Morning sunlight streamed through the window of Gai's room.  The glare from 
outside awoke Gai.  Gai pulled out the photo of Mizuki again and stared at 
it.  Sad memories welled up from within him as he gazed at the picture.  
Sighing softly, Gai put the picture away and went to look for Hino-san.

	 Walking outside in search of Hino-san, Gai thought to himself, *After I 
satisfy my curiosity, I'm out of here.  They don't need my problems.*

	The sound of a large fire coming from inside the shrine drew Gai's 
attention.  Hoping to find the elderly priest, he walked towards the sound.  
Gai opened the door and saw Rei about ready to sit down.

	Gai asked, "Err. Pardon me.  Where's your grandfather?  There's some 
questions I'd like to ask him."

	Rei spun around and almost blushed.

	"Grandfather is around back.  What do you want to see him for?"

	Gai shrugged and replied, "Well before I leave, I want to find out who 
those cheerleaders were that showed up yesterday.  Well, thanks.  I'll let 
you get back to your prayers."

	Gai exited the shrine and closed the door behind him.  Rei wasn't sure what 
she should feel about the 'cheerleader' description.  She sat down and 
started praying.  She hope that what she saw would give her a clue to Gai's 
real identity

	"Oh sacred fire, tell me about the one who calls himself Gai Ichishino.  
Who is he?"

	The sacred fire flared up and an image formed in it.  The image was a tire 
shaped object.  In the center of the object was a silver sphere.   Wrapped 
around the sphere were purple cables.  The cables were held in place by 
three light blue plates.  Suddenly the plates opened and the cables shot 
forth with the sphere remaining at the center.  The image faded leaving Rei 
more confused than ever.

	*What was that, and what does it have to do with Gai?* Rei thought to 
herself, and realizing it was going to be more difficult than she though on 
figuring out who Gai was.

---
	Gai walked around back of the shrine and saw Hino-san.  He looked at the 
old priest, who seemed to be waiting for him.  The old priest was sitting on 
a large rock that was being shaded by the branches of a tree.  Exhaling 
heavily, Gai walked up to Hino-san.

	"Please excuse my ignorance Hino-san, but who were the cheerleaders that 
showed up yesterday?" Gai asked.

	Hino-san looked startled and said, "You don't know? No of course you 
wouldn't.  They are the Sailor Senshi warriors of love and justice."

	Gai rolled his eyes when he heard the appellation of the Sailor Senshi.

	"I take it I can find out more about them in the papers then?" Gai said and 
bowed his head in thought.

	"Yes.  By the way _Gai_, how did you kill that daimon, last night?"

	Gai looked up and replied, "Daimon?  Oh that thing.  I stuck a stick in its 
eye."

	Looking confused, Gai continued, "Why are you asking me that?  You saw what 
I did."

	Seemingly unnoticed by the two men, Rei had just snuck around to eavesdrop 
on them.

	"Yes, I did.  Daimon's are based in magic.  You should not have been able 
to hurt it."

	Gai shrugged and replied, "I have no idea."

	The elder Hino looked at Gai with one eye and asked, "Are you sure you have 
no idea?"

	Gai reached around back and scratched right beneath his shoulder blades, as 
he said, "Nothing that is _safe_, that I can think of."

	*So it has something to do with his enemies,* Hino-san thought to himself, 
catching the emphasis Gai had put on the word 'safe'.

	"I understand, Gai.  I hope you'll stay for supper tonight."

	Gai nodded, "Thank you.  I'll be leaving right afterwards."

	Gai walked back to his room.  As he passed by Rei he nodded in her 
direction and continued on.  Gai smirked at the idea that a schoolgirl like 
Rei would try and sneak up on him.  He had lots of practice in both hiding 
and alertness.  Running for his life tended to do that.

	Rei blushed in embarrassment at being caught at spying.  The small snatch 
of conversation that she heard bothered her.  Her grandfather knew something 
about Gai.

	Rei  remained hidden as her grandfather passed her.  She could here him 
muttering under his breath.

	"I've got to come up with something to keep him here.  Maybe the Senshi can 
help him with his problem.

	As Hino-san moved on, Rei stepped out of her hiding space and gazed the way 
her grandfather went.

	*What is going on?*
---
	Later in the day the five Sailor Senshi and two moon cats were having their 
meeting.  Everyone showed up on time, even Usagi.  All of them wanted to 
know about Gai.  Ami was busy typing on her computer.

	Luna asked, "Rei, did you find out anything about Gai?"

	Rei explained what she saw in the fire and the small snippet of 
conversation that she heard.  She related how her grandfather was trying to 
come up with a way to keep him here.  She tactfully omitted the fact that 
she had been caught eavesdropping on Gai.

