Lugubrious Elegy
By Tsuyunoinochi Koukyo
Paris laughed as he watched his friend soar across the ground, the prancing Palentino pony acting like royalty, practically gliding across the healthy spring green grass of the meadow near a gorgeous flower field.
"Paris! Paris, is this horse not beautiful? Look at her prance! She is like a queen! She will rule this country!" Juliet laughed, a melodious harmony of mellifluent notes.
"Yes, she and you will rule very well together!" Paris called back, laughing with her. He sat down in the flower field, next to a bed of lilies.
"Heeey…" Juliet pulled on the reins, stopping the horse. "Who said I am going to rule? Verona is only a small town, a hamlet in a whole world of cities! The young Prince will never choose me. He's looking for someone more…lovely."
"Do not say things like that, Juliet. I know well that you could win over anyone's heart if you so desired." Paris replied, climbing up and nearing her and the horse.
"Yes, but there are many, many girls out there much prettier than I."
"No…you are as pretty as they come." Paris was right next to her. "And I am sure that once the Prince saw you and talked to you, he would know that you were fit to be a queen. After all, the Queen is supposed to be beautiful, elegant, have good ettiquette, and she should be very skilled in social skills. Juliet, you fit all of that. And you dare not defy me in my declaration!" He grinned.
"Paris…you are making me rubescent…" Juliet smiled back and nudged her horse, making it begin to move. Paris laughed boyishly and began to chase her, and she darted around, trying to get away. The horse seemed to be very happy. She made it go faster and faster until it was into a gallop, and it continued to go faster. She cried out, her eyes wide.
"Juliet! Juliet! Juliet, look out!" Paris called to the young, effulgent, dulcet, and beautiful thirteen year old girl, running towards her even quicker, frantically waving his feathered hat with all of his strength. Her horse was teetering over, slowly…as if it were sick or weighted, perhaps fatigued. Paris felt his mind go frantic, and he ran even faster to try and save Juliet, but…the once regal white spotted horse suddenly flipped over, with Juliet still on it. Paris came dashing over as fast as he could run, but it was much too late. The horse had landed on top of the young woman, and her slender, cream colored neck was broken, her life cruelly ripped away from her. And yet even though he knew that Juliet was gone, Paris' voice broke the still air, screaming "Juliet! Juliet!"
The entire city of Verona mourned the death of the most beautiful and most caring girl in the small but royal town, the death of a girl that would have made a breathtaking, wonderful queen, had she still been alive, had she been able to capture the young Prince's heart. Romeo, Juliet's fair loving, unknown husband, mourned his wife thoroughly, properly, and rather loudly in the cell of Friar Laurence, bawling and thrashing about, for his true love was gone, not banished but dead, the worst punishment Romeo could have thought up.
"O Juliet, my fairest lady, come back…come back to me!" He moaned, the teary eyed Friar watching the young boy pound the walls in anger and in sadness, in hate and in self-destruction. He knew there was nothing he could do, for he understood that the hidden love between Romeo and Juliet was stronger than normalcy; after all, he had married them. He knew that Romeo was greatly upset, for his Juliet was no more. The Friar only hoped that Romeo's depression would not lead to more serious matters…a more sorrowful situation.
"Juliet…" Romeo moaned one more time, his darling blue tear-soaked eyes on the fading stars outside the black barred window. He clung to the bars, pressing his face against them and allowing the coolness of the metal soak into his forehead, damp from tears that had streamed upward in his temper tantrum earlier. A single, silent, almost final tear streamed down the pale, sericeous, young cheek, the mind behind the head that wore the tearstained cheek occupied with his beautiful dead lover.
Romeo was walking out in the wilderness, walking to wherever his feet took him, the tears still dripping from his cheeks. He wiped the silent ovals of water from his face, sobbing even more as he raised his soft hands to his skin, recalling the tender touch of his former lover. The shock over Juliet's death hadn't worn down a bit, and so his brain was reeling back and forth, trying to make sense of the situation. What was going on here? Why did Juliet die? He didn't even know any of the details…but did he want to?
