Chapter 1:

The merchant's ship was sailing away from Japan. Even with the sun shining she stood unseen at the side of her soul mate. Her death wasn't even a memory yet and already the emotionally strong bard was smiling and reminiscing about their lives together. She was sure that Gabrielle could handle her death. She was strong and brave. She had always been better at handling grief than her. Gabrielle held the black urn with her ashes as the sun hung high in the sky.

"A life of journeying has brought you to the farthest lands-- to the very edges of the Earth." Xena heard desolation and loss of hope in the voice of her soul mate, the sadness brought forth the memories of their life together apparent.

Xena collected all her will and like she had found during her first bout with death Gabrielle was an easy recipient for a vision. She willed herself to appear at her side. Struggling to find words that would bring some temporary comfort to her soul mate, she said, "And to the place where I'll always remain… your heart."

Wanting to move the concerns of the bard to another issue such as the future, she asked, "Where to now?"

Gabrielle leaned against her image and Xena found herself wishing to be able to reach out and truly comfort her friend. She regretted the many chances for happiness and consummation that she had denied them by her own will or to fit her needs over the years of their life together. "I think we should go south… to the land of the Pharaohs. I hear they need a girl with a chakram," her friend said and in her heart Xena suddenly knew that she might have cursed Gabrielle to a destiny much like her own.

Cast adrift to live by the sword for the rest of what could be a short life, because her death had deprived the blonde warrior bard of one of the things she lived for… their bond and life. It could overshadow her girlfriend's life and turn it into a mad quest for resolution that would never come. Just like her search for redemption had been until their awakening from their deaths on the crosses of Caesar. Still it felt bittersweet to speak her incorporeal soul's greatest wish as an answer, "Where you go I'm at your side."

A smile, which never reached Gabrielle's eyes to tell if her emotions had been changed by their conversation, spread on her friend's face and she replied glibly, "I knew you'd say that." But as the ship's distance to Japan grew Xena suddenly felt her energy and ability to focus fade. To her surprise she couldn't maintain her manifestation and she faded from her soul mate's view.

Xena felt something tug at her. As the wind caught hold of the sails of the merchantman she suddenly found herself suspended in mid air in the exact place, where she had stood earlier. "What the hell is going on," she cursed as the never relenting pull dragged her across the water and landed her back at the shore of the islands of the rising sun. Tears rolled from her eyes as she was taken forcefully from the side of her friend. Something was forcing her to break her promise to always stay at her friend's side even in death. Enraged she prowled the beach for hours on end, but was unable to find either the reason for her problem or a way to solve it. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't cross the water that now separated them. Gabrielle's ship had long since passed below the horizon and Xena realized that she would probably never see her soul mate again.

Xena sat down on a stone and cried her heartache. She was so far gone that she didn't notice the red skinned demon that suddenly burst from the bushes along the shore in a spurt and tackled her to the ground.

She struggled to throw off her attacker, but the enormously strong demon held her down and screamed a single word into the sky. The fighting pair disappeared after a roaring red glowing cloud of light had surrounded them. The red cloud of motes suddenly disappeared leaving the beach empty of both Xena and her attacker.

Hachiman stared out over the land from a top his mount. The powerful Japanese god of war still felt aglow from the raucous fighting that had brought his attention to this region. The honorable defenders of Higuchi had fought well and with the help of two great warriors they had brought Yodoshi and his general to heel. Their souls were now probably making their way to the court of Emma-o while he stopped here to revel in the victory over another plot by Mikaboshi as Yodoshi's reign of terror had been. His lands would be safer for it.  Now both battle and rule would continue to be proper and honorable in his domain. He was surprised however when he felt the presence of another god nearby and heard sobs of someone crying.

He approached to find the unlikely sight of eight armed Benten sitting by the shores of a small mountain lake crying, while gazing at an image she had conjured in the reflection of the sun in the water. "What ails you Benten?" He asked hiding his suspicions of manipulation from his expression and regarded the beautiful goddess of love.

"Hachiman," the goddess rose while blushing at being caught in a private moment of sadness. "I am sorry. I hope I didn't disturb you," she said and rose.

"No, no," he said. The goddess' obvious embarrassment told beyond words that she hadn't expected him here and her business in this place hadn't been to ensnare him in some plot of hers.

"I will go," she said and gestured towards her dragon, which had rested almost invisibly on the lake bed.

"No need, might I ask what it was that has upset you so?" He seated himself across from the woman, who meant so much to his people and thus him.

She looked at him for a moment then answered: "I was crying to the breaking of one of the greatest bonds of love I have ever experienced. Two foreigners came to our shores not long ago. They were both great warriors, one the mentor of the other in the art of war, one the mentor of the other in the ways of love and humanity. The odds were set against them from the beginning and I feel they have been for a long time, because they took it in stride. They fought the tool of Mikaboshi that has terrorized these lands for so long and defeated both his worldly armies and destroyed him here in the realms of the kami. But their sacrifices were great. One gave up the last of her innocence and became a person of wisdom instead, the other gave up her life and redeemed the last black mark of dishonor on her soul by defeated the monster her teachings had begun."