	"Weird," Usagi said.

	"Ami, any ideas on how he was able to kill that daimon?" Luna asked.

	Ami looked up from her computer and replied, "No.  I can't figure out how 
he accomplished that victory."

	"Judging by that conversation, he must know something about it," Artemis 
put in.

	"Yeah, but what?" Minako asked.

Seven pairs of eyes gazed at each other in silence.  Rei was the first to 
break the silence.

	"We're not going to figure anything out about him like this.  We have to 
figure out where the daimon's will strike next," Rei said.  "By the way, 
where's Chibi-usa?"

	Usagi replied, "She's with her new friend Hotaru."

	Makoto looked at Luna as a dark thought came to her, "Luna, could Gai be 
working with the daimons and that battle was staged?"

	Ami answered for Luna, "Not probable.  Gai is trying to leave, but Rei's 
grandfather is going to try and prevent him."

	Makoto frowned and asked, "Well what do we do about him, then?"

	Ami shrugged as she responded, "Ignore him for the moment.  Other than 
being able to kill daimons, how much damage can he cause?"

	The others nodded and they discussed the attitude of Sailor Uranus and 
Neptune.  Once the meeting concluded, they went back to their homes.
--
	In the Hikawa shrine's kitchen, Hino-san was preparing a dinner for the 
four people at the shrine.  He was thinking of a way to keep Gai at the 
shrine.  He knew he was taking a chance, but he believed that Gai shouldn't 
be friendless.

	Hino-san sighed as he thought, *I know you want to leave here Gai or should 
I say Sho, but you need to talk to someone.*

	A thought occurred to him and he smiled at it.

	*That will force him to stay, and there I'm quite sure my granddaughter 
will also help me out without me having to prompt her.*

	The elder Hino whistled as he finished the dinner and set the table. Once 
everyone was sitting around the table and engaged in general conversation, 
he sprung his trap.

	"By the way Gai, where do you go to school at?" Hino-san asked.

	Gai narrowed his eyes and replied, "I don't.  My identity was destroyed in 
an _accident_.  I can't go to school since I have no way to prove who I am."

	Rei, figuring out what her grandfather was doing, said, "Then how will you 
get a job or get married."

	An old ache formed in Gai's heart as he heard the word 'married'.  He 
glanced away before anyone could see the tears in his eyes.

	"I won't," Gai stated.

	Not knowing what was going on, Yuuichirou said, "Without a job, how will 
you eat.  You can't expect hand-out for the rest of your life."

	*Who says I want to live,* Gai thought. *Oh well.  I'll give in now and do 
the vanishing act when they can't stop it.*

	Gai blinked the tears from his eyes and turned to face the others.

	"You win. If you can figure out _how_ I can attend school, I'll go."

	Hino-san frowned at his way to easy victory.  He resolved to keep track of 
Gai as best as he could.

	Hino-san said, "Tomorrow will head over to the police station and explain 
everything."

	Gai nodded as he finished his meal.  Once the rice ball was set on the 
table he got up and went to his room.  Sitting on the bed he had a flashback 
to when he was called Sho Fukamachi.

        <flashback>

	"MIZUKI!!  NO!!," Sho cried as he watched Mizuki turn into a thin  winged 
version of Enzyme:  Enzyme III

	The winged Zoanoid snapped one of her tendrils at Guyver I, trying to 
impale him.

	Sho dodged the tendril easily and looked at the horror that Mizuki had 
become.  Sho was startled when he heard Mizuki's voice in his head.

	*Sho, free me from this nightmare.  Please,* Mizuki pleaded. *FREE ME!*

	Screwing up his courage and preparing the pressure cannon, Sho felt like he 
was in Hell.  He unleashed the ball of gravity at Enzyme III's heart.  The 
shockwave created from the attack blew Enzyme III's head off.

	*Thank you, Sho.  Help the world,* Mizuki's thought's came to him and 
slowly faded.

	"MIZUKI!!!!"

	The next few hours were a blur to Sho as his blue fists destroyed Zoanoid 
after Zoanoid.  Later he decided that the rage must have made him delirious 
as he recalled the vague fights with the Zoalords that his body was gold.

	<end flashback>

	Gai closed his eyes and wept silently, as he truly believed that he was 
cursed to walk the world alone.  No friends and no one to love.

	*Cronos is broken, but I don't deserve to be happy.  I killed my father and 
my girlfriend.  I know what Hino-san is up to, but…*

	With those dark thought's Gai fell asleep.


Tom Mathews a.k.a Disruptor

E-mail addresses:
mailto:mathews1@gte.net
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mailto:godphoniex@hotmail.com

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<http://home1.gte.net/mathews1/index.htm


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