(Of course not…)
Romeo had long since ceased speaking to anyone, even the Friar, and instead chose to wallow in the depths of his sorrow. He mourned in his own way, but was it the right way? No child should ever be left alone when such a situation has occurred. No one could be sure as to what lengths Romeo would go to reach to his loving Juliet, just waiting on the other side, pleading with her former husband to join her in her deadly triumph…
(How could…how could she do such a thing? Leave me here to suffer in silence, to mourn for her eternally…I am uncertain as to whether I should cry still or to love her stronger… She has emotionally exhausted me…should I resent her for that?)
Aimai na tamashii wa subete o wasure toketeyuku
My uncertain soul melts entirely into oblivion
(I'm melting into oblivion now…oh, Juliet, if you were here now…nothing would be like it is now, everything sunken into sadness and depression…everything would exist again…the sky wouldn't always be black instead of deep blue, and the birds wouldn't always sing elegies instead of their usual cheery songs, and the cherry blossom trees would be pink like they used to be instead of dead and decrepit…and oh…I want you back…so badly, Juliet…)
"Romeo…how are you? Are you holding up fine?" Benvolio appeared suddenly behind Romeo, who jumped in surprise and backed away in fear. Before his startled cousin could prevent it, the tormented Romeo burst into tears and sprinted away, his eyes leaking a river as they had done before, many, many times.
(Oh Juliet…why did you have to die? Will I be trapped forever in this body, now? Will I be forced to endure this unbearable anguish of being alone while I know you view me from overhead? Juliet…will I ever join you again?)
"Romeo! Romeo, come back! Come back!" Benvolio chased the fleeing boy on the rubble path, his brunette hair flying wildly behind him as he fell over rocks and tripped over weeds in the rarely used, barely existant, dirt trail.
(Juliet…will I ever get to see your hope-filled smile again? Will I ever be able to kiss those honey dipped lips or touch that silky skin? Oh Juliet…your insane beauty and your tragic death…both things combined are driving me mad! Is this what you hoped would happen, my love? Did you plan for me to drive myself insane over you? No, you could not possibly do such a devious, nefarious thing. Yet…I would not mind going insane over you, if I could still have you as my lovely wife. As long as you were here…I would care about nothing but your happiness and your well being. And if that alone deems me insane, then so be it. But not now…not like this…I cannot be…I cannot exist without you…)
Miserareta kizuato ni tomadanagara te o sashidasu
While I'm puzzled by the visible scars, I hold out my hand
"Romeo!" Benvolio's frightened voice echoed throughout the desolate lands, reaching only Romeo's deafened ears, unable to hear through the pounding of his fist to his skull , his racing mind, and his unwillingness to live any longer.
"Romeo…Romeo." A mellifluent voice called. A soft hand tapped Romeo's chest, tapped it again when a reply was not given, or even recognition for that matter. The young boy groaned, opening his sea blue eyes to…Juliet. She was dressed from head to toe in pure ivory, a shining bright white light behind her, white wings attached to her back, and a shimmering golden halo above her head, brunette hair that somehow appeared to be white as well flowing softly down her back.
"Juliet…" Romeo quickly climbed up to his feet, reaching out for Juliet's hand. She immediately withdrew it from his reach and backed up, towards the oddly glowing, almost death-scented light. She seemed almost afraid of him…as if him touching her would take his life away from him, if he wasn't dead already. Why else would he be here, in this Heaven-like place, with…Juliet?
"Romeo…you cannot touch this hand anymore. You know that." Juliet waved sorrowfully at her former husband, her eyes revealing almost nothing.
"But…" Romeo started to protest, but Juliet lifted her hand once more and motioned for silence, her fingers practically on his lips. He could almost taste her…her sweet, sweet skin…
"Romeo…I am dead. There is nothing you can do about that, now." She began to retreat towards the light, facing Romeo all the while.
"Juliet! Juliet, wait! Please…please stay with me…I cannot go on alone…I cannot face the laughter and absolute contentment of the world without you to share the same things with me! I want you to live and breathe and enjoy life again…I want you to be alive once more!" He quickly began to bawl as she disappeared into the light noiselessly, her face revealing nothing, her lips speaking no words, leaving him draped in the depressing darkness that followed.
