Author: Nadz
Email: vegitto02 at yahoo dot com
Disclaimer:
I own only the storyline but not the original characters.
The Urashima Tragedy
Prologue
Keitaro and Naru have entered their third year of study at Tokyo U. As a third year student, Keitaro had rented a small ground-floor apartment with his roommate, Eiji. Naru herself still lives in an all-girls dormitory (not the Hinata Inn) at Tokyo U. The day is the fifth of October, and the year is 2002.
Story
The young man's heart beat quickly as he turned the corner. The hallway in front of him was lined with cops and several medical personnel. One in particular caught his eye – the back of this individual's shirt read 'coroner.' Julio slowly walked down the corridor, approaching the police officers. Even from outside, he could hear her hard crying and whimpering. Minutes ago, he had received a call from Naru, who spoke unintelligibly over the phone. It was obvious that she was crying heavily while talking with him. However, he could clearly make out several words – "Keitaro… Julio, please… please come… Keitaro's room."
"Are you Ebisawa Julio?" an officer asked, preventing him from stepping further.
"Yes," the young man nodded, showing his identification card. Julio was also a third year toudai student; in fact, he had become great friends with Keitaro, Naru, and Mitsumi during his first year. Aside from being study buddies, they had hung out frequently and went together to parties. The young man suspected the worst upon seeing the gloomy look in the hallway.
"You can enter," the officer said softly, directing Julio into Keitaro's apartment room. The young man's eyes widened upon what he saw. Another officer knelt next to Naru, who continued to sob heavily. What he saw next truly seized his eyes – in front of Naru lay a black body bag. It had been almost completely zippered; Julio stared at the face that still lay exposed through the body bag.
"Keitaro…" he whispered to himself. Keitaro's eyes lay shut as he rested peacefully.
"Naru," Julio said softly, kneeling next to her. The girl turned her head towards him, and he gulped at what he saw. Naru had been crying her soul out, for her eyes were completely red, and her eyes continued to pour tears down her cheeks. She continued to sniffle heavily, and her body continued to tremble severely. Without hesitation, she let herself collapse into Julio's arms and rested her head on his shoulder. Julio himself felt his throat tighten as he rested his right arm gently across her backside, and a tear trickled out of his eye as well.
"Keitaro…" the young girl choked, continuing to shed tears. "Why…"
"Narusegawa," Julio whispered, softly patting her back. "How could Keitaro…?"
"He… he killed him," Naru whispered. With those words, she released more tears.
"Dear God," the young man gasped, feeling her body tremble. "Who… who did this to him?"
"I… I…" she wailed, unable to continue. Julio gently pushed her away so that he could see her face. The girl continued to sob, trying to muster the strength to explain what she had seen.
"You must get a hold of yourself," Julio whispered, his voice choking. "You need to tell us."
"I… I'm too scared," she cried, looking at the officer next to her.
"She refuses to tell us what happened," Officer Fuchida said gently. "She won't talk."
"Naru… I'm devastated too," Julio said as another tear ran down his cheek. "But you have to tell them what happened… or else we'll never know…"
"Keitaro…" Naru choked again, speaking his name. "We were so happy together… why…"
Fuchida looked at her, and Julio nodded for her to continue. Naru swallowed hard.
"It… it happened…" she stammered. "It happened… like this…"
"Hello, Narusegawa," Keitaro blushed as she opened the door to her dormitory room. Naru smiled, and her expression brightened upon seeing the bouquet of roses in his hand. In front of her stood Keitaro, dressed in a white shirt and black slacks. He was without his glasses, for he had gotten contact lenses a long time ago. She considered him to be a very attractive young man when he didn't wear his clunky glasses.
"Thank you, Keitaro," Naru giggled, accepting the flowers. She pulled herself close to him and brought her lips towards his. The boy gently bent his head down, and their mouths met in the middle. Gently caressing each other's lips with his/her own, they shared a long, passionate kiss in the doorway. They enjoyed it thoroughly, for each meant so much to the other. Moments later, they pulled apart.
