Chapter 5:
In the tower, Yuuto stood, hands clenched, as a doctor attempted
to clean up the wound on his temple. He looked sideways at
Sorata, sitting in a chair. "That boy has... bewitched her
with words," he spat. "I want her back,
Arisugawa." He hissed momentarily and smacked the doctor as
he hit a particularly nasty part of the wound. "Tell her
that the play WILL end my way and she will walk to me when the
curtain falls... or I'll have that boy killed."
Sorata swallowed. "Killed?"
From the shadows of the room where he was seated, Seishirou stood up, a cold look in his eyes. Sorata looked at him and saw the light reflected off the gun on the man's belt.
"Killed," Yuuto said firmly, meeting his
manservant's eyes.
In her dressing room, Karen stuffed jewelry and diamonds in a
small bag. Though she did love the jewels, they could also pawn
them off for quick cash if they needed to. She began to walk to
her wardrobe and select a robe when she noticed Sorata standing
in the doorway. Gasping in surprise, she turned to face him.
"Forgive the intrusion, Karen-san."
She took a deep breath. "You're wasting your time, Sorata." She returned to getting ready, pulling out a brush and other personal items.
He looked at her sorrowfully. "Karen, you don't understand... Yuuto-sama is going to have Seiichirou killed."
Karen's eyes widened and she stared at her own reflection in the mirror. "What?" She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "No..."
Sorata continued, gravely. "He's insanely jealous. Unless you do his ending and sleep with him tomorrow night, he'll have Seiichirou killed."
"He doesn't scare us." She crossed the room to pick up Seiichirou's coat.
"He's a powerful man..." He looked at her as she began to put her things in a larger bag. "What are you doing?" he asked harshly.
"I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE!" she screamed at him, tightening the coat around her. "All my LIFE you told me that I was only worth how much a man would pay for me! ...But Seiichirou loves me. Oh, Sorata, he LOVES me. And that's worth everything. We're going away. Away from you, away from Yuuto, away from the FLOWER!" She turned around and began to walk out of her room, barely controlling her trembling.
Sorata closed his eyes for a moment and then said something he hoped would not tear her apart. "You're dying, Karen. You're dying."
She stopped her tracks, eyes wide. She staying unmoving for a moment, her face tense, before she just barely turned her head to him. "Another trick, Sorata."
"No, my dear. The doctor told us."
Karen looked at him now, her eyes wide and fearful. She spied Hinoto standing in the shadows in the corner of the room and asked her desperately, "Hinoto?"
The older woman looked down and refused to meet her gaze, nodding slightly.
"I'm dying..." Tears began to form in her eyes as she sang slowly to herself, slightly above a whisper. "I was a fool to believe, a fool to believe..." The light on her face illuminated the tears and anguish in her eyes. "It all ends today... yes it all ends today..." Hinoto looked at the younger girl with shame on her face.
Sorata swallowed. "Send Seiichirou away... only you can save him."
She closed her eyes, sniffling. "He'll fight for me."
"Yes, but not if he believes you don't love him." Sorata winced when the words came out of his mouth.
Karen snapped her head toward him, eyes wide with disbelief and heartache. "What?"
"Karen, you're a great actress.... use your talent. Hurt him to save him." With that said, the man left.
"Today's the day..." she said in a shaky voice.
"When dreaming ends..." Sorata finished with her as he walked down the hall. Shaking his head, he muttered half to himself and half to the people who were setting up the stage. "Another hero. Another mindless crime. Behind the curtain, in the pantomime." His voice got deeper as he began to climb up the stairs that led to the stage. "On and on... does anybody know what we are living for?"
"Whatever happened?" The three women that sat on the edge of the stairs frantically finishing costumes sung in tune with him. "We leave it all to chance.. Another heartache, another failed romance. On and on... does anybody know what we are living for?"
Sorata cleared his throat. "The show must go oooooon. The show must go on!"
The women joined him again, singing louder. "Outside the dawn is breaking on the stage that holds our final destiny! The show must go! The show must go!"