"Curse all of time! Why can I not reverse it and save my dearest Juliet! Why can I not…! …What ever did we do to deserve this…? Why take away the ONE THING that supplies me joy! Why erase the ONE PERSON that makes me happy! What ever did I do…what ever did Juliet do…to deserve such a final, such an everlasting and eternal punishment…?"
Masshiro na menazashi wa saigo no toki o moteamashiteru
In a bright white field of vision, at the end, time is uncontrollable
(That promise we made…we married, and we promised to take care of each other in our sickness and in our health…)
"Well, what about me, huh! Who is going to care for me, now that my wife is…! …dead." At that one single emotionally meaningful word, he burst into tears once more, letting the hot, almost burning liquid run slowly and freely down his pallid face.
(Our promise…it is valid no longer. I have no one to care for me in my sickness, I have no Juliet to care for when she herself is sick. Who...who will I spend my life with now? Should…should I just end it, here and now? Join Juliet on the other side, end all of this mourning and this unfair pain?)
Nagareochiru sono namida wa modorenai ano hi no yakusoku
The tears running off won't come back, the promise from that day
"Juliet…this is for you…my love. A painfully deep wound caused by the knife of our destiny. A painfully long death to tell you, my dearest wife, just how much I'll suffer to get to you…to make us one once more. Together, we will watch over the Earth…together, we will be rulers of all creation. You, who is an angel, will be mine forever again…" He picked up a large dagger from the ground, a dirty looking dagger that might not have been used in years. He hadn't brought it with him…he had just found it, laying there, beckoning his weak soul to use it. And use it he did.
"It might have been soaked in some poison or it might have been used to stab some unworthy soul…but today it will be used for my purpose. I need to get to Juliet…I need to touch her again!" He declared, shoving the dagger into his chest, not caring about the consequences, never thinking about his actions. He instantly felt a deep stab of pain, and he watched as the red liquid inside of him came out, making its presence fully known. It began to slowly but surely trickle down his white dress shirt, staining it and causing him unbearable pain. He moaned in terrible agony and slid to the ground unsteadily, his eyes shutting in nothing but pure pain.
(Oh…my Juliet…please wait for me…to get to you…)
He moaned again, pulling the dagger from his body and looking at the tip, his vision blurred from loss of blood. He weakly smiled, his spirit uplifted because now, he was going to join his darling wife. He couldn't wait to see her on the other side, couldn't wait to touch her beautiful face.
(While I was alive, fair Juliet, and you were dead, I was cut off from my feelings for you, from my love for you. I was unfulfilled. I was still in love with you…and I still am, of course. Death could never separate us, for our souls are one, our hearts and our spirits are one and the same. Now, we will be one in body once more, and those passions I felt for you will be once again fulfilled!))
Taemanaku afuredasu yokuboku wa mitasarenai
I was unfulfilled by the constantly overflowing passions
(Juliet…I want to touch you and make you mine once again…I want to claim you as my prize, as my wife…Juliet, come to me! Join me in angelic form and we shall continue our romance! …You cannot hear me even now. Even though I am no longer alive, you cannot hear me…
(Friar Laurence, Benvolio…I want to apologize to you, now… …I've caused you too much grief to bear…and my complaints about lacking Juliet as a companion were childish, I know. If only…if only I could tell you my apologies face to face…if only I could own a body once more, own a voice, own a heart, I could ease your unspeakable pains, maybe.. My body has fallen into disrepair…and I can no longer verbally thank you. But my words will reach your souls, I know. For if they are strong enough, maybe…just maybe you will accept my death as part of my destiny. It was only a matter of time before I died, anyway…I just made it sooner than it was supposed to come, that is all. I hope you both can forgive me…)
Honno sukoshi no aida de ii…hito no sugata ni modoritai
If only just for a little while…I want to return to human form
A bright white light surrounded the lifeless Romeo, and his soul came from the now useless body. Phantom Romeo glanced around the land with his ghoulish eyes, taking in everything with splendor. His deathly blue eyes, now actually derived of any color, widened in glee as he viewed the earth with a new vision.
"Romeo…" A voice called, ghostly in origin, neither male nor female. "Do you want to go to your parents and your friends and give them the apologies and the goodbyes you long to give them now?"
