Is there no mastermind of modern day
Who can blueprint a plan to make love stay
Sturdy and weatherproof, ushering in a new revolution
At the drawing board the hopeful ones still try
How can we help it when we're fighting for the love of our lives
-Indigo Girls
.
Part 25: Curtain
.
St. Lulim School for Girls
in association with
St. Spica Girls' Institute and St. Miator Girls' Academy
presents
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Major-General Stanley – Mizushima Noriko
The Pirate King – Kenjō Kaname
Samuel (his lieutenant) – Kiyashiki Momomi
Frederic (the pirate apprentice) – Nanto Yaya
Sergeant of Police – Ōtori Amane
Mabel – Konohana Hikari
Edith – Aoi Nagisa
Kate – Suzumi Tamao
Isabel – Katsuragi Misao
Ruth (a Pirate Maid of all Work) – Takemura Chihaya
.
Directed by
Umekouji Ayame and Kaganoi Sayuri
Music Director
Kaganoi Sayuri
Adapted and Produced by
Minamoto Chikaru
.
ACT I: The pirates are discovered celebrating on a rocky beach in Cornwall, toasting their apprentice FREDERIC, who is now twenty-one years old and out of his indentures ("Pour, O Pour The Pirate Sherry"). To their dismay, FREDERIC tells the merry band that with the end of his indentures, he will be leaving them forever, as he has learned from his nursery maid RUTH that he was apprenticed to the PIRATE KING in error. She was asked to apprentice him to a ship's pilot, but due to her failing hearing, she instead apprenticed him to a pirate, then stayed on as a "piratical maid of all work" once she realized her blunder ("When Frederic Was A Little Lad").
At the end of her song, Chihaya knelt before Yaya, sobbing. "Oh, pardon, Frederic, pardon!"
Yaya smiled down at her and helped her back to her feet. "Rise, sweet one. I have long pardoned you."
"The two words were so similar!" Chihaya said miserably.
"They were," Yaya nodded in agreement. "They still are, though years have rolled over their heads. But this afternoon, my obligation ceases!" She spread her arms wide, as though to take in the entire band. "Individually, I love you all with affection unspeakable!"
Here, Yaya turned to face Kaname, stepped up very close to her, and spoke the next line while meeting her eyes directly. "But collectively, I look at you with a disgust that amount to utter detestation."
Kaname smiled wickedly, knowing full well that this was her kohai's favorite line in the show.
FREDERIC tells the pirates that when he returns to civilization, he will have no choice but to follow his sense of duty and devote himself to hunting them down, but before he leaves he begs the pirates to give up their ways and join him in respectability. After all, they are very bad at piracy, having too much honor to attack anyone weaker than themselves, and getting thrashed when they attack stronger parties. They are also well-known for never hurting an orphan, since they are all orphans themselves, and thus every ship they capture claims to be manned entirely by orphans. The pirates, though seeing his point, decide that piracy is still more honest than respectability, and the PIRATE KING sings of the joys of his trade ("Oh, Better Far To Live And Die").
The pirates depart, leaving FREDERIC and RUTH alone. RUTH tries to convince him that in spite of her forty-seven years, she is still a beautiful woman, and wishes to remain at his side. However, the arrival of the wards of the Major-General reveals to FREDERIC that RUTH is in fact plain and old, and he sends her away ("Oh, False One, You Have Deceived Me" – CUT FOR TIME).
The ladies enter, led in song by EDITH and KATE ("Climbing Over Rocky Mountain"), and survey the now-deserted beach as FREDERIC hides, not wishing to alarm them with his pirate garb.
Tamao looked out over the audience, bouncing on her toes in excitement. "What a picturesque spot! I wonder where we are?"
"And I wonder were Father is?" added Nagisa, stepping up beside her to mimic looking at the scenery. "We have left him ever so far behind!"
"Oh, he will be here presently," said Misao as she spread a blanket on the "beach" behind them. "Remember, poor Father is not as young as we are, and we came over a rather difficult country."
"But how thoroughly delightful it is to be so entirely alone," Tamao beamed, looking side to side as the other girls came to join her upstage. "Why, in all probability we are the first human beings who ever set foot on this enchanting spot."
"Except the mermaids," Misao sighed dreamily. "It's the very place for mermaids!"
"Who are only human beings down to the waist," Tamao reminded her.
"And who can't be said strictly to set foot anywhere," Nagisa giggled, and the other girls tittered along with her observation. "Tails they may, but feet they cannot!"
Tamao sighed happily, then a troubled look came to her face. "But what shall we do until Father and the servants arrive with the luncheon?"
"We are quite alone," Nagisa said, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone, "and the sea is as smooth as glass. Suppose we take off..."
The ladies gasped at her sheer audacity.
"...our shoes and socks..."
Another, louder gasp at her scandalous suggestion.
"...and paddle!" Nagisa exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, the very thing!" the ladies squealed in unison, each reaching to remove a shoe.
At this point, as much as Hazuki wanted to stay and continue to watch Tamao from the wings, she knew that she had to go and get her makeup done soon, so she quietly exited the main stage door once the orchestra came in to herald Yaya's re-entrance.
Stop, ladies, pray! (A man!)
I had intended not to intrude myself upon your notice
In this effective but alarming costume
But under these peculiar circumstances
It is my bounded duty to inform you
That your proceedings will not be unwitnessed!
Once Hazuki was back in the green room, one of the makeup artists (another Lulim senior whom she had seen on occasion at t'ai chi practice) waved her to an unoccupied chair and proceeded to apply foundation. She could still hear the show via the single speaker set up over the door, and she listened as Yaya continued into the next song, in which Frederic begged any of the ladies, even the homeliest and plainest of them, to take pity on him and offer her heart to a man freshly out of his indentures.
Several of the pirates were here as well, waiting to make their next entrance, and Hazuki soon noticed that Kaname had pulled up another chair nearby, sitting astride it with her arms folded on the backrest. "That actually went pretty well."
"You sounded good," Hazuki replied, trying not to move her face as the crew member continued with her work.
"Ehh, I looked better than I sounded," Kaname snorted. "But then again, I'm not the one people came to see. That would be..."
She stretched out the last words to line up with the entrance of Hikari, who interrupted the musical conversation between Frederic and the ladies to offer herself as a match for the former pirate, singing what Sayuri had described as one of the best-known melodies of the work.
Poor wand'ring one!
Though thou hast surely strayed
Take heart of grace
Thy steps retrace
Poor wand'ring one!
"She's got good pipes, doesn't she?" Kaname smiled.
"That she does," Hazuki agreed.