"Happy Anniversary," Keitaro smiled, admiring her beauty. That day represented the two-year mark of their serious relationship; it had been two years since they had begun dating. However, the term 'dating' would honestly be too much of an understatement; it had been two full years since they had openly declared their love to one another. They had such big plans after graduation – they wanted to share their future with each other. Yet, they lived their relationship day by day, and today was certainly a very special occasion for both.
"I love you, Keitaro," the young woman said, smiling at her lover. She too had dressed up for the occasion; she wore a sleeveless black dress that reached halfway between her waist and her knees. She had spent hours putting on make-up and styling her hair just the way Keitaro had liked. The girl had even put on her most expensive perfume – perfume that she had specially bought for occasions like this one.
"And I love you too, very much, Narusegawa," Keitaro whispered, looking directly into her eyes. The two lovebirds looked lost in each other's gaze, only to be disturbed by a familiar voice.
"Shouldn't you go now?" Naru's roommate asked sweetly. "You might be late."
"Mitsumi," Keitaro smiled, nodding towards her. "Arigato; your roommate looks gorgeous."
"Stop that," Naru scolded lightly, punching him softly on his shoulder. Keitaro smiled. Upon entering college, the young man had decided to get stronger in order to stand his own against Naru. His girlfriend was impressed by the strong discipline he developed – he spent an hour in the gym every day in addition to studying hard for his classes. He now was certainly in better shape, for Naru herself now had a tough time trying to beat him up.
"Ok, she's right, Naru," Keitaro said, scratching his head. "Let's go, now."
"Have fun, you two," Mitsumi chuckled. "I'll be leaving for home for a few days."
"Sayonara, Mitsumi," the two lovebirds said in unison, nodding their heads. With that, Naru's left hand wrapped itself around the young man's left hand, and they headed for the opera that she had so desired seeing.
"My love… my sweet…how could I… live without you?" the lady on stage sang.
Keitaro and Naru squeezed their hands together, enjoying the opera being performed before their eyes. Keitaro had taken her to the Tokyo Symphony Hall, where the opera "A Knight's Dearest" was playing. His girlfriend had wanted to see this opera ever since it had come out several weeks ago, and he thought that it would make a perfect anniversary date. How right he was, for Naru was completely absorbed in the performance. She looked over to Keitaro and smiled; she was so happy to have such a loving and considerate young man who cared so dearly for her. Keitaro returned her smile, and both turned their attention back to the musical. An hour later, the performance ended, and the two lovebirds walked out of the symphony hall, hand-in-hand.
"I really enjoyed this evening with you, koishii (beloved)," Naru said softly, squeezing his hand.
"I'm glad you're having a good time," he replied, silently celebrating inside his head. "But our evening isn't over yet… not until you are well fed."
"Keitaro…" she blushed. One minute later, a black limousine pulled up to the curb. Keitaro opened the back door and motioned for his girlfriend to sit inside. Naru held his hand for balance and smoothly glided into the backseat. Her man also entered and closed the door.
"Hello, Ms. Narusegawa," the chauffeur smiled, turning his head to face the couple in the back. "I hope you enjoyed the entertainment Mr. Urashima had planned for you."
"I loved it," she smiled contentedly. "I am so lucky to have him."
The chauffeur chuckled in response and gave them another warm smile. Turning back around, he headed for the next and final destination. Naru looked puzzled, for Keitaro hadn't told the driver any sort of destination. Urashima simply sat in his seat confidently.
"Keitaro-kun," she started. "Which restaurant are we going to?"
"A very special one," he replied, grinning at her. "Keitaro's Cuisine."
"Ok, now don't look until I tell you," Keitaro said softly, making sure that she covered her own eyes with her palm. The young man quietly closed the door to his apartment behind them and turned on the light switch. While Naru stood patiently, Keitaro quickly flicked the switch on his lighter and did what he needed to do with it. Walking quietly on his toes, Naru's boyfriend quietly turned off the light switch.
