Part two of my yet untitled fic... nothing much happens... /sweatdrop
I have a feeling Duncan's voice is getting lost- any suggestions?
TB/Highlander xover

===Chap 2===

        Duncan awoke to feel sunlight on his face, and found himself in
unfamiliar surroundings. Opening his eyes cautiously, he scanned his narrow
field of vision for an enemy, and for his sword. He relaxed as he remembered
what had happened last night, and got up from the rather uncomfortable
couch. *That kid is crazy. How can he sleep on this every night?* He looked
around for the aforementioned insane one, but couldn't feel him anywhere.

        There was a note taped onto the mirror. :MacLeod-san, I have gone
out for my job, and will be back later. Please stay as long as you want.
Also, I wish to speak to you about this immortality that I supposedly have,
and about training... I'm afraid that I probably won't have time for such
things. Sumeragi:

        It took Duncan only a little time to puzzle out the letter, which
was written all in hiragana. "Taking pity on the gaijin, hmm? Well, my
Japanese is a bit rusty, but it's not that bad." Looking at the empty room,
Duncan knew that he had a lot to do. He couldn't help but shake his head at
the last comment of not having time for training. "If you don't have time...
you aren't going to live."

        Ignoring the small headache he had from last night, Duncan grabbed
his coat and sword. As he walked out of the sparse apartment, Duncan
wondered whether he should even try to look as if he was locking the door.
Guarding one's back was something you learn over the years... obviously, his
new student had not. He hoped Joe could give him some answers...

---

        Closing the hotel door behind him, Duncan looked around his room. It
was an ordinary hotel room, with a bed, two chairs and a little table.
Duncan hadn't planned on staying in Japan for long. His original plan had
been a quick, ten day stop in Japan, followed by a bit of traveling
elsewhere. It had been a long time since Duncan MacLeod had just been exploring.

        "A trip without any obligations or problems. A little vacation was
all this was supposed to be... I guess not." Going over to the phone, he
dialed Joe's home phone number. It should be about time he was home, anyway... 

        :Hello?:
        :Hey, Joe. It's me, Duncan.:
        :MacLeod! How are you? Still in Japan?:
        :You tell me.:
        :Funny, funny. What's up?:
        :How up-to-date are your Watcher records of me?:
        :What do you mean?:
        :You wouldn't have asked if you already knew, that's all.:
        :Knew what? What have you done now, MacLeod?:
        :I seem to have acquired a new... ward, I suppose.:
        :You mean-:
        :Yup. Felt it before I saw him, and then he was killed for the first
time right in front of me.:
        :Aw, man... So, what? You want some info, huh?:
        :Yeah. His name is Sumeragi. Subaru Sumeragi... Hhm:
        :What?:
        :It's been a long time since anyone's greeted me by clan name like
he did. Claimed he was of the Clan Sumeragi...:
        :Sumeragi... Sumeragi...:
        :What?:
        :I've heard that before. I'm sure of it- Look MacLeod, I'll get back
to ya, ok? I'll try to dig up some records on him- I'm sure someone had to
have been watching near him...:
        :Thanks, Joe.:
        :Oh yeah- Richie's headed your way.:
        :What!?:
        :Don't sound so excited. He just wanted to drop in and say hi, get
in a few tourist kind of things, you know.:
        :Well, I suppose he could be helpful with Sumeragi... When's he coming?:
        :He said in a few days.:
        :Ok.:
        :MacLeod, are you all right? You sound kind of-:
        :I'm fine. I just have a weird feeling about this one.:
        :Sumeragi, you mean?:
        :Yeah. Usually, you can tell what a kid is, by the way he acts. But
this one... I don't know. Something is just off... Well, tell me what you
got soon, ok?:
        :All right. Bye, MacLeod. Get some sleep man.:
        :Yeah, yeah.:

---

        Subaru stood at the park, and took a deep breath. His job today
would go better if he weren't so agitated... Shaking his head, he sat on a
bench below an old tree, trying to get himself focused and centered before
he went to his appointment. *It's a good thing I have an hour...* He took
out a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag.

        He couldn't stop looking at his arm. There was no evidence that
there had ever been a cut, a cut that he shouldn't have even tried to make.
A little deeper... or if it hadn't healed... he was too close to the edge.
He could feel his self cracking, fracturing, and there wasn't anything he
could do about it.

