A bit of delay...converting to ASCII is more of a pain then I thought,
and I still don't know if its working right. Oh well. All is available
at http://bloodgod.res.cmu.edu/smgray/index.html, in a variety of
formats, some of which I think look better than this. This is the first
fanfic I've bothered to show anyone, so any comments are appreciated.
Thanks!
My contact info:
khaine@mindless.com
AIM: khaine1310
ICQ: 53426521
Feel free to contact me anyhow.
All the earlier caveats apply. As usual, [] is character thought and **
is emphasis.
Chapter Three
In which Rei discovers the downside of a bounty hunter's
lifestyle, Ami visits the supernexus, and we learn the perils of
ignoring a warning.
*7:35 pm.*
The bridge in the park was one of those gratuitously romantic
constructions, a gentle arch over a stream so thin and good-natured that
it could almost be jumped, and certainly waded. It trailed through the
patches of greenery, splitting and reforming around little jumbles of
rock, until it came to a straight patch where the path needed to cross.
The spot was designed from the ground up as a place for lovers on long
evening walks to dawdle, in the shade of the pair of willows that
guarded the ends of the bridge like sentries and swept the ground with
soft green curtains.
At--a quick check--7:36 pm, there were two couples doing exactly
that, walking slowly through the park and enjoying the cool air of the
end of summer. One young man stopped to talk to his partner over some
trifle and end up in a long embrace; Rei looked away, down at her feet
and then back at her watch.
*7:37 pm.*
She could feel her cheeks heating. [*Damn* you, Shard.] In the
past, she'd never been able to look at the bridge without sighing at the
thought of bringing someone of her own here, walking down the path and
stopping under the privacy of the willow branches. Recalling those
thoughts now made her blush even more, and she twice had to stop herself
from self-consciously smoothing her dress.
One of the young men looked at her, then laughed at some comment
made by his companion. In her mind, he was impaled with a thousand
swords.
*7:42.*
[As soon as he shows up, I'm going to hand him the check, turn
around, and walk away. Nothing else.] She tried to imagine how that
would look to the bystanders and groaned, inwardly. [Take him somewhere
private, give him the check, and walk away.] Another moment's thought,
and Rei colored again. [That would look even worse.]
*7:49.* =20
Her foot would not stop tapping; she stomped the other one down on it,
hard. [Where is he?]
She'd never even considered the possibility that Shard wouldn't show
up. [What would be the point?] Another, slightly more practical inner
voice commented, [If he doesn't, can I keep the money?]
She shook her head firmly. "No. It isn't right. I've got to..."
"Got to?" The voice was right behind her. Rei spun around, hand
raised with some vague idea of self-defense; Shard caught her fist,
gently. "Got to what?"
She stared at him, blankly, unable to process for a moment. His
face was open, smiling, eyes still invisible behind dark-green glasses;
he was dressed more normally then last time she'd seen him, though it
was hardly a fancy outfit. The hand that held hers was warm, and soft,
but with the hint of strength behind it.
"Um...I..." Rei started to speak, realized he still had her hand in
his, and snatched it away. "That is..."
Shard pulled off his sunglasses with one hand, folding them into his
breast pocket. His eyes were the blue of a quiescent ocean. When he
smiled again, she could almost see the sparkle.
[This is *not* how this is supposed to go!] Rei could feel her
heart beating, too fast. She put her hand in her pocket and closed it
around the check, crinkling it. She took a deep breath.
"Take this back!"
Shard looked down, surprised, as she thrust the square of folded
paper at him. He picked it up with two fingers.
"Is it causing you problems? I had assumed someone in our line of
work would have ways to deal with this sort of thing, but if you like I
can get you cash."
[Cash?] She shook her head violently. "No. It's no trouble. I
mean, I don't want it. The money. Not at all."
He stared at her, uncomprehending. =20
"I don't want it." Rei paused to collect herself. "You killed
people for that. I can't...I mean..."
"Quiet, please." He glanced around theatrically, and Rei
reflexively looked over her shoulder. None of the other park-goers
seemed particularly interested in the two of them, but she kept her
voice down anyway.
"Look. I've given you your check back. Now I'm going to leave. I
don't want to hear from you again, alright?" She couldn't keep her
voice from shaking a bit at the end of the last sentence as she turned
to go, too quickly.
"Rei." She stopped, feeling his hand on her shoulder. "Please.
I'm sorry we got off to a bad start. I don't care about the money,
really. Just..."
She could feel his warmth, again, on her skin under the thin dress.
[I can't talk to him.]
[I shouldn't turn and look at him. He's *too* damn handsome. I
mean...]
[No. Just start walking and don't stop till you're home. Right,
Rei? Right!]
[Right!]
[Right?]
[Oh, *fuck.*]
=20
"I just have a few more questions to ask you."
Shard was grinning. It was a deliberately infuriating grin, she
suspected; it looked as though he'd practiced it. He leaned against the
trunk of the willow and somehow managed to make even this seem smug.
There was just an air about the man, she decided, that made him nearly
intolerable. Every time he opened his mouth she wanted to slug him.
"Shoot."
"This is the important one. How did you find me?"
It had been gnawing at her mind all afternoon. Rei had never really
worried about her secret identity being compromised. It seemed to be
taken care of, somehow, and she'd never questioned it. =20
[Until now.]
Shard shrugged. "It *is* my job to find people who don't want to be
found."
"And..." =20
"I can't really say more then that. Trade secrets, you know." His
smug grin grew, if possible, even smugger. "I wouldn't worry about it,
though."
"If you can find me, what's to stop some of Kyara's guys from doing
the same thing?"
"Kyara?" He laughed. "Not likely."
"I suppose you're the best bounty hunter around here?"
Shard dodged the intended sarcasm. "Of course. And you were not
exactly easy to track down, so rest assured, your secret is safe with
me."
Somehow, that actually made her feel a bit better; Rei squelched the
emotion with a muffled curse.
"That is *not* the point, Shard."
"What exactly is the point?"
"The point is..." She stopped, hand raised in mid-remonstrate,
staring at him in blank disbelief. [*He just doesn't *get* it. How can
he live this life? He's a murderer, a hired killer. How can he smile?]
"The point is..."
She was saved from having to finish the sentence by the crack of
sudden gunfire.
=20
Distracted as he seemed to be, the bounty hunter's reflexes were
unearthly. There was no other word for it; he seemed to start moving
almost *before* the first shot sounded, swinging around the trunk of the
willow tree with one of his arms catching her by the waist. Her shriek
of surprise turned into a muffled 'oof' as he knocked the wind out of
her, bearing both of them to the ground; dead leaves and soil flew up in
tiny fountains from where they'd been standing, then knocked chips out
of the relatively thin tree trunk as the shooters adjusted their aim.
Much to her amazement, Shard was still smiling.