The ladies, seeing that FREDERIC and MABEL have quickly become smitten with one another, try to ignore them and chatter about the weather while the two proclaim their love in a duet ("How Beautifully Blue The Sky" – CUT FOR TIME). Suddenly, FREDERIC remembers that the pirates will be returning soon, and tries to warn the ladies, but he is too late: the pirates arrive, each seizing a girl to drag off and marry ("Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses"). MABEL responds by warning the pirates that she and her sisters are wards in Chancery, and that their father is a Major-General. The pirates are skeptical, but presently MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY arrives to introduce himself ("I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General").
From her place in the pit, Chikaru was trying desperately to not think about how well this was going.
Her conversation with Ōhara-sensei and promotion to Conductor this morning had been a genuine surprise, to be sure, but considering that she had conducted all of the orchestra rehearsals up through tech week, the instrumentalists were by now quite used to her, and she was able to keep them together with no difficulty.
Meanwhile, though, while she was in no position to see much of the staging, she was growing increasingly shocked (but pleasantly so!) at how well the vocalists were performing. Yaya and Hikari (particularly the latter) were positively soaring through their solos, Chihaya and Kaname were belting it out in convincing character voices, and Nagisa and Tamao, while sometimes doubling up on what normally would have been solo lines for each of them, were complementing one another beautifully, as though they had been singing together for years. On top of this, the chorus vocals were tight and crisp, even with the occasional support of additional singers offstage: Sayuri's hard work with them was paying off under the lights.
Obviously, she could not tell what the balance between the orchestra and the un-amplified vocalists might have been from within the house, but considering that she, with an orchestra literally right in front of her, was hearing the singers quite clearly, she was hoping for the best.
All of that in mind, Chikaru knew that there were still plenty of chances for things to go pear-shaped, and they were coming up on the next of said chances with the arrival of Noriko as the Major-General, soon to be singing the song that everyone who knew anything about the work had come to hear.
After making her dramatic entrance before the pirates could drag off her many daughters, Noriko strode to front and center, looking every bit like a late-Nineteenth-century Great White Hunter on a safari, pith helmet and all. She made brief eye contact with Chikaru, showing that she was ready. Chikaru gave a tiny nod in reply, then turned back to the orchestra, and with no more than an upbeat, brought them in. Even from where she was, she could hear a buzz of recognition from the audience before Noriko began singing the first verse.
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral
I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical!
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot of news...
Here, as was traditional (it was even written into the score), she made a business of appearing stuck for a rhyme, and she glanced over toward the chorus, where Nagisa and Tamao held up their fingers to form a triangle. Noriko called out: "Ah, yes, thank you!" while Chikaru held the orchestra ready to come back in with Noriko's subsequent line, which was then echoed by the chorus.
...With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse!
(With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse)
(With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse)
(With many cheerful facts about the square of the hy-pot-e-pot-e-nuse!)
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus
I know the scientific names of beings animalculus
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General!
(In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral)
(He is the very model of a modern Major-General!)
They plowed through the second verse, then slowed it down for the third, as the Major-General regaled her fellow actors (and the audience, of course) with the many varied subjects in which she was a certified expert, before coming in at the end with the final punch line.
For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General!
(But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral)
(He is the very model of a modern Major-General!)
A brief instrumental outtro followed, after which the crowd simply went wild. From her vantage, Chikaru could not be sure whether or not it was a standing ovation, but it sure as anything sounded like one.
Then, to her shock, a voice near the front of the hall called out: "Encore!"
Several other voices took up the shout, and it quickly became a chant. "Encore! Encore! Encore!"
Chikaru looked up at the stage to see Noriko staring down at her, her eyes filled with challenge. It occurred to Chikaru that Noriko might very well have asked some of her classmates to start that chant, but now a significant part of the audience had taken it up.
Having studied the history of this work, Chikaru was well aware that in Gilbert's time, they would simply repeat the third verse as an encore, and only later productions took liberties with a topical fourth verse. She also knew that if she brought in the orchestra again, Noriko was not going to do things the sensible Gilbert-ian way.
By now, probably well over half the audience was chanting and clapping in rhythm for that encore.
Chikaru sighed in defeat, hoping that she still had enough good credit with the administrators that she could take the heat for what was to follow. She leaned in toward the orchestra and held up three fingers with her free hand. "Third verse again, ladies," she said over the din.
As soon as the first notes struck, the crowd noise died down, and Noriko continued her solo.
When I have seen three rival schools, the stories I could thus relate
When I've met many lesbians, at least until they graduate
When I have heard such rumors of those things that we dare not confess
But no one tells the nuns because we all know that it's just Type-S
When I've sought out pure maidens, but I'm not sure that we've got any
When I know more of lilies than a student versed in botany
To sum up, when you hear the tales of things hush-hush and what-you-will
Here, Noriko paused again – not to appear stuck for a rhyme, but to smirk devilishly at the audience before she continued:
You'd say this Major-General must live upon Astraea Hill!
The chorus, bless them, did their best to repeat these lines, and actually acquitted themselves fairly well, but in the end they probably went unheard over the uproarious laughter from the crowd.
(You'd say this Major-General must live upon Astraea Hill!)
(You'd say this Major-General must live upon Astraea Hill!)
(You'd say this Major-General must live upon A-strae-a-strae-a Hill!)
Here, Noriko held out both hands to the audience in an exaggerated gesture of apology, and gave a set of final lines that were, to Chikaru's profound relief, much tamer than the ones she had originally submitted. Perhaps, Chikaru considered, the girl still had a tiny sense of decency after all.
Now if my jokes have caused offense, I'll smile and say with surety
That every woman there is still a bastion of purity
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General!
(But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral)
(He is the very model of a modern Major-General!)
This time, Chikaru was quite sure that the ovation was standing in nature. She looked up at Noriko and shook her head as the actress held her final pose with a distinct air of smugness, then turned the page on her score and prepared to bring in the orchestra for the Act I finale.
The MAJOR-GENERAL demands to know what is going on, and learns that the men who intend to carry off his wards and marry them are in fact the famous Pirates of Penzance. Aware of their reputation, the MAJOR-GENERAL has an idea, and tells the pirates (falsely) that he is an orphan. The pirates are exasperated, but as they hear his tale of misery, they are moved to tears ("Oh, Men Of Dark And Dismal Fate"). The PIRATE KING allows them to go free, per their rules, and FREDERIC and MABEL are overjoyed at the prospect of marrying at once. RUTH appears, begging FREDERIC to reconsider, but again he casts her away. END ACT I.
