Disclaimer: I do not own "Love Hina" or its characters.
Matchmaker's War
Scissors Cut Paper
"Mutsumi, I need to know exactly what happened fifteen years ago and I need to know now." During the longest night of his life, Urashima Keitaro had made the biggest decision of his life. He needed to find the promise girl, but not to fulfill his promise, but to renounce it.
He would tell her he could not keep his promise to her anymore. He would tell her he had found his eternal happiness in someone else. And Keitaro wanted to meet the promise girl and tell her this straight to her face, not just to himself in a hospital bed. "Now I know you have trouble remembering exact details, but I need you to remember everything."
Before his very eyes, Otohime Mutsumi shape-shifted. One moment, he saw the same confused and distracted girl he saved from getting hit by a bus once and the next he saw a completely different girl, one with a look of determination on her face. Clearly, Mutsumi had waited for this moment for a long time. "Kei-kun, I have deceived you. I remember everything so very clearly." Mutsumi looked away and stared out the window. "I always wanted tell you and Naru-chan the truth, but I had no idea whether it would bring you two together or pull you two apart."
Keitaro agreed with Mutsumi's reasoning. Kitsune had plotted to bring these two together and their perfect date ended in disaster. A medic said he saw Narusegawa Naru leaving this hospital in tears an hour ago after she punched a hole through the wall. Narusegawa had not taken the news of his panic attack with grace and Keitaro feared that Narusegawa may never speak to him again. No one could ever quite know what brought people together and what could tear them apart. But this, keeping the story from him all this time hurt Keitaro's trust in Mutsumi. Now, he knew why she behaved the way she did around Narusegawa and him. She behaved confused and distracted because she had something to hide from them.
Mutsumi swallowed hard and began her story. "Ara ara ara. I have a complex story to tell, you might want to keep an open mind. Where should I begin? Oh, yes, scissors cut paper." From there, Mutsumi attempted to start the story just as two familiar faces burst through the door.
In the room now stood two people. One had a bandage over the whole left side of his face and hid behind the other person, keeping his distance from Keitaro. Sakata Kentaro looked a little scared to see Keitaro again so soon. The other person, rarely ever known for opening her eyes or showing fear, had a wide-eyed look of panic on her face. Konno "Kitsune" Mitsune looked just as scared as Kentaro, but for reasons other than fear of getting punched out.
"Oh my god, I really screwed up this time." Kitsune put herself against a wall and started cradling herself in a fetal position, weeping uncontrollably. Something had spooked the fearless Kitsune and that sent a shiver down Keitaro's spine. "I should never interfered. I should never have started all this. If I knew it would lead to this, I would never have even tried."
Keitaro fought back the shivering of his spine to ask a question. "Lead to what, Kitsune? Tell us." Keitaro could feel another panic attack coming on and intercepted it.
/Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out./
In moments, Motoko's suggested breathing exercise had calmed his nerves enough to remain conscious.
Kitsune had stopped crying and stared at the opposite wall as if comatose. It seemed like she had lost her way in the strangest and most unfamiliar part of the woods and did not know the way back to the main trail.
Kentaro spoke up as Kitsune sat against the wall. "Kitsune and I just got news of someone on top of the Tokyo University clock tower prepared to jump. She looks serious and earlier reports describe her as small redhead who fought through a couple of guards with a series of powerful right hooks." Keitaro finally knew what it took to make the fearless Kitsune doubt herself. In her mind, she believed that her meddling and interloping had driven her best friend to suicide.
Keitaro needed to think fast. Keitaro walked up to Kentaro and punched him in the gut. "Okay, Kentaro, I hit you twice already. " Keitaro hoped this would work. The plan brewing in his mind would only work if he had his strength. "Now you can hit me as many times as you want." With virtually no hesitation, Kentaro delivered five or six extremely hard and fast punches to Keitaro. Keitaro went flying up against the wall and left a mark in the plaster. Keitaro checked himself over. Keitaro could feel a few bruises. He had not fully regained his strength, but this would have to do.
"Everyone, get over here." Motoko, Kaolla, Sarah, and Shinobu joined them in the room. " Mutsumi has an interesting story to tell all of us. Listen carefully."
Kentaro tapped Keitaro on the shoulder. He had something to say. "Keitaro, the girl can tell us her story on the way there." Keitaro's plan suddenly left apart in the department of transportation. It would take too long to reach the clock tower on foot or by car from this part of Tokyo. Even when they got there, no one would let him on the roof without a fight. Keitaro stared at Kentaro worriedly. Kentaro, as if by telepathy, knew precisely what to say. "Don't worry. I have a helicopter. I can get you there and on the roof in five minutes." Keitaro smiled his plan had direction again. And Mutsumi began her story once began.
