Touya and Keikou, Act III Scene 5

Act III Scene 5

The next morning, the rain had stopped and the storm that seemed to have hit Verona had reached its eye. It was barely light out because the sun had not quite broken the horizon.

Touya hurried out onto the balcony outside Keikou’s bedroom. He had quickly gotten his pants on, but was still shirtless. Keikou ran out after him and grabbed his arm before he could climb down the rope ladder hanging off the balcony. She only had a bed sheet wrapped around herself. "Are you leaving now?" she asked as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "It is nowhere near sunrise." Touya turned around and wrapped his arms around her; she leaned against his bare chest. "It was the nightingale you heard, not the lark. The nightingale often sings at night in the garden. Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

Touya placed his hand under Keikou’s chin and tilted her face up to look at him. "It was the lark, bringer of the morning. Look," he nodded towards the east, "The sunlight streaks over the misty mountaintops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die."

Keikou shook her head and smiled up at him. "That light is not daylight. It is only some kind of star. Therefore stay. You don’t need to leave yet."

Touya smiled back down at her. "I have more care to stay than will to go. You’re right, it is not day yet." He closed his eyes, leaned his head down, and starting kissing her long and passionately.

Keikou closed her eyes and kissed him back. They continued kissing for several minutes, and Touya slowly moved his hand from Keikou’s back, to her shoulder, then to the area around her collarbone, and down inside the bed sheet, when Keikou heard the chirping of a bird.

"It is the lark!" she exclaimed as she pushed Touya back lightly. "And it is getting lighter and lighter. You must leave now."

Nurse Michi poked her head out onto the balcony, raising an amused eyebrow. "Keikou-chan?"

Keikou turned around. "Yes, Michi?"

Nurse Michi stepped out onto the balcony, wearing a lavender coloured nightgown that was partly see-through. "Your mum is on her way to your room," she warned, looking out towards the east. "The day’s broke, be careful." She then bowed and walked inside.

Keikou sighed and looked at Touya. "Let day in, and life out."

Touya hugged her. "I must go now." He tilted up her chin again. "One more kiss and I’ll descend." They quickly kissed, then Touya turned and started to climb down the rope ladder off the balcony.

Keikou leaned over the balcony rail as she watched Touya lightly jump down onto the ground. "Touya, do you think we will ever meet again?"

Touya smiled up at her. "I’m sure of it."

Keikou frowned. "Unless my eyes deceive me, you look pale."

"And trust me, love, in my eyes so do you. We are pale with grief. Goodbye, my love," Touya said as he quickly hurried out of the garden.

"Goodbye..." Keikou sighed as she walked inside and threw on her night dress.

Lady Nekoko poked her head inside. "Hey, Keikou, are you up?"

"Yes..." Keikou replied as she lay on her bed face down.

"What’s wrong?" Lady Nekoko asked, sitting down next to her.

"I am not well..." Keikou replied, a little muddled because she was speaking into the sheet.

"Still weeping for your cousin’s death?" Lady Nekoko blinked.

"You let me weep for such a great loss."

"You will feel the loss, but not the friend which you weep for." Lady Nekoko sighed.

"Feeling such a loss, I cannot choose but to weep for the friend," Keikou muttered as she pushed herself onto her side so she could breathe. Fresh tears rolled out of her eyes.

"Well, you weep not as much for her death than for the fact that her murderer lives," Lady Nekoko said, her anger rising.

"The murderer?" Keikou repeated as she wiped her eyes and looked at her mother.

"That same villain Touya!"

"No one grieves my heart like him." Keikou sighed.

"That’s because the murderer lives!" Lady Nekoko clenched her first.

"And I wish none but I may venge my cousin’s death," Keikou said with double meaning.

"Oh, we’ll get vengence for it, don’t worry," Lady Nekoko reassured her, smiling. "I’ll send someone to Mantua where he now lives, and he’ll make sure that villain will keep Plush company!"

"I never shall be satisfied till I see Touya... dead... is my poor heart. If you could find a man who could bear a poison to him, how my heart aches to hear him named and cannot go to him to wreak the love I bore my cousin upon his body that slaughtered her." (Kinky.)

Lady Nekoko chuckled. "Well, you have a careful father. He has sorted out a sudden day of joy for you in order to make you happy."

"Happy?" Keikou tilted her head. "During this unhappy time?"

"Yeah, well, I don’t get it either," Lady Nekoko agreed. "But next Thursday morning, the sexy Jin at Friar Aohiki’s temple shall make you a happy bride!"

"Not at Friar Aohiki’s temple, or by Friar Aohiki, shall I be made a happy bride!" Keikou jumped up and glared at Lady Nekoko. "Tell my father I will not marry! And if I do, I’d rather marry Touya, whom you know I hate, than Jin!"

"Hey, don’t yell at me!" Lady Nekoko yelled, standing up. "Tell him yourself."

At that moment, Kazuma walked in, with Nurse Michi still in her nightgown timidly following. Nurse Michi immediately hurried to Keikou and put her arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. Keikou snuggled up to her, then sat back down, still in her arms.

"Still crying, girl?" Kazuma asked, looking at Keikou. "You have so many tears for such a young girl." He then looked at his wife. "Nekoko, have you told her about it?"

