C&C would be great.  Henry...you really *don't* want to read this.  Trust me.


Exit Music (for a Film)

adapted by Sean Gaffney
original lyrics (C) 1997 Radiohead
characters (C) 1997 Rumiko Takahashi


     He awakes from a dreamless sleep.  He can't even remember the last time 
he
dreamed.  He knows that he used to.  Dreams of a happy home, cooking, 
cleaning,
waiting for his wife at the door with tea...
     Her father shattered that idea.  Winning, she must win, she must beat 
him.
A steady litany, repeated over and over, until it became meaningless.  At 
first
he had thought it was cute.  Before the injuries became serious, before he 
made
them prisoners.
     Before the light in his fiancee's eyes finally went out.
     Tonight would be the final attempt.  He had already told them what would
happen if they defied him again.  Nevertheless, they had to try.  He silently
moved to the futon next to his, and tried to shake the woman awake.

Wake from your dreams
The drying of your tears
Today we escape
We escape

     She whimpered quietly.  The dreams had never stopped for her.  
Nightmares,
every night, of betrayal and hatred.  Of failure, remaining as she was every
day of her life.
     He bent down to whisper in her ear.  "It's time."
     She awoke almost instantly.  Her eyes showed fear.  "No...please..."

Pack and get dressed
Before your father hears us
Before all hell breaks loose

     He picked her up, still whispering in her ear.  "It'll be all right.  
We'll
get away this time.  We can go through the woods behind the school.  That 
gives
us more cover.
     She was breathing quickly, short breaths.  "You don't understand.  I've
lived with him all my life.  He'll find us.  He'll win.  He always wins...I
thought I could beat him, but it got harder and harder..."
     "It was his madness, not any fault of yours," he explained.  She made no
reply.
     He said no more, but instead slid the door aside and made for the 
outside.
Stealth would do them little good, although he remained as silent as he could.
The key was speed.  They had many friends they could go to.  If they could 
only
get there...

Breathe
Keep breathing
Don't lose your nerve

     He was hampered by his fiancee, although he'd never admit it.  Her broken
legs had still not healed properly, and her eyes were still swollen shut.  But
he was doing this for her.  He cared little for his own future...or his past,
for that matter.  He'd already died once.

Breathe
Keep breathing
I can't do this alone

     But she cared.  This was her dream, to live her own life.  A dream that 
had never been realized.  She had become a shadow of the proud girl she once
was.  Too many beatings, too many times that her soul had been crushed.  She
was strong, but her father's madness proved stronger.
     He realized that there was snow on the ground.  He cursed himself for not
thinking to bring shoes.  All he'd been concerned with was getting them out, 
getting away from *him*...
     But now it was getting colder.  She huddled up against him, her breathing
coming in short, sharp gasps.  He felt shamed, he shouldn't be moving her in
this condition.

Sing us a song
A song to keep us warm
There's such a chill
Such a chill...

     Suddenly, he heard a cry from the school yard.  He began to run faster 
now.
The woman in his arms began to sob now, muttering to herself.  "It's over now.
He's won for the last time."
     And then they were falling.  The snow had concealed it.  A trap.  Her 
father
must have known they'd do this.  He'd prepared for every contingency.  And 
this
was not a simple pit.  As they landed, they felt the sharp pain as the spikes 
at 
the bottom entered their bodies.

You can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you

     He lay there, looking up at the sky.  He couldn't hear his fiancee 
anymore.
Perhaps she had died immediately.  No such luck for him.  He lay there in 
agony,
trapped as the blood poured out of his body.
     And then, suddenly, her father stood over them.  Looking down into the 
pit,
no expression on his face.  Watching them die.  There wasn't even any trace of
madness on his face anymore.  It had become part of him, consumed him.

Now we are one
In everlasting peace

     Suddenly she was trying to speak, trying to talk to him.
     "I'm sorry...should have beaten him..."
     He tried to console her, even though talking was almost impossible.  "He 
was insane.  There was nothing you could have done."
     He wished more than anything else that he could see her.  To see her face
once again, even with the bruises and scars it held now.  But instead, he 
could
only see the sky, and the impassive face of her father.

We hope that you choke
That you choke
We hope that you choke
That you choke
We hope that you choke
That you choke

     "I...love you...Nagisa."
     He tried to smile.  It didn't happen.
     "I've always loved you, Ryuunosuke."
     He wondered if they would be buried together.  Or at all.
     Then he didn't wonder anything anymore.


--Sean Gaffney
--can you say *dark*?