"Talk about being interrupted..." He fished in one of his side
pockets as the curtain of willow branches danced and snapped as bullets
winged past. "This keeps happening to us. Must be fate."
Rei tried a quick look around the side of the tree and nearly lost
her head for her trouble; she put her back to the trunk, breathing hard.
"Who are they?"
"Damned if I know." The bounty hunter snapped open his sunglasses
and swept them on with a practiced motion, soft blue eyes obscured by
green-black tint. =20
"But..."
"If there are any left, we can ask them afterwards." He leaned
forward. "You want to go left or right?"
"Are you *crazy*? We'll be killed!"
"Maybe. But this isn't much cover, and I'm sure they've got someone
circling around..."
He was right, and she knew it. [That doesn't make this any less
crazy, though.] And underneath her calm upper thoughts something else
gibbered.
[Oh *god*. We're going to die...]
"You take left, then. Give me about five seconds."
"I..."
"Now!"
He pushed off from the tree sideways, sprinting for the edge of the
weeping willow's curtain. The bullets followed him, whining and kicking
up dirt by his feet, but to her slightly stunned amazement none of them
even came close to him. And then the bounty hunter was reaching down to
the small of his back, and pushing through the green bows.
[Five seconds, right?] She hadn't counted, but it seemed about
right. It took a major effort of will to get going, and she ran the ten
feet to open ground in what seems like hours, expecting the sudden pain
of an impact every second. Behind, she could hear Shard open fire with
a heavy-caliber roar; then she was away from the tree and pounding
across the lawn, towards the stream.
Rei had time for one quick glance around. She couldn't see Shard,
on the other side of the tree, but she could see his opponents: three
men in dark combat gear, crouched behind the low stone wall of the
bridge. A fourth man, as the bounty hunter had predicted, was creeping
slowly downstream, cradling a short, nasty-looking sub-machinegun. =20
This fourth gunman looked up in surprise as she blundered out of the
willow tree, snapping his weapon around as fast as he could. It wasn't
quite quick enough, though; she barreled desperately into him, feeling
the hard metal of the weapon slither away across the grass. He went
down hard, and she stepped away from him, looking for a breathing space.
The sounds of gunfire had abated behind her, but Rei's attention was
focused on the one she'd knocked sprawling. She found his gun, a few
feet away, and put her foot on it before he could regain his feet. His
gaze kept sliding from it to her, watching like a cat; she found herself
wondering whether he would make a dive for it, and what she would do if
he did. Already transformed as she was, she could feel the power
coiling inside her, spurred by anger and adrenaline, twitching in her
fingertips.
[I could melt him where he stands.] She shook her head. [But I
can't do *that*, he's a *human*.]
The man put his head on one side, considering; Rei tensed for a
charge.
*Click.* Shard somehow managed to give the sound a particularly
nasty air as he walked up behind her captive, holstering a second pistol
with his other hand. The gunman raised his hands, looking at her almost
apologetically.
"Good job." The bounty hunter gestured with the barrel of his gun,
and the prisoner stepped aside as he walked over to Rei, keeping the
weapon trained with unconscious ease. "You okay?"
"Fine." [Aside from a heartbeat like a hummingbird.] "You?"
He rolled his eyes behind the dark glasses. "Please. Now you"--he
turned to the other man--"talk. What kind of idiot sent only four of
you after me?"
The conceit of this statement nearly floored her, but the gunman
seemed to take it seriously. He sounded oddly calm. "You surprised us.
We--" He stopped with a grimace, but his eyes flickered to Rei.
"You were after *her*? Why?"
The man, however, was no longer looking at Shard. His gaze slid
past the bounty hunter, to the stream behind, just Rei felt the metallic
tang of a magical surge.
"Shard!" It came out as a half-shriek as she turned around; the
bounty hunter jumped aside, finger squeezing the trigger instinctively.
The need to dodge had thrown off his aim, and the bullet slapped into
the ground beside the gunman, who was already sprinting for the
treeline. And where Shard had been standing, a blue-white storm of ice
and water lashed the ground, throwing grass into the air and reducing
the turf to frozen mud.
=20
The creature rising from the little brook was barely visible,
wreathed in puffs of steam and a swirl of glittering ice. It wasn't
large, perhaps four feet tall and hovering two feet over the water; Rei
caught glimpses of a small, female form in the swirl, skin the
blue-green color of old ice, and an oddly mischievous expression. Cold
radiated from the thing in waves: the stream underneath ran under a thin
cover of ice for some distance, and on either side the grass was rimed
by frost. Icy ribbons hung in the air around, coiling and twisting for
another strike.
"*This* is new." Shard had a pistol in each hand again.
"Youma." The aura was unmistakable. Rei felt suddenly calm again
as years of instinct kicked in. "Don't let it touch you."
His grin turned sarcastic for a moment. "Really."
The creature drifted onto the bank, between the two of them,
apparently confused by the choice of targets. It obscured Rei's vision
of the bounty hunter for a moment; then gunfire cut through the silence
again. Bullets scythed through the icy cloud or impacted on the thing's
body, spraying chips of ice but causing no other visible effect. Shard
cursed and dove again as the swirling mists focused to a point and
lunged; the ice hit the ground where he'd been standing with a physical
impact, pulverizing the dirt underfoot into a ice-rimed froth.
[I've had just about enough of this.] Her eyes narrowed.
"Flame Sniper!"
The tiny thing turned on a dime and threw up an arm, coalescing the
swirling gases into some kind of shield; even so, it staggered under the
heat. Steam billowed outward, and from behind the cloud she heard more
pistol shots hitting the ice.
"Shard!" Rei dove aside herself as another blast of ice flattened
the grass and brought a section of willow branches crashing down in a
shower of silver crystals. "Go for the head! If you can hit it hard
enough..."
"I'm having enough trouble hitting the damn thing as it is." The
bounty hunter's voice came from somewhere on the other side of the
steam. "Let me try something; get ready to blast it."
Rei nodded and sidestepped another burst. Shard's voice rang out
again.
"Hey icy! Catch!"
The youma didn't understand the words, but it apparently caught the
tone, half-turning to see what the bounty hunter was up to without
taking its attention too far off Rei. It took on an expression of mild
bemusement as a cylindrical metal object bounced across the ground
towards it. Rei saw the thing, cursed, and dove to the ground with her
hands over her head.
**BOOM.**
Even with eyes closed the flash was visible, outlining every bone in
her hands for a bare instant. She could hear the youma scream, an
ascending wail of rage and pain; blinking away blurry tears, Rei rolled
over and took aim.
"Flame SNIPER!"
The scream cut off, suddenly, as the plasma beam caught the blinded
creature full in the face, blowing its substance outwards in another
burst of steam. The body fell to the ground like a marionette with its
strings cut, sprawled on the rapidly-thawing grass. It took a moment
before her eyes could see anything but vague patterns of light and
shadow; Rei stood, hesitantly.