Normally, at this point there would have been an intermission between acts, but the directorial staff had made the decision well before the first rehearsal that they would, by cutting several numbers and scenes, condense the work to a single long act rather than two. Instead of closing the curtain, then, they ended what should have been the Act I finale with a blackout, after which the orchestra played an entre-acte while the actors high-tailed it offstage and the crew set about, in nearly pitch blackness, transforming the scene from a beach in Cornwall to the family cemetery of the Major-General's estate. Rocks were replaced with gravestones and monuments, and a new backdrop was lowered from overhead to replace the ocean with a ruined moonlit chapel. The ladies and the Major-General, with the assistance of a small horde of costume crew, were ushered into the green room for a quick change into modest, period-appropriate bedclothes (as there was neither time nor space to do so in the dressing room), then hustled back out on stage to take their places in time for the next scene to begin.
As soon as the lights came up, Amane, Hazuki, and the rest of the chorus of police officers made their way into the wings to prepare for their entrance. In a full production there would have been a song here, in which Mabel and the other ladies would sing their distress at the melancholy which had overcome their father, but that was one of the numbers to have been cut, and instead the scene began with dialogue. Hazuki realized then and there that they were on the verge of making their entrance at last, and while she was definitely nervous, it actually felt more thrilling than anything else.
Because they were entering in (reverse) height order behind Amane, Hazuki was directly behind the Étoile as they watched from offstage. The Major-General bemoaned the guilt that had consumed him since telling the abominable falsehood which had saved them from the pirates. Frederic assured him that he did the right thing, and vowed that he, along with his police escort, would soon eradicate the pirate menace, so that he and Mabel could marry at last.
Hazuki turned her attention to Amane, and was not surprised to see that she looked as though she might throw up at any moment. "How do you feel, Étoile-sama?" she asked, though she could guess the answer.
"I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life," Amane admitted.
"I get it," Hazuki nodded, but then she paused for a moment and leaned in a little closer. "You know... I saw you jump onto the back of a dragon once."
"That was pure instinct."
"Right," Hazuki chuckled. "Okay... so you're scared out of your mind and finding yourself barely able to hold it together?"
"Something like that, yes."
"So... just like the character you're playing, don't you reckon?"
Amane looked back at her with a frown, then nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right."
"There, you see?" Hazuki smiled. "You're just a method actor."
"Lovely," Amane sighed as she turned back toward the stage, but Hazuki thought she saw the ghost of a smile.
Wishing she could do more for her, Hazuki laid her free hand (the one that was not holding her billy club) flat against the Étoile's back. She knew that she could not send Souma to the other girl, but nonetheless, she tried to clear her own head and use this contact to channel any energy she could manage. "You've got this, Étoile-sama," she whispered.
Amane took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and for those few seconds, Hazuki indeed felt as though something were passing between them. At that moment, the orchestra came in, and Noriko and Yaya sang the lines that heralded their entrance.
Then, Frederic, let your escort lion-hearted
Be summoned to receive a General's blessing
'Ere they depart upon their dread adventure
Dear sir, they come!
In time with the martial theme now played by the orchestra, the police marched on from stage left in a single-file line, then turned to face the audience while Amane paced back and forth in front of them. And then, while the police sang in response, Amane delivered the first verse in a loud, commanding, but most importantly spoken voice.
When the foeman bares his steel (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra!)
We uncomfortable feel (ta-ran ta-ra!)
And we find the wisest thing (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra!)
Is to slap our chests and sing (ta-ran ta-ra!)
This, as Hazuki and the rest of the chorus had learned just before going on stage, was the way they had come up with to get past the Étoile's paralyzing mental block about singing. While her lines were delivered in rhythm, they were presented in a character voice rather than a singing voice. The chorus went on singing as usual, and on the lines where she felt more confident, Amane would even join them musically.
Based on the looks of sheer delight on the audience's faces, it was working.
For when threatened with emeutes (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra!)
And your heart is in your boots (ta-ran ta-ra!)
There is nothing brings it 'round like the trumpet's martial sound
Like the trumpet's martial sound!
Here, as the chorus continued to sing their ta-ran ta-ras, they began to march in formation, weaving in and out between one another, spinning their clubs and doubling back on their steps in perfect symmetry. It had occurred to Hazuki early in the process that the chorus of police had been chosen for their abilities to move and dance far more than their singing, and Ayame had taken full advantage of that in working them through these militaristic drills. Amane was spared from most of the choreography as she continued to strut back and forth and "supervise" their movements, and she was soon met at center stage by Hikari, who sang the next... inspirational verse to her (offstage) love.
Go, ye heroes, go to glory
Though you die in combat gory
Ye shall live in song and story
Go to immortality!
Go to death, and go to slaughter!
Die, and every Cornish daughter
With her tears your grave shall water
Go, ye heroes, go and die!
The chorus of ladies echoed her final line, and the police cast nervous looks at one another before resuming their marching routine. Amane continued her patter-speak, and to Hazuki's ears, she sounded remarkably... English. She was not sure what it would have sounded like if a member of Monty Python were to attempt to speak Japanese, but she fancied it would be something like this.
Though to us it's evident (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra!)
These attentions are well-meant (ta-ran ta-ra!)
Such attentions don't appear (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra!)
Calculated men to cheer (ta-ran ta-ra!)
Who are going to meet their fate
In a highly nervous state (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran-ta-ra!)
Still to us it's evident
These attentions are well meant (ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran ta-ra, ta-ran-ta-ra!)
Now, Nagisa and Tamao stepped up to flank the hapless Amane, singing another allegedly inspirational verse before the remaining ladies of the chorus joined in to drive the point home.
Go and do your best endeavour
And before all links we sever
We shall say farewell forever
Go to glory and the grave!
Go to glory and the grave!
For your foes are fierce and ruthless
Harsh, unmerciful and truthless
Young and tender, old and toothless
All in vain their mercy crave!
The police visibly shrank upon themselves, while Amane made an exaggerated attempt to sneak away, only to be dragged back on by Hikari. Pausing only to straighten herself up, she continued her pseudo-singing in a shaky voice that actually sounded more affected than real.
We observe too great a stress on the risks that on us press
And of reference a lack to our chance of coming back
Still, perhaps it would be wise not to carp or criticise
For it's very evident these attentions are well meant
(Yes, it's very evident these attentions are well meant)
(Evident, yes, well meant, evident, ah yes, well meant!)
Now they came to Hazuki's favorite part of the song, where the police sang Amane's first verse alongside the ladies singing Hikari's. Each of the policemen were flanked by one of the daughters (to Hazuki's delight, Ayame had staged it so that Hazuki was beside Tamao while Amane was partnered with Hikari), and they marched together in unison, albeit with the ladies looking far more positive about the prospects of the police's messy death than the police themselves.
