1 Crossover between RK & Highlander
- - - - - - - - -
Prague, Czech Republic, 2001
In a city like Prague it's hard to feel sad, especially for foreigners. The city's beauties are captivating and the old structures seem to take a person on a time travel. Not that Misao needed a time travel, she had had her own with help from no one. Traveling to Prague was a sort of vacation, a way to get away from her job. An old friend, Nicolai Mastny, had sent her.
Sitting in the back sit of the cab, Misao looked out the window. She was heading for the old part of the city, where her friend had his house. She had just left the airport and had her bags in the trunk. The trip from Paris to Prague wasn't all that tiring, but Misao was feeling rather low, as if something wrong was going to happen.
Nicolai had called her in Paris, where she had been living, and had asked her to meet him. She had meet Nicolai a century ago, more or less, in the beginning of the 20th century, in London. She had been visiting the town, when she felt him, entering the Hotel where she was staying. They had stayed together for a long time, but separated when the First World War begun. He had gone back to Prague, hoping to join the army, and she had stayed in London, working for the government. He had been her lover for sometime, but they had never seen each other since the London incident, until now when he had called her.
Misao knew something had to be wrong, for him to call her up. She didn't even know he knew where she was living and he wasn't the sort to use good sources unless he really was in trouble. But what could have driven him to call her? She, that wasn't older then a century and a half or something! He was much older than she was; he had to be five centuries old, if she remembered correctly.
The cab came to a stop near an old building, with three floors and a decrepit front. The driver barked the bill in German and Misao grabbed her wallet.
"Danke schon." He replied when Misao paid him.
Misao opened the door and took her bag from the trunk. It was a windy and foggy day, in Prague, and one could see it was going to rain sooner or later. Misao headed for the building's door and climbed the stairs. Since the building was an old one it had no bell and the main door was opened. As soon as Misao stepped inside, she felt the presence of an Immortal, with that sensation she had grown so accustomed to.
The stairs were of wood and Misao's heels made a clank every time she dropped her foot. Even with her warm leather jacket, Misao could feel the building's humidity. The walls had stains and the stairs screeched. She was half way there, when she heard a door open and steps moving in her direction. Then she saw him. As expected he hadn't changed a thing, except his hair, it was longer than it used to be. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a woolen sweater. He smiled when he saw her, moving in her direction with wide arms, to receive her in a tight hug.
"Oh, ma chère! Je ne croi pas que toi est venue ici!" [My dear! I can't believe you came here!] He said, still holding her. Misao smiled in his chest, trying to remember everything they had gone through.
"Warum nicht?" [Why not?] She replied in German.
"Weil ich dir schon lange nicht gesehen habe." [Because I haven't seen you in a long time.]
"Well, let me in, will you? I hope your flat isn't as cold as these hideous stairs are." Misao picked her bag up and moved to go inside of Nicolai's apartment. He came after her and closed the door. It was a very large flat, with a large living room that combined with the entry, only a counter separated the kitchen and then there were three other rooms that Misao couldn't see. Misao dropped her bag and looked at Nicolai. He was leaning against the door, looking at her.
"I like your hair that way. I always thought the short hair gave you a look of a sixteen year old girl." He said. Misao laughed and sat on one of the large couches. She felt herself drown in that brown couch. Nicolai came closer and poured them two drinks. "Still like it shaken?"
"Hai." Misao replied. "So will you tell me now why I'm here?"
Nicolai grabbed the two glasses and gave her one. Then he sat in one of the couches. He stared at the bottom of his glass for ages.
"You've must have heard that there have been some… issues between Immortals and Watchers." Nicolai said. Watchers were a group of people that, throughout the ages, had been watching the Immortals and reporting every important event in their community. Watchers as the name said, didn't intervened, they just watched. When Misao raised an eyebrow, Nicolai continued. "There are reports of Watchers intervening in Immortals actions."
"What? How? When?" Misao asked amazed.
"It's just a small group of Watchers, that are doing it against all the rules and hiding it from their partners. But, beside that, what we must worry is why they are doing it."
"Why?"
