taller man, trying to keep up with his slightly longer strides, "But man, did you see those women? The Filipinos were stir crazy, but most of these Asians look…nice!"
John replied with a chuckle," I hear you, buddy. What about that one lass with the long black hair? I think her name was Moko, Loko-"
"Yoko?" Paul corrected.
"Oh, yeah, yeah," said John wearily, "Now that's a woman right there! Who knows? I might see her tomorrow!"
Paul scoffed, "Yeah, then you two will get married, she'll break up the band, and you'll become some peace-preaching hippie!"
The two laughed at the idea. How absurd that would be!
They continued down the dark, emptied streets. Not an Asian was in sight. Figured. About half the country bought tickets to their bloody show. As John and Paul exited another smelly alley, Paul heard a voice from down the street, "What do you seek?"
Huh? Paul checked his surroundings. The only people around were him and…where'd John go?
The British 24-year old looked left and right, down the dark foreboding streets of the foreign country. It all looked so…CREEPY. If those J-horror films he watched on the flight over here were true, some little girl would be crawling after him right now! She'd have this long black hair, a white robe, a-and piercing red eyes!
Frightened, Paul ran down the alley, his heart pounding in his chest. When he reached the other end, he looked around for his friend. No one. "John, where the bloody hell are you?" he called out.
No reply. The only sound that followed was the echo of his own afraid voice.
This was just frightening. He was all alone in the dark streets of Tokyo. The only light he could see from was the flickering streetlight right above him and the distant streetlights about 20 feet away on either end of the deserted street.
The heart beat in his chest grew faster. He began to breath irregularly. In the corner of his eye, he saw a dark shape move. What was that? As he turned around to look at the shape, he heard the wind howl all around him. What the hell was going on here?
Wait. He couldn't see, hear, or smell anything, but he could sense it. Someone…somewhere…something was watching him.
The heart in his chest couldn't take it any longer. It would pop from such rapid beating, and he was practically hyperventilating.
He slowly backed into the alley behind him, ready to welcome the sweet release of death with open arms. It was then he felt cold fingers touch the back of his neck.
PRESENT DAY
5/13 2011
Weather: Rainy
Time: Evening
Old Paul paused his story. The teenagers around him were all on the edges of their seats, wanting to know what happened next.
"So, what happened after that?" asked Kanji, "Like, did you die?"
"Yes, Kanji, of course he died," answered Rise sarcastically.
Paul let out a deep sigh, "I did die a little on that day. However, a new part of me was also born."
FLASHBACK
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Paul screamed at the icy touch behind him. He leaped into the air, the back hairs on his neck raised. He turned around and stared into the blank eyes of the Grim Reaper behind him.
After a long scream, he then realized he wasn't looking into the blank eyes of a reaper, but instead into the crimson eyes of a beautiful Japanese woman. Again, her eyes were red, her hair long and black, and she wore a…long…white…robe.
…
Uh oh.
"Who're you?" he asked cautiously.
The woman didn't speak, but instead looked downward.
It was then he realized the woman was not standing, but sat down at a table near the alley he was backing into. The table was covered in pure white cloth, and on it was a crystal ball.
The woman continued to stare into the ball. Was she some kind of swami? Whatever she was, he wasn't forking up any money. All he had on his person was a MasterCard and a couple of Mentos.
Suddenly, the woman spoke, "Would you like to know what the ball says, Mr. McCartney?"
Paul was shocked. Even though she looked Japanese, she spoke English in such a natural and eloquent way. He just stood there, not answering the woman. She then looked up from the ball into his eyes. He felt a burning sensation in the back of his skull as she stared into his soul.
Turning away from the woman's piercing stare, Paul replied, "Sure, whatever."
He looked into the crystal ball as the woman moved her pale fingers over the glossy surface. Clouds appeared inside.
"I predict," the woman began, "great success for you in the near future."
The clouds in the ball then began to shine with a yellow light. The light emitting from the ball nearly blinded Paul.
The woman continued, "Also, I see…conflict within. Guilt. A want- no, a need for redemption."
As the woman uttered the last word, she looked into Paul's eyes once more. Was she referring to him?
The clouds in the ball grew dark, and a blackness swirled from within. Soon, the whole ball, once clear and pristine, was now a dull black.
