The Past Returns

by Angelic Traveller

The fifth story of the Sailor Moon P saga. The arrival of new faces, and the return of old, mean new adventures for the Sailor Scouts.

14. Chapter Thirteen: In the Shadow of Keiju

Chapter 13: In the Shadow of Keiju

Amy finally gave up struggling and, deeply frustrated, she slumped back against the rock behind her. As she leaned back she gazed out over the horizon, which sprawled out majestically before her. The view she had of the silhoetted trees, and mountains in the near distance was quite breathtaking. Amy would normally have been breath-taken by such an incredible view - but the situation in which she was seeing it was very far from normal.

She didn't know exactly where she was, but she knew that her captor had flown her a distance from the city at an incredible speed. The silver manacles that had recently been clamped around her delicate wrists were now coated in frost and felt bitterly cold against her soft skin as she bit at the piece of cloth which remained around her mouth, gagging her, but she just couldn't dislodge the material as much as she struggled to.

The rock was hard and unsurprisingly uncomfortable against her ill-protected back, but this couldn't be helped since the manacles fastened about her wrists were attached to a long, strong silver chain, which had been wound several times around the rock so that her arms were pinned up against the boulder so that she had no chance of freeing herself.

Time had crawled past slowly since her captor had brought her to this large stretch of land shielded by a large cliff-face and she had been helpless to resist as he had bound her before turning to melt away into the night.

As the blue-haired girl now gazed bleakly at the shadowy horizon through the thick blanket of falling snow all she had were her thoughts and these she devoted solely to one person…

Fargo.

The youth had been so badly injured when she had last seen him and from the very second she had been carried away into the night her mind had been preoccupied with the thought of him all alone in the blizzard…where was he now? Had he been able to make it back to the others through the bitterly cold and blinding labyrinth of snow?

Amy's eyes shone with turmoil as she worried. Was he safe? Or was he still lying unconscious in the snow in the dead of night?

Fargo…where are you? Amy thought miserably as the snow danced in front of her eyes.

"You wish to be by his side - do you not?" Amy's eyes widened as her back stiffened against the rock - him.

She had not heard him approach…

The man in the mask and shredded cloak had arrived as silently as the wind and as she flicked her eyes around the vast plain in an effort to make out where he was Amy's gaze immediately met the gaze of her captor.

He was now suddenly crouching directly before her, as if he had been formed out of the shadows themselves.

Amy stared wildly at him and her heart thumped in her chest as she watched his hand reach forward towards her face…

She would have recoiled from his hand fearfully if she had not already been backed up as far as she could go against the rock. The blue-haired girl was as stiff as a board as his fingers neared her defenceless flesh. In an instant her captor had taken hold of the piece of cloth which was tied around her mouth and with one firm tug he pulled it from her face, liberating her lips.

As Amy gave a startled blink over the fact that her mouth was finally uncovered she realised that the cloaked man was carrying several things - a large and thick red blanket, several sticks of dry looking wood and a thermal flask.

Amy remained quiet, choosing to wait for him to be the first to speak. Meanwhile, her captor put the wood and flask on the ground beside him and unfolded the blanket.

Amy's face was curious as he arranged the blanket over her shoulders and then proceeded to fold it around her. As the blanket was wrapped firmly around her body Amy began to feel warmer, since all she was wearing was her revealing dress she'd been shivering ever since the blizzard had begun.

The girl felt puzzled as she was wrapped up - why was he doing this?

She was his captive, who he intended to use as leverage against Fargo - so why was he going out of his way to ensure that she was warm and protected against the weather?

The masked man slipped the folds of the blanket behind Amy's back so that she was slightly more comfortable with the red fabric between her back and the rock.

Next, he built a small pile using the sticks and as Amy watched, her curiosity mounting all the time, he rubbed two of them together and almost immediately this produced a small spark, which fell onto the pile and soon started a medium-sized camp fire.

In the warm and almost reassuring heat of the burning fire, Amy could now hardly even feel the bite of the snow, and now that she could actually see him clearly she was able to concentrate more attention to the man who had brought her to this place in the middle of the wilderness.

As the fire roared comfortingly the man picked up the flask from the snow-covered ground and approached the blue-haired girl again. Amy could no longer contain her curiosity and plainly asked him:

"Who are you?" The lid of the green flask came off with a pop as he twisted it once and a thick trail of white steam rose from its neck.

The mild scent of jasmine tea tickled Amy's nostrils as she watched the man cautiously.

Raising the flask to the girl's lips for her to drink, the man answered her question after a few minutes.

"I am like him…my past is dead. I live in the moment - that's my only purpose."

As she sipped the warm tea, which was actually quite pleasant and warmed her insides, Amy thought about what he had said.

"Him?" Amy prompted as she drew away from her thoughts to speak clearly. "You mean Fargo, don't you?"

Just as she was starting to doubt that he would respond he confounded her expectation.

"You're clever; too clever for your own good." The flask was again pushed towards her lips but this time Amy drew her face back and looked her captor directly in the eye - she intended to go on with this conversation.

"Were you talking about Fargo?" She insisted, clearly not about to let this go.

The man held her gaze steadily for a long while, during which neither of them spoke or did anything - although in Amy's case she did not have a lot of choice about this. Amy felt decidedly uneasy beneath his relentless stare, she felt as if he were judging her heart and weighing her worth.

Eventually he responded to her question and she now clearly detected a note of wonder in his voice.

"You aren't scared."

Is he asking or telling me? Amy wondered as she met his questioning stare with proud eyes.

"No," she replied firmly. "I've no idea why it is that I know this but I'm sure in my heart that you won't harm me."

Her reply was followed by another lengthy silence - Amy was now quite used to these and could predict when they would occur and also when he would speak again.

"No – it is not in my blood to hurt a lady." He admitted in the end. "Only a demon without a soul would do that. It would be the action of something that kills out of blood lust rather than the need for self preservation." He thought about Leather but said nothing out loud.

Amy was feeling more and more puzzled by this strange, sad-voiced man - the very essence of sorrow seemed to pour out of every fibre of his existence. Not the sadness of loss or unbearable guilt but an inescapable regret, which was truly integral to his life.

"Why?" She asked in the end and this time she was not surprised that her voice had become strangely compassionate. "Why are you doing this?"

Just as she had expected there came no response to her question for a long while. It was, the blue-haired girl considered, as though he needed to look down deeply inside himself whenever she asked him a question - as though he had gone so long without speaking about himself that it took him several moments to figure out the answers himself before he could pass them on to her.

After what felt like an age of waiting he replied, and his voice sounded as though it were resigned to a bitter truth, which echoed from the very core of his soul.

"In this day and age, we must choose to become tigers and fight for the right to live in this hellish world…or else to be the docile oxen, which graze peacefully in the fields only to be torn to shreds by the predators which stalk the Earth." His eyes were grave as he looked at her again and saw with satisfaction that she was listening carefully to each and every word that he said. "I elected to lead the life of the carnivore in order to preserve my own life." He concluded darkly.

For a long while neither of them said anything as Amy considered the masked man - the way his voice sounded, the things he talked about, the things he did which he shouldn't, the things that he should have done but didn't…

Amy felt bewildered by the way he acted towards her – he was going out of his way to ensure that she was as comfortable as she could possibly be. In fact, she realised, looking around at her surroundings and blinking in surprise, he had even put her beneath the cover of the cliff-face so that she would be out of the beating snow.

However, the person who surprised Amy the most was herself. Her feelings told her that she ought to have been frightened since she was in the clutches of a ruthless maniac. Instead she noticed that whenever he spoke the voice of this man sounded strangely melancholy and his deep eyes, which lay just beyond the frayed holes in his mask, were dark and sombre. These fathomless pools were the saddest things that Amy had ever seen in her life and to her own surprise the blue-haired girl felt a surge of inexplicable sympathy for him rising in her heart - though why was beyond her understanding.

"So…you intend to use me to gain an advantage over Fargo?" She asked in a voice that was faint and subdued as she struggled with her confusion and conflicting emotions.

For the briefest instant she thought that she made out the most fleeting shadow of a smile on his face, although she could not be absolutely sure and she had no chance to take a more careful look for in a heartbeat it was gone again - whatever it had been.

"Please understand, I had nothing so crude in mind." He reassured her and then something struck his mind. "What's your name, anyway?" Amy gazed at him steadily and replied.

"Amy." Her voice was cool and crisp.

"A lovely name," her captor murmured. "…very appropriate for a Sailor Scout."

Before she could catch herself Amy had released a short, sharp and involuntary gasp of shock.

"You…know?!" She breathed as her eyes widened in disbelief.

This time the cynical smile that touched the lips of her captor was one of pity.

"I'm sure now." He responded mildly and Amy gave an inward groan as she realised that she had been tricked into revealing her secret identity. "So, which of them are you?"

Amy hesitated for a moment, but then decided that there was no point in trying to hide her Scout identity from him now.

"I am Sailor Mercury." She told him in a clear and distinct voice.

"Mercury. That name suits you well - matches the beauty in your eyes perfectly." He remarked as he considered this new revelation for a few moments before he dismissed it as being inconsequential to his agenda. "That's all for now," he told her flatly as he turned his back to her and regarded the white landscape which lay yonder. "You should get some rest - there are big things in store. Big and terrible things - things that are not for your eyes."