"That was amusing." Shard was kneeling next to the youma's body.
It looked like a young girl, cast in ice; headless, of course, and
slowly turning into a mud-puddle.
"Hardly the word I'd use. Where the hell did that thing come from?"
The bounty hunter stood and shrugged. "At a guess, it was backup
for those guys." He hooked a finger at the black-suited bodies of the
gunmen, lying motionless on the bridge. "The question is, who sent
them? And why?"
Rei held her hand in front of her, somewhat surprised that it wasn't
shaking. The adrenaline was wearing off rapidly.
"You shot them..."
"And you destroyed that thing. Nice shot there, by the way."
"We could have been killed!"
He sniffed. "Hardly. These guys are amateurs."
"How can you *say* that? They're..."
Shard took a step closer. "Are you okay?"
"What?" She looked up, inadvertently, into his face; eyes
unreadable behind dark glasses and a plastic smile. "I...I'm fine."
"You sure?" He put one hand on her shoulder, and she was suddenly
aware of the distance between them. Shard reached up and pulled the
glasses off, carefully. The snap of their closing seemed to fill the
world.
"Shard, you..."
[What are you *doing*? Get off of me! Get *away* from me!]
There was something else, though, that wanted to be shaken and
scared and wrapped away...
[Are you kidding me? This is...]
And then it was too late.
Shard pulled away from the kiss after a mere eternity, the silence
broken by the sound of sirens.
"Rei, I must say it has been an enchanting evening. But since I'd
prefer to avoid the well-meaning guardians of the law, I think I shall
bid you adieu."
[He...]
"I suggest you head out yourself. People tend to ask questions
about that sort of thing."
[He...]
"I'll see you again soon. Okay?"
"O...kay."
[I should slap him. Or shout at him. Or...]
Shard bowed. "Goodnight, then." And as quickly as that he was
gone, bounding at a run through the underbrush, deeper into the park and
away from the approaching police cruisers. Rei's feet started taking
her in the opposite direction on autopilot. She raised one hand to her
lips, unable to believe the evidence of her senses.
[Did that...really...just happen?]
[*Now* what do I do?]
=20
The dark-suited figure lowered his binoculars and chuckled. =20
"Interesting. The vampire should make short work of them, if we can
find a little bait."
Then he was gone, and the tree branch he'd been standing on vibrated
with the shock of his passing. A few stray leaves drifted to the
ground, tossed by the wind.
=20
The elevator doors chimed softly and opened onto a spectacular
panorama.
[No doubt about it. This is the place.] Ami could feel the power
of it, fizzing under her skin as though her blood had been charged with
carbon dioxide. An odd sensation, certainly, but entirely a pleasant
one. It brought with it a kind of euphoria, a feeling of invincibility.
[I'm not entirely sure it's wrong. The ley lines for half of Japan
cross here; the flows must be incredible.]
It was a weekday, so the crowd at the top of Tokyo Tower was mostly
tourists. The Americans stood out in little groups, talking with one
another in their too-loud voices. Ami threaded her way through until
she found a spot at the window and looked down at the city below,
buildings squashed by perspective. A heavy oak bar, beside her, ran the
entire length of the deck. It was nearly empty, even at night, except
for a few solitary drunks who could afford the fabulously trumped-up
prices.
[So he was right.] Her computer, safely tucked away in a
shoulder-bag with its instruments sampling the mana flow, was
calculating away. She knew, though, as soon as she'd gotten here.
School had been an agony of waiting; she'd blown through the
calculations in a few hours the previous night and confirmed what her
mysterious caller had said. All that remained was the experimental
verification.
[And now I've got that.] She looked around at the lounge. [This
explains a lot, quite frankly. But not quite enough.] The shadowed
figure had been preying on her mind. [He *knew* me. I didn't think I
was that famous. More to the point, he got into my apartment in the
middle of the night without anyone noticing. That's hardly normal.
Could he be a youma?] She shook her head, hands still pressed against
the cooling glass. [Unlikely. Youma have never struck me as being
particularly intelligent. And they lack style. A youma would just bust
in and start blasting things; this guy appeared right behind me.]
"You people never cease to amaze me." The voice, dripping with
sarcasm and punctuated by the faint rattle of ice in a glass. "You take
the most powerful magical focus in the world, and build a great big
tower on top of it. Fine. I can understand that. We all do strange
things sometimes. But then, having built this monumental edifice, this
altar to nothing, what do you put at the top?" His hand rapped the oak
countertop. "A bar. A thousand feet in the air and you build a *bar*.
Is it just me, or are humans the most ridiculous creatures imaginable?"
Ami's hands stiffened on the railing, without looking around. "Are
you following me?"
"Only a fool hunts by chasing. The elegant hunter knows where his
prey is going to be beforehand. In other words, he cheats."
"I'm prey, then?"
"A figure of speech."
She turned, finally. "Who *are* you?"
He was seated at the bar, hunched over a glass and facing away from
her. Hair the color of crushed diamond was cropped short except at the
base of his neck, where it fell almost to his shoulders; he was tall,
she could tell, and dressed in white from head to toe.
"There's no need for that tone. I'm here to help."
"Ah. Just out of the goodness of your heart?"
One hand dug into a pocket and came up with an apple, round and
perfect and red as sin. He held it up without looking at it, balancing
perfectly on the palm of his hand.
"'They say this fruit be like unto the world, so sweet. Or like,
say I, the heart of man; so red without and yet within, unclue'd, we
find the worm, the rot, the flaw. However glows his bloom, the bite
proves many rotten at the core.'" He paused, as though waiting for a
response; Ami shrugged. "No? Ah well. Yes, Miss Mizuno, out of the
goodness of my heart. Have an apple."
She caught the fruit reflexively as it flipped through the air.
"What, exactly, are you going to help me with?"
There was a long pause. One lanky white hand reached out, slowly,
and pulled a bottle inward. The pale gold splashed quietly over ice,
and he took a long sip.
"Something to drink?"
"No, thank you."
"A pity."
"I'm waiting."
"Please, Miss Mizuno. Forgive an old man his penchant for the
dramatic."
"You don't look like--"
He raised a hand, one finger extended. "Aha. Things are not always
what they seem."
Ami, with some effort, managed to keep her voice down. "I'm getting
fed up with this."
"And that's exactly the point." He stood from the bar with a
flourish, sweeping a coat that matched his pure white attire from a
nearby rack and slipping it on easily. He still hadn't turned toward
her as he walked towards the exit.
"Wait a minute. Wait!"
The crowd was suddenly abustle, and Ami found her path blocked by a
pair of chattering gaijin. She ducked around them with a muffled curse,
just in time to catch a glimpse of fleeting white in the doorway.
"Wait!!"
