Romeo and Juliet--Japanese style!

        “Who’s there?” It is a sonorous voice, echoing in the night, so powerful that it stops me dead in my tracks. For a few seconds we stand in silence. I do not dare to turn around to face him. I cannot.

 

        “You can come, you know,” His tone grows less harsh. Perhaps that he saw I am a girl in the moonlight and decided he didn’t want to frighten me that much. “I don’t bite.”

 

        “Who are you?” I stand up straighter, my back still facing him.

 

        “Tatsuya,” He replies. “Tatsuya Aoki.”

 

        My blood runs cold. Aoki. He is an Aoki.

 

        “What’s your name?” he continues to ask.

 

        I gulp. If I tell him I was a Tanaka, he would kill me for sure.  

 

        The silence continues to hang between us.

 

        And then there was a slight, silent noise, and suddenly he is standing beside me on the wall. “There,” He brushes himself off and bows to me. I return a bow.

 

        “Chiyoko Suzuki,” I manage to lie last minute, although I do not know why I decide to open my mouth at all, “Hello.”

 

        He smiles and I exhale with relief. He does not detect my lie, but I keep my gaze on my boots in case my eyes betray me. “Hello. Mind if I ask what you are doing in the Tanaka garden?”

 

        “Huh? Oh. Uh… Not at all,” I let out a nervous laugh, trying to think of an excuse besides the fact that I basically live there. Deciding that it was best not to arouse suspicion by telling what almost the truth is, I began to tell my story. “I was just stealing an antidote. From Haru Tanaka. I saw him poison a man on the doorstep of this house today and I thought I ought to help him.”

 

        Even although I couldn’t see his face I could feel his gaze intently on me. I swallow.

 

        “I really should be going,” I babble, “They might have found out. And if they have they will be hunting me. I want to be as far from here as possible if that happens.” I turn quickly and try to leap from the wall, but he catches me, his large, slender hand engulfing mine. My cheeks turn crimson red.

 

        “If they come, we’ll fight them together,” he tells me, “Stay a while. Tell me the name of the man you want to help.” His dark eyes are full of rage in the dark and I wonder why.

 

        “I do not know for sure,” I say cautiously, “But I believe he might have been related to you. Satoru Aoki?”

 

        He looks down. “He was my youngest brother.”

 

        There is a sick feeling at the pit of my stomach and my voice trembles. “Was?”

 

        “He died an hour ago. Consumed by poison.” His fists are clenched.  

Author's Note

I don't think this scene is quite finished, but this is all I've got so far. Romeo and Juliet, Japanese style, in PRESENT TENSE! Feel free to correct my tense because I am so used to past tense I might mess up present. :) There are lots of things I feel iffy about! :) Here it is. Hope you likey!