"Wait!" Keitaro said. "We should call the Hinata-sou and get Haruka-san and Seta-san here."
"We can't." Sarah McDougal dialed the number of the Hinata-sou on a nearby phone. "We did not even get a dial tone. We can't find Haruka at the teahouse either and I think Papa took the phone off the hook." That could mean only thing. This made Keitaro smile. At least someone's night turned out as planned.
***
/Scissors cut paper./ Narusegawa Naru did not understand this thought that came surfacing in her mind. Like a broken record, it just repeating over and over again, as if repetition would make it sound more clear and obvious.
/No, shut up. I have made my decision./ Naru would not let a mirage of hope pull her away from this ledge. The next time she left this ledge, she would do it to jump, nothing could stop her now. Now, she understood life's cruelty, life's sadist thirst for pain. It always gave just enough hope to a person to keep them from ending it all and force them to endure the torments of the unfair and cold-hearted conditions of one's life. Naru could tell Life wanted her live another day, suffer another great humiliation, endure another unspeakable pain.
/Not this time, Life. I know your game, you can't fool me this time./ Still, no matter how much she tried to ignore Life's trickery, the phrase kept repeating over and over again, still in that tone to tell her it had something important to say. Why did it matter what the voice said? Keitaro had chosen the promise girl and Naru could not compete with her. The promise girl did everything right and had treated Keitaro with the respect he deserved. She had placed her claim on Keitaro first and she doubted she would give that away to just anyone, especially to a violent, psychotic, suicidal freak like herself. Still, it kept going despite her protest. In the distance, the sound of helicopter entered her ears.
/Scissors cut paper./
***
Urashima Keitaro's eyes swirled as Otohime Mutsumi completed her story. Over the noise of the helicopter engine, Keitaro had only managed to make out the basics. From what he could hear, Keitaro understood another reason why Mutsumi waited so long to tell her story.
/Unbelievable!/ Keitaro thought. /Who would have ever guessed that?/ As unbelievable as it sounded, the story did explain why his mind refused to give him a name or a face. If he had remembered the girl's name and face, Keitaro would have mistaken Mutsumi for the promise girl. That would just made things worse. Much worse.
Keitaro gathered his strength as Kentaro landed the helicopter right next where Narusegawa Naru waited, standing from the ledge of the clock tower, ready to end her life and end both of their chances at eternal happiness. Keitaro wanted to go alone, but no one would let him. They promised to stay quiet unless spoken to, but they needed to come with Keitaro as he tried to talk Narusegawa down from the ledge. If something physically went wrong, Keitaro knew what to do, but he might not know what to do if Narusegawa left him without any words.
"Narusegawa."
"Keitaro."
Keitaro groaned. Narusegawa had not even looked away to talk to him. This discouraged Keitaro at first, but soon gave him hope. If she did not look at him, he could still come close enough to her to pull her off the ledge. Thinking this, Keitaro took one step towards Narusegawa. "Narusegawa, you don't have to do this."
/Yeah, original, Keitaro./ Giving Narusegawa the standard "you have everything to live for" speech would only further upset Narusegawa. She had nothing to live for. News that he had repeated the words 'promise girl' in his sleep left her thinking he had chosen the promise girl over her, he just knew it. To doubt her sincerity to kill herself, Keitaro would have to doubt the sincerity of her love for him. And Keitaro just couldn't do that.
"Narusegawa, I know what you came up here to do and I know I can't stop you." Keitaro choked back a lump in throat. Did he have the courage to say this? "If you jump, I'll jump in after you." There, he said.
Maehara Shinobu stepped out of line and came closer to Narusegawa and Keitaro. "Naru-sempai, if Sempai jumps in after you, I'll jump in after him." Shock followed, then someone else stepped out of line.
Aoyama Motoko had stepped out of line. "It may cost me my honor and may never see my beloved dojo again, but if Shinobu jumps, I'll jump in after her."
Everyone except Narusegawa stared at Su Kaolla wrapped around Motoko's neck. "I won't let go," Kaolla announced defiantly.
Sarah McDougal's eyes bulged. "If Kaolla wouldn't let go, I won't let go either." Sarah grabbed on to Motoko's right leg.