Ami ducked into the corridor and took a step towards the elevators
before she realized the place was empty. A passing security guard
nodded cordially as she stood for a moment, lost in thought.
*Crunch.* The apple, was, in fact, delicious; she finished it in a
matter of moments and tossed the core at a wastebasket.
[I am getting *really* irritated with him.]
=20
The dark silence of the alley was disturbed by a set of hurrying
footsteps.
The girl looked as though she'd been running for some time. Her
hair, plaited in black tails that came down past her shoulders, was
beginning to come unraveled; her junior high-school uniform, blue on
white, trimmed with just a hint of gold, was in disarray. Her breathing
was heavy and ragged, and halfway down the alley she ran out of steam,
putting one hand on the cold stone.=20
"Help..." Out of breath, her voice was barely audible.
"Somebody...help..."
Another set of footsteps, slow and deliberate.
"You cannot escape."
She turned around, leaning heavily on the wall for support.
"Please. Don't hurt me. I..."
Jahara took a step forward, his expression quizzical. "I don't
understand."
The girl lowered her eyes. "Please." Her voice was barely a
whisper.
He leaned down; the Unforgiven topped his prey by an easy two feet.
In the darkness of the alley he almost seemed to glow, and his movements
as ever were too slow, too precise. One hand reached out and took the
girl by the collar as he straightened, dragging her off her feet. The
other wrapped around her throat.
"Listen to me very carefully. Your existence is forfeit. All that
remains is for you to make what remains of it as pleasant as possible.
So tell me." He tightened his grip, just a little. The girl's arms
jerked. "Where is Resh?"
"Don't..." It was a bare gasp. "...kill...me..."
The ghost of a smile crossed his face. "You're already dead, little
one."
"Stop!"
The moon was rising over the city, barely visible under the lights.
It nevertheless managed to frame the two uniformed figures in the
alley's entrance; they stood back to back, wearing nearly identical
scowls. Jahara turned, slowly, as Sailors Uranus and Neptune broke
their pose and stepped into the shadow.
"Who are you?"
"I'd like to ask you the same question. But first things first."
Haruka gestured at the girl who still dangled helplessly from his fist.
"Put her down."
"If you harm her," added Michiru, "things will go hard for you."
Jahara's smile widened. "Guardians. I might have known." He
glanced at the young woman who hung from his grip. "You need not worry
about saving this one. It is already too late for her."
"Put her down. Now."
"We won't ask you again."
The Unforgiven's smile faded, and he closed his fist with a nasty
crunch. The girl's eyes bulged wide and her hands scrabbled around his
fingers to no avail; for a few moments her legs kicked wildly until the
life went out of her and she dangled limp and lifeless.
Michiru raised one hand to her mouth in horror, but Haruka was
faster.
"World...Shaking!" =20
The ball of energy plowed through the ground, leaving a red-hot path
of molten concrete in its wake before it obscured Jahara in a blast of
energy and smoke. Michiru was already hurrying forward, her own hands
extended and ready to fire as the smoke cleared.
The Unforgiven was gone, as though he had never been, and the girl
lay singed and still at the side the crater. Sailor Neptune knelt by
her side briefly, then looked up at Uranus and shook her head.
"Damn him." She ground her fist into the palm of her other hand.
"We won't let him get away with it, don't worry--"
"What makes you think you will be given that opportunity?"
The two Senshi turned. Jahara stood at the entrance to the
alleyway,
"Deep Submerge!"
Blue tendrils writhed around the bolt of power as it lanced towards
him. This time, the Unforgiven didn't move, didn't even raise a hand to
defend himself. Energy crackled and spat, having as much effect as a
gentle mist. He raised one eyebrow, quizzically. =20
Uranus glanced briefly at Neptune, then charged.
"Deep Submerge!"
The second energy blast washed around Jahara, obscuring his vision
for a moment. Haruka felt the power of it on her skin as she sprinted
through, the energy of water redirected into raw force; she had to
squint against the glare. Then she was through, with the Unforgiven in
front of her, her hand already cutting across to his throat. He moved
to block, in the same slow, precise way he always moved, and made it
just in time.
Haruka's eyes narrowed. [I can beat him.] She aimed a kick at his
legs, which he barely avoided, then launched into a series of attacks.
Each time, her opponent dodged or blocked, falling back before the
onslaught.
[I can beat him. He's not fast enough...just a bit more...] The
storm of blows redoubled, faster and faster, with Jahara dancing
backwards through them like raindrops. Uranus could feel each breath
coming harder and harder, but his face never lost its half-smile.
Finally she backed off, hands throbbing from the multiple impacts
and panting for breath. Jahara stepped out of his defensive stance,
still staring at her. There was a brief pause.
"Is that quite all?"
Haruka wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Not nearly, you
monster. Neptune!"
Without waiting for a reply, she launched into another attack. This
time, though, Jahara didn't dodge or block; he was just *gone* when her
fist whistled through. Uranus stumbled forward and turned frantically.
"Still?" The Unforgiven shook his head. "It is not necessary for
you to die."
"We'll...see who dies here." Her breath came hard as she raised her
hands again. Jahara sighed.
"If you need a demonstration..."
She started forward again; one of his hands gripped her wrist.
Uranus stared. Jahara's hand was just *there*, as though he had gone
from one position to another without occupying any of the intervening
space. She couldn't even twist her arm from a grip like a vise. Her
other hand came around in an arc that ended against his chest and left
her fingers in agony, as though she'd punched a girder. =20
"You see? This is unnecessary."
"You...are..."
"I am Unforgiven." He shrugged. "Now you are going to be calm, or
I will break your arms."
[It's impossible.] He let go and turned around, and she
surreptitiously tried to massage some life back into her hand.
[Nothing's that fast.]
"Neptune!"
"I believe your friend is busy with the vampire."
Uranus looked up, startled. "Neptune?!"
The schoolgirl at the end of the alleyway was standing now, a limp
Michiru at her side. She rocked her head from side to side, like
someone attempting to work out a neck cramp; Uranus could hear the
clicks as vertebrae slid back into place. A hand with a fingernail like
a razor held itself at Neptune's throat.
"Not a step, Jahara, or the girl dies." The girl's voice had
acquired a sibilant hiss, and her grin showed a pair of two-inch
incisors.
"Her fate does not concern me." He took a step forward. "Where is
Resh?"
The vampire's fingernail slipped a quarter of an inch, letting a
trickle of red run down Michiru's pale skin. The girl bent her neck and
licked the blood, slowly; Haruka could see Neptune shiver.
"Jahara..."
"I will not ask again, vampire."
"Wait!" Haruka stumbled forward; both Jahara and the thing looked
at her quizzically. "What do you want?"
"Want?" The vampire smiled again. "I want to see your friend here
lying on the concrete, pale as death as I feast upon her life's blood.