Inside her dressing room, Karen finished applying her makeup that barely hid the blotchiness from her earlier tears. "Inside my heart is breaking..." She had changed into a black and gray dress, the large black hat on her holding a veil that could cover her face. "My makeup may be flaking..." She pulled the veil down and took a deep breath to steady herself. "But my smile still stays on..."
"The show must go! The show must go on!" Sorata sang as he walked down the isle between the rows where people would sit.
Karen appeared, the curtain swishing shut behind her as she walked out. A single spotlight shined down on her. "I'll top the bill, I'll earn the kill, I have to find the will to carry on..."
"--with the show. On... with the show... On with the show..." Sorata sang with her, as she walked down the aisle to where he was standing, silhouetted against the rising sun. When she reached the end, she closed her eyes to regain her composure. Inside, her heart was breaking, but it would be for the best. She would save him, and he wouldn't be there when she died.
Sorata looked sadly at the lead actress as she opened her eyes
and walked past him, not looking at him. "On with the show!
On with the show!" he cried as she walked out of the
building and down into the courtyard.
* * * * *
Back at his apartment the next morning, Seiichirou stood in the
window, staring down at the nightclub below. He sighed, his every
nerve set on edge with worry. Karen had not returned with her
things the night before, and he'd been up all night waiting
for her, afraid that something had happened. What if Arisugawa
had caught her and forced her to stay? Or, worse, what if Yuuto
had found her? Or what if...
The sound of the door opening made him spin around, and his heart leapt at the sight of Karen standing behind it. As soon as he saw her expression, however, his spirits sank. Her face was pale and drawn, and her mouth was set in a tight line. What's wrong? he asked softly.
I'm staying with the Duke, Karen said quickly, all in one breath. She tried hard not to cry. She had to act... she had to make him believe her, or he would be killed. She almost broke down upon seeing the way his face fell, the bewildered and hurt expression that he had taken on at her words, but she forced herself to be strong. For him. Last night, after I left you, Yuuto came to see me. He offered me everything... everything I've ever dreamed of. His one condition is that I never see you again. She took a deep breath. I'm sorry.
What... what are you talking about? Seiichirou stepped forward, his eyes pleading with her to take back what she had said.
You knew who I was, Karen said miserably, hating herself a little more with every word. She turned away, unable to look him in the eye any longer.
What are you saying? Seiichirou asked incredulously. What about last night-- what about what we said?
I didn't expect you to understand, Karen replied in the coldest voice she could manage. The difference between you and I is that you can leave any time you choose. But this is my home. Flower is my home.
Seiichirou murmured, sounding lost. Karen turned away and closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness overcame her. Behind her, she heard Seiichirou's voice grow stronger. No, there must be something else! This... this can't be real... The anguish in his voice made her heart ache, even as the room spun and she struggled to keep consciousness. There's something wrong-- tell me what it is!
Gasping, feeling both physically and emotionally sick, Karen made a break for the door. Seiichirou grabbed her before she could leave, holding her arms as she struggled against him. Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth! he pleaded.
The truth... She stopped struggling and looked straight into his eyes. The truth is... Seeing the pain and confusion in his gaze, she nearly told him the real truth, but she quickly remembered what she had to do and pressed on, her heart breaking. I /am/ the Hindi courtesan. And I choose the maharajah. That's how the story really ends.
She forced herself to hold Seiichirou's gaze without emotion, even as his lips began to tremble and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. After a moment, she turned from him silently and walked away.
Outside, it began to rain.
Left alone in his apartment, Seiichirou stood in shock, staring at the spot she had vacated. Incongruously, he thought of Sorata as the maharajah, grandly announcing that Jealousy has driven him /mad/!
He blinked slowly and swallowed hard. His chest felt as if it were tightening, and he doubled over in imagined pain, small, desperate whimpers coming from his mouth. Images of her face came to his mind, the lack of emotion in her eyes as she had rejected him... and then, an image of the Duke at the balcony, the possessive and objectifying way that he looked at Karen... how could Karen choose Yuuto over him? He, who loved her... and she loved him... didn't she? That was how it was supposed to be...