It was then, for just a few lines, that Hazuki found herself in a state where she was not concentrating on her next words, or on her next movements: she was simply doing them, swept along for the ride alongside everyone else. She vividly remembered Sayuri's words about serving the story, and she realized that that very story was happening all around her; in that moment, she felt truly privileged to be part of its telling. This opera was well over a century old, written by two men who were long gone, but now the joy and the responsibility of it belonged to her, along with everyone else on that stage.
She wondered briefly if Amane felt it as well, and hoped that this would carry her through to the end.
At length, though, an exasperated Noriko began trying to shoo them off the stage to get on with their mission.
Away, away! (Yes, yes, we go!)
These pirates slay! (ta-ran ta-ra!)
Then do not stay! (ta-ran ta-ra!)
Then why this delay? (All right, we go!)
After a few more prodding lines from Noriko (the last of them shouted for effect), the police reluctantly made their exit downstage left, while the ladies and the Major-General followed, leaving Yaya alone, where she would soon be joined by Kaname and Chihaya for the introduction of a dreaded Second Act Plot Twist.
All of this was lost on Hazuki, however, who found herself amidst a press of bodies in the wings, as everyone tried to crowd around the elder Étoile and offer their congratulations. Ayame quickly shepherded them offstage, and the cluster of actors spilled down the hall and into the green room, where (once all the doors were closed) the cast cheered their Sergeant of Police. Directly in the center of the crowd was Hikari, holding tightly to her love and looking far happier than anyone else at Amane's success.
Do to their respective height, it was easy enough for Hazuki to catch Amane's eye, and she grinned and flashed the Étoile a thumbs-up. Amane smiled back wearily, but it was the most genuine smile anyone had seen from her in weeks.
The PIRATE KING and RUTH appear, wishing to speak with FREDERIC, and after some convincing, he agrees. With much laughter, they tell him of their discovery that FREDERIC was in fact born in leap year, on February twenty-ninth, creating the humorous paradox that while he has lived twenty-one years, he has only had five actual birthdays ("When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold"). FREDERIC is amused at the idea that he is only a little boy of five, until the PIRATE KING and RUTH remind him that he was apprenticed to them not until his twenty-first year, but his twenty-first birthday, which will not be reached until the year 1940. FREDERIC begs them not to hold him to the letter of the agreement, but they remind him of his sense of duty, which he cannot ignore. He agrees to return with them, and as their apprentice once more, he feels obligated to reveal that MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY lied about being an orphan. Enraged, the PIRATE KING vows to gather the band and attack that very night ("Away, Away, My Heart's On Fire" - CUT FOR TIME).
As RUTH and the PIRATE KING depart, MABEL returns to tell FREDERIC that all is prepared for the police's attack on the pirates. FREDERIC tells her his unfortunate situation, and she begs him to reconsider ("Stay, Frederic, Stay!"). FREDERIC swears to come back for her at the end of his indentures, and MABEL sees him off tearfully, before steeling herself and calling to the police, intending to send them on their mission even without FREDERIC ("No, I Am Brave").
The police enter, and MABEL informs them that they will be fighting the pirates without FREDERIC, whom she insists she loves more than ever in his courageous sacrifice to his sense of duty. The police, perplexed, ponder their role and conclude that a policeman's lot is not a happy one ("When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment").
The pirates arrive, singing from offstage ("A Rollicking Band Of Pirates, We"), and the police bravely hide as the pirates emerge onto the stage ("With Cat-Like Tread"). The finale begins as FREDERIC notices someone approaching, and the pirates also hide themselves variously as MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY enters, still expressing his melancholy and guilt for his terrible lie ("Sighing Softly To The River"). MABEL and her sisters arrive, having noticed their father awake in the middle of the night, and the pirates leap out of their hiding places to seize him. MABEL calls for help, and the police emerge, only to be quickly disarmed by the pirates in the space of about two measures of music. The pirates mock their fallen foes, but the SERGEANT OF POLICE has other ideas...)
During the rehearsal process, Kaname had suggested that she and Hazuki have a little bit of a private duel during the fight scene between the pirates and police, but Ayame had put the kibosh on that pretty quickly, reminding her that this was a comedy and not a martial-arts movie. The eventual compromise was that Hazuki would be the one to attack (and be disarmed by) the Pirate King, something which Kaname appeared to enjoy far more than even her character ought to have.
Now, with the police on their knees, the pirates triumphant, the Major-General at gunpoint, and the ladies clinging to one another in fear, Amane got back to her feet, and to the surprise of everyone on the stage, sung her next lines in a steady, flawless tone.
To gain a brief advantage you've contrived
But your proud triumph will not be long-lived
Kaname swaggered up to the uniformed girl, obviously unimpressed.
Don't say you're orphans, for we know that game
Amane shook her head, and turned to the audience, raising her hand in salute even as Kaname lowered her prop pistol at the Étoile.
On your allegiance we've a stronger claim
We charge you yield
We charge you yield – in Queen Victoria's name!
The pirates gasped with shock, even as the ladies sighed with relief at this turn of events. Kaname, however, merely lowered her gun and gave Amane a thoroughly befuddled look.
You do?
Joining their voices with the Sergeant, the police also rose to their feet, saluting the unseen Queen.
We do!
We charge you yield – in Queen Victoria's name!
Defeated by their own patriotism, the pirates sank to their knees, laying their various weapons to the ground, and Kaname conceded the victory.
We yield at once with humbled mien
Because, with all our faults, we love our queen
(Yes, yes, with all their faults, they love their queen)
(Yes, yes, with all their faults, they love their queen!)
Now free, Noriko quickly stepped forward to order the pirates' arrest.
Away with them, and place them at the bar!
Even as the police moved to grab the pirates, however, Chihaya came forward to deliver what Sayuri had described as the traditional Gilbert and Sullivan Last-Second Plot Twist (but which Hazuki preferred to think of as an ass-pull).
One moment! Let me tell you who they are!
They are no members of the common throng
They are all noblemen who have gone wrong!
Suddenly delighted at the prospect of marrying a band of secret noblemen rather than a bunch of dirty pirates, the ladies repeated the last line and scampered to each take a pirate by the arm, while Hikari happily dashed to Yaya's side. Noriko, obviously overwhelmed by this turn of good fortune, shook hands with Kaname and delivered them into the grand finale.
No Englishman unmoved this statement hears
Because, with all our faults, we love our house of peers!
I pray you pardon me, ex-Pirate King
Peers will be peers, and youth will have its fling
Resume your ranks and legislative duties
And take my daughters, all of whom are beauties!
Normally, the final number, a reprise of Poor Wandering One, would begin with Mabel singing alone, but early on Hikari had asked to share this last bit of spotlight with Nagisa and Tamao, so the three stage-sisters stepped forward to sing together as for the first and only time in the production, the full cast sang behind them.