(Yes…I do! But what about Juliet…?)
"Then go…tell them what you need to and then come back. Come back and be with your Juliet." The voice said, ignoring Romeo's other thoughts that did not answer its question. Immediately Romeo could feel a heart beating beneath his ghost skin…it began to pulse and vibrate with the beating and humming of the heart that now temporarily belonged to him once more. He felt his vocal cords stretch and expand, and he breathed in, sighing. He had a voice! He had life!
"…Thank you!" He called, jumping in happiness at having a body once again, his face smiling, an expression he felt like he hadn't used in quite a while.. "I will come back! I need to see Juliet…I want to see her now, but…she tells me to say goodbye to everyone first. She asks me to send her apologies, as well."
Once more in the human world, Romeo tested his legs, finding them not weak from death, but stronger than they had been when he was alive. After noting this fact, he went immediately to his parent's house, pausing before the large, grand mahogany doors.
"Mother…Father…I apologize for being so childish…" He walked into the house uninvited, ignoring the butler leaning on the left wall, not even certain that the man could see him, for even though he was in human form, he was not positive that he was made up of the same genetic matter humans were made of, and therefore he could be some celestial being, simply non-existing to the unbelieving human eye.
He ran to his parents' bedroom, certain that they were in there, sleeping, though most likely not quite soundly. He might have been right, though their heads were barely visible beneath the big quilt blanket atop their curiously positioned forms-one was turned away from the other, and the one they were turned away from was turned face down into the pillow, and a sobbing noise could be heard, though whether it was being done through a dream or through reality Romeo could not tell. Cautiously he called their names:
"Mother…Father…are you awake?" His mother stirred, immediately sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily to see her son standing beside her large, four-post canopy bed. Her mouth open in awe, she shook her husband next to her, still half-asleep despite the half scream that had already come from his wife's daintily painted lips.
"What is it?" He asked gruffly, angrily glaring at his wife and then pausing to rub his own eyes. Then he saw Romeo standing silently, not two feet away from his wife, and his jaw dropped.
"Romeo…is that really you?" He was the only one who had the courage to speak.
"Yes…I have come with a troubling matter on my mind, and the only way I can make it dissipate is to tell you, as with any problem." He said, a gleaming hope in his eyes. He hoped his parents would understand…he hoped they would not shun his angelic form and proclaim him as a devil or something of the sort.
"Couldn't you tell us tomorrow?" Despite the humorous question, Romeo's father looked fearful of his former son, keeping far away from the apparition he assumed to be nefarious, planning for his and his wife's untimely and out-of-place deaths.
"Time…time is allowing me to only stay for a moment before I must go and speak to others, to apologize to them as I am you. So I will tell you this now-I sincerely apologize for killing myself…it was a childish thing to do, as are many of the things I did, once, and it was a childish thing that caused both you and Mother terrible grief…and I am afraid that I bear the responsibility for that. I hope my regret will erase your heart pains…please accept my apology." He stared at them expectantly, eyes flitting between husband and wife, waiting for a reaction. Still, his mother stared ahead mindlessly and his father's eyes were up somewhere in his brain, searching for words to say. Finally his father spoke, calm and collected.
"O Romeo…if you're going to erase the pains your death has caused us from our hearts…then you might as well kill us as well." He told the boy that was once his son, frowning in disapproval. He felt certain that the ghostly apparition would leave him be, now.
"DEVIL! Devil! Devil!" His mother began to scream. "Devil! There's a devil in our home!" Romeo looked with shock in his eyes at his mother, mouth open wide. He had never expected such a reaction from his parents, the two people he trusted most in the world. He thought that since they created him, they should be able to identify him as himself instead of a devil, but…was there some sort of difference between being dead and being alive?
"I suggest you go, devil, before you infect my wife with your evil any longer." Romeo's father said solomnly, his voice calm and even but his face wide with fear. Nodding in shock and in confusion, Romeo nodded and left, only getting outside before he realized that appearing to his parents after he was dead was a very bad idea. They weren't open-minded enough to guess that their son, even though he was dead now, had unfinished business to take care of and before his spirit would let him go away from the world forever, he had to take care of that business. Time had granted him that wish-and now he had to fulfill it.