I want both of you as my eternal slaves." It leaned forward. "I
want--"
That was as far as it got. Jahara raised one hand, palm outward; a
lance of green fire caught the vampire in the side of the head and
smashed it against the wall of the alley, which cracked under the
impact. The beam cut off almost instantly, leaving Uranus' vision
dazzled with brilliant after-images and the alley in total silence, the
stillness only broken by the now-headless body of girl sliding slowly to
the ground. Neptune had collapsed to her knees, hands going to her
throat; Haruka was at her side in a moment.
"Guardian." Jahara smiled, tightly. "You would do better to devote
your attention to these things then to me. Vampires--" He spat the
word. "--are a plague, a pestilence. If they are not stopped they
multiply, until everything on a world that can be killed has. Then they
turn on one another until only one remains to seed another hapless
planet."
Michiru had recovered enough to ask a question. "How...do we stop
them?"
"Find the seed. Kill him. But that's my job." Bright green eyes
flared at the name. "No-one on this world can challenge Resh. So for
your planet's sake as well as your own..." He turned back to fix them
with a gigawatt stare. "Stay out of my way."
Jahara turned and walked out of the alley, leaving behind two Senshi
too stunned to even rise.
Chapter Four
In which Rei contemplates love, Jahara cheats, Resh and Shard
have a difference of opinion, and Ami gets very, very irritated.
=20
Rei found herself pacing back and forth in front of the sacred
fire. She forced herself to stop, take a deep breath, and sit down
carefully, staring into the dancing flames.
[Don't think. Clear the mind of all thoughts, and wait.]
She could still feel the pressure of his hand on her shoulder,
his...
[Not thinking! I'm not thinking. Really. Concentrate on...]
[A first kiss. I'd always wondered who...]
She stood up again, running her fingers through her hair in
irritation.
"Arrgh!"
Her pacing resumed unabated, the sacred fires forgotten for a
moment in the face of furious self-argument.
[Look. What is the *problem* here? The guy took advantage of me
in a vulnerable moment, and all that means is the next time he shows his
face I'll *kill* him. No big deal, right?]
[So why didn't I stop him?]
[He surprised me. It happened so fast, after the youma...]
Another part of her noted wryly that it hadn't seemed fast at all.
[Shut *up*! What am I thinking? I don't even like the guy. He's
so damn smug, and dangerous, and...]
[...handsome...]
[Damn it! ]She took another deep breath and closed her eyes,
trying to picture Shard's face. Dark green glasses, short black hair,
that nasty, sarcastic grin. [There is *nothing* to like there.] The
mental image swept off his glasses, clicked them closed. [Nothing!]
[So why can't I *stop* this?]
She clenched her fists in irritation. "Okay. Just because I let
him kiss me once doesn't mean I'm in *love* with the guy."
"Um...Rei..."
She spun around at the sudden voice to find Makoto, looking
embarrassed at the intrusion. Minako stood beside her, an odd gleam in
her eye.
"Mako! When did you..." [Did they hear me...oh gods...]
"Rei..." Makoto sounded apologetic as the blonde stepped forward.
"You'd better start talking, or Minako is going to kill you."
=20
It was some minutes later.
"Why didn't you come tell us right away?"
Rei's blush had been getting more intense by the instant. "You
know...it was late...I didn't think..."
Minako shook her head furiously. "He *kissed* you!"
"Those guys also tried to kill you..."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "That happens all the time, Mako.
Youma and monsters. This is important." She turned back to Rei. "So
what do you know about the guy?"
"Well..." She thought back to the series of events. "He tried to
knock me out when I was breaking in to Kyara's place. Then he almost
got Mako and I killed. Then he invited me to the park, and I was almost
killed again..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"Not what you might call an auspicious start to a relationship."=20
"Still!" Minako leaned closer. "Is he good looking?"
Rei's color deepened. "Y...yeah."
The other's eyes went all dreamy. "Lucky Rei..."
While Minako was staring into space, Makoto cleared her throat. "I
hate to bring this up, Rei, but we might have some problems here..."
"You think I don't know that?"
"Not those kind of problems. Shard knew your real name, didn't he?
Mine too."
"I know." Rei rubbed her forehead. "I'm not sure what we can do
about it."
"You said he's a bounty hunter?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know he's not after one of us?"
"I don't know." Rei shook her head. "I don't know about any of
this, Mako. Shard is dangerous, I [know] that. But I shiver ever time
I see him."
Makoto patted her hand, gently. "Poor Rei. You'll be all right,
don't worry."
Rei nodded grimly as Minako returned from whatever wonderland she'd
been occupying.
"When are you going to see him again?" The blonde sounded far too
interested for Rei's comfort.
"I...I'm not sure. He said soon, but..."
"Let us know before you go." Makoto was still serious. =20
"This time I don't want to miss anything."
The taller girl rolled her eyes. "Someone [did] try to kill her,
Minako."
"That too."
Rei sighed. [He'd better show up soon, or I'll be like this all
night. Damn Shard.]
[He'd better show up soon.]
=20
"Shard."
The bounty hunter flopped into the seat in front of Iylitrio's
desk, the yakuza boss' backlighting turning his sunglasses into twin
circles of light. He raised one hand briefly in greeting.
"Yo, boss. You asked for me?"
"Yes." Iylitrio settled back in his own chair. If Shard's
attitude bothered him, it wasn't visible on his face; something in the
play of muscles about the eyes, though, suggested that all this was
being recorded to be replayed at leisure. Heavy jowls jiggled as he
spoke. "You undertook that little job for me."
"The Kyara thing. I wrote my report for that--"
The boss waved a hand, skin hanging in folds off the bone. "And
you've become acquainted with the girl in question."
Shard nodded, suddenly uncomfortable. "Yeah. Why?"
"Shard..." Iylitrio paused for a moment. "You are the best of the
bounty hunters in my employ, no?"
"Sure."
"And thus you are privileged to know things that the others do not
know."
"Well, I'm flattered you trust me, but--"
"Listen to me, Shard. The girl is dangerous."
"To us?" He laughed. "Be realistic. Street trash like Kyara is
one thing, but you think she'd even get close to anyone in this
organization? Not likely."
"Not like that, Shard. Of course not." Iylitrio steepled his
hands on the desk. "But she is dangerous for another reason. There is
someone in the city looking for people like her. He is offering great
rewards, and we have entered a partnership. Of sorts. You understand,
yes?"
"So far. But this guy must be a pretty high up if he can make
deals with you, boss. Some kind of demon?" His expression froze as a
thought struck him. "Not a god, is he? Tell me you haven't made a deal
with a god."
Iylitrio chuckled, a low bass rumble. "No, Shard. Not a god. In
some ways, though, something much worse."
"Worse then a *god*?"
"Let's take it as a given, then, that I know what I'm doing. The
girl needs to be...collected. Do you understand?"