Otohime Mutsumi stood out of line. "Ara ara ara. I guess I have lived a good life. If Motoko manages to jump in after Shinobu with Kaolla around her neck and Sarah around her leg, I will jump in after all of them. I swear it."
Everyone (except Narusegawa) turned to face Kitsune. "You kidding?" Everyone grimaced. They thought she would back down. "In a heartbeat, Naru-chan. For my best friend, not even a question, I'd do it."
Kentaro sweat-dropped as everyone (except Narusegawa) turned to look at him. "Wow, Naru, you have some amazing friends. I'd never do that for anyone, not even for you." Apparently ashamed of his own confessed cowardice, Sakata Kentaro retreated to the safety of the helicopter.
"You see, Narusegawa." Keitaro took a step closer. "If we don't figure out our differences soon, we'll set off a mass suicide."
"Stop playing games, Keitaro. And that goes for all of you. You and me have serious problems. And you haven't thought them through. I mean, what about your panic attacks?" Keitaro could see Narusegawa shuddering in exquisite pain. "Can't exactly bring them on the honeymoon with us, can we?"
"I freaked out. I'll admit it. I freaked out. I freaked out because I still needed to know the truth behind the promise after all these years." Keitaro caught his breath. "Narusegawa, I know the truth about the promise, now. I know the identity of the promise girl. I have something important to tell her."
Keitaro cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Promise girl," he said to Narusegawa. "Sorry. I can't keep my promise to you. I met someone else. She might act mean sometimes, but I know deep down she will give me the eternal happiness I have spent my whole life searching for. Sorry, promise girl. I can't."
"What?" Narusegawa turned to face Keitaro, her back now to the edge. Halfway through his speech, she must have realized the implication of Keitaro addressing her as the "promise girl."
Keitaro felt a surge of confidence. He had gotten Narusegawa's attention. "Narusegawa, you made a promise fifteen years ago, a different promise from the one me and Mutsumi made." Keitaro clinched his teeth. "But a promise nonetheless." Now, he would reiterate the unbelievable part of the story Mutsumi had told him.
/I hope this works./
"You and Mutsumi made a promise. She said you couldn't talk very well, so you challenged her to a game of rock-paper-scissors. You two promised whoever won the next game would win something incredible." Keitaro could feel his pulse racing. "Mutsumi knew you always throw scissors, so she threw paper. Scissors cut paper. She let you win. Do you remember what you won?"
Narusegawa nodded her head. Keitaro could tell she did not have the faintest clue. "Me, Narusegawa. You won me. You won the promise. Mutsumi wanted to see us together." Keitaro turned to face the others. "Kitsune wanted to see us together." Keitaro looked down at the crowd gathering around the clock tower. "Half the people who read the morning newspaper yesterday probably wanted to see us together." Keitaro looked back at Narusegawa and smiled. "I don't blame them. Personally, I think we make a pretty damn cute couple."
Narusegawa returned Keitaro's smile, but he saw hesitation in her eyes. "Now, I can't prove anything I have told you," Keitaro explained, "but, Narusegawa, if you could come down from that ledge, we can find the answers together. I promise."
Keitaro smiled as Narusegawa prepared to come down from the ledge of the clock tower. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everything seemed fine.
But that feeling did not last long. Urashima Keitaro wanted in horror as Narusegawa missed her footing as she stepped down from the ledge. Keitaro stared helplessly as Narusegawa started to fall backwards over the ledge. Keitaro could feel a panic attack coming on. He resorted to Motoko's breathing lessons.
/Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out./
He reached out for Narusegawa. When she fell out of arm's reach, Keitaro instinctually dove in after her. Still dressed in his tuxedo from last night, Keitaro fell faster than Narusegawa in her red dress. As Keitaro's falling body caught up with Narusegawa's, Keitaro latched on to her and flipped her over in mid-air. His back to the ground now, Keitaro landed hard with a sickening [crack].
The pain washed away as soon as his eyes met Naru's. Naru seemed to enjoy this position, her on top of Keitaro. She should. It saved her life. Keitaro tried to explain that he only done this to break her fall, but Naru would not hear of it. As she leaned in for a kiss, Keitaro turned his head and coughed. Naru snapped back in revulsion. Keitaro looked confused until Naru touched his lips and showed him her fingers.
"Blood!" He had coughed up blood! As Naru called out for an ambulance, Keitaro could feel himself lifted up onto Kentaro's helicopter.
He heard five voices ordering him to do the same thing. "Don't die." Everything felt numb and cold. Keitaro sure hoped he would not disappoint them by doing something stupid, like dying, his last thought as everything around him descended into darkness.