Kokoro no itami o keshitekureru no nara mayowazu koroshite teokure yo
If you're going to erase the pains in my heart, then go right ahead and kill me
"Benvolio." Romeo said as he reached the front of the big stone house that only his cousin occupied, his parents having long since died. Without bothering to look around at the sheer beauty of the sleeping quaint little town, he stepped inside, not expecting to see what he saw.
Benvolio was awake, upstairs in his room, pacing around his bedroom.
"He's gone mad!" Romeo cried, watching the wide eyed man continue to pace, a deep frown on his face. He looked like he was about to kill himself any moment; Romeo HAD to get in there. Quickly he stepped inside the small, stone lined walls, watching Benvolio continue to pace as if Romeo was not there.
"Benvolio…how are you?" He asked, leaning himself against the wall, gazing back at the boy who looked so unthrilled to see his old pal.
"Stop playing tricks on me. I know it is you under there." Benvolio said simply, continuing to pace. His eyes were closed, his expression that of a tight, controlled grimace.
"It is who? Benvolio, I am Romeo! I have come to tell you somethi-"
"Do not bother. It will go right in one ear and out the other, so do not waste your breath."
"Then hold your ears so it does not come out." Romeo said. Benvolio stopped pacing and looked up at the boy that was in his room, opening his eyes finally. Did he finally understand that his friend was back for one last time just to wish him farewell?
"Romeo…that cannot truly be you…you are dead, are you not?" He squinched his eyes, trying to examine Romeo's every detail so that he could see if this was indeed his friend or not.
"Benvolio…I do not have enough time to explain how I got here, so I will simply tell you that since I am here now, it does not matter how I came to be. Just listen to my apologies and be thankful I had this little time to spend with you." Romeo was almost scolding his cousin, and Benvolio simply nodded, motioning for Romeo to talk. Either he was at a loss for words, or…he didn't care anymore.
"…I understand that you are lonely…after all, both Mercutio and I are now dead…and now you have got no one to converse with, I understand that you may scorn life at the moment. Listen: what is done is done. Yes, we are dead, but that does not mean that you are. Find yourself other friends, and at least be happy. When your time comes, I also want you to do something for me. Will you?" He got another nod, no questions asked about what his dead friend wanted. Did he trust this image enough to listen so intently? No talking whatsoever… "When it is your time to go, I want you to smile. For you will be joining Mercutio and I-we will be a team once more."
"I will do that for you, Romeo." Benvolio nodded, the frown on his face trying to move upward into a smile.
"I have to leave now…but since I have your promise, you have to smile for me during your demise, no matter what." Again, a nod.
"Goodbye, Romeo." Benvolio said, his face devoid of emotion, devioid of anything and everything that made him human. He was merely a shell of his former self now...
"Goodbye Benvolio." Romeo returned the farewell, and then he walked off, leaving his dark haired friend alone. And then Benvolio began to cry, sobbing his friend's names over and over again. How he wished to join them so badly…he wanted to be three again, as Romeo had said.
Samishii kao wa shinai de, saigo gurai wa warette hoshii
Don't look so lonely, at least at the end I want you to smile
"Romeo…" Benvolio held a dagger to his heart, tears streaking down his face, threatening to freeze right there on his face at the bitter, biting coldness of the practically starless night.
"Romeo…this is for you…I will join you and Mercutio and I will finally be happy…because Romeo, the truth is, I've never been happy since you and Mercutio left me!" He sobbed harder, the tears pouring from his face, dropping into a tiny puddle at his feet, a puddle he had created. "I want to join you, Romeo! I want to be happy just as much as anyone else! I can not let go of the past…I can not let go of my friends that once were! I want to be happy again…I want to laugh with you and be teased and know that nothing serious was meant. I want to see your smiling faces! And most of all, I want that sense of being, of living, of feeling complete and whole! I do not want to be uncomplete…" He raised the deathly pointy dagger to the area directly in front of his heart. And he forced a smile onto his pale face as he thrust the dagger into his heart. As the blood poured from his chest and as he flew down to the ground below him, he smiled once more, showing how happy he was to be leaving this cruel and torturous world. He remembered Romeo's request, and he kept his promise to the very end.