"Well, that's when other Immortals come in. I don't know exactly, but it seems we have our own working against the rules of the Game. It's all very confusing and very few are able to fully comprehend this. As there are very few who have all the facts in their hands. All of these… occurrences have taken place in one country." Nicolai said.
"Which one?"
"Japan." Misao turned pale. Since she had discovered her true essence and had run away from her family and friend, Misao had never stepped on Japanese land again. She had lived one hundred and nineteen years without ever going there. She visited many countries and had made many friends, some of them Immortals some of them not, but she had avoided her country.
~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback
Misao looked at the sea. That was the only thing separating from her country. That and her will. She had decided never to go there again, at least for a couple of centuries. She had bought a ticket to China, with some of her savings, and was now on the first day of the trip. She found the sea wind very soothing and good for loneliness, as well as the gentle rocking of the ship, breaking the waves.
She had forced herself to wear a kimono, for it would be awfully conspicuous if she ran around the ship wearing shorts. She bought five or six of them in a shop near the place where she had bought her ticket. She was wearing one right at that moment, of white with blue and pink butterflies, with a blue obi. Her hair was still in its customary braid though. She was strolling on the deck, when she had that outbreak of feeling again. Her head felt like it was spinning or was it the world around her? It seemed to move much faster than it used to. Then it started to abate, when a man came closer to her. He looked a bit older than her, with a very long and thin moustache, brown hair and he was dressed as an European. He smiled and bowed.
"Good day, dear lady." Misao could only stare at him, when he picked her right hand and kissed it. She snapped it back and the man smiled again. "I'm truly sorry to have offended you, but that is one of the habits I couldn't lose when I came here. In France we do it all the time, since the 15th century. I know, I was there."
Misao could say nothing and the man took the opportunity to place her arm in his and started walking along side her.
"You've not said a word, madam. May I know your name? Oh, come come! You must've felt me, no?" He said, smiling at her.
"I felt a sort of dizziness, yes." Misao said, trembling.
"Well, see? But you must be a very young one, if you do not recognize one of your own. You know that dizziness is what warns us of another Immortal, don't you?" Misao stared down, while he talked. "How old are you, little one?"
"Twenty."
"Twenty years old? My, my. I'm seven hundred years old and my name is Adrien. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Makimachi Misao. I'm pleased to meet you, Sir."
Adrien had walked with her the rest of the afternoon and they had became acquainted with each other during the trip. When they got to China, Adrien offered her his company and, for the next twenty years they had been teacher and pupil. Adrien had taught her everything he could, from sword fighting to gun shooting, even passing through lessons of etiquette and womanly behavior. He had given her a whole new life, introducing her to that German and French court. She had played the part of the exotic Japanese woman that amazed everyone. Until the day when, like everything good, it ended. Adrien was killed in a duel, a duel with another Immortal. A fight he could never win and that took away his life.
Misao had left France and went to London, where she had meet Nicolai.
1.1 End Flashback
~~~~~~~~~~
Misao raised from her seat on the couch and wandered around the living room. It was a nice room, with a cozy burning fire, nice tapestries and paintings. Lying on a table was a old picture, a photograph of the two of them. She was wearing the common beginning of the 20th century dress, holding an umbrella, smiling. Nicolai was resting his weigh on a walking cane, dressed in a clean and beautiful suit. He had always had a great taste in clothes, most of the times it had been him who had chosen her clothes.
She looked more closely and saw the earrings she had been wearing. They had been a gift from Adrien, made of silver with dairly sparklings and with a small ruby in each one. She still had those earrings, kept away from harm, considering they were part of the small group of souvenirs she still had from Adrien.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback
"What is it that you are doing, Adrien?" Misao asked, laughing.
"Me? Why, Mi-chan, what ill thoughts you have of me!"
Misao laughed again. She drank a bit on the liqueur he had given her. It tasted good, Misao figured, with a taste of bitter in an ocean of sweet.
"Yes you. Don't play the innocent part with me, I know you very well, remember. I've seen you courting that young lady… what is her name? Oh! Constance, isn't it? What evil projects do you have for that child?"
