Touya and Keikou, Act III Scene 1

Act III, Scene 1

Vash and Kensei were walking along a crowded street later that afternoon. "I ask you, Kensei, lets go home," Vash asked Kensei. "It’s a hot day and there are Capulets everywhere. If we meet one, we won’t be able to escape a fight, since the heat fires everyone’s attitudes."

"You’re just like someone who would dare pick a fight with me," Kensei replied. "And then who goes and gets drunk and picks a fight with a waiter."

Vash blinked amusedly. "Am I like that?"

"You are." Kensei nodded. "You would go around looking for Capulets to fight. And you would soon provoked to be angry." Kensei nodded again.

Vash looked at him amusedly. "And to what?"

"You all find any little excuse to fight." Kensei pointed at Vash’s eyes. "Like, if someone has hazel eyes, and you have turquoise. Or," he pointed to Vash’s hair, "if they have red hair and you have yellow." Kensei crossed his arms and nodded. "You Montagues and Capulets are all alike."

Vash raised his eyebrow. "And if I were so fond of fighting as you are, any man should buy ownership of my life for cheap." He looked down the street and frowned. "By my head, here comes the Capulets."

Kensei jumped up onto a wall and stuck his foot in Vash’s face. "By my heel, I care not."

Vash swatted at Kensei’s foot. Across the street, Plush turned to her two friends, Kuronue and Lina Inverse. "Follow me, and I’ll take care of them." They nodded, and Plush smirked and walked over to Vash and Kensei, with her friends following. "Good evening, men. I want to talk to one of you."

Kensei put his hands on his hips in a studly manner. "Only one word with one of us?" He shook his head and sat down on the wall. "Pair it with something!" He held up his fists. "Make it a word and a blow." He kicked at Vash, who just nearly dodged him.

Plush continued smirking. "You’ll find me happy enough to do that, but you will first give me what I want." She crossed her arms over her baggy orangish red shirt.

"Can you get what you want without giving?" Kensei asked as he dangled his feet off the wall.

Plush smirked back at Lina and Kuronue, then grabbed Kensei’s foot and pulled him down to the ground. She loomed over him as she glared down at him with distaste. "Kensei. You hang out with Touya."

Kensei stood up and wiped off his butt. "Yeah, your point?" he asked as he glared at her.

Vash, sensing a fight, stepped between them, pushing both of them back gently, "We’re in public, guys," he reminded them. "Just go to some private place, talk out your problems peacefully, or else depart. Here all eyes are on us."

"Eyes are made to look," Kensei replied sternly. "I will not move just because people are looking." He glared coldly at Plush.

Plush smirked as she spotted Touya coming towards them. "Well, you’re not worth my time anyhow," she said to Kensei. "Here comes the man I’m looking for."

"You’re looking to start a fight with him, aren’t you, Plush?" Kensei asked, still glaring. Touya walked up to them and looked between them.

Completely ignoring Kensei, Plush looked at Touya, her smirk gone and her eyes filled with hate. "Touya, the love I have for you can give no better term than this." She took a step towards him and jabbed at his chest with a finger. "You are a bloody villain!"

Touya smiled and shook his head. "Hello to you too, Plush. I am no villain. Therefore, goodbye. You know nothing of me." He bowed in a mocking way and Kensei clapped.

"Boy, that doesn’t excuse the insults and injury that you’ve done me!" she screamed, pushing him back so he was facing her again. "Therefore, turn and draw!" She put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Touya shook his head again. "Plush, I must say I have never injured you. I only love you better than myself," he said in a genki way. Kensei raised his eyebrow. "And so, good Capulet, which name I regard as dearly as my own, be satisfied."

Touya turned to walk away, but Kensei grabbed his arm. "What is wrong with you?!" He turned to Plush. "Since Touya won’t fight you," he drew his sword, "I will."

Plush recovered from her shock of Touya’s pacifism and looked at Kensei. "What do you want from me?" she asked annoyedly, as she hadn’t been paying attention to him.

"To fight! I cannot let you leave after you have been so rude!" He pointed his sword at Plush.

Plush grinned as she drew her sword as well. "Oki doki, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!"

"Come, fight!" Kensei jabbed at Plush, and she dodged. Everyone but Touya stepped back to give them space to fight. "Kensei! Put away your sword!" he pleaded of Kensei. Kensei just ignored him and started blocking as Plush set a furious bout of attacks on him.

Touya pulled out his sword. "Vash, help me stop their fight!" He attempted to get between Plush and Kensei. "The Prince has forbidden this fighting in Verona’s streets! Hold, Plush! Good Kensei!" He beat down Kensei’s sword and wile Kensei had his guard down to glare at Touya, Plush dodged around Touya and stabbed Kensei in the stomach.

Kuronue grabbed Plush’s arm. "C’mon, lets go!" he insisted, dragging her and Lina away.

"Haha, I win!" Plush yelled, running off with her friends.

"Nani?!" Lina’s fading voice yelled as she was dragged off. "Just let me finish ‘em off! I can do it! Let me go! Fire--" At that point, she was shut up before she could blow up the whole town.

Kensei fell onto Touya. "I am hurt." He grabbed Touya’s sleeve and looked up at him. "A plague on both your houses! I am done for." He looked back at where Plush should have been. "Is she gone without a wound?"

Vash took Kensei into his own arms, lying him down. "How badly are you hurt?" he asked him worriedly.

"Just a scratch..." Kensei leaned onto Vash’s arm and coughed up blood. "But it is enough." He pointed to a random citizen who had been watching the fight. "You! Go find me a doctor!" The random citizen nodded and ran off.

Touya kneeled down beside Kensei and Vash. "You cannot have been hurt that bad."