-----
Matchmaker's War
Scissors Cut Paper
"Mutsumi, I need to know exactly what happened fifteen years ago and I need to know now." During the longest night of his life, Urashima Keitaro had made the biggest decision of his life. He needed to find the promise girl, but not to fulfill his promise, but to renounce it.
He would tell her he could not keep his promise to her anymore. He would tell her he had found his eternal happiness in someone else. And Keitaro wanted to meet the promise girl and tell her this straight to her face, not just to himself in a hospital bed. "Now I know you have trouble remembering exact details, but I need you to remember everything."
Before his very eyes, Otohime Mutsumi shape-shifted. One moment, he saw the same confused and distracted girl he saved from getting hit by a bus once and the next he saw a completely different girl, one with a look of determination on her face. Clearly, Mutsumi had waited for this moment for a long time. "Kei-kun, I have deceived you. I remember everything so very clearly." Mutsumi looked away and stared out the window. "I always wanted tell you and Naru-chan the truth, but I had no idea whether it would bring you two together or pull you two apart."
Keitaro agreed with Mutsumi's reasoning. Kitsune had plotted to bring these two together and their perfect date ended in disaster. A medic said he saw Narusegawa Naru leaving this hospital in tears an hour ago after she punched a hole through the wall. Narusegawa had not taken the news of his panic attack with grace and Keitaro feared that Narusegawa may never speak to him again. No one could ever quite know what brought people together and what could tear them apart. But this, keeping the story from him all this time hurt Keitaro's trust in Mutsumi. Now, he knew why she behaved the way she did around Narusegawa and him. She behaved confused and distracted because she had something to hide from them.
Mutsumi swallowed hard and began her story. "Ara ara ara. I have a complex story to tell, you might want to keep an open mind. Where should I begin? Oh, yes, scissors cut paper." From there, Mutsumi attempted to start the story just as two familiar faces burst through the door.
In the room now stood two people. One had a bandage over the whole left side of his face and hid behind the other person, keeping his distance from Keitaro. Sakata Kentaro looked a little scared to see Keitaro again so soon. The other person, rarely ever known for opening her eyes or showing fear, had a wide-eyed look of panic on her face. Konno "Kitsune" Mitsune looked just as scared as Kentaro, but for reasons other than fear of getting punched out.
"Oh my god, I really screwed up this time." Kitsune put herself against a wall and started cradling herself in a fetal position, weeping uncontrollably. Something had spooked the fearless Kitsune and that sent a shiver down Keitaro's spine. "I should never interfered. I should never have started all this. If I knew it would lead to this, I would never have even tried."
Keitaro fought back the shivering of his spine to ask a question. "Lead to what, Kitsune? Tell us." Keitaro could feel another panic attack coming on and intercepted it.
/Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out./
In moments, Motoko's suggested breathing exercise had calmed his nerves enough to remain conscious.
Kitsune had stopped crying and stared at the opposite wall as if comatose. It seemed like she had lost her way in the strangest and most unfamiliar part of the woods and did not know the way back to the main trail.
Kentaro spoke up as Kitsune sat against the wall. "Kitsune and I just got news of someone on top of the Tokyo University clock tower prepared to jump. She looks serious and earlier reports describe her as small redhead who fought through a couple of guards with a series of powerful right hooks." Keitaro finally knew what it took to make the fearless Kitsune doubt herself. In her mind, she believed that her meddling and interloping had driven her best friend to suicide.
Keitaro needed to think fast. Keitaro walked up to Kentaro and punched him in the gut. "Okay, Kentaro, I hit you twice already. " Keitaro hoped this would work. The plan brewing in his mind would only work if he had his strength. "Now you can hit me as many times as you want." With virtually no hesitation, Kentaro delivered five or six extremely hard and fast punches to Keitaro. Keitaro went flying up against the wall and left a mark in the plaster. Keitaro checked himself over. Keitaro could feel a few bruises. He had not fully regained his strength, but this would have to do.
"Everyone, get over here." Motoko, Kaolla, Sarah, and Shinobu joined them in the room. " Mutsumi has an interesting story to tell all of us. Listen carefully."
Kentaro tapped Keitaro on the shoulder. He had something to say. "Keitaro, the girl can tell us her story on the way there." Keitaro's plan suddenly left apart in the department of transportation. It would take too long to reach the clock tower on foot or by car from this part of Tokyo. Even when they got there, no one would let him on the roof without a fight. Keitaro stared at Kentaro worriedly. Kentaro, as if by telepathy, knew precisely what to say. "Don't worry. I have a helicopter. I can get you there and on the roof in five minutes." Keitaro smiled his plan had direction again. And Mutsumi began her story once began.