"Just…for…you…both…" And with his final breath he said those words, finally letting go of his life that was once so precious to him, now nothing but a burden. He welcomed the death, let it come over him, let his life finally end…and it ended with a smile. He was joining his friends, finally.
Omae dake ni wa
Just for you"O, husband of mine…hold me and tell me that our dead son was not just here! Tell me that it was just a dream, a horrible dream!" Lady Montague sobbed and clung to her husband, who was holding her and comforting her, all the while trying to convince himself, too, that his son had just been to their house, had just been in their room, at the foot of their bed, speaking to them as softly and as kindly as he would have spoken to them had he been alive.
"I am just realizing, wife, how much of a son he really was… He was so brave, and so handsome, and we let him slip away…if we had only watched him then we would have been able to protect him from what has been his cruel Fate…" Lord Montague slammed his fist on the hard wood that made up their bed. Lady Montague took his hand in hers, dainty skin to rough, and caressed it softly, her eyes soft and caring.
"Husband, was it really our son who came to our room tonight?" She asked, her voice still soft.
"…Yes, it was he. Not an apparition, not a devil of some kind, but I believe that the ghost that came to our room was indeed our son." He replied almost silently, laying back down on the pillow, burying his face in the pillow so as to shed his tears in private.
"Are we…worthless?"
"Why would you ask something like that? We are a very high standing family in the community!"
"No…I mean to our son." Lady Montague began to cry, removing her hand from her husband's and using it to wipe away her tears. "If we would have protected him…then he might still be alive."
"No, I think it was an inevitable thing. If we would have tried to stop him, we would just be holding him back and he would have done it anyway. All we would have done would be to make him suffer even more. I believe…that either way, Romeo would have died…either by the hands of himself over love or by his own hands over us choking his depression." Lord Montague maintained his usual business tone of voice while inside, he was crying his eyes out. If only his wife wasn't there…he could break his strong barrier and bawl and bawl and bawl, just like he used to when he was a tiny baby. But his wife was not his mother, and she would not hold him as his mother had. She would only scorn him for his weakness, and his reputation would be tarnished forever.
"I still feel terribly guilty…" And with that Lady Montague climbed out of the wooden bed frame, clad only in her rather skimpy nightgown, shuffling towards the heavy wooden door and sniffling as she left her husband alone to mourn by himself.
Later that night, after she had done some serious thinking, all of her husband's business-like replies to her questions that had required serious thinking and honest replies that came from the heart seemed to just make her suicide fall into place, just fit into the puzzle. Her life really didn't matter anymore, now that she had no son…and so she held a dagger to her heart, much like Benvolio had before his suicide, the suicide that he had dedicated to the friends that he would join soon after his death, and much like Romeo had before his suicide to join Juliet.
"Husband…if only I could figure out my meaning now…but perhaps I will come back and I will know what life means… Until then, I say farewell to you, faithful companion." A tear dripped from the woman's young face and she didn't bother to wipe it away as she plunged the dagger into her chest. The sweet blood flowed across her skin, turning the light and beautiful unbroken porcelean into broken glass, the blood creating the cracks. The blood was her beauty, and as it flowed away from her dying body her beauty wavered until it was no more, and then her face became colorless and her hand reached out toward the light in front of her open blue eyes. Blood dripped from all openings in her face and then she was gone, her beauty sapped from her by death like a vampire saps energy from his unfortunate victims.
Meanwhile, Lord Montague was comfy in his bed, contemplating his own purpose and meaning. He had not one spare thought for his wife, lying dead in one of the towers of their castle.
"Oh, Romeo, look what doom your death has brought to this castle…" He frowned deeply, a disturbing frown, as he pulled a small dagger out from underneath his pillow. "When I die, my wealth will be lost. Am I willing to sacrifice such a thing?" Without even waiting for his own reply, without even caring, he mechanically moved that small dagger towards his heart, his eyes blank and his face glum. As the blood ran over his hands, he closed his dull brown eyes and let Death claim him.