"Ok, you can look now," he said, gently removing her hand from her eyes.
"Oh my!" Naru gasped, looking in front of her. At the center of the apartment lay a circular table, draped with a beautiful dark blue tablecloth. On opposite sides of the table lay two plates, each surrounded by the appropriate utensils that lay in a most carefully arranged manner. Last of all, two one-foot tall candles stood next to each other, in front of their plates. Between them lay a small vase, containing a tasteful arrangement of flowers.
"Keitaro, I can't believe you…" she said, turning around. Without saying any more words, she raised her head and planted her lips on his. They shared the delicate moment for several seconds before separating and looking once again towards the table. Keitaro walked his girlfriend over to her side and pulled out her chair. Naru gracefully sat down, and he pushed his chair in. Keitaro noticed his girlfriend continue to beam with happiness, causing him to almost forget something.
"Just wait here," he whispered, winking at her. "I'll be back in a minute."
Naru smiled and sat patiently at her seat as Keitaro disappeared into the inner room. She noticed the flames on the candle flicker, and she turned her head to appreciate the soft breeze coming in through the open window nearby. The girl rested her elbows on the table and lay her chin in her hands.
'How could I have forgotten?' he thought to himself as he opened the small refrigerator in his room. He reached in and pulled out a bottle of Naru's favorite champagne. It certainly was expensive, but he would spare no expense for such a priceless event such as this. His roommate, Eiji, had been very considerate and had left to spend the evening at his friend's house, thereby allowing Keitaro to enjoy the occasion privately with his girlfriend.
'I hope she likes the dinner I cooked for…' he thought, but he was suddenly alarmed by a scream.
"Naru?" he yelled; Keitaro put the bottle down on his bed and bolted out the door. He froze in his tracks at what he saw – a figure stood inside the room, by the window. It was a tall figure, somewhat over six feet in height, and its face and head were covered in a black ski mask. Naru was standing up straight in her chair, terrified to make any moves. The intruder shifted his focus to Keitaro upon seeing the young man enter the room.
"Wow, you really are quite a romantic," the intruder said with a male voice.
"Get away from me," Naru demanded with a wavering voice.
"My, my, I can't stay away from you, young woman… you are so pretty," the intruder said, lunging for her. Naru tried to back away, but the man caught her arm and tried to bring her close to himself. Keitaro immediately sprung into action; he grabbed the man's arm and chopped it with a knife-hand strike, causing the intruder to release his grip on Naru. The young woman staggered backwards. The intruder lashed out at the young man in front of him, but his punch missed.
"Keitaro, please get away from him!" begged Naru, her face expressing fear. Keitaro refused to listen, and he retaliated by sending a right cross of his own. The intruder grunted upon feeling the young man's fist make hard contact with his nose; Keitaro retracted his hand, which throbbed from the strike.
"Naru, get away from here!" Keitaro yelled, begging in his mind that she would call for help.
"Urashima, that was a big mistake you made," the intruder growled. "A very deadly mistake."
"Oh no," Keitaro muttered as he saw the intruder back away and reveal a handgun in his right hand. Keitaro felt his throat tightening, and his body refused to move. The intruder chuckled upon seeing the apprehension printed all over Urashima's face, and the masked man put his finger on the trigger.
"Keitaro…" Naru whispered in shock; her body began to tremble.
"What do you want from me?" Keitaro demanded, sweat drops gathering on his forehead.
"Your life," the intruder chuckled; then he pulled the trigger. However, Keitaro lunged towards the man and grabbed the man's ski mask with his right hand. The intruder pushed Keitaro to the floor, and the boy crashed downwards. Both Naru and the intruder looked down at Keitaro's hand, for he had completely pulled off the man's mask. Keitaro and Naru looked at the prowler and gasped in shock.
"… Seta-san?" Naru stammered, stunned by the person she saw. The man gave her an evil smile, and his eyes lowered down to Keitaro's unmoving body. Naru looked down to where he was looking, and she began to scream with all her strength.