The goddess shook her head at the memory of what had happened only a few days earlier on the top of Mount Fuji, while Hachiman himself recalled the two warrior women that had dealt with the problem that had plagued his people for years. He hadn't really kept an eye on them after the destruction of Yodoshi. Their task had been done and he had expected them to take the way out that his servants had pointed them towards. Was Benten telling him that something else had happened, while he hadn't been looking? "Go on, please," he asked.

"As the sun sank and all tasks had been done the older warrior Xena by name chose that she should remain dead to ensure the 40000 souls, she had released into the grasp of Yodoshi by setting Higuchi on fire, were avenged. Her partner left these islands without her soul mate at her side. I felt their bond while still strong in spirit weaken and their tender love for each other endangered by their broken hearts. I cried here today because of the cruelty of their destiny… You know we gods of love are rather emotional," she said and again motioned to rise.

"She chose to remain dead, dooming her soul to stay amongst the kami," Hachiman mused. The woman had somehow gotten the notion that vengeance served some honorable purpose. It didn't, vengeance was just apart of a vicious cycle of behavior and beliefs that was entirely separate from honor. Honor was served by acts, but there was little honor to be found by serving the purpose of vengeance. He had thought after perceiving the memories of the blonde warrior woman that they both knew that and had even spoken of it many times in their past. He realized that the older woman's guilt had gotten the better of her and had managed to even override her otherwise impeccable good sense. He had made sure that they had received instruction from the Ghost Killer on how to resurrect the older warrior woman and had even risked placing a blessed katana in the hands of Yodoshi to ensure that his purpose and theirs had crossed enough for them to handle the problem of Yodoshi, redeem the last black mark on the black haired warrior's soul and even allow the little warrior woman to come into her own after being held back for too long. But cultural differences had cheated them all and now no one was entirely happy except him.

"I apologize. I think it is my fault Benten. I guided the pair here, because they were the only ones who could solve our problems. I had ensured they had all the elements to resurrect this Xena, but apparently her personal guilt overrode her love just this once and so we have a mess. My code does not allow me to leave this matter unattended. I will find the kami of the warrior and set her on a path that will lead her back into the arms of her partner. I swear on my honor that it will be so," he said and was rewarded by a brilliant smile from the eight armed goddess.

"You should go on the ship that has set out from Higuchi this morning. The warrior bard chose to leave our lands as soon as she could. The memories are probably painful to her. The kami of her partner will be at her side," Benten suggested and waved for her dragon to rise. "I think there might be more to the woman's actions than what was said on that mountain top. I will go to visit the one who might cast some light on this. Akemi, daughter of Yodoshi, has gone to be judged by Emma-o and I will seek her there or in the lands of the dead," she climbed onto her friend and together they dove into the cold water, while the armored Hachiman mounted his horse and rode off into the skies to find the ship transporting the pair away from the place that they would probably regard as cursed well into their next lives.

Hachiman looked down upon the deck of the ship full of foreigners. The blonde warrior stood at the railing and gazed dejectedly into the water. Her eyes revealed that something had upset her recently. Upset her enough to cry at least. He looked around but her partner was neither visible in the real world nor in the world of the kami. Unseen he descended onto the deck and suddenly felt the faint traces of evil. Some demon had enacted some magic here. Quickly he sent his power into the mind of warrior bard, but he only learned that she thought that her mind had been treated to a vision of her partner created by her own grief. He learned that she had decided to go on living a life of adventure on her own, probably to feel that some traces of her old life with her partner still remained in her life. Knowing that the kami of the woman's soul mate had been here he turned his attention to finding where she had gone.

Hachiman rode towards the shore. His senses led him to a stone not far from the harbor of Higuchi. Landing besides the rock his eyes began to track the traces of battle still existing in the wet sand. The sense of evil magic pervades the entire area. "Someone beat me to her," Hachiman cursed as he recognized the footprints of one of Mikaboshi's chief demons in the sand.

"What does he stand to gain from taking her?" Hachiman mused and remounted. He realized suddenly as he flashed back to the memories he had seen in the mind of the blonde warrior memories of stories, memories of bloody scenes of violence and even memories of betrayals brought on by hatred. The dark warrior had fallen into the trap of evil and dishonor before. Her soul was filled with power way beyond that of all but the most enlightened monks, the best samurai and the vilest of evil creatures. Mikaboshi was seeking a replacement for his lost tool and who better than the one who destroyed his creature. Shaking his head and already laying out his strategy to deal with this new development the god of war commanded his mount to bring him to his home.

Benten smiled in greeting as the kami guarding the court of Emma-o bowed to her as she walked from the central hall. The old judge of the dead had been most willing to allow her entry to have a few words with the daughter of Yodoshi. She approached the rooms, where all the recently dead awaited their judgment. The souls freed from the grasp of the Soul-Eater were still being processed and so she found the white clad beauty sitting desolately on an ornate stone bench. The girl kept looking around as if she was expecting the arrival of someone familiar. A dark suspicion grew in the goddess of love and wisdom as she saw into the eyes of someone blindly in love with both herself and someone not meant for her. Akemi had died a child not knowing the wisdom of the heart and she had learnt little serving as a hore to attract souls for her father.