        Hugging his legs to his chest, Subaru looked out at the peaceful
morning. Now this... some guy claiming that he, Subaru Sumeragi, was not
only going to live forever, but that he was going to have to kill people to
do it. A sad smile tugged at his lips. More killing, more death. He
couldn't- no, he wouldn't. He had changed, but not in this. There was one
thin line between Sakurazukamori and the current him- he would not kill. 

        It was a stubborn embracing of a principle of an earlier, innocent
time. Maybe it would be something that would destroy him later. But... he
would not. Not that. Not that he was sure he believed in this supposed
immortality. Last night, he had humored the stranger who had helped him from
his accident. But now, in the light of day, there didn't seem to be any
reality to the conversation last night...

        *Sword fights to determine life and death. A conspiracy of hidden
immortals that no one knows about. Heads being cut off, a prize at the end
of the game... Games- I've had enough of games.* Even the demonstration of
MacLeod's supposed immortality seemed explainable in the sunlight. *Healing
spells... they're not usually so flashy, but they can be, if-*

        He looked at his own wrist again, at the place where he had- let's
admit it- he had had a moment where his wish for death had overridden his
wish for revenge. A moment when he had truly been ready for death or
immortality... *I just can't understand how he managed to heal me also.*
After all, the wards and shields of the head of the Sumeragi Clan was not
something so easily circumvented, even for a beneficial spell. 

        Subaru shook his head again, and got up from the bench. If he spent
any more time thinking about this, he was going to be late for his job... if
anything, he always tried to be punctual. One last vestige of good manners
that had stayed with him... He was almost tempted to put the butt of the
cigarette onto his arm, just to see if- *No. I'm not going to let myself try
anything like this again. At least, not until...* 

        Until what? Subaru sighed, dropping the cigarette butt and grinding
it with his heel. Until... he didn't know. And he wasn't going to think
about it until after this job was done, anyway.

---

        Duncan had finished rearranging his plans for a longer stay in Tokyo
when the phone rang. He picked it up, while looking for a dojo or a place
where a few could train without being noticed... 

        :Hello?:
        :Hey MacLeod- it's me.:
        :What have you found out?:
        :Surprisingly little, considering... or actually, maybe it's not so
surprising.:
        :What do you mean?:
        :The Sumeragis- I knew I'd heard that name before, so I started to
dig around a little while my Japanese contact was getting back to me. Seems
that the Sumeragi Clan was, and still is a big deal family in Japan.:
        :And?:
        :Hey, I'm getting there! Anyway, seems the Clan's function is to
perform exorcisms and magic similar to that- they've even served the
Emperor, and you know how highly the Japanese revere him.:
        :So my new student is a wanna-be wizard? Great...:
        :Don't be so sure about the wanna-be part.:
        :Joe, don't get me started about 'magic':
        :Look. You're living proof that the world isn't as simple as you may
want it to be... My Japanese contact seem to actually believe in this, and-:
        :Anyway, what did you find out besides this mystical mumbo-jumbo?:
        :His sister was apparently killed in some sort of accident- there's
not much information there besides the fact that they were twins, and her
body was apparently never recovered... Actually, it feels like a cover-up to
me.:
        :His sister, huh? That explains a bit. So, what is his job, anyway?:
        :That's the reason why I don't think you should dismiss magic so
easily. He's the head of his clan-:
        :Young, isn't he?:
        :It doesn't really matter now, does it?:
        :I suppose not.:
        :His job is performing exorcisms and being a medium for various
spirits. He's supposed to be good at it, too- Don't see any complaints
anywhere...:
        :As long as he doesn't try to convince me of this nonsense-:
        :MacLeod, just be careful, ok?:
        :What?:
        :He's been involved in some weird things- just keep your guard up,
huh? No one really knows what he does.:
        :All right.:
        :Oh yeah- Richie decided to go a little early- he wants to see your
new protege.:
        :So I get to take care of two kids now.:
        :Richie's not really a kid anymore, is he?:
        :I suppose not. Thanks, Joe.:

--- 

        "Sumeragi-san. Thank you for your time. I know that it's
valuable..." The man led Subaru into the dojo, to a sword lying in the
middle of the wooden floor. At Subaru's look, the man cleared his throat.
"None of my students want to touch this, and frankly, neither do I. Somehow,
this sword just feels wrong... Whenever anyone tries to use, they always
feel as if-"

        "I understand. Is there a history to this sword? Perhaps someone who
could harbor bad feelings for this dojo, or for this sword?" Subaru watched
as the man thought, and nodded as the man shook his head. "There is no one I
can think of. I'm sorry, Sumeragi-san." 