"No problem. Give me another couple of weeks, and--"
"Now, Shard. The contract is due now."
Shard stared for a moment. "Boss..."
"I understand this will be difficult."
"It's not that. But if you want her here without any fuss, it
takes time."
"'Fuss' is no object in this case. And the girl is worthwhile to
me dead or alive. Do I make myself clear?"
Shard swallowed. "Absolutely."
"Because of the difficulty of this task, you will of course be duly
compensated."
"Thanks. But--"
"Also. You will be...assisted."
"Backup?" He smiled. "You know I don't really need it..."
"This is an unusual request. The people in question have
been...resistant...to capture. Therefore." Iylitrio nodded in the
direction of Seiron--the black-clad swordsman never seemed to leave his
side--and the latter swung the big doors opened.
"Shard, meet Alexander Resh."
The bounty hunter turned. "Charmed, I'm sure--" He cut off,
suddenly, as Resh smiled. The vampire's grin, as has already been
noted, was somewhat disconcerting.
"I've heard a lot about you." Resh's voice was pleasant, cultured,
without a hint of sibilance. Shard stood carefully and nodded.
"Likewise."
"Resh's unique talents will be of use to you. I want you to show
him every courtesy. Now." Iylitrio leaned forward again. "Bring her
to me, understood? Nicely, if possible. If not..." He nodded at the
vampire.
"As you wish, Boss. I should be going."
"Let me walk with you." Resh's smile had not subsided. The pair
of them left the crimelord's inner sanctum and Seiron closed the big
doors behind them. In the waiting room outside, two girls were waiting.
Both were in uniform, and looked to be of high school age.
*One* of them was waiting, Shard corrected himself as they walked
closer. The tall, dark-haired one looked up at their approach, but the
shorter one looked as though she wouldn't wait for anything ever again.
Her head lolled to one side, sightless eyes staring unfocused across the
corridor; her neck was smeared with blood. =20
"Resh." The other girl sounded disappointed. "I think Yuri
finally died on us."
"Did she?" Resh knelt and looked into the girl's eyes. "You're
right. A pity. I see you wasted no time in having a snack."
"I was hungry." The girl smiled, fangs stained with blood. "And
you just ate."
"Will she be joining us tomorrow night?"
The girl surveyed the corpse with an enquiring eye. "Yes, I think.
There was no great strength in this one."
"Good, good." Resh looked back to Shard. "Your name is Shard,
yes?"
"And you're Resh."
The vampire inclined his head. "At your service. Now, I'm
supposed to back you up on this."
"Right." [And you'd better not forget it.] Resh was already
making his trigger fingers itch. =20
"Now, it strikes me that we'd all get home a lot faster if we just
did things..." He drew one finger across his throat. "My way."
"You heard Iylitrio. This is my show."
"Until it goes wrong."
Shard rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Meet me back here tomorrow at
sundown. I assume you'd prefer nightfall?"
Resh nodded, still smiling slightly. "That would be better, yes.
I'll be here."
The bounty hunter turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor;
Resh glanced at his female companion.
"Should I send out a message to the others?"
He chuckled. "I always said you were the smartest. Yes, tell
them. Time to hunt."
=20
She could feel him, she'd found. The air had a faint tang of ozone
to it, something more tasted then smelled. Ami could feel adrenaline
kicking in, instinctively, ancient fight-or-flight reactions screaming
danger. She suppressed the feeling with a shiver and kicked the door
shut behind her, setting the laptop bag in its accustomed place on the
hall table.
[Did I leave the lights on?] The question was academic, she knew,
but she couldn't help wondering. They were off now, the reddening light
of the afternoon sun flickering through her room and down the wall as
the wind ruffled the curtains. She sighed, disappointed.
"You can come out, you know." Ami padded forward, the comforting
weight of the transformation artifact in her side pocket. The curtain
flared, bathing the room in a sudden wash of red. "This is not exactly
frightening."
The door to her room was open, and she slipped through as quietly
as she could. Everything seemed to be in place; window open just a
crack, letting the cooling air into the room and occasionally buffeting
the curtain to let in a rather spectacular sunset. The place was
suffused with the low hum of cooling fans and the occasional chuckle of
disk drives, and the power lights gleamed like a dozen tiny green
fireflies.
"You don't have to do it like this, you know." She reached the
center of the room and turned in a slow circle. "You could always just
*talk* to me, like a sane person."
*Beep.* The main screen on the computer flickered to life with a
suddenness that made her jump. The red and blue patterns of the
screensaver chased one another to infinity; Ami shook her head.
"You really don't have to scare me like that."
The room was still, and after a moment she shrugged and sat down at
the computer. [He'll come out when he wants to. Just relax.] Blood
thudded in her ears, and she shook her head again. There was a faint
tickle at the back of her neck, as thought the hair hadn't fallen quite
right. She went to shake it out again, and froze as it moved; someone's
fingers--[I know who, don't I]--traced a delicate pattern down to her
shoulders, up under her chin.
"Has it ever occurred to you, Miss Mizuno, that doing it like this
is half the fun?"
Ami was busy telling her heart that it didn't have to explode, at
least not quite yet. "Fun for [you], maybe. I get tired of looking in
corners." His fingers pressed a bit harder, in tiny spirals on the back
of her shoulders. "And could you stop that? It's distracting."
The voice chuckled. "As you wish."
There was a pause before she spoke again. "Can I turn this chair
around?"
"If you like."
"And you're not going to vanish?"
"No."
"Good. Because I do need to talk with you." She spun in her seat
to find him sitting a few feet away, on the bed. He was dressed just as
she remembered, with dead-white clothing that matched his skin, his
hair. The only hint of another color were the glasses, mirror-black and
aglow with red sunlight and glare from the screen. His features were
angular, mouth quirked in a tiny smile, with the faint suggestion that
the rest of the world had yet to get the joke.
Now he stretched and regarded her, quietly. "You need to talk to
me?"
"Yes." She pushed down a brief stab of nervousness. "I am getting
*very* irritated. So I'm done with your games."
"Miss Mizuno." He sounded oddly disappointed. "I'm sorry if I've
offended you."
"Would you just make sense for one minute? Please?"
He shrugged. "As you wish."
"Who *are* you?"
"My name is Eridu." His gaze never faltered, as though he were
carefully watching her reactions.
[Eridu.] "What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you, of course." =20
"Why?" =20
"Because I enjoy the pleasure of your company?" His smile widened.
"Honestly."
He put his head on one side. "You have far too low an opinion of
yourself."
"Eridu..."
"Okay." He spread his hands. "Do you really want to know?"
"Of course I do."
"I've come here because I need your help."
[Finally.] Ami felt the muscles in her back relax, just a bit, and
she settled into her chair. "You couldn't have just said that in the
first place?"