"Wait!" Amy exclaimed sharply as he started to walk away from where she was held captive. "Please tell me one more thing - what are you going to do to Fargo?"

"I think you have already worked out the answer to that one on your own, Amy."

"Why do you want him to suffer?" Amy demanded.

"Why do you care?" He returned briefly without turning back to look at her.

Amy opened her mouth to respond but then she wavered and no words left her lips. How could she put into words how she felt?

Her captor watched her shifting facial expressions as she struggled to find the words to express Fargo's importance to her.

Eventually he spoke again, in a slightly gentler voice.

"You love him."

Amy felt her heart almost stop - he sounded so sure about it…in fact he sounded even surer than she herself felt.

Her eyes radiant with love and honesty, Amy gazed at him.

"More than anybody." She whispered in a silky voice.

The man gave a deep sigh – a bitter and weary, but also very regretful, sound.

"Amy, life is no more than a brutal experience filled with nothing but relentless agony and anguish. There is no bliss to be found...anywhere." He said to her quietly. "Is your love for him really strong enough to withstand the harsh light of day?"

Again, Amy opened her mouth to fend off his questioning of her feelings but to her own consternation and dismay her voice faltered just as it had done before. She felt disturbed as she realised that she had actually listened to his words instead of closing her ears to him like she ought to have done.

"Fargo is like nobody I've ever met before." She eventually said in a defiant but quiet voice.

This declaration was immediately followed by another sigh.

"He'll age, Amy. He'll grow older and with each and every year that passes by he'll also become cold and bitter, and then when you look into his eyes right at the very end of your days together you won't even recognise him as the man you fell in love with." He told her gravely - he did not need to say it distinctly since Amy was already hanging, albeit unwillingly, on his every single word.

The Mercurian was silent as she struggled with her confused emotions…but why? Why had she even listened with such rapt attention as he had told her that she should not give herself to Fargo so freely?

Why had she let him say such things about her relationship with Fargo when she already knew in her heart that she loved him?

Trying to shake away the grip that his words of foreboding had taken on her heart, Amy shook her head firmly.

"You're wrong." She whispered quietly, but her voice was firm and the depths of her feelings unmistakable.

In response to her defiance her captor merely shrugged indifferently.

"Perhaps," he admitted as he turned away from her once more. "I have been wrong about a lot of things in my life, Amy. One more wouldn't make a lot of difference. Indeed, I would be glad in this case if it were true…but I doubt it."

Amy watched as he began to move away from where she was sat chained to the rock and in her eyes was a look of distress. Perhaps her captor could sense the shift in her emotions, for he spoke to her once more as he walked slowly away.

"Soon your freedom will be restored to you, Amy." He told her flatly as he came to a halt.

Amy's face was troubled - she knew what he had implied immediately.

When the time came for the two to finally meet it would be a meeting from which only one would emerge to see a new day.

Amy felt strangely calm as she realised this truth. And yet she was also desperately afraid - if Fargo came to rescue her then he might be hurt, or even…

"Please…"

The blue-eyed girl exclaimed in a voice that suddenly rang with pleading on the verge of sheer desperation. "You can't kill Fargo …if anything were to happen to him then I know that I would die too!"

Amy fell silent and squeezed her eyes shut as she hoped that her words would be able to sway his grim resolve. She had spoken out of her heart and confessed her secret feelings for the first time to somebody else as she had pleaded for the life of the one she loved.

All that Amy could do now was pray for the best.

But her captor's next words were to dash her dear hope.

"Sleep now, Amy," he instructed her gently but still with a firmness in his voice. "Rest and dream about innocent things like happiness and love…innocent and foolish things."

Even though Amy now felt despair washing over her, she realised that her eyes were beginning to feel heavy as the warmth of the fire and blanket lulled her into impending sleep.

However, in the moments before slumber came and claimed her in its peaceful embrace she could not help but speak to him one last time.

"They are wonderful things," she murmured drowsily as her eyelids began to drift closed, despite her best efforts to remain awake. "My friendship with the other Scouts has brought great joy into my life."

"What does friendship mean to one who is not truly of this world?" He replied cryptically. "Sleep, Amy. I will watch over you while you rest."

And the strange thing was that even though he was holding her prisoner and intended to take the life of the man she loved…Amy believed him.

As he watched Amy felt her eyelids begin to drift closed until she slept beneath the watchful eye of her captor - the man in the mask.

As he watched the blue-haired girl's face from a distance while she slept he thought that she looked just like a slumbering angel. If he were to achieve his aim then the pure light that shone in her face may be extinguished forever.

That would be a great evil…one which could not be justified for whatever reason.

And yet he had no choice…

A deep sigh of regret rose from his throat as he looked across at the rolling plains that stretched out further than the eye could see.

"Dreams…" muttered the masked man as he gazed out across the endless horizon.

x x x x x

Mina sighed as she closed her front door softly behind her before she followed Rei into her living room.

The girls had decided that they would spend the night at Lita's, and so the Venusian had decided to go home to pick up a spare change of clothes, and also to inform Alexia's parents that she would also be going, although in reality she would be staying by Erin's side at the hospital.

At the extremely brief meeting outside the hospital, everybody had been horrified by Lita's news of Erin's collapse in the hospital reception and his impending emergency operation.

Mina had become pale as she had wondered if Erin would ever wake up again and this thought had made her feel more frightened than she had felt in a long time. Also weighing heavily on their minds were the disappearances of both Amy and Fargo.

The girls were now forced to realise that both had been missing for too long now without a word - something must have happened to them. It was as simple as that.

Mina wondered anxiously if the group who had attacked Erin and Alexia had also got to Amy and Fargo that night. Could their other friends also be lying unconscious and seriously injured out there in the cold night, far away from any kind of help?

Sternly Mina shook herself – she couldn't afford to think like this.

The Venusian knew that for the sake of all of her friends she must be strong in this dark hour. She knew that she couldn't give in to the doubt that preyed at her heart and threatened to overwhelm her completely.

It was time for all of her friends and herself to stand together or else stand alone - and be destroyed by the enemy.

However, as she had walked away from the hospital Mina had been stopped by Rei, who had called out her name and asked her if she could borrow some clothes from her, since her house was closer than the temple.

As she had looked into the pools of the raven-haired girl's eyes, Mina had seen that she wasn't the only one worrying about their friends - with a gentle smile she had assured Rei that she was of course welcome to borrow her things whenever she liked.

Rei always tried to keep her turmoil pent up silently inside of herself and tried to handle it on her own but Mina knew that this way of coping with one's own pain almost always ended in tears.

The Venusian had thought, while they had walked in silence to her house, that maybe she would be able to get Rei to open up to her.

"It's all going to be okay, Rei." Mina told the dark-haired girl with a forced cheeriness in her voice as she rummaged through a pile of clean clothes that were waiting to be ironed and stuffed various articles into her bag. "He's going to be fine! It's amazing how quickly people-"

"Mina…" Rei cut in abruptly and the dull note in her voice made Mina stop talking.

"Yeah?" She prompted when Rei hesitated to continue.

"Anyone looking how he did is definitely not fine." Rei concluded flatly.

Mina felt her heart sink as - perhaps for the first time - she realised the bitter truth that coated the raven-haired psychic's words.

"Hey, Rei…" she began rather awkwardly.

"Look, I've got to do something or I'll go crazy." Rei said as she walked towards the kitchen door. "I'll make some tea, okay?"

Mina nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah." She said, knowing that the activity would help to keep Rei's mind off the horrible events of this night.

However, as Rei stepped into the kitchen her eyes fell upon a shape on the floor - she stopped in her tracks and her mouth fell open in horror.

Her scream of shock and distress made Mina leap from the couch and stand in the middle of the room, bolt upright in shock. The blonde's alarm lasted for a mere second but to her it felt like an entire lifetime passed.

"What is it?!" She exclaimed as her muscles relaxed again and she sprinted for the kitchen, steeling herself to face whatever horror lay within.

Rei whirled around to look at Mina as she reached the doorway and to the Venusian's consternation the girl's face was now pale and she was trembling from head to toe like a frightened little girl.

Whatever she had seen in the kitchen it had shocked her deeply.

"What?" Mina insisted anxiously because Rei was standing in the doorway and she could not see past her to glimpse what lay beyond.

Rei opened her mouth to reply but her voice was strangled and faltered on her lips as she trembled uncontrollably. Mina stared at her expectantly. "Well?" she asked simply.

Rei managed to pull herself together with a huge effort and speak coherently.

"I…it's…Fargo!" She stammered.

The Martian stepped aside and at last Mina could see into her kitchen and she stared at the ground where Rei was pointing with her finger.

It was indeed Fargo, lying on the floor outcold, his skin as white as the frost which coated him - he looked in a very bad way indeed and seemed to be breathing only very shallowly. The dampness on the kitchen floor caused by the melted snow on his clothes indicated that he had been lying there for some time now…

x x x x x

"We need more help here, people!" Doctor White barked over her shoulder at a trio of young nurses who were gathered at the other side of the emergency ward. "Come on, get more people over here!" Doctor White was currently engaged in pinning down Erin's left wrist and shoulder with the powerful grip of both her hands and her face was set and emotionless as she used all of her strength to try to hold down the thrashing boy.