Poor wand'ring ones!
Though ye have surely strayed
Take heart of grace
Your steps retrace
Poor wand'ring ones!
Poor wand'ring ones
If such poor love as ours
Can help you find
True peace of mind
Why, take it, it is yours!
Just like that, after a final dancing playoff while the curtain closed, it was over, but they had one last duty to perform for the audience.
As the principals dashed off stage, the chorus of pirates, ladies and police lined up to face the unseen audience. The curtain then opened once more, and they took a group bow (led by Hazuki). Then, the principals came on for their own bows. First came Misao, Nagisa and Tamao, then Momomi and Chihaya, followed soon after by Amane, then Kaname. Noriko was next, then Yaya, and finally Hikari, by which time the audience members had almost all risen to their feet, still applauding and cheering.
It was during these sequential bows that Hazuki noticed a flash of gold in the third row, and her eyes widened as she recognized a familiar figure in a Miator uniform. Aaya noticed her attention, and gave her a knowing wink.
The principals formed a second line in front of the chorus, and Hikari led them in a full-cast bow, after which she extended a hand toward the pit to acknowledge Chikaru and the orchestra (to yet another surge in cheering), followed by one final cast bow as the orchestra played out the last reprise of the finale, the curtain re-closed, and the house lights came up.
Then it was truly over, though at that moment Hazuki was having difficulty processing anything at all, much less the finality of it. When looking back on it later, all she would remember would be individual images out of the chaos of hugs and tears and cries of equal parts triumph and relief. She saw Yaya and Hikari share a long, happy embrace as Amane stood close by, but after they broke it was Yaya who threw herself at Amane first and hugged the older Étoile with all her strength.
She saw Kaname going out of her way to shake hands with each and every one of the pirates, offering what could only be congratulations. When she got to Yaya and the two Étoile, she gave them a small bow, then extended her hand to Yaya, saying something that Hazuki could not hear over the din. There was a brief moment of uncertainty, but then Yaya nodded, took the proffered hand, and gave it a strong shake. Hikari, for her part, simply beamed.
She saw Ayame going through the motions of trying to get people to leave the stage so the crew could clean up, but it was obvious that she was too deliriously happy to make a fuss about it. She saw Misao say something to Momomi off to one side, after which the Spica president rolled her eyes and nodded, but she was smiling as well.
But soon all of that became secondary as Chikaru came in from the wings, looking like she'd dashed all the way from the orchestra pit. Her eyes sought out Hazuki and Tamao, and she crossed the crowded stage toward them, stopping short a couple meters away with a look of hesitation crossing her face.
Tamao, however, did not hesitate for a moment, and flung herself into the other girl's arms, while Chikaru closed her eyes and buried her face in Tamao's shoulder. It was at this point that Hazuki could no longer simply watch, and she added herself to the hug, coming around Chikaru from behind and sandwiching her between them. Chikaru slid her hand around the back of Tamao's neck, and for the first time in far too long, Hazuki felt three presences of Souma washing over her, through her, and within her.
"Tadaima," Chikaru whispered.
"Okaeri nasai," Tamao replied, her voice almost a sob.
For a long while, Hazuki simply basked in the moment, but then she heard soft applause from very close by. The three broke slightly from their embrace to see that a great many members of the cast had made a small circle around them, and were cheering and smiling at their reunion.
Hazuki noticed that Kaname looked as though she were on the verge of a wisecrack, but Nagisa, of all people, beat her to it.
"Aww, don't you just love happy endings?"
As was tradition, the cultural festival wrapped up with a bonfire under the stars.
Kaname spent the first part of it wandering through the crowds, occasionally autographing the programs of starry-eyed first-years and even posing for a photograph here and there. No matter where she looked, though, she could not find Momomi anywhere.
She did, however, eventually bump into Hazuki. Her frequent sparring partner was standing near the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, but the expression on her face was a sort of exhausted contentment.
"Evening," Kaname nodded to her.
"Mmm," Hazuki replied. "Still in your costume, I see."
"Yeah, well, it's good to be the king," Kaname smirked. "And I see you didn't waste any time getting out of yours."
"Well, the Spica uniform and I have never been on the best of terms, but it's still more comfortable than that wool coat I was in."
"Fair enough. Say, I don't suppose you've seen Momomi anywhere?"
Hazuki looked over at her and frowned. "Yeah, I have. I guess she never found you, then?"
"Found me?"
"I saw her backstage after I got changed," Hazuki explained. "She asked me to pass on a message to you in case she couldn't find you."
"She did?" Kaname asked, a bit surprised that Momomi would use Hazuki as a messenger. "What was it?"
"She said to tell you that she had to leave right after the show. She said it was some kind of a family thing, but she wasn't any more specific than that."
"Oh," Kaname said, feeling an uncomfortable disappointment welling up within. "That's... weird. I knew she had a family thing tomorrow morning, but she never said anything about having to leave tonight."
"It sounded like it was something that just came up," said Hazuki. "Sorry."
"Ehh, not your fault," Kaname shrugged, then changed the subject before she could let that cold feeling get any more purchase. "So hey, I'm a little surprised to see you by yourself after that big dramatic clinch after the curtain. Where are your better thirds?"
Hazuki chuckled, then pointed off toward a crowded wooden bench closer to the fire, where a still-tuxedoed Chikaru was sitting in the center of a cluster of girls. "Chikaru's taking some time with Kagome right now. I'm not about to begrudge her that, especially after everything that happened today."
"True, true," Kaname nodded. Hopefully she herself would soon have a chance to talk to the Lulim third-year as well. For that matter, she wanted to thank Tsubomi and Ryofu for being there when she could not.
"And Tamao," Hazuki continued, "is over there, having some Nagisa time, along with someone else you might recognize."
Kaname followed Hazuki's gaze, and there indeed were Tamao and Nagisa, having an animated conversation with a familiar silver-haired girl. "Wait, when the hell did Shizuma get here?"
"Apparently about five minutes before curtain," Hazuki smiled. "And then she nearly didn't get in because she wasn't technically a student or family, and the first-year in the ticket booth didn't recognize her."
"Oh, I would have loved to see that," Kaname laughed.
"Anyway," Hazuki went on, an unreadable smile coming to her face, "I'm actually feeling weirdly antisocial right now, so I figured I'd just watch from back here for a while. Chikaru says she wants to take me and Tamao somewhere special a little bit later, though."
"Somewhere special," Kaname repeated, grinning evilly. "Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Hazuki arched an eyebrow at her. "That's probably not all that restrictive, is it?"
"Nope," Kaname chuckled. She raised one fist, and Hazuki tapped it with her own. "Back to our regular sparring schedule soon?"
"Looking forward to it," Hazuki nodded.