Hardly knowing what he was doing, Seiichirou ran out the door of his apartment and out onto the street. He ran until he reached the doors of the Flower, and there he stopped and screamed her name into the night.
he screamed again, as the rain poured mercilessly down on his head, and he didn't stop yelling even when two guards grabbed his arms and dragged him away from the doors of the club. He struggled so much that one of the guards eventually punched him, stunning him enough to knock him to the ground. And even once he had regained his senses, he did not bother to pick himself up off the ground and go inside where it was dry.
There was no reason to, after all. He had no reasons left.
* * * * *
Sometime later, he found himself being placed on the bed in his
apartment by his friends, Subaru patting his head and Kakyou
coming over with a warm dry towel. Kusanagi had been the one to
carry him, and over the big man's shoulder, Seiichirou could
barely make out the concerned face of Keiichi.
They left him alone after a while, to get prepared for the play. Only Keiichi remained, diligently standing by his friend's bed. Seiichirou was awake staring straight ahead of him. Already, an ugly bruise was beginning to form on his cheek. Keiichi cleared his throat and tried to smile. "Things aren't always as they seem..."
"Things are exactly the way they seem," Seiichirou muttered angrily.
"Seiichirou..." Keiichi said softly, smiling a little. "You may only see me as a drunken, lice-ridden chibi whose only friends are pimps and girls in the brothels. But I know about art and love... if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. She loves you... I know it. I know she loves you."
Seiichirou said nothing for a moment, then, "Go away Keiichi."
He stayed.
"Go away." Seiichirou repeated, a little. Still, the small man did not move. Finally Seiichirou had had enough. "GO AWAY!" he yelled, startling the blonde.
Sadly, Keiichi moved toward the door and got his hat and coat and cane. He took one last, hurt look at his friend before closing the door.
Seiichirou closed his eyes, trying to shut out what Keiichi said. But try as he might, his friend's words had sparked a bit of doubt and hope in him.
An hour later he left the pawn shop and looked down at the
street at the Flower, money fresh in his hand and his beloved
typewriter left behind. He had to know, so he began to walk to
the new theatre, one last time.
A large audience sat in front of the stage in the newly converted
Flower. Sorata was there, hands high. All of a sudden, smoke
burst from under him and when it dissipated, he was dressed in
the outfit of the maharajah. "She is miinne!!" he
yelled, then turn around to face the stage as the curtain opened.
On stage, the cast was dancing, all dressed in exotic, Indian outfits. Keiichi was dressed a sitar, jewels decorating his face. While the cast danced around him, he sang, "I only speak the truth, I only speak the truth, I only speak the truth, I only speak the truth!"
Satsuki was in the center of the stage, surrounded by her friends. "Chamma he chamma!" She sang the strange language, even as men picked her up and danced with her. The show was fantastic, filled with lights and colours and movement. Seiichirou saw none of this, as he broke into a vent in the back of the theatre.
Sorata glanced over his shoulder at Yuuto, who was seated in the front row with a bouquet of flowers for Karen. The Duke smiled thinly back. The lights turned purple now, a strange high pitched singing coming from the bright light in the center of the stage. Men began to cheer, recognizing this pattern. From a hole in the ground, Karen emerged, a large diamond ornament behind her. On her red curls rested a headdress of diamonds, and her dress was sparkling with them as well. "Ooooh oooh oooh." She kept singing.
The men on stage, dressed in baggy pants and vests, picked her up and passed her down to the front of the stage. She took a step forward and coughed, finding it difficult to breathe suddenly. Sorata's smile faded and he looked concerned. Karen recovered, trying to keep consciousness until the end of her number and stepped forward again.
"Kiss... hand... diamonds best friend..." she sang, moving her arms and body to the music. "Kiss.. grand... diamonds best friend..." She spun around and lay on her back on the floor. The men who were her co-dancers fell to their knees, placing their hands and heads against the floor.