As she struggled with Erin, who had woken up again since collapsing in the reception, the nurses arrived at the bedside and one of them took hold of the youth's other arm and shoulder while her companions held down his legs. As his body was gripped by intense pain, Erin gave an incredibly loud scream and started thrash violently as he lost all control of his senses as well as his body.

The ward was filled by Erin's howls of agony as the entire place buzzed with activity.

Doctor White checked the sedative-filled syringe she held in her hand, with which she was intending to inject the boy to prepare him for surgery, with frustration in her eyes. Why wouldn't he let her help him? If he didn't calm down he would just cause himself more damage! Finally there was a break in the convulsions and so she quickly found a vein and injected him with the drug.

"There," she muttered, wiping her brow. "In a few moments he should go under."

Alexia stood at the foot of the bed, frozen with terror as she watched the proceedings with her mouth covered by both of her hands and her eyes wide with shock.

Her heart pounded heavily as she breathed deeply while watching Erin thrashing violently as he was held down. The girl's face was deep set white and she had to struggle to keep herself from fainting as she trembled uncontrollably like a frightened animal. She had prepared herself for the worst when she had entered the emergency ward but she had not dreamed for a second that it would be as bad as this.

Suddenly Erin's wildly staring eyes snapped back into focus and his back became as stiff as a rake as he panted as if he had run very hard until out of breath. As the boy wheezed hoarsely a name formed shakily.

"A…lex…ia…" he managed with painful effort.

At the sound of his voice Alexia approached his side, regardless of the doctor and stood looking down at him.

"I'm here, Erin," she assured him firmly. "I'm not going anywhere." Erin's eyes took on a dreamy look as his arms and legs became relaxed and he looked at Alexia with a look in his eyes that reminded her of a small child that was afraid to go to sleep.

"Alexia…" he muttered in a broken and pleading voice. "…you can't let them…"

At once Alexia put her hand on his wrist and the instant that he felt her gentle touch Erin stopped trying to speak.

"Erin, listen to me - you have to trust the doctors." Alexia told him firmly as she looked directly into his eyes. "I promise that nothing will happen to you but you need to let her help you to become well again. So stop fighting it and just let her help…alright?"

Erin saw the truth in her eyes and slowly he allowed the drug flowing in his bloodstream to take him into a relaxed slumber.

Doctor White had watched Alexia's face closely as the girl had spoken to Erin and she marvelled at the power that this girl's voice seemed to have over the youth - what she had said to him had done more to calm him down than she could have said. As she looked at Alexia's firm and determined expression Doctor White realised suddenly that there was something different about this girl.

Something which was…not of this world.

When she spoke to Alexia again her voice now contained a curiously respectful tone.

"Thank you."

Alexia's pale eyes flashed at the doctor.

"Someone needed to do something, didn't they? Otherwise he would have hurt himself more." She said quietly. "Please, just do everything you can do make him better."

Doctor White found herself nodding her head and releasing her grip from Erin's wrist and shoulder. She then addressed her colleagues.

"Well everybody, you heard the young lady – let's get him to surgery."

The nurses eyed Erin, who now lay back completely outcold, then wheeled his bed off through double doors.

"That was well handled," Doctor White complimented the girl as she led to a waiting room and offered her a seat, which Alexia did not take. "You certainly seem to have a lot of influence over him."

Alexia nodded and smiled wryly.

"I guess so." She replied, since she really didn't have any idea what else she could say.

Doctor White now turned and fixed Alexia with a stern look as she decided that it was time for her to begin asking questions.

"Now, I don't know how long surgery will take, it depends on how severe his injuries are." She began. "But I will come back to you when I can and when I do I would like to know just how your friend came to be in such a condition." She announced in a very severe voice. "So, would you please stay here, Alexia?"

Alexia realised as she looked into the doctor's grave eyes that she meant no nonsense - she was determined to know exactly what had happened.

"Yes, of course I will." She responded honestly, thinking that at least she would have time to think of something to tell the doctor when she returned.

"Good. Then I shall see you later." Doctor White concluded, before leaving the room to head for the operating theatre. The doctor set her lips tightly as she walked; there was something decidedly strange about this whole affair and she was determined to get to the bottom of it before Erin left the hospital…

x x x x x

Fargo was dreaming about the past.

This was unusual, for under normal circumstances Fargo never gave even the briefest of thoughts to his lost years. To Fargo his life before Earth was something that was always out of his reach; always resting just beyond the tips of his fingers and always slipping away from him and melting back into the veils of time that had passed long before whenever he tried to reach out and touch it. Whenever he attempted reclaim his long ago days they would be denied to him as if they belonged to some other guy, somebody who certainly wasn't him.

Fargo had grown accustomed to this frustration and feeling of loss but the deprivation that always haunted his dreams was that of his real name…

Without it he felt incomplete, empty.

However, this time his dream was not of his life during the Silver Millennium and Queen Serenity's reign – no, this glimpse into his past focused upon a period of his life that had taken place not so long ago…but only if you measured in years.

As far as Fargo was concerned it had all happened a very long time ago, so long ago that it no longer mattered.

Well it was all in the past, right?

Wrong.

It was very much to do with what was happening in his life right now, for a face from his past, which would have been much better had it been left buried there, had returned to force him to relive the past until the torment destroyed him. In his anguished and delirious slumber Fargo grimaced and shook his head, as though he were trying to deny all that he knew too well. The past was like an eternal loop, continuing to prey on the souls of the people who allowed themselves to be tormented by the things they had done and mistakes they had made and unless you could find the strength to break the circle and seize control of your own destiny you may very well find yourself being forced to repeat the mistakes of your past forever…

"Kaori!" Cried one of the two youths who had just arrived down the set of stone steps.

The blonde-haired girl's face was visible to them as she stood a short distance away from where they came to a stop.

As the two youths watched her, wondering all the while what all of this could be about, Kaori's beautiful electric eyes shone in the eeriness of the deserted chamber of the train station that had been disused for several years since the opening of the new, more advanced and sophisticated one.

The lovely teenage runaway, who had fallen in with the red-headed drifter (and wastrel? Very possibly…) Fargo and the dark-haired and lean street kid Erin six months ago, eyed both of them as they both stood looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

The expression on her face was strange - neither of the boys had ever seen anything like it and both of them had seen much in their lives. The look on the girl's face was such a peculiar mixture of quite a few emotions and being so worldly Fargo started to pick each one of them out individually from her expression, identifying each one as he found it.

"So…Fargo and Erin together." Kaori said and her lovely voice sounded very low and steady in the hushed atmosphere of the undisturbed train station, which had lain empty for years until tonight. "I want to thank you both for coming here just for me. You didn't have to, but you did…for me."

Something in her voice as she said this caused Fargo to raise his eyebrow.

Kaori had sounded sincerely grateful when she had thanked them for coming when she had asked them to meet her.

But also, she sounded…sorry?

As he thought over this Fargo managed to identify one of the emotions etched into Kaori's pretty face…sorrow.

As Fargo remained pensively silent, attempting to piece all of this together in an order that he could understand, Erin replied.

"Kaori, you know it's no problem, you're one of us!" The dark-haired youth exclaimed as he moved forward, closer to the girl. "The three of us are friends…no, more than that really! You, me and Fargo - we're a team! People like us have to stick together!"

Kaori winced slightly, so slightly that in the dim light Erin didn't notice, but Fargo did. His every sense was now alert and he watched the girl as carefully as a hawk. He had caught her cringe and his contemplative thoughts quickened in speed and depth. Another emotion in Kaori's eyes was now made clear to him…regret.

When Kaori spoke again there was pain in her voice.

"Fargo…Erin…listen, both of you - I want to thank you two for all that you've done for me since we first met. You guys have both been so good to me and the three of us have been through such a lot together…I really don't know what to say." Her voice was strangely sombre and quiet and her eyes sparkled beautifully in a way which took their breath away. "Without you guys I don't know what would have happened to me. I'll always be grateful for how you looked after me and didn't ask for anything in return."

Every fibre of Fargo's body was now urging him and whispering to him in warning but Erin did not have the same suspicion, which had already taken root in Fargo's mind.

"Hey, Kaori, don't worry about it! Somebody had to do it - the Firm of Fargo and Erin has been well noted for its rescues from the day that I joined the company!" He laughed warmly as Kaori's words touched his heart. "You're special to us - you're wonderful cuz you're a friend. The three of us'll always stick together through thick and through thin. We've helped each other survive in our times of need and that's what gives the three of us a link to each other."

Kaori was silent for a long time as several conflicting emotions flashed across her face.

Fargo watched in silence as he saw regret, sorrow and shame all appear in her eyes, merging into one emotion.

The girl lowered her gaze as the full realisation of the horrible thing that she had done came crashing down over her and left her feeling devastated and horrified by herself.

"Erin…oh, Erin…" she whispered in a voice that was so sorrowful and full of desperate regret that it was heartbreaking to hear. "Do you really mean that?"