"That approach is alien to me, Miss Mizuno. I think by nature I am
a creature of illusion and misdirection, and to simply *ask* for
something is far too simple. And," he shook his head wistfully, "not
nearly as amusing. As I believe I mentioned before."
"Okay. You need my help. Why me?"
He grinned. "'I have, alas! Philosophy, Medicine, Jurisprudence
too, and to my cost Theology, with ardent labour, studied through. And
here I stand, with all my lore, poor fool, no wiser than before.'"
The message hit home; Ami flinched and shook her head. "Quoting
again."
"You're just annoyed you don't know it."
"Goethe. Faustus."
"Very good." He looked at her carefully, leaning a bit closer.
"Then you're annoyed that I'm right. It palls, doesn't it?" Eridu
waved a pale, thin hand. "All this. Real life."
"Not..."
"You're one of the unlucky ones, like me."
"Unlucky?" Despite herself, Ami felt intrigued.
"Those of us who are condemned to be forever asking why. To
understand the universe is an impossibility, and yet we lust for it. We
couldn't leave well enough alone, even if we wanted to."
She nodded. "So?"
"So you have a choice, Miss Mizuno." Eridu's grin widened. "Tell
me to leave this time, and I will. And then you can spend your life
arguing with physics professors and biologists about how the world is
really set up. Or..."
Ami waited. "Or?"
"Well. You get the idea." He leaned back. "It's up to you."
"I have a choice?" She chuckled.
"Let us say...you have kind of a choice."
There was a moment of silence, then Ami through back her head and
laughed. "You are utterly ridiculous, you know that?"
He gave a little mock bow. "Completely. May I take that as an
answer?"
"It depends what you want from me."
"Of course." He stood from the bed. "Ever the cautious one. But
have no worries, Miss Mizuno."
"I know." She spun the chair back around to face the machine.
"You'll be back."
"But of course." His voice faded, whispering in her ear. "See you
soon..."
Then the ozone tang in the air was gone, and she was alone in the
apartment, scowling at the monitor.
[Fucking Cheshire Cat ripoff.] She shook her head and reached for
the mouse.
=20
Hotaru woke in a cold sweat, bed sheets tangled around her as
though she'd been fighting something. She blinked in the darkness and
put a hand to her chest, felt her heart beating hummingbird-fast.
[Something's wrong.] It didn't feel wrong, or at least not
*wrong*, not like a premonition of danger. Just something sitting at
the corner of her mind, half-remembered. [I wonder...]
She was halfway out of the house before she realized she was even
moving, throwing a jacket over the thin t-shirt she wore to bed and
slipping her shoes on. The deathly silence of the house was a bit on
the unnerving side; Setsuna was already asleep, and Haruka and Michiru
had yet to return from their latest patrol. Hotaru managed to get all
the way to the front door before her brain caught up with her feet.
[Where am I *going*?] Even standing still, she had to fight a
strong urge to grab the doorknob and run into the night. [Think for a
second. Run where?]
The image came unbidden to mind, an intersection a few blocks from
the house. There were words, too, too soft to make out. [That...was my
dream, I think. But now what?]
She briefly considered waking up Setsuna, then rejected the idea.
[Though I'm not sure why.] Asking for help was certainly the prudent
thing to do, but Hotaru felt somehow biased against it. She reached a
decision.
[Something's out there. Let's see what.] Making sure her
transformation pen was securely in her pocket, Hotaru opened the front
door as quietly as she could and made her way onto the darkened streets
of Juban. It was only a few blocks to walk, and despite her jacket it
was a brisk night. She found herself shivering a bit and picked up the
pace to keep warm; after a few minutes she'd reached the appointed
street corner and stood with her jacket wrapped tightly around her,
eyeing the occasional passing car and the even more occasional passerby.
Hotaru tried her best not to look like an underage streetwalker.
[There's no one here.] She shook her head. [I was so sure. I
guess...]
"Hotaru, isn't it?" It *was* him, the same grave, concerned voice
she'd heard in her dream. Hotaru turned around to find him sitting on
one of the ubiquitous city benches behind her, head inclined at the
question. His seven-foot height was even more incongruous seated;
something in his build suggested that rather then him being too large,
it was the rest of the world that was slightly below scale.
"Jahara?" She took a step towards him, not quite sure what to
think. [I knew it was him. My dream before...and now this...]
He nodded. "You got here remarkably quickly. I take it my message
reached you."
"N...no. Not really. I just felt like I had to come here..."
"Communication in dreams leaves much to be desired." He shrugged.
"You're here nonetheless."
"Yes." She stood uncertainly, watching him.
Jahara looked on the point of continuing for a moment, then glanced
at her oddly. "I am curious. Why?"
"I'm...not really sure." Hotaru hugged her shoulders and shivered.
"I just felt...I don't know."
He shrugged. "Fair enough." Jahara leaned against the bench, head
rolling back to stare at the sky. "I'm not sure I like this city of
yours. Too crowded, too many people. People mean problems." He looked
up, suddenly, when she shivered. "Are you cold?"
Hotaru nodded. "A little."
"Forgive me. Temperature doesn't affect me much, so I tend to
forget about it." He waved one hand in a absent but somehow precise
gesture. The bench underneath him glowed green at the edges, subtly,
and sparkled with vermillion fire. She could feel waves of heat
radiating off of it; the sudden change felt wonderful. "Sit. I don't
want you to be uncomfortable."
"Okay." She took the seat at the other end of the bench, reveling
in the warmth. Jahara glanced at her, and they shared a sigh.
"Ahhh. It does feel good, doesn't it?" He smiled. "I lose these
things from time to time. You know how it is. As long as I know where
I'm going, and I have something to hit..." Another sigh. "I'm happy.
All this comes at considerable effort, you know. We were built to
be...unsubtle." Jahara rolled his head to one side, looking at her.
"You, too."
"Jahara..." The name felt odd on her tongue. "I have to ask..."
"Why I called you here?"
"Yeah."
"I figured." He paused. "This is hard for me, Hotaru."
"What..."
"Asking for help."
"Help?"
He leaned forward, suddenly; all Jahara's motions possessed a
sudden quality, not jerky but simply slightly faster then normal unless
he was really making an effort. "He's getting away from me."
"Who..." Hotaru remembered her dream. "This...Resh?"
The Unforgiven nodded. "He's here, in this city. Hiding in the
light of the nexus. And I can't find him." He turned back to her.
"But you are attuned to this plane, to the nexus. You can find him for
me, if anyone can."
Hotaru backed away. "I...I can't..."
"You have to. You have your function, as I did. Defending the
world from threats. If Resh is not stopped, his children will multiply
and spread and kill until there is nothing left on this planet but dust.
And unless you can stop someone of his power..."
"We can stop him." She felt suddenly uncomfortable, aware as
though for the first time of the power that raged in the Unforgiven. It
was barely contained by his skin; enough leaked through to bristle the
hairs on the back of her neck and give the air a metallic feel.