Under the stage, Seiichirou rounded a corner and noticed Seishirou, who was smoking a cigarette. The bodyguard noticed him too and flicked the cigarette away, starting to go after the writer. Seiichirou panicked and ran, momentarily hiding amongst ropes and wires as Seishirou entered the hallway, looking for him. When the gold-eyed man had turned his back, Seiichirou went across the hall, amongst support beams. Behind him, he could see that Seishirou had turned around and was heading in his direction. Surely he would be found. With barely a thought, he began to walk in the support beams, ducking low and praying he wouldn't be seen.
"Men... cold..." Karen sang as she lay on the floor amongst the men who seemed to be praying to her. "Girls... old... and we all lose our charm in the end." She sat up and looked at the audience. "Ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooooh." She and the men had stood up, dancing in the center of the stage. Suddenly, they surrounded her and the two behind her lifted her up. "Diamonds are a... diamonds are a... diamonds are a... diamonds are a..." They lay her back, supporting her with their hands.
Nataku, dressed in an ornate gold headdress and jewelry, his skin covered with blue paint, came forth holding a large, beautiful diamond necklace. The rest of the cast, including Sorata, began to walk to the center of the stage.
"Diamonds are a... diamonds are a... diamonds are a..." After the necklace was clasped, the men passed Karen down to the floor again, where she walked until the she was standing nearly at the end of the stage. "... girl's... best... friend..." she finished.
Sorata came behind her and wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand at her breast and the other at her waistline. "She is mine," he said loudly to the audience.
"She is mine," Yuuto whispered to himself, a slimy smile on his face. Karen looked to the side as Sorata held her, a look of forlorn longing on her face.
The curtain slowly closed, and applause filled the theater.
I know she still loves him! Keiichi told Kusanagi
insistently as the two actors walked backstage. There must
be another reason...
Kusanagi rolled his eyes at his friend's romantic notions. How about the fact that one of them is a Duke, and the other is... He never had a chance to reveal his opinion of Seiichirou, because at that moment he had an attack of narcolepsy and collapsed into unconsciousness.
I agree, something is wrong, Keiichi mused worriedly, so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the fact that his friend was rolling down the stairs behind him.
Kusanagi rolled all the way into the area beneath the stage and landed right in front of Seiichirou, who was a little shocked by his sudden company. Recovering, he propped the sleeping man up against the wall and continued moving.
On stage, Sorata was blustering away as the Maharajah, as Karen sat backstage coughing her lungs out. Come on, open up, Hinoto said gently, tipping a small vial of medicine into the actress's mouth.
As Sorata left the stage, Seishirou emerged from the darkness and clamped a hand down on the theater owner's shoulder. That boy is here, he hissed urgently.
Sorata gasped. But... I told Karen that if he were to come near her, he would be killed!
He very soon will be, Seishirou said grimly.
Keiichi, standing on a high platform overlooking the backstage area, heard the whole exchange. He'll be killed, the small man breathed. That's it... that's why she pushed him away! To save him! That's it, that's it... Seiichir-- He started to call his friend's name when the platform he was on abruptly began to rise, and he cried out in surprise. Oh... Oh God this is high up! he whimpered.
Meanwhile, Karen was standing at the mirror of her dressing room when the door opened. She turned around, and her eyes widened and her face paled when she saw Seiichirou slowly walking into the room. The look on his face was unbelievably hurt, and in his hand he clutched a small wad of money. I've come to pay my bill, he murmured in a deadened voice.
Karen held his gaze for a moment, trying to look cold and uncaring. You shouldn't be here, Seiichirou, she muttered, quickly walking past him out of the room. Just... just leave. Her heart was pounding-- what if he was seen? He'd be killed for sure! It was more important than ever now that she act like she didn't care for him... perhaps if she was cold enough toward him, he would leave and be out of danger.
Swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, Seiichirou followed her out of the room.
Keiichi, racing against time, climbed among the beams of the theater's ceiling, searching for any sign of Seiichirou. Killed... killed... killed! he murmured to himself, his fear and anxiety growing with each step. I have to warn him!