Paul felt his heart sink. Was this supposed to be his future? A time of success, then turmoil? And what was this redemption about? He'd done nothing wrong.
"What does this all mean?" he asked the woman.
As he asked this, a faint smile grew on the woman's face. She lifted her fingers from the ball, and the darkness inside faded back to a pristine white.
"Do not worry," she said in a lighter tone than before, "These events are mere predictions. Speculation, if you will. However, I warn you. Watch where you tread."
"Y-yes," answered Paul instantly, "I will."
"Very well," the woman stood up. Standing, the top of her head barely reached Paul's chin. She outstretched her hand to Paul, "May I shake your hand? I love your music."
Paul was shocked. A few moments ago, the girl seemed so cold and distant. Now, she had a big grin on her face, smiling like a starstruck teenage girl. Maybe her vague telling of the future wasn't as serious as he thought.
Relieved, he accepted the girl's hand and shook it. Strange, her fingers were freezing. It was the summertime, so this seemed out of the blue. He decided to ignore it and walked back down the street to look for John.
Just as he left the table, he saw John run over to him from the sidewalk in front of him.
"Where've you been, man?" he asked, breathing heavily, "I thought the Japs got you for sure!"
Paul looked behind him. The table was still there, but the girl was gone. It seemed she'd gone somewhere.
He then turned back to John, "You could say that, I guess."
Suddenly, Paul felt a sharp pain in his stomach," Ugh!" He doubled over in pain.
"Paul!" John bent down and lifted his friend off the floor, "We've gotta get you home, man."
Paul felt John lift him onto his back and carry him down the street. He blinked slowly. The day was so tiring, so frightening. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into sleep on John's back. The pitch black darkness in his closed eyes reminded him of the appearance of the crystal ball from the mysterious girl. What had those strange foretelling mean? Before he could think further, however, he fell into a deep sleep.
PRESENT DAY
Paul paused his story once again, "And that's basically how everything began, I guess."
"Whoa," said Yosuke, "That was actually pretty creepy. Wait, how what began?"
Yosuke finally noticed that Paul was standing at the window, looking outside.
Paul said to the others, "It's getting late and it's pouring out there. You should all get home."
Yosuke followed Paul as the old man proceeded to the steps, "But we still need to know the rest!"
"Come back tomorrow," replied Paul, grabbing his stained smock from a coat hook, "I have hungry customers to attend to."
"B-but-" Yosuke was then interrupted by Chie.
"He's got a point, Yosuke," said Chie, then suddenly remembered a VERY important detail, "Oh, crap, Nanako's all home alone!"
Teddie stood up from his chair dramatically, letting it clatter to the floor behind him, "What! See, this kind of tragedy wouldn't happen if Rise-chan just let me stay with Nana-chan in the first place!"
"Why is it my fault?" asked Rise irritably, glaring at the blonde Shadow.
"Both of you just shut up so we can get home," sighed Kanji, passing the two.
"Kanji-kun's right," said Naoto, following him out the door. Quickly, she poked her head back into the room, saying, "Oh, by the way. Your love-hate relationship is giving me diabetes."
Naoto ducked back out the doorway, leaving Rise and Teddie very confused.
As the others walked out, Yosuke proceeded towards Paul, who was putting on his smock. He took out the CD Paul gave him from his pocket, "But what were you gonna tell me about this?"
Paul turned to the boy, gazing at the case, "Eh? Oh, that old thing," Paul let out a deep sigh, "I'll tell you about that when you hear the rest of my story. It wouldn't make any sense if I told you about the CD before giving you all the background info, got it?"
Reluctantly, Yosuke nodded.
"Don't worry, though," reassured paul, "The story sure is a doozy!"
Yosuke then left the British man in the room to follow his friends.
John: I guess I'll make some popcorn, then. Hey Blue Jumpsuit Man, where do you keep the popcorn?
Susano-o: Kitchen shelf, and my name is Susano-o!
They all grabbed their umbrellas, which waited past Paul's front door. Yosuke was about to grab his, then remembered he had left it outside in the pouring rain for the past few hours. He hastily ran down the stairs and looked out the glass door of the pizzeria. What had once been his umbrella was now a snapped twig with a torn cloth on top.
Well, he was screwed. None of them had worn additional clothing in the past, and that umbrella was his only protection against a cold.
Yosuke heard someone run down the steps. He turned around and saw Chie walking towards him, "What's wrong?"