Lady Nekoko gulped. "Yes, sir, but she thanks us and refuses."

Kazuma blinked. "Wait, let me understand you. She won’t?" Lady Nekoko nodded, and Kazuma’s rage started to build. "Does she not give us thanks? Is she not proud? Does she not think herself blessed, unworthy as she is, that we have found so wonderful a bishi to be her husband?!" He turned and glared at Keikou.

"Not proud you have, sir, but thankful you have. I can never be proud of something I hate, but thankful even for hate that is meant love," Keikou replied timidly.

"How, how, how, how?!" Kazuma demanded, continuing his glaring. "What is this?! ‘Proud,’ yet ‘not proud,’ ‘I thank you,’ yet ‘I thank you not’?! Daughter, you prepare your fine joints for next Thursday to go with Jin to Friar Aohiki’s temple, or I will drag you there! Out, you good-for-nothing woman!" He rose his hand in anger as if to strike Keikou, but Lady Nekoko grabbed his arm with both of hers as Nurse Michi pulled Keikou close to herself protectively.

"Stop, stop, are you mad?!" Lady Nekoko screamed at him.

Keikou pushed Nurse Michi away lightly and kneeled down in front of Kazuma. "Good father, I ask you on my knees, hear me with patience, speak but a word."

Kazuma glared down at her. "Disobedient daughter. I tell you what. You get to temple on Thursday, or never look me in the face again." He looked at Keikou’s shocked, pale face. "Don’t speak and don’t answer me." He looked to Lady Nekoko. "Wife, we thought us blessed that Kami-sama had lent us this one and only child, but I see it is one too much. She is a curse, this good-for-nothing."

"She is not!" Nurse Michi spoke up, standing up and pulling Keikou up with her, pulling her closer protectively. "She is a good Jewish girl, and you are to blame if you say anything else." Nurse Michi then glared at him.

Kazuma glared back. "And why, my Lady Wisdom?" he asked sarcastically. "Hold your tongue. Your gossips are not worth my time."

"I speak no wrong," Nurse Michi replied. He continued to glare at her. "May one not speak?"

"Quiet, you mumbling bitch!" Kazuma yelled, pushing her aside. "Utter your gossip somewhere else, for we don’t need it here."

Nurse Michi caught her balance and stood next to Keikou, glaring at Kazuma still, but she didn’t say anything.

"You are too fiery," Lady Nekoko told him.

"Always my care for her has been loving and long," Kazuma ranted, glaring still at Keikou. "And now when I find a suitable bishi for her, with many honourable parts," Lady Nekoko raised her eyebrows," she answers ‘I won’t wed, I cannot love. I am too young. I beg you, pardon me.’" For Keikou speaking, he used a squeaky, high-pitched voice. "Yes, I’ll pardon you! Go where you will, you shall not live with me. Think about it. Thursday is near. And if you don’t marry that sexy thing, then I’ll leave you on the streets to hang, beg, starve, die." He looked down at her coldly as he turned to leave. "And I’ll never acknowledge you as my own. Think about it, as my mind is set." He then walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Is there no pity for me from heaven?" Keikou asked, burying her head in Nurse Michi’s shoulder. Then she looked up at Lady Nekoko through teary eyes. "Sweet mother, don’t cast me away," she pleaded of her mother. "Delay this marriage for a month, a week! Or, if you do not, make my bridal bed in that dim monument where Plush lies."

Lady Nekoko sighed. "Sorry, but I can’t do anything to help. Do what you want." And with that, she left the room after Kazuma.

Keikou fell over and started crying in Nurse Michi’s lap. "Michi! How shall this be prevented? Is heaven just screwing with me?" She looked up at her. "What should I do?"

Nurse Michi looked down at her sadly, stroking her hair. "You want to know what I truly feel?" Keikou nodded. "Alright. Touya is banished, and he cannot for the world come back, and even if he can, it would be by stealth. As it is now..." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I think it’s best you be married to Jin. He’s a wonderful bishi! He’s got the Capulet red hair, too. Touya just didn’t cut it. I think you could be happy in this second match." She bent over and kissed Keikou’s head, tears brimming in her eyes, as she knew how much this heart Keikou. "I’m sorry, love. We tried as hard as we could, but it just wasn’t meant to happen."

Keikou stared at her. "You speak from your heart?"

Nurse Michi nodded. "From my soul, too, or else damn them both."

"Well, you have comforted me marvelously," Keikou said sarcastically. "Go tell my father that since I have displeased him so, I am going to Friar Aohiki."

Nurse Michi nodded, standing up and pulling Keikou up with her, gently giving her a light hug. "I will, and this is a wise choice." She kissed Keikou on the cheek. "I’m sorry," she whispered into her ear. "I love you." She then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Keikou glared at the door. "Damn you, Michi," she hissed at the door. "You were always one second praising Touya, the next damning him. Be gone, for I will never tell my secrets to you again." She quickly walked around getting dressed in a black dress that had a veil fish-net kind of material for her collar and sleeves, and had white strings across her stomach and white tips at the end. "I will go talk to Aohiki, and if she cannot help me..." She pulled a small dagger out of a drawer and put it on her belt. "I have the power to kill myself." And with that she turned and strode out of her bedroom.