Adrien laughed for some good five minutes.
"Someone who might listen might think you're much older than she is. You're merely thirty-five years old. Not that much."
Misao laughed a little and put on a hurt look.
"You're so mean!"
Adrien opened a drawer in his desk and took a little box from it. Then he made his way near the couch where she was sitting. He sat near her.
"I've got a gift for you, little one." He placed the box in her hand and urged her to open it. Inside the velvet box was a pair of beautiful and exquisite earrings. The symbiosis between the rubies and the earrings brilliant was amazing. Misao put the earrings on and moved closer to the mirror. Adrien came closer to her and held her from behind. "Worthy of a queen, don't you think?"
"Adrien, they are beautiful." Misao turned and hugged him. "Thank you so much. I don't deserve it!"
"Tonight we'll be dining in the Count's house. You'd not wish to turn up not dressed for the occasion, would you?" He said. "Think of it as a birthday gift in advance." Misao smiled at him in return. "Now, what dress will you wear tonight?"
"Oh, I don't know. I haven't thought of it yet."
"If it were a sword, you would've thought of it already. You're still a little tomboy, aren't you? My little tomboy."
1.2 End Flashback
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nicolai, you know my feeling towards Japan, don't you?" Misao said, still looking at the photograph. She felt Nicolai move, walking to her side. He placed a hand in her shoulder.
"Yes, I know. But I also know we have a mad man on the run in Japan, the Watchers are going gu-gu and you're the only one I know that knows Japan like the palm of her hand. Especially Kyoto. Most of it has happened in Kyoto, and almost every Japanese Immortal is there. Your friend… what's his name?"
"Saitoh, Haijime Saitoh. What? He's there too?" Misao asked in amazement. She had come to know Saitoh much better than before. She had meet him one day, in Germany, when she was still with Adrien. She had felt his presence entering the room of one of the biggest gambling house in Berlin. They had seen each other, but hadn't talked until Saitoh greeted Adrien and they talked like old friends. They had stayed together for some days and then Saitoh had returned to Japan. Misao had felt ecstatic when she realized not everyone of her time was going to die while she was strolling the world. Of course that thought had brought another and it had been with extreme control that Misao hadn't asked about him. About Aoshi. That man, even though more than a hundred years had pass, was still very much alive in her head.
Nicolai interrupted her thought. "Yes, he called me the other day, telling me to get to you. Apparently they need all the help they can get, over there. After all we are fighting against Immortals and Watchers now. Saitoh has constructed a huge network of surveillance over Japan and he's trying to locate that madman. You know Saitoh, he's always been good in those kinds of jobs."
"He was a cop when they killed him and turned him into an Immortal." Misao said, absentminded.
"That explains it." Nicolai said, picking up a pack of cigarettes. "Want one? Oh, you don't smoke anymore?" He lighted it and took a drag from it. "You understand now why I called you." Smoke was coming out of his mouth, while he spoke. " I'm going to Japan the day after tomorrow. Will you come with me?"
"No. You know I swore I'd never step foot in that country again, at least for some centuries." Misao said. Nicolai walked around the room for a while, wondering what to say. He took long drags from his cigarette and, after some minutes, it was over. He quickly lighted another one.
"Misao, I've respected your… feelings towards Japan, but no one, except Saitoh, that you know is alive. They are all dead, Misao. Don't you want to know where they are buried? What happened to them after you left? If they have descendents? Damn it, Misao! It ain't gonna bite you, if you go there." He stopped for a while to catch his breath and to take a drag of the cigarette. "We need all the help we can get, Misao. You worked as a spy in Kyoto, so you are a valuable ally in all this."
Misao ran his words through her mind. Did she really want to know where they were buried? Where Aoshi was buried? She felt her mind split into two different parts, one that didn't want to take the chance of hurting herself even more, and the other that couldn't wait to get to the plane. Misao sat on the couch again and looked at Nicolai.
"Alright, I'll go with you. I'll back you up in every way I can, but if I find anything displeasing I'll return without second thoughts."
Misao could see Nicolai wanted to ask her what were those 'displeasing' things, but decided against it, concluding that he had, at least, convinced her.