Seiichirou finally caught up to Karen behind a beam as she ran through the backstage area. He gripped her arm almost painfully, and she gasped and struggled to get away. You made me believe that you loved me, he cried out in an anguished voice. Karen flinched at hearing the same words that Yuuto had said to her before he had attacked her coming from her love's mouth. Why can't I pay you? he went on, spitting out the words angrily.
She's got to get on the stage, Hinoto snapped tensely.
Out on stage, Sorata was trying to make up excuses for his stars' absence. Jealousy has... has driven the sitar player into hiding! he said grandly.
Backstage, Seiichirou pushed Karen into a corner. You did your job so very, very well, he ranted on. She shuddered a little at the anger and pain in his voice and expression, knowing that he would never truly hurt her, but afraid all the same of what he might do-- or what might happen to him. She pulled away and ran up the stairs to the stage, him following her all the way. Why can't I pay you like everyone else does! he screamed out in raw anguish.
Seiichirou... there's no point, Karen gasped out, turning to face him. Just leave.
He continued to follow her, even as an assistant came down from the beams and grabbed him. Shoving the man out of the way, he lunged for Karen again.
At that moment, Karen spotted Seishirou lurking under the stage, his gun trained at the couple. With a sharp gasp, she turned and tried to push Seiichirou away. Go... go... she sobbed.
But if it wasn't real, why can't I pay you? Seiichirou insisted. He was singlemindedly fixated on the simple action of giving her money, as if that one little gesture would erase all the pain and loneliness and sorrow that her rejection had caused him to feel.
Go, please go! Karen whimpered, seeing Seishirou begin to come up the stairs.
Keiichi saw this too, and desperately attempted to get his friend's attention. Seiichirou! Seiichirou! But he was too high up to be heard, and Seiichirou was too upset and grief-stricken to pay attention to anything but the woman who had hurt him.
Let me pay! Let me pay! he sobbed, pushing Karen against the wall. Karen turned to see Seishirou no more than eight feet away from them, his gun pointed straight at Seiichirou's head.
"Tell me it wasn't real!" Seiichirou screamed at her, pressing the money into her face and holding her arm with the other hand. "Tell me you don't love me!" Tears were beginning to run down his face.
Outside on the stage, Sorata pointed his sword at the fake door on the backdrop of the stage. "Open the door!" He gestured to a man he could see in the wings. "Open the door!"
The man panicked, knowing full well what was going on behind the door, but scrambled to pull the rope that hid the two lovers from view. Karen looked behind her again, and saw that Seishirou had gotten even closer, within firing range.
"No!" She gasped and tried to push Seiichirou away.
"Tell me you don't love me! Tell me you don't love me!" The gun was almost at his head and Seishirou twitched his finger on the trigger. With a loud sound, the backdrop was pulled up and the man jerked away, hiding himself behind a curtain.
Seiichirou and Karen looked dumbly at the bright light shining down on them from the stage, their fellows actors staring at them with wide eyes. In the audience, Yuuto's eyes widened, then narrowed at the sight of the writer. Out in the light, the pain and tears on her face were obvious.
Sorata coughed then said loudly, "Haha! I am not fooled! Though he has adopted a disguise, my eyes do not lie! For it is he, the same penniless sitar player, driven mad by jealousy."
The members of the audience nodded. "Oooooh." Some of them laughed at the sight of the disheveled man. Seiichirou tried to regain his composure and half-dragged Karen to a platform on the stage. Trying not to cry in front of the actors and audience members, he threw her at his feet. Shaking with anger, he shoved the yen at her then looked at Yuuto over Sorata's shoulder. "This woman is yours now."
Yuuto tried to hide a smile of triumph. Seiichirou continued, "I've paid my /whore/." Looking down at Karen, he whispered fiercely, "I owe you nothing. And you are nothing to me."
She continued to sob quietly, not meeting his eyes.
"Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love," he sobbed out, his voice breaking as tears began to run down his face again. That said, he walked off the stage, pausing for a moment to glare at the Duke, who stared at him evenly with a look of triumph on his face. The audience members followed his slow path down the center of the aisle.
Keiichi stared at his friend's retreating back. "I... I can't remember my line!" He wracked his brain.