Erin laughed and wondered what could have come over her to make her talk this way. "You're a weird little thing!" He teased her. "Course I do! You mean just as much to me as Fargo does. I care about you."

Slowly Kaori raised her head again to look at the street kid and the empty expression in her eyes caused the smile on Erin's face to freeze then slowly die away as he realised that there was something very, very wrong in the situation.

Finally the blonde girl spoke again, and her voice was filled with the loathing that she now felt for herself and the guilt, which hounded her conscience but also rang with unshakeable purpose.

"Then I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." She said in a voice that was hard and completely devoid of feeling, "I'm so sorry, Erin…forgive me, please."

Fargo finally understood what it all meant - when all of the emotions that he had seen so briefly on Kaori's face came together they formed one single thing, which although solitary, could be more devastating than anything else in the world.

Betrayal.

There had been betrayal in Kaori's heart-snatchingly beautiful eyes as she had thanked Erin and Fargo for their friendship…

But Erin did not realise just what the mixture of feelings that now covered the blonde girl's face meant and so he couldn't comprehend what Kaori had just said. As Erin stared at their female companion, entirely bewildered by her words, Fargo felt the hairs on the back of his head prickle sending a sensation down his back.

The three of them weren't alone here.

This was the moment in which friendship became bitter betrayal.

As Kaori stood staring at the two of them with that empty look in her lovely eyes, devoid of the affection that she had clearly felt for them both a short time ago, the shadows all around them were disrupted by a sudden flurry of movement.

Fargo and Erin staggered back in a daze as several figures stepped out from behind the stacks of rust-covered oil drums that were stacked up as high as the ceiling and closed in around them both.

Fargo stiffened as he took one sweeping look around and realised that he, Erin and Kaori were now surrounded and cut off from the steps that they had used to get here.

"Wha…" stammered Erin, who was staring at the newcomers, unable to take in what was going on.

The circle that now surronded them was comprised of over fifteen unpleasant-looking men and one or two women who were not an entirely surprising sight to Fargo, having seen many people like this on his travels. They were the kind of people that he had often glimpsed huddling in the shadowed corners of bars and whispering with their companions about their plans for after dark or, if it was already night outside, after they had finished their drinks.

The surprise, as far as Fargo was concerned, lay in the fact that he had thought himself to be alone down here with Erin and Kaori…however this surprise didn't last all that long either as he thought about the blonde girl's words seconds before the ambush had taken place.

As Erin gaped and Fargo and Kaori remained silent a massively built thug in a ripped, sleeveless shirt and dark sunglasses snickered at the dark-haired boy's inability to grasp the situation.

"Surrrrrpriiiiiise!" he laughed dirtily at the trio, who stood trapped by himself and his comrades. "Bet neither of you punks expected to see us here, did'ja?"

Fargo instantly caught onto the word 'neither'. Kaori, he thought bitterly as he looked at her face, trying to meet her eyes only to find that she avoided his gaze. His heart had felt as though it had been pierced by cold, twisted metal as he had realised the truth but deep down he had hoped and prayed that there might be the smallest chance that he had been wrong.

As the men and women had surrounded them Erin had been speechless, carried away by the speed with which events were taking place but now he glanced anxiously at Kaori, who apparently seemed to be completely at ease and unafraid by the bloodthirsty street gang that had appeared from out of nowhere.

"Kaori, get over here now!" He yelled as he motioned wildly for her to run over and get between himself and Fargo. "I get that you're scared but they won't lay a greasy finger on you while we're here to protect you!"

As they listened to this cry the vicious and grim-looking gang all burst into delirious howls of laughter, as if they found something entertaining in the words that Erin had just yelled.

Erin stared around at them with a befuddled look on his face. "I say something funny?" He challenged, forgetting for the moment about the potentially lethal situation that he had so abruptly been hurled into.

"Ohhhhh yes! Definitely!" A slender young woman, whose breath-taking dark blue hair shone like the sky at midnight, drawled casually in response as she regarded him with amusement. "You should take your talent to the stage, honey!"

As the merriment began to die down apart from a few snickers at the side Kaori spoke and her tone of voice was level and emotionless.

"I don't need to be protected from them, Erin."

Erin's attention snapped back to her.

"Come again??" He asked as he felt bewildered by the certainty with which she had said that.

Coming out of his bitter reverie at last Fargo whirled around and snapped at him.

"Use your frickin' head, Erin! Kaori's behind all of this! She's helped them trap us!" Erin's mouth fell open as he stared at his angered friend in sheer disbelief.

"What did you…? No!" He spluttered, not wanting to believe what Fargo had just said. "No! Kaori would never…it's not possible."

"It's true, Erin." Kaori interrupted his desperate denial of her betrayal in that same perfectly pure voice, so empty of any kind of emotion that Fargo could not bear to hear her use it. "Fargo's right. I was told to arrange for both of you to come here to lure you into a trap, and this is it."

Erin couldn't speak as he stared at her and saw the unfeeling look in her eyes; however, Kaori didn't need to hear him speak because the pain that he felt inside was quite clearly shown on his face as he was slowly forced to accept that the girl who he had trusted as a friend, trusted completely, had turned on them. The intensity of the pain in Erin's eyes tore at her heart far more than Fargo's obvious but unspoken anger at what she had done and even the horrible feeling of immorality that had kept her awake in her bed for the last few days since she had first been approached with this proposition.

The hurt look in the street kid's eyes made her realise for the first time just what she had done and as she stood stricken by guilt her expressionless mask wavered as though it were about to tear away completely and reveal the real girl behind it.

It did.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Erin!" She cried suddenly and now her voice was full of remorse as she thought about what she had done to them after all they had done for her. "Fargo, Erin, I'm so-"

But then she heard the derisive muttering that began to ripple through the assortment of low-lives after her display of weakness and caught herself.

This was the way things now were, she told herself sadly, and she had no other choice than to go forward with what she had done. The effort was wrenchingly painful but Kaori embraced the pain, which she found better than the emotions she had felt when she had given into the regret of her betrayal and regained the empty expression, even though a desperate tear had now traced its way down her face regardless of her effort to conceal her weakness.

From the circle, the blue-haired girl was watching Kaori with close attention - her eyes had softened as she had seen the tear sparkling in the corner of the blonde girl's eye and she remembered how hard it had been for her when she had needed to prove that she could leave all remaining traces of her former life behind without regret and without looking back for a moment, just as Kaori was doing now.

The girl could feel sympathy for Kaori welling up inside her as she gazed at the younger girl who had betrayed her friends because their leader had ordered her to.

"I'm sorry, both of you, but I'm only doing what I have to do." Kaori told Fargo and Erin in the empty, hollow tone of voice, which didn't suit her at all.

It was a heartless voice and this was something that Kaori could never be.

"You're turning on us because it's what you need to do?" Erin yelled but his voice sounded more pleading than accusing as he stared at her in agony.

Again Kaori felt a waver of sadness run through her body but this time she remained steady and didn't let it slip through and appear on her face. She was anxious now, for she had lost Fargo and Erin the moment that she had watched them come here and step obliviously into the centre of the ambush and she knew that if she were to fail then she would have nothing.

It was desperately important that she showed no weakness at all.

"Erin, please understand me." She began quietly as she tried to search for words to explain why she had done what she had.

Erin didn't even let her get started.

"Understand." He repeated dazedly and then his face contorted with fury and he yelled at her. "Understand?! What do you want me to 'understand', Kaori?! How could you do this to us after everything!! How could you?!"

Kaori faced the tide of emotion without once flinching, at least on the outside.

"Like I said," she replied quietly and narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm doing this because I need to, not because I want to."

Erin didn't respond - he was gagged by the emotion that burned his soul and there weren't any sufficient words to tell her just how much she had hurt him anyway.

Fargo hadn't once taken his eyes away from Kaori's face since he had realised that she was responsible for leading them into this trap and the tone he used as at last he spoke to her was similar to her own - hollow. Kaori was using this voice in order to hide the way she was feeling and now Fargo was using it to do exactly the same thing.

"There's only one thing that I'd like to know Kaori, what did they offer you?" Fargo asked simply and since he was working hard to keep the emotion from his voice it shone in his grey eyes instead. "What was worth more than our friendship?"

Kaori actually lowered her eyes; facing Erin's rage and seeing the pain that her betrayal had caused him in his eyes had been bitter enough for her but this was Fargo - the one who had found her and taken her away from the danger of the streets. She could not bear to see the anger and bitterness in his eyes and now that it was too late for her to change her mind she regretted the betrayal of the best friend that she'd ever had - and now thrown away.

"He promised me that I'd be safe if I did as he asked, Fargo." She whispered in a voice that was almost silent as she desperately avoided looking into his eyes. "He told me that if I did this one thing for him then he'd protect me forever."

Erin's eyes flashed angrily in the dim light as he heard this.

"And what have we done for you?" He exclaimed incredulously. "You traded your friends in for…" his voice trailed off as the feelings of betrayal once again rendered him speechless.

Kaori squeezed her eyes shut and now she found that she couldn't try to justify what she had done.

All she could remember was the desperate fear that she had felt before she'd met Fargo and Erin, living on the street day after day, wondering if she was going to be safe until the next day and wondering at the same time what would happen if she made it to the next daybreak.