"KEITARO!" she shrieked as she ran by his side. Her boyfriend continued to lay weakly at the ground, and his free hand covered the spot in which he had been shot. Naru's throat tightened as she witnessed her lover's blood circularly spreading out from his wound, drenching the surrounding area of his white shirt. She was so stunned that she could hardly utter a sound; Naru raised her head towards the attacker.
"S… Seta-san…" she whispered, her eyes gathering tears.
"I have finished what I have come here for," the man replied, chuckling. Before she could get up, he slipped through the window and ran off into the night. Naru looked on in horror as she watched him leave, but she soon shifted attention to the man bleeding before her.
"N… Naru… segawa…" Keitaro gasped as he weakly pressed his hand over the injury. His girlfriend continued to scream his name as she placed her hand hard over the wound, desperately hoping to stop the bleeding. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto his body as she tried to save him.
"KEITARO!" she screamed, looking into his eyes. "Stay with me, Keitaro. You can't leave me!"
"Naru…" he gasped, struggling to breathe for air. "I'm… bleeding… too much."
"Keitaro," she cried. She immediately ran over to the cordless phone and ran by to his side. With her left hand, she continued to put pressure on the wound, and she dialed the emergency number with her right. She screamed at the dispatcher, begging the lady on the other side to send help.
"You can't leave me now, koishii," she cried, looking into his eyes. Keitaro's vision began to fade in and out, but he tried his hardest to return her gaze.
"N… Naru…" he struggled to talk.
"You will survive, Keitaro!" she whispered desperately. "You will survive for me!"
"I… can't… N… Naru…" he replied, feeling more blood drain from his wound. Now much of the front and sides of his entire shirt had been stained in his blood. "The pain… is going… away…"
"Keitaro," she cried as more tears continued to pour from her now-red eyes. "Survive…"
"I… love you… Naru…segawa…" he gasped, letting tears out of his eyes. "I… will… always… love you… koishii… Always…"
"I love you with all my heart, Keitaro," she cried, bringing her mouth closer to his.
"Before… I leave you… Naru…" he continued, trying his best to hold on for one last moment. "In my… left pocket… there is something… I wanted to give you… today…"
'God, please help us,' the young woman begged in her mind as she reached into his pocket. What she saw made her heart sink into the ground – she had pulled out a tiny box. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Open… it…" he whispered. Naru gasped upon opening the small container, for in it lay a golden ring with a beautiful diamond embedded at its top. The young girl breathed heavily upon seeing it, and she turned her head back down to her boyfriend, who smiled at her.
"Keitaro… I will marry you…" she cried as she struggled to speak through her choking voice. "You will survive, Keitaro… I will marry you… because I love you dearly…"
"Now… I can leave… in peace," Keitaro smiled, knowing that his time had come. "Please… live on with your life… Naru… be… happy… my love…"
"Keitaro," she whispered desperately, looking deeply and sadly into his eyes.
"Good bye…" he whispered before shutting his eyelids. A moment later, Naru heard him breath his last, and the young man that she had loved so much left the world of the living forever. Naru collapsed on the floor next to her late lover, crying tremendously. With his death, a large portion of her heart died with him. Naru would never be the same again.
"I watched him die…" she choked, continuing to sob as Julio gently squeezed her hand. "I just watched him die like that…"
"I'm so sorry," Julio said, feeling another tear roll down his cheek. The officer next to them bowed his head in silence, for he realized that emergency rescue had showed up too late. In fact, all of the personnel had stopped what they were doing in order to hear Naru's story.
"Keitaro…" she whispered as she slumped towards the ground, holding her face in her bloodied in her hands. Julio looked at her fingers and noticed the diamond ring placed around her ring finger. Everybody else in the room remained silent, unwilling to move and disturb the young woman's mourning. However, the silence had to end eventually. The girl broke down completely as the coroner zipped the open portion of the body bag, fully sealing the late young man's body inside of its protective cover.