"I'd be very surprised. But even so, why risk it. I'll tear this
place into rubble if that's what it takes. But Resh is a coward; he'll
flee again before he faces me. And if he does, your world is doomed."
Jahara sat back against the bench again, staring at the sky. "So.
You'll help me find him?"
"I..." Hotaru looked down. Beating against the forefront of her
mind was the fact that she [wanted] to help him, regardless of reasons.
Something in her resonated every time he spoke. But against that--
"I'll have to talk to the others. Setsuna at least. She should
know--"
"Fine." The Unforgiven stood, unfolding up to his full height.
Hotaru had to crane her head up at him. "Let's go."
"You mean...now?"
He smiled again; there was an element of the predator in it. "I
may have mentioned that we're on a tight schedule."
=20
[Swish, swish.] Rei attacked the dust on the steps to Hikawa
Shrine as though it had personally offended her.
[Stupid Shard...and Minako...] Her face heated again. [When I see
him, he's going to fry.]
The long red dress swished back and forth as she worked her way
down the stairs with the broom. Streetlights had come on, below, and
the sun had already dipped mostly below the horizon. Rei had spent an
unproductive day talking to Minako and Makoto, cursing Shard and in her
weaker moments wishing he would show himself sooner. No information had
been forthcoming from the sacred fire, and her grandfather, after
accidentally interrupting one of her internal ranting sessions, had
retreated to his own room and barred the door. Rei was therefore left
to her own devices after her friends had gone home, pacing around the
outside of the shrine and doing anything left undone.
She paused, momentarily, at the sound of footsteps on the stairway
up. [It's not going to be him.] This had already happened three or
four times. [I refuse to get excited. It's just some late visitor, or
Usagi, or Ami, or...]
"Yo." Shard raised one hand in greeting as he climbed. Rei's
hands tightened on the broom. "Did you miss me?" He wore a dark outfit
with a black jacket over it, leaving room for the weapons she had no
doubt were concealed underneath. No sunglasses today, she noted. =20
"You." She laid the broom aside, carefully. [Once he finally
shows up, I don't know what to say.] "What are you doing here?"
"I told you I'd see you soon." Shard glanced over his shoulder, as
though expecting someone to have followed him. "So here I am."
"You're going to have to start explaining some things."
"You and your explanations."
"Shard..." She tried to picture the last moment, in the park;
tried to summon up to the rage. It wouldn't come.=20
The bounty hunter took a step closer and put a hand on her
shoulder. "You know--"
*There* it was.
"Look. I don't know exactly what you thought you were doing last
night, but if you don't start acting a bit more normal the next time you
try to touch me you'll pull back a stump. Understood?"
Shard blinked. "Okay."
"And another--" Rei stopped, aware that she was not meeting with
the expected resistance. "What do you mean, 'okay?'"
"I mean okay." He gestured to the top of the steps. "Do you mind
if I sit down?"
"Go...go ahead." She shook her head, trying to restore earlier
momentum. "I may have had a...a lapse of judgment, but you shouldn't go
reading anything into that."
Shard settled himself in front of the shrine, leaning back on his
elbows and facing the remains of the sunset. The sky had faded from
brilliant orange and red to faint vestiges of pink, and the first stars
were showing their faces.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Eh?" The question pulled her up short.
"What is it that you would like me to do?" Shard turned to look at
her. "If I wanted to get to know you."
"You--" Rei flopped down on the steps next to him, still slightly
stunned.
"You may have noticed that this sort of thing isn't exactly my
strong suit."
"Yeah."
"So I'm asking. What should a guy do?"
"Well..." Incongruously, Rei felt her blush returning. [What *is*
it about him?] She stared down at her hands. "You can ask a girl
out...flowers...that sort of thing..."
The bounty hunter sighed.
"But listen. Even...even if I was thinking like that"--she was
proud of herself for barely stumbling--"I could never like someone who
was a cold-blooded killer! Those guys in the park, Kyara--you just blew
them away, without even thinking."
"If I'd agonized about it, would that make it better?"
"No! Why do you have to do it at all?"
"And you don't?"
"I've never killed anyone."
"What about that little ice-girl?"
"That was a youma."
"So?"
Rei stopped. "Youma are--"
"Evil. Cruel, vicious, heartless. Also stupid."
"Right."
"And this makes them different from people like Kyara how,
exactly?"
"It's different!"
"Sure it is. Those guys in the park would have put a bullet in
your head as soon as look at you. Mine, too; so I got them first. What
else was I supposed to do?"
"Stop them some other way!"
He laughed. "There's a rosy view. Let me tell you this, Rei: if
you and your enemies are playing by two different sets of rules like
that, they're going to win. Probably sooner rather then later. If you
want to play these games--and people like you and me don't really have a
choice--you have to play them to win."
"So that's it? That justifies taking someone's life, just because
it's easier for you?"
"Because it's less likely to get *me* killed."
"Some things are worth the risk."
"That's easy for you to say now. In my experience, people change
when the lead starts flying."
Rei was silent a moment. Shard shifted uneasily, then cleared his
throat.
"Look, I don't mean to be insulting. And I don't blame you for
thinking that way; it works, if nobody has a chance against you. But
this is the real deal, and you can't mess around."
"What do you know about it?"
"What?"
She stood up. "You have no idea of the things I've done. I'm not
some little girl clinging to a funny idea, Shard. I've had to watch my
friends die--hell, *I've* died--and I've seen worse then you can
imagine. And after holding out through all of that, you sit there and
tell me I'm being na=EFve?"
"Rei--"
"I'm going inside. Feel free to get lost."
He stood up as she stalked towards the shrine, slamming the door
aside. "Rei!"
She half-turned, hating herself for doing it. "What?"
"Be...be careful."
"Fuck you."
The door slammed closed.
=20
It was a long way down the steps of Hikawa shrine in the
semi-darkness. Shard was nearing the bottom when he saw the eyes, two
red ovals glowing in the darkness. He held up one hand, preemptively.
"I don't want to hear it."
Resh smiled, the streetlights glinting on his fangs so that his
eyes and his incisors were all that was visible. "Very smooth, Mister
Bounty Hunter. *That* will encourage her to pay a visit to Iylitrio,
I'm sure. You've certainly captured her this time."
"I said I don't want to hear it!"
Shard reached the bottom of the steps and started down the road;
Resh was still grinning in the darkness. Behind him glinted the light
of other pairs of red eyes.
The vampire licked his lips. "Now we do it my way."
Django Wexler (khaine)
khaine@mindless.com
"Well, Ken old chum, this has been a most riveting holiday
season."
"Tell me about it."
"We had some big fights, spent a lot of money, and made a lot of
promises we don't intend to keep."
"I feel so congressional."
-The Japanese Beetle
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