When she had been with Fargo and Erin she had had nightmares about going back to that and having the sense of belonging and security that she had felt with them both being torn away from her and being all alone again. When he had come he'd seen the fear in her eyes and so he'd known which offer would bring her over to his side and what she would reluctantly agree to help him ensnare her friends in return for.

The guy in the sleeveless shirt laughed scornfully as he lapped this entire scene up.

"That's right, punk! The little cutie knows what she needs! Why would she wanna settle for eighth best when she can have the best?"

Fargo only gave him a look of contempt, which he didn't bother to disguise and said nothing. It would be useless because he knew that none of these low-lives would ever understand.

"Who, Kaori?" He asked the girl he'd always thought that he'd known in a sad and tired voice. "Who?"

Kaori finally looked up at him and she felt a terrible shock as she saw his eyes at last.

Fargo's eyes were empty of anger and bitterness as he met her teary gaze. The only thing that she could see in those grey orbs was sadness.

Kaori was filled with dismay as she looked breathlessly at the red-haired boy, who gazed back at her. The girl had never seen that expression in his eyes before for she had never known him to feel sorrow and she could not speak as she felt a sudden loathing for herself because of just how much she had hurt him.

Now she didn't care what happened to her because she had lost the friendship of the boy who had saved her life and treated her with tenderness and respect.

Kaori remembered clearly when she had reluctantly followed Fargo into his room back then and offered to pay him back for what he had done for her, taking her in and giving her his own food when he had realised just how thin she had become while she had been on the streets.

She had been filled with fear and trembling but she'd been resolved to do what she had come to do. However, just as she had reached up to undo the first button of the shirt that he had given her Fargo had snapped out of the daze that he had been in and grabbed her wrist and stopped her. As she had stared at him in confusion, wondering why he'd stopped her from taking off her shirt Fargo had told her that she was worth more than this and that she should never throw away her innocence just to repay a favour. She had been surprised as Fargo had told her that she was his friend and that he had done everything because of that – he cared for her and that this was her home for as long as she wanted, and that if one day she wanted to move on then he would understand and let her go.

Kaori had been touched by the sincerity of his words and she had been moved by the nobility of his actions, refusing to take advantage of her when he could have accepted her offer without question. So she had stayed - and from that day she, Fargo and Erin had been three.

Kaori's heart was filled with sadness as she realised that she had thrown away the best thing that had ever happened to her - friendship and respect.

Fargo's eyes were still on her as he waited for her to tell him who had manipulated her into doing all of this. "Well?" he prompted her sadly.

Kaori couldn't speak, for her voice was drowned in the tears that she was so desperate to shed but were denied her.

Then a voice spoke softly from the shadows, so level and quiet that for a moment Fargo thought that it was the voice of the darkness itself.

"So, who's winning?"

The voice was as smooth as black velvet and somehow reminded Fargo of the contented purring of a well-fed cat.

Then out of the shadows he came. This was the first time that Fargo ever saw Keiju, and the memory of their first meeting had never died from his memory.

The man who emerged from the shadows was poised proudly and erect with an almost regal bearing and as he gazed around his eyes were grave and as fathomless as the sea.

They were so piercing that when Fargo met them he experienced a breathtaking moment that felt as though the man that now stood before him could somehow see into his heart and know him for who he truly was.

A mane of flaxen hair was tied back behind his head in a ponytail to hold it from his face. His shoulders were broad and his well-proportioned arms were crossed firmly over his muscular and well-built chest.

The expression on his face was wry but knowing - as if the whole world was simply there for his own amusement. The certainty, which initially flashed through Fargo's mind was that this must be an avenging angel of some kind, who had descended from some higher sphere to dwell among the lowly mortals for some purpose.

Suddenly, detecting a stillness in the air behind him, he glanced around at the circle and to his concern he saw that a startling change had fallen over the gang members who had been swaggering with confidence up to now.

To Fargo it seemed now that their eyes were transfixed with fearful awe and respect as they stood frozen in the presence of this enigmatic newcomer and all seemed to be unable to tear their eyes away from him. And now that he had this first chance to inspect them at his leisure Fargo noticed that they all shared something in common as far as their clothes went.

On the shoulders of their shirts, halter tops, crop-tops or leather jackets every one of them had a silver K attached as if was some sort of an emblem of identification. Fargo's eyes narrowed as he contemplated the significance of this…

Either the K was the initial of the name of the gang that they were all part of or every single members' name began with the letter K…which didn't seem very likely as he realised after a moment's thought.

Although he did not know it yet this striking man was actually Keiju, the long established Criminal Overlord of Kyoto, whose ruthlessness and non-existent penchant for mercy was known and dreaded through the city and never been surpassed in history and in heaven's grace never would.

Keiju!

The name that was whispered in awe-thrilled voices in the darkest corners of the city and a long way beyond.

The man's devilishly handsome face was polite but he was grinning dashingly as he slowly swept his respectful followers with a long glance, taking all the time he wanted as he met each and every one of their eyes, so that they would all be fully aware of the power that his presence commanded.

When they were all breathless with suspense he inspected Fargo, Erin and Kaori with a very close scrutiny. His eyes skimped over Erin, who didn't interest him, and Kaori, who he already knew, but when his eyes fell upon Fargo he gave him his full attention and grinned.

When he spoke at last his voice was like everything else about him - awe-inspiring and quite literally breathtaking.

"So glad that you could make it, Fargo. I've been desperate to meet you for a long while." He said, and his voice sent a shiver up Kaori's spine as she gazed at him with parted lips and wondering eyes.

Fargo snapped out of the dazed trance that he had been sent into by the magnificent power of the newcomer's face and eyes.

"Oh, really? Er…am I supposed to recognise you or something?" He asked without a trace of wonder in his voice.

The man's grin widened and Fargo realised that his teeth were whiter than he'd expected them to be.

"I am Keiju." He introduced himself so casually that Fargo didn't think that he was serious at first.

How could somebody use such a mild and flippant tone of voice to convey the sheer importance and magnitude of such a shocking statement? Then he realised that he was in fact standing in the presence of one of the most wanted men in Japan and the derisive grin that had been bubbling up on his face died slickly away.

By his side Erin nearly fell over as Fargo wondered which was the most daunting thing - the fact that someone who he had trusted with his life had sold him out for her own safety; the fact that he and Erin were surrounded by a huge street gang who couldn't wait to get down to mixing work with pleasure or the fact that he was standing before the most dreaded man in the country.

Since he was pressed for the time that he would have needed to make a precise final decision he settled for one winner and two very close ties.

The winner of the shiver-inducement department regarded him with his smouldering eyes as he pierced Fargo's soul with a stare.

Fargo didn't so much as twitch in response.

"You're Keiju?" He asked thoughtfully.

"That's me." Keiju grinned and another layer of his deep charisma was revealed.

"Oh," Fargo replied and then without a flicker of reaction he added: "You're infamous, y'know?"

Keiju's eyes flashed darkly as he smiled in growing satisfaction. Fargo wasn't scared of him and he liked that in potential recruits…

"Thank you." He replied with a strange gleam in his eye as he regarded the red-haired boy. "It's flattering to hear that I'm so well known in Tokyo."

Fargo's eyes remained calm but inwardly he had just felt a shocked shiver.

"You know that I lived in Tokyo before I moved here?" He asked in a mildly curious voice but in reality he was deeply interested in the answer to this.

Keiju laughed as he read the look in Fargo's eyes.

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed. "You can't be a major runner in the Japanese Criminal Empire without being the first to know when new blood springs up somewhere in the wide blue yonder. I've been following your career for quite some time now, Fargo. A fascinating story filled with ribald encounters and adventure." his eyes narrowed zealously as he regarded Fargo in a different humour now. "But it's strange. You see, I haven't been able to find any record on you before that. In fact it's almost like you didn't exist before Tokyo!"

Fargo grinned wryly for a second - Keiju hadn't the faintest idea how near to the truth he'd just come.

"So, why the face-off?" he asked, in an attempt to change the subject from a very difficult one to a more pragmatic one. "Have you finally brought about the crash of the economy and need a Saturday night filler?"

Keiju gave a sinister smile but there was a good-humoured twinkle in his eye.

"You're tenacious, I'll have to say that. All right then…keep your secrets if you really must." He said, slightly amused.

As he prepared to begin on the matter that had brought him here he glanced over at Kaori and remembered that she was the last loose thread that needed tying up before he got down to business.

"You did better than I expected, I have to admit. Congratulations, Kaori…You're in!" Keiju smiled at her dashingly.

Kaori wondered why these words didn't sound as reassuring as she had thought they would be.

"Would one of you mind taking the young lady away from this hell-hole for her outfit and training?" Keiju appealed to the female members of this unit of his countrywide organisation. "This could get a little…unsuitable…for her inexperienced eyes."

The last remark sent a chill through Kaori's heart and she glanced sharply at him as all of the females glanced at each other.

As it happened there were no immediate volunteers since most were unwilling to miss out on the entertainment that had been lined up for them. However, the dark blue-haired girl, who had been captivated by Kaori from the first moment that she had set eyes on her, took an eager step forward.