Sorata stared at the man leaving, then coughed and continued to act. "See, he does not love! He flees the kingdom!" Sorata crossed the stage to kneel next to Karen. "Oh, Karen... it's for the best, you know it is... he whispered, so only she could hear. The show must go on." She stared at him with hurt, lifeless eyes, shaking her head slightly.
Raising slightly, and helping the red-haired woman to her feet, he said, "Now, my bride, it is time for you say your wedding vows!" She did nothing but glance at Seiichirou, who was almost at the door.
Something in Keiichi's brain clicked. "I remember! I've got it! He jumped for a rope nearby, sliding down it and falling through wooden beams. Grabbing onto on, he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Seiichirou, stoooooooopppp! The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return!" Her back to the audience, Karen's eyes widened and she gasped in realization.
The theatre went silent.
Then, slowly, Karen turned to look at the writer. "Never knew I could feel like this... like I've never seen the sky before..." She began to walk to the edge of the stage, keeping her eyes focused on the unmoving man's back. "Want to vanish inside your kiss, every day I love you more and more..." Encouraged, she began to sing louder. "Listen to my heart, can you hear it say... come back to me.. and forgive EVERYTHING!" She belted out the last line, throwing her arms behind her. Her chest tightened and she gasped, leaning forward. She recovered quickly and kept singing to her beloved. Yuuto's eyes narrowed.
"Seasons may change... winter to spring." She dropped her voice, speaking in barely more then a whisper. "But I love you..." Her voice got louder again. "Til the end... of time."
Seiichirou turned around and stared at her, uncertainty and confusion in his eyes. When he saw the look of affection on her tearstreaked face, though, somehow he knew she meant every word that she was singing. Come what may, he sang softly in response, and the entire audience turned around to look at him.
Karen smiled through her tears.
Come what may, he sang again, louder this time. Come what may... He began to walk down the aisle, singing with all his heart. I will love you...
I will love you, Karen echoed him, her face glowing with relief and happiness.
Until my dying day... As Seiichirou walked by Yuuto, the blonde man gestured angrily to his manservant.
Come what may... Seiichirou finally joined Karen on the stage, embracing her around the waist as she rested her hands on his shoulders. Come what may... Staring into each others' eyes, nearly overcome with emotion, they managed to sing out the final lines. I will love you...
Meanwhile, Seishirou hid in the rafters, pointing his gun at Seiichirou's head. Yuuto gestured again to the honey-eyed man, instructing him to shoot.
...until my dying...
Keiichi caught sight of the gun-wielding man and panicked. Seiichirou, he's got a gun! the blonde Bohemian screeched, losing his footing on the platform and swinging down on the rope he was clutching. He managed to crash into Seishirou on the way down, knocking the man to the floor and knocking the gun from his hand. One of the dancers spotted the gun, screamed, and rushed offstage to hide behind the set, while the others stood still, bewildered and confused.
Keiichi, still dressed in his sitar costume, stumbled to the middle of the stage. They're trying to kill you! he blurted out, looking at Seiichirou with wide eyes.
The audience, assuming it was all part of the show, burst out laughing.
Sorata, seeing that the audience was still having a good time despite the chaos on stage, played along. Shut up! he told Keiichi regally.
Look, he's got a gun! Keiichi yelled again.
Guards, seize them! Sorata responded, waving his arms majestically.
Long live the Bohemians! Kakyou shouted, setting off a small explosion on stage.
Chaos reigned after that. Seishirou, crawling on his hands and knees, attempted to get to his gun, but Satsuki kicked at his hands. He almost got it anyway, but at that moment the doors at the top of the stage flew open and Kusanagi, finally conscious again, appeared. Seeing that the show had gone on without him, he shrugged. No problem! Get back to work!
Abruptly, the entire cast broke into another song, led by Keiichi. No matter what you say... you shouldn't stand in our way! We're gonna stand our ground... for Freedom... Beauty...
Seishirou crawled between the dancing cast members, searching for his gun. Yuuto, spotting it, gestured wildly toward it.