"I'll let you get back to being antisocial, then," Kaname bowed, turning it into a mock-flourish befitting her costume. "Oyasuminasai."
"Oyasumi."
With no particular destination in mind now, Kaname wandered off. She briefly considered saying hello to Shizuma, but she wasn't really in the mood for that level of schmooze. Perhaps Hazuki's antisocial-ness had rubbed off on her. Probably best at this point to just head back to the dorm and call it a night.
That was what she should have done, anyway. Instead, contrary to all common sense, she took a slightly different route back through the woods, until she came to an achingly familiar spot. It had changed a bit in the last five years (seeing as trees have this habit of continuing to grow, she reasoned), but this was definitely it. This was the place she had found with Momomi during the bonfire of their first-year festival.
The place where they had first kissed.
She ducked under the low-hanging branches of the big cedar, into the hollow, sheltered space beneath them, and placed her hand against the sturdy trunk. While she was not normally one to be overly sentimental, she had truly wanted to bring Momomi back here after their last festival together, to the place where it all began...
The cold feeling from earlier was returning, so she shook her head and walked away quickly, back toward Strawberry Hall.
When she got back to her room, she was surprised to find a manila A4 envelope on the floor just inside. Apparently someone had come by and slid it under the door. She picked it up and studied it briefly, but found it completely blank, addressed to no one.
She paused to hang up her pirate hat, then sat down at her desk and opened the (unsealed) packet, removing a few sheets of paper.
The top one was a printout from a website, and to her annoyance, it was in English, which was not one of her better languages. She could tell by the context, though, that it was from a news site, and she recognized Los Angeles in the logo. The single illustration (other than various advertisements in the margins) was of a burned-out car in the bottom of a gully.
Kaname scanned the contents, picking out what she could, all the while wondering why anyone would have wanted to give this to her or Momomi.
...Mulholland Drive, about two miles west of I-405...
...two bodies were recovered from the wreckage...
"What the hell?" Kaname whispered, but then she saw something that almost literally stopped her heart, and she felt her blood freeze in her veins.
...driver has been identified as twenty-year-old Hoshi Saiga, son of the CEO of Saiga Corp in Kyoto, Japan...
"Hoshi-kun..?" she whispered, frantically turning to the next page.
...passenger has not been identified, but police have confirmed that she was a Japanese woman of approximately age twenty...
...at first thought to be a single-car accident...
...further investigation showed that Saiga and his passenger had been shot in the back of the head...
...case now being treated as a murder...
...no suspects at this time, but the possibility of gang violence...
By now, Kaname's hands were trembling, and she was beginning to hyperventilate as she stared unblinking at this impossible news.
...Saiga Corp released a statement on behalf of their CEO...
...devastated by the loss...
...will offer any and all assistance to the LAPD...
...this story is still developing...
The article ended here, and Kaname frantically turned to the last page, only to find it to be a printed note.
Such a shame about Hoshi-kun. It is always unfortunate when children do not obey their fathers.
You never know what terrible things might happen.
Fortunately, he had a younger brother.
The pages fell from Kaname's nerveless fingers, and with an inarticulate cry of horror, she rose shakily to her feet and backed away from the fallen papers.
Then, she turned around, flung open the door, and ran.
Chikaru could not help but be amused by the looks on her dear ones' faces as she led them through a series of locked doors behind the student council chambers. "Are you sure it's okay for us to be back here?" Tamao asked.
"As President of St. Lulim, I am permitted to bring guests here at my discretion," Chikaru assured her.
"Yes, but where exactly is here?" Hazuki asked.
"I believe this will answer your question," Chikaru replied as she unlocked the last door and led them into...
"A changing room?" Tamao wondered aloud as she looked around at the shelves filled with small clothing bins.
"For the Student Council's private bath," Chikaru smiled. "That is, if the two of you would like to join me?"
Tamao and Hazuki looked at one another, then back at her. "Is this a trick question?" Hazuki asked.
"Not at all," said Chikaru, removing her bow tie, then sliding her tailcoat over her shoulders and finding a place to hang it up. "After the week I've had, I desperately need a good soak, so I, for one, will be having this bath. You are more than welcome to join me."
"Chikaru, are... are you sure?" Tamao stammered as Chikaru slipped off her vest and began unbuttoning her tuxedo shirt. "I mean... are you... ready for this?"
"We've shared a bath before, if memory serves," Chikaru winked, but then her face fell slightly. "There are... still things I am not ready for, my dearlings, but this is truly the least I could do after what I've put you through these past weeks."
"You had your reasons," Hazuki reminded her.
"Indeed I did, Hazuki-chan," Chikaru nodded as she unbuckled her tuxedo pants and stepped out of them, leaving her dressed in only a matched set of lacy black lingerie. "And I'd prefer to tell you about them in the bath, with no barriers between us."
Asexual or not, Chikaru found that she rather enjoyed the effect her choice of undergarments was having on the two of them. Without another word, they both began to undress as well, setting their discarded clothing in empty bins. Chikaru finished first, then took down three fluffy white towels from one of the top shelves.
Once they were undressed and had their hair pinned back, Chikaru led them toward the sliding door that connected the changing room with the bath itself, but before she opened it, she turned and looked back at them.
"Chikaru?" Tamao asked quietly.
"May I...?" Chikaru started to ask, but then she broke off and tried again. "May I just... look at you for a moment?"
Tamao and Hazuki exchanged glances again, then wordlessly faced her. Hazuki let the hand holding her towel fall to her side, and Tamao did the same.
For a long, silent while, Chikaru simply gazed at the two beautiful women who for some inexplicable reason wanted to share their lives with her. While she did not feel arousal at the sight of them any more than she had to this point, she certainly felt something: almost a sense of wonder, or awe, that she was being allowed this honor.
By the looks on their faces, they were feeling much the same. She could feel their eyes roaming over her, taking her in, simply enjoying her. She remembered a talk with Hazuki, now months ago, in which they had talked about the concept of nudity as trust. Even after her selfish isolation, they were showing her, just by sharing that moment, that she had not lost that trust.
Perhaps someday soon she would reach out and see where that trust took them, as Hazuki had tried that night. Even if it took them nowhere, perhaps it was still worth the attempt.
"You're incredible, the pair of you," she whispered.
Hazuki let out a tiny giggle, but quickly tried to cover it. "Thank you, Chikaru."
"What was so funny?" Chikaru asked, setting her head to one side.
"I'm sorry," Hazuki chuckled, lowering her face to hide a blush. "I just suddenly wanted to ask if you meant my pair or her pair."
"Hazuki-chan," Tamao groaned. "Are the police still here? I need to report the killing of a moment."