"Ms. Narusegawa," Officer Fuchida said gently, touching her shoulder. "You'll have to come with us. Since you are a witness, the attacker might try to get you later. We'll need to protect you."
The girl slowly nodded, and two of the officers helper her stand. However, she felt too weak to move on her own, and they let her lean on their shoulders. Julio wiped a tear from his eye as he saw them take his friend away. He wiped another tear upon seeing two other policemen lift and carry the body bag out of the room.
"Sarah-chan," the young archaeology professor said to his daughter. "Can you get the door?"
"Yes," she responded, getting up from her seat. Both were sitting in the den; Seta had been calmly reading a newspaper and read over the obituaries. Sarah had been reading the comics, her favorite section of the paper. However, both were interrupted when the doorbell rang incessantly, and the little girl got up to answer it. Looking through the eyepiece, she gasped.
"Father!" she yelled, turning around. "It's the police!"
"Police?" he muttered to himself, getting up from his armchair. "What do they want?"
The man quickly walked towards the door and opened it. On his porch stood three mean looking and armed officers. Seta smiled at them, but they only returned a hard glare.
"Officers," he said in a pleasant tone. "Can I help you with something?"
"You are under arrest," one of the officers said, revealing a pair of handcuffs.
"What!" Seta blurted, and his knees felt weak. "Arrested for what?"
"Murder," the officer replied, and he proceeded to fasten the handcuffs on the hands of the speechless archaeologist. "You are one lousy bastard, you know?"
"I didn't kill anybody!" Seta protested, his eyes widened with confusion. "I would never…"
"Yeah right," the officer barked, dragging Seta down from his front door. "Every criminal and their mother think they're innocent. Get your ass in the car."
"Father…" Sarah trailed off; she was too stunned to move.
A young man, wearing a dark blue parka, ambled down the mildly crowded street. He looked to his right as he was passing by a small, dim-lit convenience store. The old man at the counter inside looked as if he was asleep, and the young man walking by chuckled as he continued walk forward.
Several seconds later, he approached a section of the sidewalk that remained unlit. Taking a quick glance around to make sure that nobody was watching, he entered the dark alley to his right. The young man casually walked another hundred feet before coming to a juncture of alleys. Making a quick left turn, he saw the tall man leaning against the brick wall of an old building. The shorter, young man with the parka turned his head around, making sure that nobody was watching them in this deserted alley. Satisfied, he turned to face the taller man and smiled.
"You do good work, Seta," the shorter young man chuckled.
"Seta… heh, yeah," the tall man replied before he grabbed his face with his right hand and pulled off the rubber mask that allowed him to look like the archaeologist he had framed. This tall man had shaved his head, but his facial features were of similar proportions to Seta.
"Ok, I did what you asked for," the tall man whispered. "Now give me my money."
"Of course, my friend," the shorter man chuckled, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket. The tall man watched him eager as the shorter man flipped through all the bills, counting them to make sure that he had the right amount of money.
"You know, when I shot him," the tall man started, "I could see the pain on her face. She looked as if she was completely broken."
"Yes, but I'm sure she'll get over it," came the reply.
"But to do this to them on their two year anniversary?" the tall man questioned.
"It makes the perfect gift, doesn't it? Also, it's not your position to ask me any questions; you're just in it for the money," the shorter man said, handing over the cash to the hit man he hired. "Besides, the sooner I got rid of that guy, the better. I couldn't stand the fact that she was in love with that twerp. I am so much better than he is. Now he's gone… forever."
"So, there will be nobody to interfere between you two now?"
"Exactly," the young man in the parka smiled. "She may be mentally crushed now, but she'll recover. And I'll always be at her side while she's trying to recover. Naru will be mine… I know it."
"You're crazy, Julio," the tall Seta-impersonator said, shaking his head.
"I know, my friend," the shorter man replied, turning around. "Love can make one crazy."
The taller man watched as Julio silently walked away and disappeared into the darkness.