"Should I take her, sir?" She asked loudly, causing all attention to be quickly transferred to her.

Keiju looked at her and after a moment's thought he clicked his tongue in assent.

"Okay, you're the one in charge of her." He informed the blue-haired girl who grinned in pleasure.

"I'll do my best!" She assured him and then she turned and smiled at Kaori. "C'mon then!"

Kaori didn't move as she looked first at Fargo and then at Erin. The dark-haired boy looked at her with bitterness in his face and the other could not even bear to meet her eyes. Kaori felt as though her heart was being ripped apart as she looked at the two of them over and over again and finally she turned to face Keiju with concern on her face.

"What are you going to do with them?" She asked quietly, her eyes firmly fixed on his face.

"We'll see." Keiju replied soothingly in a calm voice. Kaori's brow quivered but she stood her ground.

"But…you promised that you wouldn't do anything to hurt them!" She exclaimed in a stricken voice.

Keiju's smile faded - even though he was the master of the criminal empire here in Kyoto he loathed having to break a promise he'd made to a woman - especially one so young and innocent as this one.

"Sometimes circumstances call for me to break a promise here and there." He apologised with genuine regret. "I'm sorry."

Kaori stared at him for a long time and then quietly the blue-haired girl sidled up to her. "C'mon, Kaori!" She grinned as she draped her arm around the blonde girl's shoulders with such affection that one would have thought that she known her for years. "Let's blow this place! It'll be great, you'll see. We can be like sisters."

Kaori didn't reply as she remained staring pleadingly at Keiju who was sternly unmoved and lowering her head sadly she allowed herself to be turned around and led away from the train station. Urged to glance back one last time at her former friends she found herself looking into Fargo's serious eyes.

In the last moment that ever passed between them Fargo's eyes pleaded with Kaori to stay with them. Kaori caught her breath and for that moment her eyes were filled with the desperate wish to do just that. Then the long moment ended and she looked away sorrowfully, unable to meet his eyes any longer.

Fargo watched sadly as Kaori was led away from them. Neither he nor Erin ever saw her again but the red-haired boy never forgot her beautiful eyes and endearingly pure innocence that had come to an end that night at the same moment as their friendship in this dark place.

Keiju caught the expression of anguish in the youth's grey eyes as he watched Kaori walk out of his life forever and he smiled darkly.

"Oh…you got your feelings hurt, didn't you?" He remarked with a cynical chuckle as he unwrapped his arms and flexed them slightly just to relax them. "See what happens when you stick your neck out for people? They put a rope around it."

"No," Fargo replied quietly without looking at him. "You did that to her. You poisoned her mind."

Keiju's eyes glittered at him as his face grew hard and stern.

"No, Fargo," He replied softly. "No. This is the path that she chose for herself."

Fargo was breathing heavily as he turned to look at him darkly, all traces of humour now gone from his face, washed away by the tide of loss that had crashed over him.

"That's not true." he snapped as he glared in fury at the man who had twisted Kaori. "She was okay before you did that to her. She was happy. Now you've ruined her."

Keiju shook his head slowly.

"Whatever she did Kaori made the decision on her own. All of us are responsible for our own actions, Fargo. That's something you've gotta know in this life."

Fargo wasn't even listening as he stared at the crimel lord with hate in his eyes and in his heart. "What do you want?" he spat coldly, simply.

"To offer you the chance to join my empire, Fargo." Keiju replied.

"And why should I want to do that?" Fargo snapped bitterly.

"Because you belong with us…a wild creature of the night. We need determined and resourceful people like you." Keiju told him gravely and now his eyes were upon him more as those of a father than the eyes of a warrior. "Fargo, think about it…we can all rule the entire city…no, the country, together!"

Fargo did not flinch as he stared directly into Keiju's eyes and gave him his answer to the proposal he had gone to such lengths to sell to him. "Ain't gonna happen."

Immediately Keiju's face became grim and stern at the defiance in Fargo's bitter voice.

"Is this meant to be some kind of moral stand?" He demanded. "Because I really don't think that's such a good idea."

Fargo stared at him with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. "You know, I really don't give a damn what you think!" He said back sharply.

Keiju smiled like a wolf as he saw the fire in him and found him all the more attractive as a member of the team for it.

It seemed that Fargo would be no different from the rest of the unwilling and independent strays he had brought into his service.

"So that's how you want to live…as a drifter?" Keiju's face was scornful as he tried to convince Fargo to join him. "Wandering aimlessly day after day and never staying in one place for long? What kind of life is that? Tell me that, Fargo!" Fargo stared at him with deep coldness.

"One that I've known all my life and that I'm happy with, thank you." he replied flatly.

Keiju bared his teeth in frustration at Fargo's stubborn refusal to open his eyes to the truth about life.

"You idiot…how can you choose to live like an animal when you could be so much more?" He demanded angrily as he glared at the red-haired youth in disbelief. "You have potential Fargo! I can see it in your eyes! Fight, take, create fear and kill!" Keiju's eyes were almost fervent as he hissed these words at Fargo who faced him with a grim expression on his face. "You have the power, the motive and the right to do as you please. Join me and you'll experience freedom that you've never known before!"

Fargo's eyes were cold as he met the older man's intense stare without backing down or weakening for even a moment and never once considering what he was being offered, which he found disgusting.

"Never, Keiju," he responded flatly as his eyes sparkled seriously at the crime lord as he refused all that he had been offered. "You do everything that you just proposed to me like a fanatic; as if you really find joy in them. But I think that I'll settle for a simple happy life with the only things that I've ever needed…my freedom, dignity and my friends."

"Shall I…convince you?" Keiju murmured in a meaningful voice as he focused all attention onto the red-haired youth and allowed nothing else to exist in his world. "I can see that this relationship is something that we're both going to have to work at. But by the end of it you will willingly follow me along the true path of life."

There was such cold conviction in his voice that Fargo narrowed his eyes in anger. "I'm nobody's lap-dog…even yours, Keiju." He replied coldly.

The tension was overpowering now - whatever was going to happen next would be happening at any moment now. Keiju's face frowned at the relentless stubbornness that Fargo continued to defy him with and as he spoke softly and alluringly, it sounded to the red-haired boy like he was speaking more to himself then him.

"In war we cease to be men. Our lives change and present us with a vital choice, which shapes the path that we will take and eventually follow through to the very end of our lives. We must choose whether we will become the docile oxen which peacefully graze, posing no threat to anyone until they are torn to pieces." His dark eyes sparkled in a predatory way that suggested danger so seductive that it would drown any who ventured into it until the end of their days. "…or tigers, who live by preying on all others in order to remain alive."

Fargo shook his head dazedly – this whole thing was nuts.

"What are you saying?" he asked mildly as he gave up trying to make any sense out of this nightmare that he had become embroiled in.

"These are my terms. We will fight here, one-on-one, sparing no force and without any interference from others." Keiju announced and in response his people groaned in bitter disappointment as they realised that tonight they were along only as spectators for the sport that was to come. "Should you overcome me then you and your friend will be allowed to leave this place alive and do as you will with your lives." He paused and now his eyes gleamed again in that predatory way as he regarded Fargo intensely. "However…if you are forced to submit then you will have to agree to remain with me…for the rest of your life."

Fargo was silent as he thought about the risk involved here and everything that rode on the outcome.

"Why should I agree to that?" he asked quietly, deciding to put aside the fact that he was surrounded by several thugs who were dying to tear into himself and Erin.

Keiju gazed back at him calmly.

"Look behind you." He replied coolly and pointed a finger to where Erin was standing.

Fargo looked over his shoulder to see that two members of Keiju's gang were now standing on either side of his friend and that one of them was leaning over his shoulder with something gleaming in his hand.

Erin gulped and his throat felt like a rock as the blade of the knife trembled closely to the skin of his neck.

"Good luck, Fargo." He urged with a nervy laugh as he felt worried by the fact that the woman with the knife was holding it in a rather shaky hand. "You rule! Knock him dead…seriously!"

Fargo realised with a sinking heart that he was stuck and now had to play the twisted game that Keiju had set up for him.

Turning to face the criminal lord again Fargo saw with growing irritation that the great man was looking at him with an expression of satisfaction as he stood content in the knowledge that his plan had worked flawlessly.

Fargo's eyes narrowed in hatred as he stood prepared to fight to the death with the man who had ruined the life of a girl who had been more important to him than he had realised until the second that she had been lost forever.

"Now I'm gonna get you back for Kaori." The red-head spat, knowing that there would be nothing to stop the gang from cutting Erin's throat and then tearing him apart if he triumphed over the greatest crime lord that history had ever known.

Keiju's response to this declaration of everlasting hatred was a confident smile as he prepared for the fight to decide Fargo's fate.

"Don't worry, Fargo, soon you and she will be together again to live side by side as brother and sister and I shall cherish you both - both as my newest son and daughter, a part of my family for the rest of your days." He promised the despising youth, meaning every word he uttered and smiled darkly. "But now," he grinned as he stooped and tensed up his arm in readiness to either block Fargo's first blow or make the first strike himself. "…we fight."