"Wait!" Keitaro said. "We should call the Hinata-sou and get Haruka-san and Seta-san here."
"We can't." Sarah McDougal dialed the number of the Hinata-sou on a nearby phone. "We did not even get a dial tone. We can't find Haruka at the teahouse either and I think Papa took the phone off the hook." That could mean only thing. This made Keitaro smile. At least someone's night turned out as planned.
***
/Scissors cut paper./ Narusegawa Naru did not understand this thought that came surfacing in her mind. Like a broken record, it just repeating over and over again, as if repetition would make it sound more clear and obvious.
/No, shut up. I have made my decision./ Naru would not let a mirage of hope pull her away from this ledge. The next time she left this ledge, she would do it to jump, nothing could stop her now. Now, she understood life's cruelty, life's sadist thirst for pain. It always gave just enough hope to a person to keep them from ending it all and force them to endure the torments of the unfair and cold-hearted conditions of one's life. Naru could tell Life wanted her live another day, suffer another great humiliation, endure another unspeakable pain.
/Not this time, Life. I know your game, you can't fool me this time./ Still, no matter how much she tried to ignore Life's trickery, the phrase kept repeating over and over again, still in that tone to tell her it had something important to say. Why did it matter what the voice said? Keitaro had chosen the promise girl and Naru could not compete with her. The promise girl did everything right and had treated Keitaro with the respect he deserved. She had placed her claim on Keitaro first and she doubted she would give that away to just anyone, especially to a violent, psychotic, suicidal freak like herself. Still, it kept going despite her protest. In the distance, the sound of helicopter entered her ears.
/Scissors cut paper./
***
Urashima Keitaro's eyes swirled as Otohime Mutsumi completed her story. Over the noise of the helicopter engine, Keitaro had only managed to make out the basics. From what he could hear, Keitaro understood another reason why Mutsumi waited so long to tell her story.
/Unbelievable!/ Keitaro thought. /Who would have ever guessed that?/ As unbelievable as it sounded, the story did explain why his mind refused to give him a name or a face. If he had remembered the girl's name and face, Keitaro would have mistaken Mutsumi for the promise girl. That would just made things worse. Much worse.
Keitaro gathered his strength as Kentaro landed the helicopter right next where Narusegawa Naru waited, standing from the ledge of the clock tower, ready to end her life and end both of their chances at eternal happiness. Keitaro wanted to go alone, but no one would let him. They promised to stay quiet unless spoken to, but they needed to come with Keitaro as he tried to talk Narusegawa down from the ledge. If something physically went wrong, Keitaro knew what to do, but he might not know what to do if Narusegawa left him without any words.
"Narusegawa."
"Keitaro."
Keitaro groaned. Narusegawa had not even looked away to talk to him. This discouraged Keitaro at first, but soon gave him hope. If she did not look at him, he could still come close enough to her to pull her off the ledge. Thinking this, Keitaro took one step towards Narusegawa. "Narusegawa, you don't have to do this."
/Yeah, original, Keitaro./ Giving Narusegawa the standard "you have everything to live for" speech would only further upset Narusegawa. She had nothing to live for. News that he had repeated the words 'promise girl' in his sleep left her thinking he had chosen the promise girl over her, he just knew it. To doubt her sincerity to kill herself, Keitaro would have to doubt the sincerity of her love for him. And Keitaro just couldn't do that.
"Narusegawa, I know what you came up here to do and I know I can't stop you." Keitaro choked back a lump in throat. Did he have the courage to say this? "If you jump, I'll jump in after you." There, he said.
Maehara Shinobu stepped out of line and came closer to Narusegawa and Keitaro. "Naru-sempai, if Sempai jumps in after you, I'll jump in after him." Shock followed, then someone else stepped out of line.
Aoyama Motoko had stepped out of line. "It may cost me my honor and may never see my beloved dojo again, but if Shinobu jumps, I'll jump in after her."
Everyone except Narusegawa stared at Su Kaolla wrapped around Motoko's neck. "I won't let go," Kaolla announced defiantly.
Sarah McDougal's eyes bulged. "If Kaolla wouldn't let go, I won't let go either." Sarah grabbed on to Motoko's right leg.
Otohime Mutsumi stood out of line. "Ara ara ara. I guess I have lived a good life. If Motoko manages to jump in after Shinobu with Kaolla around her neck and Sarah around her leg, I will jump in after all of them. I swear it."