Kokyuu o kurikaesu
Take another breath
At the Capulets', everything was chaos. After poor Juliet's funeral, both of the Capulets' were feeling grim, and one could have figured that their fate was to be the same as the Montague's and Benvolio's. Both of the Montagues had been found yesterday, and the town was in an outrage. 'No one as famous and as well-loved as the Montague's would commit suicide,' the townspeople said, their faces astounded at such a suggestion. However, the Capulets knew the extent of the Montague's depression over their son's death, for even though they were enemies, they were feeling similar to how the Montagues must have felt before they died.
And, proving they felt as such, and to prove to the townspeople that rich people died as well and not with insane smiles on their faces because they died well-protected with all the wealth one could ever possibly want, and yearning for their daughter Juliet to return to them, both of the Capulets committed suicide as well, both dying with a small, satisfied smile on their faces and a dagger through their hearts. Both of them died as 3 others had died already…and over the same tragedy. Their deaths struck the small village of Verona hard, and each member of the town was in mourning. Little did they know, more had yet to come…
Hitsuyou na mono wa mitsukarazu
You can't find what's important
Paris sat back against the jeweled chair in his dining room, the world silent around him, permitting complete stillness to give his mourning effect.
"O Juliet…why could I not save you? How did I not know that the royal horse you rode so gracefully upon was sick and dying? How did I not know that the horse would collapse atop of you and claim your life?" He moaned, reaching up towards his temples and caressing them harshly. His headache had been everlasting since the lovely Juliet's death, and it had been stubbornly pursuing him since then without a single sign of letting up.
(I just want to die…I want to join Juliet and I want to get away from this suffering…)
For endless nights he had been mourning, and to him it was now a world of death for him. He had heard about the deaths of the Montagues, the Capulets, Romeo, and his friend Benvolio. Perhaps…perhaps it was his turn now. Perhaps it was his time to die now.
"Everyone dies sometime…Fate is telling me that now…is my time. Now it is my turn to discover what treasures are on the other side of Life." Curiosity eroded him, pulsing through his veins, as he picked up a jeweled dagger that rested by his hand. Silently he toyed with it, his thoughts blazing, bouncing back and forth inside his head. He dropped the dagger, his hands at his temples once more.
(Just…end this pain right now…please…)
Without a second thought, he scooped up the dagger and brought it to his neck.
"Hello…Juliet…" He sliced it across his skin, feeling the cold blood stream down his white dress shirt and down onto the purple cushioned chair below him. As his vision began to fade out, he silently watched the red liquid pool at his feet, dripping from the legs of the cheery wood chair.
"Goodbye…cruel world of Mortality…" With that he dropped from the chair, his blonde hair soaking up the crimson essence of life that lie on the floor. His eyes rolled back in his head and the blank pupils rested on the plain white ceiling as the fresh sunlight announcing a new day seeped in through the windows. And he was dead.
Subete o yasuragi o kowasu
Destroy all the peace
The Prince sat in his high backed, royal chair, his face grim. Nearby a young boy sat in a chair identical to the Prince's, a notepad in one hand, a feather pen in the other.
"Death has plagued our small town of Verona, plagued it with the foul stench of Destiny. It struck poor Juliet Capulet first, then it took Romeo, Benvolio, the Montagues, the Capulets, and Paris as well. I am positive that others who are so emotionally affected by young Juliet's death will surely commit suicide as well, if something is not done, and done quickly." He began, feeling depressed. Over the past 2 weeks, seven more people had died, and all seven were connected in the same way-Juliet. Romeo had been Juliet's friend, and when he had committed suicide he had affected Benvolio and his parents, and Juliet's death had, in turn, affected both her parents and Paris.
"Yes…this is a very tragic, very delicate situation indeed. There's no telling if there will be more deaths. We should tread carefully, my Lord." The young boy said, brushing light copper strands of hair from his face. He scribbled some notes on the paper in front of him.
"I think…that a public warning would be best." The weary Prince said. He was so distraught by all of the suicides…surely each one of the victims knew what consequences became of suicide. The penalty for it was…eternity in Hell.
"Yes, my Lord. Shall I arrange it?" The boy started to rise from his chair.