... Truth... and Love! The rest of the cast members moved away, leaving Seiichirou and Karen alone in the middle of the stage.
My gift is my song... Seiichirou sang with a smile, keeping his arm around Karen's waist.
I'll fly away...
My gift is my song...
Seishirou, hiding his face behind a tambourine, finally got hold of the gun again. He lifted it and, wasting no time, aimed and fired at Seiichirou.
And the shot missed, because at that moment, a certain singing midget had dropped a sandbag onto the assassin's head. She smiled delightedly at the results of her handiwork.
On stage, another flash went off, and Seiichirou and Karen, smiling at each other, finished the song. Come what may, I will love you...
Enraged, Yuuto got to his feet and began to leave the theater. He stopped when he heard a loud clang behind him, and turned around to see that Seishirou's gun had landed directly in front of him in the aisle.
Yes, I will love you...
Yuuto stared at the gun for a moment, then picked it up and broke into a run toward the stage, pointing it at Seiichirou.
Until my dying...
My way! Yuuto yelled out, his finger twitching on the trigger. My way--
He stopped abruptly when Sorata hauled off and punched him in the face. He stumbled backwards, and the gun flew from his hands and sailed out a window at the top of the theater.
... day! Embracing each other tightly, Seiichirou
and Karen sang the final word of the song, and the curtain
dropped to wild applause.
* * * * *
Flower petals rained down on the cast members as they laughed at
their success.
"Stand by for curtain call!" Daisuke called to the actors. "Dancers, positions please!"
Smiling, Seiichirou and Karen held hands as they walked across the carpet of flowers. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and gasped for air. Seiichirou looked back at her in concern. "Karen?" She could barely breathe. Her chest tightened and she coughed loudly, attracting the attention of the other cast members. "Karen? Tell me, what's wrong?"
Sorata turned around, his grin fading as he saw Karen falling back.
Keiichi's grin disappeared as well and he watched his friends with concern.
"Karen!" Seiichirou cried, holding her as she coughed and gasped for air. "Tell me, tell me what's wrong! Karen..." She leaned her head back and he saw the blood trailing from her mouth. "Oh god... SOMEBODY GET SOME HELP!" he screamed at the circle of people around them.
Sorata looked over his shoulder. "Fetch the doctor!"
Karen coughed again. "Seiichirou... I'm sorry..." Tears were beginning to run down her face. "I...I..." she coughed again, dripping blood onto his white sleeve. "I'm dying..."
"Shh..." Seiichirou sobbed, lifting a hand to her cheek.
"I'm so sorry..." she whispered.
"You'll be alright," he murmured, to comfort himself just as much as her.
"I'm cold... cold... so cold..." She coughed again, fighting to keep her eyes open. "Hold me..." She didn't even have the strength to hold onto his shirt. "You've got to go on, Seiichirou..."
All around them, the cast members were watching with looks of horror and sadness on their faces.
"Can't go on without you though..." He choked on tears.
"You've got so much.. to give." She coughed again. "Tell our story, Seiichirou..."
"No..." He began to cry, just barely disguising his sobs.
"Yes... yes. Promise me..." She gasped again, rolling her head back. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and talk.
"Yes..." he whimpered.
"I will..." she gasped again. "I'll always be with you..." She smiled weakly at him. Sobbing quietly, he bent forward to kiss her one last time. When he pulled back, her eyes were hazy and glassy.
She was dead.
Keiichi watched his friend, tears on his cheeks. Nataku said nothing, but sadly took off his gold headdress; he would not be needing it again.
Seiichirou sat for a while, holding her body. Then, he took a
deep breath and let his sobs out, crying loudly. The cast members
stood in silence, watching as he cradled her body closer and
rocked back and forth.
Outside, it began to snow as the Duke walked away from the
Flower.
* * * * *
/There was a boy.. a very strange enchanted boy.../
"Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.. and then finally, one not-so-special day, I went to my typewriter, sat down, and I wrote our story. A story about a time. A story about a place. A story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever.
The end."
/The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return./
~end~