Everyone (except Narusegawa) turned to face Kitsune. "You kidding?" Everyone grimaced. They thought she would back down. "In a heartbeat, Naru-chan. For my best friend, not even a question, I'd do it."
Kentaro sweat-dropped as everyone (except Narusegawa) turned to look at him. "Wow, Naru, you have some amazing friends. I'd never do that for anyone, not even for you." Apparently ashamed of his own confessed cowardice, Sakata Kentaro retreated to the safety of the helicopter.
"You see, Narusegawa." Keitaro took a step closer. "If we don't figure out our differences soon, we'll set off a mass suicide."
"Stop playing games, Keitaro. And that goes for all of you. You and me have serious problems. And you haven't thought them through. I mean, what about your panic attacks?" Keitaro could see Narusegawa shuddering in exquisite pain. "Can't exactly bring them on the honeymoon with us, can we?"
"I freaked out. I'll admit it. I freaked out. I freaked out because I still needed to know the truth behind the promise after all these years." Keitaro caught his breath. "Narusegawa, I know the truth about the promise, now. I know the identity of the promise girl. I have something important to tell her."
Keitaro cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Promise girl," he said to Narusegawa. "Sorry. I can't keep my promise to you. I met someone else. She might act mean sometimes, but I know deep down she will give me the eternal happiness I have spent my whole life searching for. Sorry, promise girl. I can't."
"What?" Narusegawa turned to face Keitaro, her back now to the edge. Halfway through his speech, she must have realized the implication of Keitaro addressing her as the "promise girl."
Keitaro felt a surge of confidence. He had gotten Narusegawa's attention. "Narusegawa, you made a promise fifteen years ago, a different promise from the one me and Mutsumi made." Keitaro clinched his teeth. "But a promise nonetheless." Now, he would reiterate the unbelievable part of the story Mutsumi had told him.
/I hope this works./
"You and Mutsumi made a promise. She said you couldn't talk very well, so you challenged her to a game of rock-paper-scissors. You two promised whoever won the next game would win something incredible." Keitaro could feel his pulse racing. "Mutsumi knew you always throw scissors, so she threw paper. Scissors cut paper. She let you win. Do you remember what you won?"
Narusegawa nodded her head. Keitaro could tell she did not have the faintest clue. "Me, Narusegawa. You won me. You won the promise. Mutsumi wanted to see us together." Keitaro turned to face the others. "Kitsune wanted to see us together." Keitaro looked down at the crowd gathering around the clock tower. "Half the people who read the morning newspaper yesterday probably wanted to see us together." Keitaro looked back at Narusegawa and smiled. "I don't blame them. Personally, I think we make a pretty damn cute couple."
Narusegawa returned Keitaro's smile, but he saw hesitation in her eyes. "Now, I can't prove anything I have told you," Keitaro explained, "but, Narusegawa, if you could come down from that ledge, we can find the answers together. I promise."
Keitaro smiled as Narusegawa prepared to come down from the ledge of the clock tower. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everything seemed fine.
But that feeling did not last long. Urashima Keitaro wanted in horror as Narusegawa missed her footing as she stepped down from the ledge. Keitaro stared helplessly as Narusegawa started to fall backwards over the ledge. Keitaro could feel a panic attack coming on. He resorted to Motoko's breathing lessons.
/Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out./
He reached out for Narusegawa. When she fell out of arm's reach, Keitaro instinctually dove in after her. Still dressed in his tuxedo from last night, Keitaro fell faster than Narusegawa in her red dress. As Keitaro's falling body caught up with Narusegawa's, Keitaro latched on to her and flipped her over in mid-air. His back to the ground now, Keitaro landed hard with a sickening [crack].
The pain washed away as soon as his eyes met Naru's. Naru seemed to enjoy this position, her on top of Keitaro. She should. It saved her life. Keitaro tried to explain that he only done this to break her fall, but Naru would not hear of it. As she leaned in for a kiss, Keitaro turned his head and coughed. Naru snapped back in revulsion. Keitaro looked confused until Naru touched his lips and showed him her fingers.
"Blood!" He had coughed up blood! As Naru called out for an ambulance, Keitaro could feel himself lifted up onto Kentaro's helicopter.
He heard five voices ordering him to do the same thing. "Don't die." Everything felt numb and cold. Keitaro sure hoped he would not disappoint them by doing something stupid, like dying, his last thought as everything around him descended into darkness.
-----