"Your name is Akemi yes," she asked and looked down upon the startled young girl. The girl's eyes widened in recognition and she nodded her head.

"Yes, oh great goddess of love, my name is Akemi. How may I serve you?" She said and smiling winsomely.

"I have to ask you some things about Xena the Warrior Princess. You know that she defeated your father. But when offered the chance she decided to remain dead and leave only her spirit to comfort her partner. She gave no reason for this except revenge, yet I know that she in life learned very well that revenge didn't serve any purpose. I hope that you will be able to give me some hint or reason, why she should choose against a life with her soul mate?" She looked down upon the suddenly pale girl.

"I didn't mean for it to be like that. I had hoped I unmade my shame with my final words to her. I didn't mean too I swear," the girl began crying and fell on her knees before her begging.

"What did you do?" Benten asked in a voice colder than she herself had expected.

"When I saw Xena again and beheld that she was bonded with someone other than me. I… I did something that I regretted as I saw what their devotion and power together meant. When we were following my father to the mountain, I hinted that I feared my doom coming if certain acts done by me or for me weren't avenged. I knew Xena well. Her dark side was always her nemesis, but I appealed to her light even in the old days and I knew how to get inside her armor. I wanted her to stay with me, so I thought if I subtly hinted at the consequences of not allowing for vengeance of the souls I wronged she would choose to remain dead and come here to live with me instead of her partner. I used her for my own personal gain like when I manipulated her to teach me her techniques. When I left the prison of my father's enslavement I realized my mistake and I tried to make her understand that she had redeemed both me and her. But I couldn't… I couldn't bring myself to tell her that she could freely return to life, that the existence of these souls didn't depend on them getting vengeance on her. I was just as bad as my father and if anything is going to doom me, it is that." Akemi looked at her, probably hoping from some form of forgiveness or maybe pity. Yet Benten had to look hard to find any emotion like that for the manipulative girl that had acted so selfishly and doomed a transcendent love for this lifetime.

"That will be up to the judgment of Emma-o. I think you acted selfishly and I know that even now part of you hopes that Xena will join you in the afterlife. But she will not. Xena even if she through your words remains amongst the kami hasn't left the side of her partner. I can guarantee you also that she will be returned to side of Gabrielle. Both Hachiman and I have decided that. Soon they will be rejoined and you will continue into the afterlife appointed to you by the Judge of the Dead," Benten explained and willed herself back to her dragon mount. It was time to seek out the god of war and Xena's soul.

As she flew towards Hachiman's home she smiled at her success. She had already secured the permission of both Izanami and Emma-o that they lay no claim to Xena, so it would just be a matter of recreating the warrior's body from her ashes and infusing it with her soul to bring her back to life. As the ashes of the warrior rested with her partner that would work out just perfectly she thought as the simple but functional home of Hachiman appeared on the horizon.

Benten saw that his mount was tied outside still sweating from exertion and she walked up to his door and beckoned for entry. "Come inside," Hachiman's voice came from afar. Walking slowly to take in the rare view of the inside of the powerful god of the people's home, she walked to his side. Hachiman was sitting in an indoor garden surrounded by some guards and servant, who were serving him a meal. Benten waited politely wanting to allow her host to eat before continuing with the business at hand, but Hachiman seemed to have little patience and he waved for her to join him. As she approached she noted that the warrior woman's was nowhere in sight.

Possibly noting the curious look in her eyes Hachiman said: "I fear that I haven't been able to retrieve Xena's soul yet. It is just a matter of time of course, but for now it is beyond our reach." He seemed to regard this as only a minor problem from the tone of his voice, but Benten decided that she had better find out what had gone wrong instead of blindly trusting the machinations of the male god. He might lose sight of the fact that the soul of Xena had a living and aging partner and let too much time pass unnoticed. She asked: "What happened?"

"I fear that Mikaboshi has decided to take the vanquisher of his tool as his next," Hachiman explained.

She only barely kept her face from showing her dismay and surprise. This matter was very grave. Xena had according to what she knew a dark and dangerous side that made Yodoshi look like a mere puppy in comparison. Hachiman would probably be planning to stage some kind of grand rescue by one or more of his most heroic samurai, but in her mind a different plan was already hatching one that might work to the same goal and it was more likely to succeed as well. "So he has taken her to his realm," she mused.

"Yes, but do not worry. I have a couple of samurai just about good enough to go down into his hellish realm and bring her soul back to here. In a couple of mortal years everything will be just fine," he said and shrugged.

"A very good idea my friend, now you don't mind if I set things up so that it will go more smoothly," she asked to make sure he wasn't offended, if she solved the problem without him.

"By all means," he offered.

With a gracious bow the goddess of love and wisdom swept from the room and soon was once more atop her dragon flying south towards the ocean and her home below its waves.