"Yes, Simon, please arrange it." He said, waving the boy away. Simon stepped out the door, glancing back at the older man in the chair, slumped over with a deep frown on his wrinkled face. Then he left.
(Juliet's death…was an accident…it was no one's fault…but yet Fate retaliated and killed seven more people in its anger. Yes, it was an accident…but t'was a fatal one that cost people their lives, their futures..)
Onaji ayamachi o kurikaesu
Make the same mistake over again
The Prince stoodon a high pedistal above the fair, small town of Verona. His deep, commanding voice boomed royally, his accent becoming more and more distinct.
"We need to stop this way of life!" He cried. "Young Juliet Capulet's death was a mistake, yes, but it was a mistake that should not have been made, for it cost more than one life. We shall not feel anger toward them, or hate of any kind, but we should feel pity and we should feel sadness. No one could stop their poor souls from achieving their destiny-which, rather unfortunately, was to cause this tragedy, so do not feel malice to them! These people-the Montagues, the Capulets, the nobleman Paris, and young Benvolio and young Romeo, they lived their lives with reckless abandon! While they suffer in Hell forever, we must atone for their sins!"
The small crowd roared in agreement, a few rambunctious men shouting their own opinions, all along the same lines.
"We have to stop this tragedy from continuing on!"
"No one else must die!"
"Save Verona from this idiotic curse!"
"Yes, citizens of fair Verona, we must prevent this curse from striking once more! We must atone for them, and we must forgive the tears that they shed in mourning! Then, and only then, will their sins be forgiven and this tragedy ceased." The Prince roared, receiving a loud agreement from the wide-awake crowd.
Dare ni mo tomeru koto wa dekinai futari dake ni yurusareta wakare no namida wa
No one could stop them, the tears only we could forgive at our parting
"Citizens of fair Verona, I propose a promise." The Prince felt tears come to his eyes as he considered the pain that those young and old suicide victims must be facing in Hell at that moment. He took in the cheers of the rowdy citizens with silent acknowledgement, basking in the excitement. He waited until the cheers ceased and then he took in a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.
"I propose…" He closed his eyes, concentrating. "…That we make a promise. We will help our old friends, and we will right their deadly mistakes. We will hereby prohibit suicide in this town, and we will set an example for our young ones. We will swear to keep this kind of fatal mistake from happening again. We will never allow another distorted soul in this town!"
"Yeah!" Everyone instantly yelled their agreement, and the Prince nodded once.
"Let's stop this horror!"
"Cease the trauma!"
"No more suicide!"
"Very well, fair citizens. We shall promise, forever and ever from now on, that we will prevent acts of suicide from happening! Promise with me, now, swear it on your life. We must prevent such a tragedy from repetition…" He preached, closing his eyes again and chanting along with every single citizen. Their voices became one, promising to prevent any more suicide, preventing any dramatic situation from occuring again. And it was so, on that day, suicide and intense mourning was banned. The mistakes were never repeated again.
Kurikaesu ayamachi o koko de owarasu tame no kako no yakusoku
The past promise we made to stop the mistakes from repeating over again
Author's Notes: Okay! So…it's been a long time since I've posted. :teardrop: And it's summertime, whee! I've got many, many stories planned for this summer, only problem is that I might not begin to write them for a while. I've got a really good original story that I'm writing, and lately I've been working on that more than anything else! But I was feeling in the mood for Romeo and Juliet, so I managed to finish this. It's been on my computer for a while now, I just never got to it…and now it's done!
So yes, this was a songfic (yes, another! Take a peek at my other stories: there are so many songfics there!) to Camui Gakuto-sama's 'Lust for Blood.' It was my very first Gackt song, and it's also my favorite! I wanted to wait a bit longer to post this…but I can always redo it if people are unsatisfied with what I've written!
And, as it says on my profile, if you are interested in acquiring this artist's songs, just go ahead and ask me! My email is on my profile page thingy, and all you have to do is request my list of his songs and I'll get right on sending you it! (I'm very good about that type of thing!)
And, as always, please review! I just absolutely love feedback! And waking up to reviews isn't half bad either. ;)
So bye, and I hope you enjoyed my story!