As Fargo gazed into his glittering eyes he thought that if evil had the face of a man than this was surely the one.

x x x x x

Alexia sat straight-backed on her seat in the waiting room, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Half an hour had passed since Erin had been rushed into the operating theatre and so far there had been no news. No news is good news, that's what they say, isn't it? She'd thought to herself as she'd last looked up at the clock. I really don't understand how anyone could believe that. The only other people in the room were a woman and a little girl, who had been earlier rummaging through a box of toys in the corner, every now and again making little noises of delight as she'd pulled out a doll or a stuffed animal that she had liked. She was now asleep, her head resting on her mother's lap. The woman occasionally glanced at Alexia, as if she wanted to say something to her, but had so far remained silent, stroking her daughter's sleek, dark hair. Alexia's face was so blank that the woman could never have imagined what had been going through the Charonian's mind ever since she had come to sit in the room. Since the attack on Erin she hadn't had a chance to sit down and think about things clearly. All night people had been asking her questions that she hadn't even had a moment to think about the answers to, until now. Now she could see things, things that made her feel unsettled but at the same time angry.

Leather's heartless thrashing of Erin had dragged memories up from the darkest depths of her mind; memories that she had fought over and over to keep there, memories that she desperately wanted to forget were ever real. As the bloody thirsty Material Girl had tortured Erin the Scout of Charon had recalled the sickening pain that had flowed through her body as she had been relentlessly shocked with an electric-charged stick for thirty long minutes, in a room so white that it had made her weak, light-deprived eyes ache and water. She had been unable to move, her arms chained up and her legs too weak to stand on. She had knelt there, unable to do anything, whilst he had stood over her with the stick, which he fondly called Electra...He had laughed at her as she'd felt her skin prickle and burn unbearably...

Lucilius...

She had never told anyone about her ordeal, not even Estrella knew what she had gone through on his ship. She hadn't been able to bring herself to talk about it, it just hurt too much. And so she had coped alone through the nightmares and dreadful flashbacks, forcing them to the back of her mind as soon as they surfaced.

And as she sat there now, she knew exactly who the Material Girls had been hired by.

Lucilius's one desire was to tear her world apart piece-by-piece until she was the only thing left in it. He would pick off her friends, her family, anyone she became close to - destroying them in front of her, slowly destroying her soul along with them.

And tonight it seemed he had decided to begin with Erin.

She clasped her hands even tighter, her fingernails biting into her skin, and narrowed her eyes with angry distress. He must been watching them, and he must have hired the Material Girls to kill Erin because he saw him as the easiest of her friends to remove. Knowing Lucilius he was probably planning to work his way up from the weakest to the strongest of her closest companions; striking inconsistantly and when she least expected it. She guessed that he hadn't told the Material Girls who she was because they might get scared or decide they'd rather fight her than Erin.

It was now, as she once again thought of Erin's battered body, that she made a firm decision.

Alexia's face darkened slightly - though too slightly for the woman sitting opposite to notice - as she continued to contemplate the three people who were the main individuals in this situation - Erin, who lay in a critical condition in the operating theatre; Leather, who had been the one responsible for putting him there and had had fun doing it; and Lucilius, who had put the Material Girl up to it.

For Erin, she knew that she could do nothing but wait and hope for the best, no, pray for the best. Lucilius was out there somewhere, probably laughing maniacally at what had happened that night and, although she wanted nothing more than to be able to confront him at that very moment and make him pay for how she'd suffered - both physically while she had been a prisoner on his ship and psychologically since she'd discovered he was still alive - she somehow knew that it wasn't the right time.

But Leather was another matter altogether…

Leather…she had beaten Erin half to death mercilessly, a song in her heart with every blow and had laughed in delight as she had left him nearly dead. A chill went down Alexia's spine as she replayed the attack in her head over and over.

"Let me tell you a little secret," she heard Leather's voice hiss to her once again. "I love what I do. Oh, sure, I get paid a lot for it but, just between you and me, I'd do THIS…for free."

One thing was certain to her determined mind - as Lucilius was bound to have himself hidden away well, Leather would have to pay for the harm to Erin.

In her nightmares Lucilius had always told her she was too weak to fight him.

She decided that it was time to send him a little message.

That message would be Leather's broken body – the Material Girl would be transformed from a threat from Lucilius into a warning to him – a warning that Alexia was a lot stronger than he could ever imagine, and no matter what he did she would defeat him in the end.

She sighed, leaning the back of her head against the wall, as she realised that the energy she was using thinking about everything was simply going to waste right now. The Charonian girl knew that she would have to bide her time until she met Leather again, and when she did…

What the Material Girl may have seen as the ultimate triumph for her master was going to prove to be her ultimate mistake. Alexia promised it to her.

x x x x x

"Hey, you guys, he's coming round!!" Mina exclaimed, jumping to her feet in delight.

On the other side of the room Rei, Lita, Luna, Artemis and Estrella all stopped talking abruptly and turned around to look at Fargo, who lay on the couch with Mina crouching beside him.

Sure enough Fargo, who lay beneath a blanket, was groaning and beginning to shift on the couch in a very conscious way as they gazed at him. The youth pushed away the blanket, rose unsteadily into a sitting position on the couch and placed a hand on the side of his aching head as the others all watched, feeling relieved.

Estrella watched closely as the boy shook his head slowly from side to side in an attempt to clear it of the dull yet steady ache, which gripped it and made it throb.

"You looked as though you were having a nightmare." She observed gently and by default became the first one to be heard by Fargo after awakening from his coma.

Fargo glanced carelessly at the kitten, not looking a little bit surprised to see her there.

"Oh, no, Estrella." he disagreed. "Not a nightmare…more like a glimpse into the past."

"Pardon?" Estrella asked politely as she looked puzzled by this cryptic response.

"Doesn't matter." Fargo said, dismissing the whole topic, bored with it already. "Who does matter right now is Amy."

"Yeah…you!" Lita burst out, having observed that Fargo was looking well enough to be questioned. "Where have you been the past few hours? And where's Amy?"

Fargo gave a start of surprise at Lita's remark and a glance out of the window confirmed that it was still dark outside.

To him it felt as if it had been several hours since he had crawled here to find Mina through the blizzard that had wrapped him in bitter cold, causing him to collapse the very moment after he had staggered in through the back door. Yet here he was being told that hardly any time had passed at all.

Hmm…well, well, he thought whimsically.

"Answer the question, Fargo. What happened?" Luna demanded causing Fargo to drop the amused smile that had crept across his face and to force a serious expression onto it. "Mina and Rei found you here outcold and we have all stayed by your side ever since! And it has exhausted us all, believe-you-me, so I think that the least you could do is offer us some kind of explanation about just what has happened."

Fargo looked grave although there was a twinkle in his eyes - then he looked around at the girls who were present and quickly did the arithmetic and frowned.

"Hey, where's Serena…and Alexia?" He suddenly asked, looking around the room for any sign of the absent girls. "And Erin too?" He added, realising that Amy was not the only one of his friends who was missing.

Luna took a deep breath - she realised that Fargo ought to hear her explain what had transpired the night before, before she attempted to pick his brains for information.

So the black cat did and by the time she had related the frantic events of the night before an hour had slipped away. When eventually Luna finished her tale she realised that she no longer seemed to have the red-haired boy's attention.

Fargo was now sitting gazing through the window and at the white light of the snow, which coated the world outside Mina's living room.

Fargo's face had remained perfectly composed as he had listened to Luna's story and not once had his expression wavered while he had learnt that Erin was now in hospital in need of surgery and that Alexia had chosen to remain with him. Serena had left not long before he had woken as she'd remembered she'd got to do something important, although she had not said what exactly.

Luna looked quite angry as she wondered whether or not Fargo had even been listening to her while she had been explaining what had happened and the girls were all staring at him, expecting him to react in some way.

But he didn't – Fargo simply remained gazing out through the window in perfect calm.

"You're sure that it was definitely Erin they were after?" He asked presently in a voice that was so sedate that it could almost be called mild. "You're positive that it wasn't Charon they were gunning for?"

The seemingly casual, slow and thoughtful way in which he said this took them all by surprise. Wasn't he the least bit concerned about Erin's condition and Alexia's state of mind?

"Alexia made it quite plain that the girls who attacked Erin and herself were most definitely targeting Erin." Luna confirmed speaking stiffly as her eyes were fixated upon the back of the head of the youth who sat on the couch apparently indifferent to what he had been told. "They did not even know that Alexia is Sailor Charon until she transformed to protect Erin."

As he listened to this everything came together in Fargo's mind all at once - Erin attacked on the same night that Amy had been abducted?

Coincidence? He doubted it.

There was only one person in the world who Fargo could think of would have any kind of grudge against Erin and himself - Keiju. It could be nobody but him.

What he had been told was the final confirmation he needed to feel sure that he knew the identity of the masked man who had appeared out of the night itself.

"Now it's your turn." Lita said pointedly. "Where's Amy?"

Fargo looked around at the girls and then up at Lita who stood over him with grim and accusing eyes.

"Does this strike any of you guys as being familiar somehow?" He inquired mildly.

Lita stared at him just as she had been about to get tough with him for the answer she wanted.

"What?" she muttered, feeling baffled by the question.