Head in his palm, Yosuke pointed outside at the snapped and broken mess in the road.
"Oh," said Chie simply.
It seemed the others were still at the top of the stairs. Yosuke just knew that they were listening in on them in secret.
Suddenly, Chie said, "Oh, I know!"
"What?" asked Yosuke.
Chie lifted her own umbrella, "We could just share mine. Besides," Chie began to look in the other direction as if she was shy of Yosuke, "Maybe we could listen to something on the way home."
WHAT?
John: For the love of Hare Krishna, say yes!
"Um, sure," agreed Yosuke, "That's be…nice."
As if on cue, a crash was heard at the staircase leading to the second floor. Yosuke walked over and saw that Rise, Teddie, and Yukiko were all in a pile near the steps.
Rise looked up at the brown-haired boy, "Oh, Yosuke-senpai! We were just, um…playing!"
Teddie ducked his head out of the pile, "But Rise-chan, you said we were spying on-"
Rise quickly covered Teddie's mouth, "N-no one!"
Yosuke rolled his eyes. Well, at least they were amusing to watch.
John: I agree. Pass the popcorn, Crazy Fire Pillar Hair Man?
Susano-o: It's Susano-o, hippie.
John: OK then, SUSAN.
Susano-o:…(face palm)
Outside, Chie opened her umbrella and the two tried to squeeze underneath. Chie's umbrella was (like all umbrellas in Inaba) specially designed to fit only one person, so this was a problem. After about five minutes of fussing around, they found that the only possible way for the both of them to remain completely dry under the umbrella was to be face to face. Also, the only way they could walk was to walk down the street sideways.
About five minutes into the walk back home, Yosuke and Chie were still struggling to wiggle down the street.
"Can you be any slower?"
"Well, it would help if you stopped ogling me, perv."
"For the last time, I'm watching my feet to not slip! And besides, you insisted we share!"
"But not as an excuse for you to stare at me!"
A couple dozen yards away, Rise was watching the two argue, "Ah, young love, right Yukiko-senpai?"
Yukiko turned around and saw the two awkwardly squirm down the street. She soon found that containing her laughter was near impossible.
Chie and Yosuke could hear Yukiko laughing all the way from down the sidewalk.
Chie asked, irritated from Yukiko's laughing spree, "Could you at least play some music to drown her out?"
"Way ahead of you," Yosuke turned his attention to John, who was apparently arguing with Susano-o, "Your cue, John. Play something nice."
John: I don't care how many monsters you've slain, Susan, but do you have a platinum album AND a Jaoanese wife? NO! (To Yosuke:) Wait, what Hanamoola? Oh, sure.
Susano-o: (grumbling) I don't need this. I know Wind Break!
John: Snrk.
At Yosuke's request, music flowed into the earphones once again. Surprisingly, John hadn't added anything new, but had chosen a very familiar selection:
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
"Huh?" Chie looked up at him in surprise, "Out of all the ones you could've picked you picked this one?"
Why was she looking at him, he didn't pick it (Of course, she had no way of knowing that.). However, the look in Chie's eyes didn't show she disliked the song, rather that she was embarrassed by it. Wait, why would she be embarrassed?
Yosuke answered back, "Well, I though you'd like it. It was also the first song we listened to together, right?"
Chie snapped her head away from Yosuke, "I-it's fine." Her cheeks were beet red.
Yosuke noticed that while Chie was turned away from him, she still glanced at him from the corner of her eye. One time she did this, he noticed she was smiling at him. He smiled back at her, then for a moment, they just stood there, each looking at the other from the corner of their eyes. After about a minute, they finally noticed the others were already gone from sight.
"Oh, crap!" exclaimed Chie, "We've gotta get a move on!"
Chie quickly (and absent-mindedly) swung her left leg forward, knocking over Yosuke and her in the process. Clumsily, they both crashed onto the wet sidewalk.
"Whoa!"
THUD!
Well, we finally got a look at the past of Paul "Smith". Also, a little nostalgia played up in the final part.
Oh, fine. Just review or somethin'.
Will Yosuke's questions about the CD be answered?
When will the next murder be, and who?
WILL I FILL ALL OF THE PLOT HOLES I LEFT IN EARLY CHAPTERS!
Find out next time, on Dragon Ball- I-i mean P4: Beatles Magic!