Highlander

Requiem for Asami

Sitting alone in a crowded room while a party was in full swing was no one's idea of a good time, but too the one strange little man it was in fact heaven, he spent most of his time drinking alone in a corner watching the rest of guests have fun and in some deep part of his mind he wanted too join in, yet no! all he did was sit back and watch try too figure out the room before making his move on the one woman sat at the bar. Threw his life he had many women yet there was something about her, her elegant dark hair that flowed like a river across her tiny frame as she sat uncomfortably on the bar stool whilst dodging the advances of the men in the room. It almost appeared as if her favourite line was too say in Japanese 'I do not speak English' or simply 'Piss Off!' as if it was her only word of English.

He downed the rest of his drink and took a deep breath before waling too the bar and standing with in ear shot of her and another man, he could not help but smile at the inept young man in his half baked attempt to chat her up.

"… So you speak… Russian then?…"

He laughed into his drink as he heard the young man ask her, in some half baked Russian if she was 'An Ox's Window' Finally he'd had enough of the young man's assault on every language as he stood and walked to the young man, graciously he stepped between the two and smiled.

"Excuse me sir, but are you the driver of a blue Ford Mustang?"

With the cockiness of youth the young man looked at him from the side of his eyes and smiled as he replied.

"Yeah, ain't she a beauty?"

"If you say so, well sir I was sat over their… you know at the table in the corner when I overheard an old woman saying the car has been in an accident. Apparently the hand break has shifted loose and it was last seen heading backwards down the hill at around twenty miles an hour"

"What? Impossible…"

"Indeed…"

Slowly he reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a small wallet, obviously designed too attract the young man's attention as he spoke.

"Well sir, I'm James Saint-Claire, Attaché too the British Ambassador…"

The young man's jaw dropped as he looked at the identification on the wallet, slowly he looked back into the James' eyes.

"What does that have to do with my car?"

"An excellent question sir, well too use your American language…" Quickly he mimicked the young man's accent and continued. "It's screwed up and should be heading into the lake… right about now"

The young man's eyes widened as he finally realised what he was talking about and broke into a run out of the bar, with a smile he looked at the young woman as she laughed and spoke in Japanese.

"Why did you do that?"

Nervously he shuffled his feet and replied in Japanese, much too the young woman's surprise.

"To be honest miss, he was annoying me. His assault on every language was awful"

"Well thank you Mister Saint-Claire, I see that chivalry is not dead after all"

"Actually miss, My name isn't Saint-Claire… It's Pierson"

Smiling she raised her drink too him and motioned for him too sit next too her, it came as a surprise too him as she spoke with a pure English accent, although he had difficulty pinning down the region of the accent.

"Well Mister Pierson, a Knight in not so shining armour… what about the identification you showed him?"

"Ahh… that was my driver's licence…" With a laugh from them both he continued. "It's not about what you show, it's how you show it miss"

"My name is Asami. It means…"

"Morning Beauty…" He replied quickly.

"Impressive"

Her smile was like the sun breaking the clouds on a spring morning, it made him feel warm all over as he nervously took a sip of his drink. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought. Why was this one young woman such a fear for him. Threw out his life he had been with many women yet this one woman made him feel uncomfortable enough too stammer as he responded too her.

"W-Well… I-I umm…"

Quickly he took a sip of his drink and continued.

"I spent s-some time in the err… in the Orient many years ago"

"Long enough too speak it fluently sir"

She shocked him slightly as she stood down from her seat and moved it closer too him as she ordered two drinks from the bar, yet now he felt even more uncomfortable as she was sat so close too him she was almost on his lap while all the time he kept his eyes firmly locked on hers something she felt completely safe with yet a little disappointed he had not taken the time too look at her body or breasts even though she had seen him watching her from the corner many times during the night.

The evening past with little incident as the two of them chatted and exchanged stories, yet he always seemed to be holding back or his stories seemed too be a little strange, something that excited her even more about this mysterious man she was sharing more then a few drinks orders came and went at the bar they had been nursing the same warm drink for almost three hours until finally they both looked around as cleaners came threw the bar and finally moved them. Laughing they both looked at each other and replied in unison.

"I think we've outstayed our welcome"

It was a short journey too his apartment past with out incident as they laughed, joked and kissed as they fell threw his front morning after his eyes opened with a large smile, he had not felt this great in many, many years. Slowly he rolled over too an empty bed. He sat up as his heart sank to picked up a folded letter on the night stand. With tears almost rolling in his eyes he read the note.

My Dearest Adam.

I regret that I must leave you. The time we spent together was by far the most I have enjoyed in many years.

Your knowledge and experiences have told me a lot about who and what you are. I know what you are Adam, I know you are an Immortal but please be aware of a man named James… his anger for who and what you people are will lead us all too war. Please do not try too find me. You will not succeed, With my feelings for you and what you are I can say I was wrong, and so was James, although some of your kind are monsters I now know that you are not all that way.

Be careful Adam.

Asami

P.S. I can no longer live with what I know, please forgive me.

Tears flowed from his eyes as he looked around his bedroom and stopped at the window, a cold dread ran over him as the flashing lights of the emergency services danced over his window.

Story by

GW Ryan.