This entire situation reminded Fargo of when he had been knocked out by Sailor Universe months ago during his fight to protect Amy from Emperor Mu - he had afterwards awakened in this very living room and just as he was now he had been confronted by a very angry Lita as well as the rest of the Scouts who had all wanted to know what had become of Amy. It was just as he had thought while he had been unconscious - no matter how much you tried you could never escape being forced to repeat the past over and over again.

"Nothing." Fargo replied hurriedly and clearing his throat he diverted whatever Lita had been about to say into oblivion before he launched into his own story.

The girls and cats all listened breathlessly as he related Amy's abduction although he omitted from the story the fact that he knew exactly who had taken her. By the time he had finished the others were all shocked and perplexed.

"Oh, man." Mina whispered, looking as distressed as she felt knowing that another of her friends was in danger.

"This is crazy." Lita muttered, shaking her head. "Just what the heck is going on here?"

"Not what, who." Artemis corrected her simply. "Who is this guy? Why has he done all of this? What are his plans for Amy and why would he have Erin beaten to within an inch of his life?"

That's obvious - to goad me. Fargo thought silently but he kept this to himself and did not allow anything to show on his face.

"Whoever he is, he's nobody we've ever encountered before." Luna muttered as she was completely at a loss for an explanation for any of it.

Fargo didn't say a thing, even though there were a thousand things that he could have said. Now another thing had been added to the weight in his heart.

x x x x x

Murmuring softly, Amy stirred from her sleep; her eyelids slowly opened to the warm firelight - she did not remember what had happened to her, at first.

It was only as she gazed over the snow-covered plains stretching out on every side of her that she recalled where she was and also realised that she was no longer chained the boulder, which was now covered in a solid coating of frost. Instead Amy found she was sitting against a log, her body still wrapped snugly within the warm blanket.

"So, you are awake." Her captor remarked from somewhere nearby.

Amy looked instinctively over her covered shoulder and saw him. He was crouched by the rocky outcrop that had shielded her from the snowstorm and his eyes were firmly settled upon her as she gazed at him.

Amy wondered how long he had been vigilant over her like this.

As he looked at her the masked man was still as captivated by Amy's pure beauty as he had been when he had first taken her from Fargo and as he had watched her peaceful face while she had slept he had even been able to forget everything for a short while.

The knowledge that he soon would never see her again or be able to wonder at the loveliness of her eyes made him feel more sadness than ever before. But he knew that it could not be helped - it had to end, no matter how the end was brought about.

Feeling thankful for the blanket, which she now pulled even more closely about herself as the air was still very cold, Amy thoughtfully watched her strange captor. Everything that he had said to her and done while she had been his captive had made her wonder about him - she knew so little about him.

"Why did you untie me?" She asked curiously as she moved to sit on the log.

A simple shrug was the only response that he gave but she could sense that he was still trying to figure out the answer to that question himself.

"You were asleep. You no longer needed to be bound." He eventually told her. "But make no mistake - you can't escape. Try and I can assure you that you won't set one foot beyond this plain."

The way in which he told her this was so earnest that Amy didn't question the veracity of that statement for a moment. Instead she contented herself to sit and carefully observe his every action as he rose to his feet and turned away from her to gaze at the wintry horizon without actually seeing it.

The man in the threadbare cloak stood tall and imposing like a regal king. His cloak billowed as it was caught by the a slight breeze.

Eventually Amy's curiosity once more got the better of her and so she spoke to him again.

"If I may be as bold as to ask, who is it that treats me with such courtesy and chivalry…after having brought me here against my will?"

"I already answered that question," he replied shortly. "Do not make me repeat myself…time is precious, a thing not to be wasted, even in small quantities."

"No…you avoided giving me a direct answer," Amy rebuked him. "But won't you do so now?"

His voice was harsh as he snapped back at her.

"You have heart and also courage…but unless you are wary, know when it is more appropriate to back down and keep your silence, then all you are is a lamb heading to the slaughter."

A little while passed in silence as Amy watched him stand stubbornly with his back to her, her eyes never leaving him – knowing that he would not harm her, even though he could easily have turned around and snapped her neck, she felt secure enough to press the issue. She gently murmured a single word to him and as it reached his ears he could not resist her desire to know the answer to her persistent question.

"…But?"

He gritted his teeth in a struggle not to respond to her but in the end he lost and with a sigh he answered.

"In my life I was evil. Cruel beyond imagination. Wherever I went I spread death and caused despair to many." He fell silent, lost in thought.

Amy felt a chill run through her that had nothing to do with the cold.

In his life…?

"You used to be evil?" She exclaimed and now her voice became faintly accusing. "Then what exactly do you think you are now?"

Her captor sighed and shook his head in weary bitterness.

"…'Now'." He repeated the word in a tired way - then he repeated it a second time, apparently more to himself than Amy. "…'Now'. What exactly am I…" his back straightened as he made a decision. "Amy, tell me something - how much do you know about the man who now holds you here against your will?"

The question took Amy by surprise and made her think deeply about what he had asked her. "Well…nothing," she replied honestly after a moment. "Nothing at all."

"Ah," he muttered cryptically in reply. "And yet you believe that you can judge me as being no different than all those you have fought as a Sailor Scout?"

"Well, how else should I see you?" Amy retorted, although she wavered slightly, realising that what he had just said made sense. "You certainly don't seem to be anything more than an adversary as far as I can see."

"That is because you haven't bothered to look beyond my actions." His voice was now stern as he folded his arms over his chest.

"You kidnapped me and brought me here against my will! And you attacked Fargo and left him all alone, lying injured in the middle of the blizzard! " Amy cried. "So how can you expect me not to see you as an enemy?"

"I can't," he replied, not seeming to react to her words in any way. "Make no mistake, I am an enemy…though not necessarily yours."

Amy gazed at him silently for a few minutes as she wondered what he could mean – why had he caused her to question her conviction when, apparently, she'd been right all along?

"What?" She breathed eventually.

"I need to face him again…though not merely to fight him. More than anything I must understand him." Her captor told her and now his voice seemed changed beyond her imagination.

It now seemed to be troubled and doubtful…

"Understand him?" Amy asked as she considered the way in which she grew more and more bewildered with everything that he said to her.

"Yes." He turned to face her again and Amy saw that his eyes were now grave and somehow more distant than ever. "I must know why he refused my offer if I am ever to be able to rest again, Amy. I must find out why he spurned me with so much scorn in his voice." He sounded more like he was musing to himself than explaining himself to Amy as he spoke. "What he did simply goes against the natural way of things. Why did he throw my offer to thrive and be strong in my face?"

Amy's eyes now became proud as she gazed at him.

"Because you are right," she said in a voice that was clear and strong. "You don't understand him at all. Fargo would never trade his freedom for servitude."

The masked man stared at her and now his eyes grew grim and hard as they narrowed at her words.

"It was not an offer to serve me that I presented him with," he retorted and his voice was now cold towards her for the first time since she had spoken with him. "I offered him the chance to enjoy the ultimate freedom by my side…to be truly alive as very few are in this day and age. And he refused it with contempt in his eyes. I must know the reason for his actions or I will never know peace again."

In a sudden flash of clarity Amy finally understood it all - his reason for kidnapping her and bringing her to this place outside the city was so he would be able to ensure that Fargo would come to her rescue alone and thus be forced into a confrontation with him.

This face-off would not be for the sake of a physical fight – this was to be a triumph of spirit rather than for the low pleasure of humiliating Fargo in return for how he himself had suffered.

As she finally understood everything that had been happening to her, Amy realised with a strange feeling of calmness that even though she had been kidnapped and held prisoner so that it would come to pass…none of this actually had anything to do with her at all.

It was between Fargo…and him.

Amy spoke to her captor once more and now her voice was soft and pleading.

"Please don't do this to us. It doesn't have to be this way."

"What other choice is open to me?" He asked in a now weary voice.

"You could let me go and forget about your vendetta against Fargo." Amy replied right away.

For a few passing moments her captor remained silent, as if he were considering what she had said but when he eventually responded his low and steady voice made her heart sink as she realised that her efforts were useless.

"I've spilt the blood of too many people, innocent and cruel alike…" he raised his fist up to his face and clenched it as it shook as though he were in pain. "…these hands are just a little too stained for me to ever live a normal life."

Although the masked man's voice was flat and emotionless, it was exactly the opposite of what he was really feeling. As he turned his back on her once again, his thoughts centred upon this girl whose very voice bewildered and confounded him.

What was this feeling that he experienced whenever she spoke to him and looked at him with that sheer passion in her eyes? Whatever it was that she made him feel, it bewildered him because it was something that he had never known before in his life.

As he returned to his crouching position, he tried his hardest to ignore her but it was a waste of effort because he could feel her thoughtful gaze on him all the while...never leaving him for even a moment.

Your innocence and pure heart are both miraculous things… the masked man thought as he once again scanned the horizon before him, just waiting for whatever end to come. If I'd never seen them for myself then I wouldn't have believed that such wonderful things could exist in this hellish world…I wish I could guarantee that they will survive this whole ordeal.

A tear traced its way from the corner of his dark unblinking eye and slowly slid down the material of his shredded mask.

But I can't…so please forgive me.