"I'm sorry," Hazuki repeated, though she certainly didn't look sorry. "Maybe Kaname's sense of humor is rubbing off on me."
"Perhaps a good wash will take care of that, then," Chikaru smiled, reaching once again to open the door. "If you'll follow me, my loves?"
"Anywhere," said Tamao, but then she gasped softly as she got her first look at the room.
The council bath was, Chikaru would be the first to admit, decadence itself: all hand-carved dark wood and gold fixtures, with intricate mosaics of landscapes on every wall. The sunken bath was marble, natural rather than cultured, and easily big enough for thirty or forty.
It was also, to Chikaru's surprise, occupied. Apparently she had not been the only one in need of a post-opera soak.
Ayame and Sayuri were seated along the edge of the tub, the steaming water up to their collarbones, and Sayuri had her head lying on Ayame's shoulder. They looked incredibly peaceful, particularly given recent events, and for a moment Chikaru wondered if she should quietly usher out her two companions and let the other girls have their privacy.
It was then that Ayame opened her coppery eyes. "Good evening," she smiled.
"Good evening," Chikaru replied. "Are we interrupting?"
"Nah," said Sayuri, still not opening her eyes. "I can't speak for both of us, but if I don't get out pretty soon I might melt."
"Sounds about right," Ayame chuckled. "Go ahead and wash up; we'll be on our way soon."
Chikaru, Tamao and Hazuki did as the Lulim secretary suggested, scrubbing off the last of the day's sweat and makeup before joining the other two girls in the tub.
"It hasn't quite set in that it's over," Ayame said at length.
"Give it a few days," Chikaru smiled. "Once you start wondering where all this spare time came from, then you'll realize it."
"I had a chance to talk to one of the representatives from the conservatory afterward," Sayuri said then. "She told me they were very impressed with our work."
"More than that," Ayame continued, "she's actually an alumnus of St. Spica, and she told us she was all too familiar with the politics of the yearly show, never mind the potential difficulties of shoehorning in a reluctant Étoile."
"What a coincidence," Chikaru laughed.
"They're going to give us their highest recommendation," said Sayuri, picking up her head from the other girl's shoulder and looking across the tub at her class president. "I... can scarcely believe it. This morning I thought we were doomed."
"Maybe there's something to be said for those theater miracles after all," Ayame winked.
"We could never have done this without you, Chikaru," Sayuri said intently. "I mean, we couldn't have done it without everyone who performed today, obviously, but... you made this happen for us. As long as I live, I'll never forget this day. Thank you so much."
"It was the least I could do for the both of you," Chikaru said with a slight bow of the head.
"No, I don't think it was 'the least' anything," Ayame said quietly. "Thank you, Chikaru. For everything."
Chikaru found that she could not meet their eyes. "You're more than welcome, my friends."
A few minutes passed in silence, then Sayuri gave a slow, languid stretch. "Well, then, I imagine the three of you have a lot of catching up to do. Shall we, Ayame?"
"Indeed," Ayame smirked. "Good night, all."
After a soft chorus of good-nights, the two slipped out of the water, wrapped themselves in towels, then headed back to the changing room hand in hand, exchanging smiles as they went. A few minutes later, they heard the muffled click of the outer door closing.
"Chikaru... are they..?" Hazuki said at last.
"Are they what?"
Hazuki made a face. "I guess it's not my business, really, but... are they... involved?"
The question actually took Chikaru by surprise, because she had never known her assistants to be anything but friends. They had been roommates since their first year, certainly, and they were almost never seen apart, but she had never assumed they were more than that, even as difficult as it was to make such an assumption here on this hill.
But there had been something intimately cozy about the way Sayuri had been lying against Ayame's shoulder just then, and there was certainly a fondness in their eyes as they left hand in hand...
Where did they fall on the various scales? Even if they were not physically involved, was there a level of romance to their bond, separate from their sexuality?
"I honestly don't know the answer to that," she finally said. "But I'm also learning that I have much yet to discover about such things. Luckily, I have a lot of good reading material now..."
Tamao blushed, and Chikaru wondered if she had told Hazuki yet about that particular info-drop the other day. Rather than follow that thought, she took a deep breath and dove straight into the difficult part. "My darlings, please forgive me for shutting you out these past weeks. It was selfish of me, but the ugly truth of the matter is that I was... ashamed."
"Of the accident?" Hazuki asked.
"Chikaru, no one blames you for that," Tamao insisted.
"It's more complicated than that, I'm afraid," Chikaru sighed. "Bear with me, loves, and I'll tell you what I couldn't say then."
Each of them took one of her hands, and she smiled at the familiar comfort of their energy. "After the... accident, as you called it... did either of you have dreams? Memories you picked up from one of the others during that moment when we... merged?"
"Some of them weren't even dreams," Tamao said quietly. "Some of them even hit me when I was awake."
"Same," Hazuki nodded. "It was like the first time, when it was just the two of us."
Chikaru nodded, then asked the next question with obvious difficulty. "Tell me... did either of you witness the memory of my boon with Eve?"
Both girls shook their heads, and Chikaru let out the breath she had been holding. "In that case, I have a story to tell."
"Wasn't your boon the chance to draw her portrait?" Hazuki asked.
"Eventually it was, yes," Chikaru acknowledged. "But I'm afraid there's more to the story. I was talking to her about my sexuality, hoping to get her opinion on why it is that the desire for physical pleasure continues to elude me. In the end, she said that even she could not be sure whether this is simply who I am, or whether I had an awakening still to come. I said to her that I almost wanted to ask for that awakening as my boon."
"Chikaru," Tamao whispered.
"When she next spoke," Chikaru went on, "there was the oddest tone to her voice, and she told me that it was within her power to do that. I told her I could never be satisfied with that, because I'd always know it had to be... well, forced on me, and she went on to say that she could make it a gradual process, and that she could even replace the memory that I'd ever asked for it, so I could come to love you, and do so without guilt."
"She suggested that?" Hazuki asked in a monotone, and Chikaru could feel something dark stirring in the taller girl's Souma.
"To be fair, I don't think she was actually suggesting it," Chikaru said, shaking her head. "If anything, I think she was giving me a warning. It occurred to me that I had come very close to asking for something that was within her power, and I think she was making it clear that if I had made that wish, she would have been oath-bound to grant it, and damn the consequences. I think she wanted to let me know that I needed to tread very carefully."
"You're giving her more credit than I would right now," Hazuki muttered.
"But you didn't ask for it," Tamao insisted. "You asked to draw her portrait instead... right?"
That tiny question in Tamao's voice was heartbreaking, but Chikaru knew that she deserved it. "Yes, I did," she said quietly. "But... my darlings, I didn't want to. I wanted to give in, and let her magic those feelings into me. I wanted it so badly..."