        "Then, Tanaka-san. Please keep out of this area while I try to work.
I would not want you getting hurt." Tanaka nodded, and sat at the door,
quite frankly curious at what this young man was about to do. Subaru bowed
his head, and quietly set a few wards in a circle around his working area.
Satisfied that this would hold, he extended his senses carefully to the sword. 

        Subaru's head jerked back in shock as he felt the malevolent
energies swirling around the blade. "Tanaka-san. I am not surprised that
none of you wanted to touch this sword. I would have been more worried if
any of your students had been able to use this sword, for I sense great
anger and pain around it. Are you sure that none had ever used this sword in
anger or fear?"

        Tanaka looked at the young man kneeling in front of the sword, and
replied, "None that I can think of. Perhaps-" Tanaka's eyes turned inward,
trying to remember. "Actually, there had been a small incident a few weeks
ago, but I don't really know if it could generate such hatred. One of my
students, Hadana Hikaru, was asked to leave because of his violent behavior.
But he never touched the sword, so..."

        Subaru looked up, and extended his mind to the whole property of the
dojo. There was a thin layer of bad-will that was barely perceptible unless
one was looking for such, and all of the little angers fed into the sword as
a focal point. "I don't think he, if Hadana-san is responsible- I don't
think he was focusing on the sword. However-"

        Subaru gestured toward the weapon on the floor. "This sword is a
weapon made for only one purpose. Killing. Naturally, all the darker
energies are going to be attracted to such a thing, and it focused itself
here, just waiting for someone to use it in malice. Be glad that you caught
this early, and none had yet used this sword in anger. If they had, I'm not
sure what would have happened, but I do not think that it would have been
pleasant."

        Concentrating, Subaru pushed his cleansing energies toward the blade
which, to his inner eye, was glowing a faint blood red. *Blood has made its
mark on this blade.* Speaking the chant used in cleansing spells, he managed
to get the taint of the hate off of the blade, as well as from around the house.

        As he arose from the spot before the sword, he could feel the
darkness dissipate in a sharp snap. The spell had rebounded on the caster,
whether the spell had been cast unknowing or not. Subaru could only hope
that whoever had set it had taken some precaution...

        "Tanaka-san. I think that the sword is now safe to use. However, it
still a blade full of death, and now that it has already been affected by
magical means, it is even more vulnerable to the darker energies. Please
think about this and take the precautions necessary." Subaru paused as
Tanaka came up from behind him and went to the sword, picking it up carefully.

        "Sumeragi-san. Thank you for doing this for my little dojo. If you
ever need anything from me- I can't pay you much-" Subaru shook his head.
"Tanaka-san. This was a easy cleansing. Please don't worry about payment,
and do try to see what can be done about Hanada-san..."

        Subaru looked at Tanaka, who had knelt down in front of him.
"Tanaka-san, what-" Tanaka held out the sword to him. "Sumeragi-san, please
take this sword. I feel that my dojo is not the best place to have it, even
if Tanada-san had not been here. Somehow, I feel that you may need this."

        Subaru looked at the man in front of him for a moment, before
reaching out and taking the sword. For a moment, he felt a strangeness, the
same strangeness that he had felt last night crossing the street. An almost
audible *snick*, a rightness that had snapped into place- that was what he
felt when he took the sword. Fate, destiny, whatever it was called, it had
put its hand upon him again.

        Resisting the urge to start, Subaru looked at the finely worked
blade before him. "Are you sure, Tanaka-san? I would not wish to-" Tanaka
rose up from the dojo floor, as did Subaru. "Please, Sumeragi-san. I have a
feeling that you will do the blade honor." 

===Chapter 2 end===
-----
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