Kensei looked at him. "It’s true that it is not that deep, nor that wide, but tis enough." He smirked. "If you ask for me tomorrow, you will find me a grave man." He nodded and winced. "I am finished off! A plague on both your houses!" He grabbed the front of Touya’s shirt. "Why the hell did you come between us?! I was stabbed under your arm!"

"What?" Touya stared at him. "I thought it would help..."

Kensei grabbed Vash’s arm again. "Vash, help me inside, I don’t want to die in the street." He looked at Touya as Vash helped him up. "A plague on both your houses! They have made worm’s food out of me. I am too hot for that. Curse this day!" he declared as Vash helped him inside.

Touya just stood there in shock with his fists clenched. "This man, the Prince’s cousin, and my best friend, has taken this wound in my behalf." He slammed his fist into the wall where Kensei had made fun of Plush. "My reputation is stained with Plush’s slander. Plush..." He turned and glared off in the direction Plush had ran after wounding Kensei. "You have been my cousin by marriage for only an hour." He banged his head against the wall. "Oh sweet Keikou, your beauty has made me soft."

Vash ran out of the building then. "Touya, Kensei is dead!" he yelled.

Touya clenched his fist again. "This day’s black fate waits in suspense on the future." He closed his eyes as he blinked back tears. There was a crackling of thunder from overhead, and both he and Vash looked up. It had gotten dark and cloudy, and appeared as if it was about to rain. "This but begins the woe future days must end."

They spotted Plush across the street, talking to Kuronue and Lina Inverse. "Here comes the furious Plush back again," Vash said with outrage as Plush walked over to see what had become of Kensei.

Touya glared at her. "Alive in triumph, and Kensei dead!" Plush smirked at him. "Now, Plush, take the ‘villain’ back again that recently you called me, for Kensei is dead! And either you or both of us will join him!"

Plush crossed her arms, turning away from him. "Your own fault, baka." She turned and faced him, her smirk back. "But if you insist on challenging me, then you shall be the one to join your friend!" she yelled, drawing her sword once again.

"We’ll see about that!" Touya replied as he kicked up Kensei’s fallen sword. Plush wasted no time in attacking him. She used her furious bout of strikes once again. Touya blocked each blow, and when Plush paused to take a break, he jabbed at her neck.

Plush dodged her head down and took a swipe at Touya’s legs. He barely managed to jump over her sword and landed off balance. Plush took that opportunity to jab at his heart.

Touya dodged and while Plush’s arm was still outstretched, he thrust his sword into her chest. She stumbled back and fell into Kuronue. He caught her and pulled the sword out of her chest. "I’ll be back..." she muttered as her eyes closed and she became limp.

Vash stared at the scene, then regained his senses. "Touya, get out of here!" he yelled at him. "The citizens are coming, and the Prince will give you death if he finds you here!"

Touya dropped Kensei’s sword and stared at the deceased Plush. "Why do I have such crappy fortune?" he mumbled to himself.

Vash gave him a gentle push away from the large mob that was coming towards them. "Hurry," he whispered. Touya nodded and rushed off to Jewish friar Aohiki’s temple.

The random citizen Kensei had sent to find a doctor walked up to Vash. "Where is that murderer, Plush, that killed Kensei?"

Vash pointed to Plush, who had been layed in the ground by Kuronue. "Right there."

Alerted by each of their servants, Prince Hiei, Yusuke, Lady Kaoru, Kazuma, and Lady Nekoko reached the mob from their own homes. Prince Hiei looked at Vash in a pissed off way. "Who started this fight?!

Vash sat down so he was on even level with Prince Hiei. "I can tell you the whole story of the fight," he said sadly. "Plush here was slain by Touya after killing your kinsman, Kensei."

Lady Nekoko fell to her knees and stared at Plush’s body. "No..." she whispered. "Plush!!" She started to sob softly. "No!! You were too cool to die, especially by a Montague!!"

Kazuma bent down next to her and put a comforting arm around her, although it was obvious he was holding back tears. Lady Nekoko threw herself onto him and cried into his shirt.

Prince Hiei looked at Vash. "Vash, who began this bloody fight?" he asked.

Vash took a deep breath. "Plush came over to Kensei and I and asked us where Touya was. Touya came over just then and Plush challenged him to fight, of which he refused. All this was calmly said, but Plush could not take the peace, and she threw her sword at Kensei and they begun to fight point to point. Touya cried for them to stop, and his arm beat down their swords and he rushed between them, when Plush took her chance and stabbed Kensei under Touya’s arm, and then with her two friends ran. After a moment, though, she came back to Touya, who was filled with the desire for revenge, and they went at it like lightning, and before I could stop them, Plush was slain, and as she fell, Touya ran." Vash then closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "This is all true, or else let me die."

"He’s lying!" Lady Nekoko yelled in protect, looking up from her Kazuma’s chest. "He’s a bloody Montague!" She stood up. "I want justice, which you must give, Prince Hiei! Touya killed Plush; he must pay!"

Prince Hiei looked up at her. "Touya slew her, yet she slew Kensei." He then looked down at the ground, deep in thought. "Who now shall pay the price of this blood spilt?"

"Not Touya," Yusuke insisted, stepping in. "He was Kensei’s friend. His fault did the law’s job; taking Plush’s life."

Prince Hiei looked up at him, his mind made. "And for that fault he shall be immediately exiled! My family blood for your stupid family feuds has been lost, and so you shall all pay for my loss." As everyone started to open their mouths to argue, Prince Hiei smirked. "I won’t listen to pleading and excuses, so don’t even try. Go find Touya, and when he is found, give him one hour." He started to walk away from the crowd, but stopped and looked back. "And don’t think I’m going easy on you ningen. Next time I will not be so nice." He then disappeared, and rustling was heard in the nearest tree as everyone stared.