She felt the first tears come, and Tamao immediately cuddled more tightly against her, while Hazuki gripped her hand firmly. "You did the right thing," Tamao whispered.
"Did I, Tamao-chan?"
"Yes, you did!" Tamao insisted, looking up at her with blazing eyes. "Chikaru, if we ever make love, I want it to be because you want to, not because you made yourself want to!"
"Even if I'd never know the difference?"
"It would have come out eventually," Hazuki whispered. "Twice, now, I've regained memories that Eve tried to suppress. It would have gotten out. Would you have been able to live with it then?"
"Point made," Chikaru sighed. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sorely tempted."
"Hey," Hazuki said, trying to catch her gaze. "What was it you said to me that time? You felt temptation, and you walked away. No kiss, no foul. No harm done."
Chikaru shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't agree with that last part, though. Harm was done: not by what happened then, but by what came afterward."
"The accident?" Tamao asked again.
"More what led up to it," Chikaru explained. "By this time I knew that if I couldn't make those feelings appear by my own actions, I might come to regret not taking hold of the chance I'd had with my boon. So I started flirting more. I started touching more. I even gave you both... breast privileges." She couldn't help but crack a tiny smile as she repeated that term. "Then, I hit upon the idea of sharing our presences on a more permanent basis... and we all know how that turned out."
"No one blames you for that," Tamao said again.
"Well, to be more specific, none of us blame you for it," Hazuki added. "It's pretty clear that someone does, though."
"Indeed," Chikaru whispered. "And then, when we had that moment of... over-sharing, I was terrified that you would know. That you'd see how desperate I was becoming, and how tempted I'd been, and how close I'd come to happily living that lie just to be able to share my bed with you. Add to that what happened to poor Kagome, and... some other things that aren't my place to tell even you, and... I'm sorry, my darlings, but I couldn't face you. I couldn't let you see that."
"You could have," Hazuki assured her.
"I know," Chikaru nodded. "Or, at least, I know that now. Which is why I brought you here, my loves. I needed to lay myself bare... in more ways than one. I needed to trust you again, even if I couldn't trust myself."
Her two girlfriends (and it really was a sweet word) folded themselves into her, holding her warmly and securely between them. Then, in a single voice, they said the very words she needed to hear.
"You can trust me with what's inside you."
Chikaru smiled, and just let herself melt into their embrace, both physically and through their shared energy. "I love you, my darlings. Forgive me?"
"Already done," Tamao whispered, kissing her on the shoulder for good measure.
"A thousand years from now, this won't even be a blip on our radar," Hazuki chuckled.
"I'll hold you to that, Hazuki-chan."
"Please do..."
Kaname didn't stop running until she was well clear of the dormitory and most of the way to Spica. She was no longer thinking at this point: all she knew was that she had to hit something. This was how she eventually found herself in the gym, but the actual getting there was still a blur: had she swiped the spare key? Had she broken in? Did it matter at this point?
She threw off her pirate coat, then stepped up to the single heavy punching bag and laid into it bare-knuckled. The impact sent needles of pain up her arm, so she bit down on it and took another swing, then another, alternating lefts and rights into the unyielding leather and the thick sand beneath.
Hoshi-kun was dead.
Hoshi-kun, whose only crime was running away from his monster of a father. Hoshi-kun, who fled the country rather than subject himself and Kaname to a nightmarish sham marriage. Hoshi-kun, who had turned out okay after all.
The bag was wet where Kaname was striking it. Was it sweat? Blood? Did it matter at this point?
The tears blurring her eyes made it impossible to tell.
Who had the girl been? A girlfriend, maybe, who had thrown caution to the wind and fled by his side, choosing a life on the run so long as she could stay with him? Did it matter at this point?
Whoever she was, she was still dead. Shot in the back of the head and then cooked in a burning car. Gang violence? Bullsh!t. This was a hit job, and she had landed directly in the line of fire.
She was punching so hard now that she heard the heavy chains holding the bag begin to rattle, along with a wet splattering sound every time she connected. She tried to concentrate on this, and only this: anything to keep the more terrifying thoughts from bubbling to the surface, but in the end, they would not be silent.
Was she in danger now, for defying Saiga? For defying her own father?
Was Momomi in danger?
When she landed the next right, she felt rather than heard something snap in her hand, and a literally blinding pain briefly overwhelmed her vision. Still she kept punching, trying to numb herself to it as she felt a second snap, then a third, so she screamed with each blow to cover the sound of it.
Kaname's father knew that she had a girlfriend, now that Kaname herself had so blithely and recklessly told him. If he could get that note to her dorm room, he could probably find out about Momomi easily enough, and then what?
Unbidden, the image of Momomi's charred body sitting in that burned-out car came to her mind's eye, and Kaname let loose with a thunderous punch that snapped the chains and sent the 50-kilo bag flying.
"Get back here!" she screamed at it, then threw herself down on the fallen bag and continued raining punches on it, punctuating each blow with a bellow of pain and rage.
As she reared back for another punch, though, a hand closed around her upper arm and held it in place. "You're hurting yourself."
There was a jolt of Souma from the contact, and for just a moment Kaname thought Hazuki had found her, and that Hazuki was seeing her like this.
"Let go of me!" she cried, trying to wrench her arm free, but the hand holding her was almost impossibly strong, as was the Souma that accompanied it. Her eyes cleared, and she found herself looking into an impassive face and concerned rose-colored eyes.
"You're hurting yourself," Ryofu said again.
"I don't care!" Kaname shrieked, finally yanking her arm away and staggering to her feet. "That's all I do! If not me, then I'll just hurt someone else! I'm dangerous!"
"Not to me," Ryofu whispered, rising to her feet to stand opposite her.
Kaname took a wild swing at the other yami, but Ryofu caught her broken hand mid-flight. Arcs of what felt like lightning shot through her arm, but Kaname could not tell if it was Ryofu's Souma, or just her own pain.
"You need to stay away from me!" Kaname went on screaming. "They'll get you too! They'll get anyone who gets close to me! I told you, I'm dangerous! They'll come for you too!"
"Let them," said Ryofu, letting her gaze bore into the much younger girl.
Kaname tried to struggle, to resist, to flee, to do anything, but in the end she was not strong enough, and she slowly collapsed to her knees, her breath coming in great, wailing sobs. Ryofu wordlessly knelt beside her and held her close.
There, with the arms of the peerless general wrapped protectively around her, Kaname closed her eyes to the pain and just let the green of their shared Souma overcome her, until she could feel nothing else.
NEXT: Epilogue
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NOTE: "The Pirates of Penzance" was composed by W.S. Gilbert (book) and Sir Arthur Sullivan (music), and is in the public domain