"Good. Then you sleep here and the day after tomorrow, we'll get on a plane to Kyoto. Saitoh is meeting us there."
- - - - - - - - -
Prague, Czech Republic, 2001
In a city like Prague it's hard to feel sad, especially for foreigners. The city's beauties are captivating and the old structures seem to take a person on a time travel. Not that Misao needed a time travel, she had had her own with help from no one. Traveling to Prague was a sort of vacation, a way to get away from her job. An old friend, Nicolai Mastny, had sent her.
Sitting in the back sit of the cab, Misao looked out the window. She was heading for the old part of the city, where her friend had his house. She had just left the airport and had her bags in the trunk. The trip from Paris to Prague wasn't all that tiring, but Misao was feeling rather low, as if something wrong was going to happen.
Nicolai had called her in Paris, where she had been living, and had asked her to meet him. She had meet Nicolai a century ago, more or less, in the beginning of the 20th century, in London. She had been visiting the town, when she felt him, entering the Hotel where she was staying. They had stayed together for a long time, but separated when the First World War begun. He had gone back to Prague, hoping to join the army, and she had stayed in London, working for the government. He had been her lover for sometime, but they had never seen each other since the London incident, until now when he had called her.
Misao knew something had to be wrong, for him to call her up. She didn't even know he knew where she was living and he wasn't the sort to use good sources unless he really was in trouble. But what could have driven him to call her? She, that wasn't older then a century and a half or something! He was much older than she was; he had to be five centuries old, if she remembered correctly.
The cab came to a stop near an old building, with three floors and a decrepit front. The driver barked the bill in German and Misao grabbed her wallet.
"Danke schon." He replied when Misao paid him.
Misao opened the door and took her bag from the trunk. It was a windy and foggy day, in Prague, and one could see it was going to rain sooner or later. Misao headed for the building's door and climbed the stairs. Since the building was an old one it had no bell and the main door was opened. As soon as Misao stepped inside, she felt the presence of an Immortal, with that sensation she had grown so accustomed to.
The stairs were of wood and Misao's heels made a clank every time she dropped her foot. Even with her warm leather jacket, Misao could feel the building's humidity. The walls had stains and the stairs screeched. She was half way there, when she heard a door open and steps moving in her direction. Then she saw him. As expected he hadn't changed a thing, except his hair, it was longer than it used to be. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a woolen sweater. He smiled when he saw her, moving in her direction with wide arms, to receive her in a tight hug.
"Oh, ma chère! Je ne croi pas que toi est venue ici!" [My dear! I can't believe you came here!] He said, still holding her. Misao smiled in his chest, trying to remember everything they had gone through.
"Warum nicht?" [Why not?] She replied in German.
"Weil ich dir schon lange nicht gesehen habe." [Because I haven't seen you in a long time.]
"Well, let me in, will you? I hope your flat isn't as cold as these hideous stairs are." Misao picked her bag up and moved to go inside of Nicolai's apartment. He came after her and closed the door. It was a very large flat, with a large living room that combined with the entry, only a counter separated the kitchen and then there were three other rooms that Misao couldn't see. Misao dropped her bag and looked at Nicolai. He was leaning against the door, looking at her.
"I like your hair that way. I always thought the short hair gave you a look of a sixteen year old girl." He said. Misao laughed and sat on one of the large couches. She felt herself drown in that brown couch. Nicolai came closer and poured them two drinks. "Still like it shaken?"
"Hai." Misao replied. "So will you tell me now why I'm here?"
Nicolai grabbed the two glasses and gave her one. Then he sat in one of the couches. He stared at the bottom of his glass for ages.
"You've must have heard that there have been some… issues between Immortals and Watchers." Nicolai said. Watchers were a group of people that, throughout the ages, had been watching the Immortals and reporting every important event in their community. Watchers as the name said, didn't intervened, they just watched. When Misao raised an eyebrow, Nicolai continued. "There are reports of Watchers intervening in Immortals actions."
"What? How? When?" Misao asked amazed.
"It's just a small group of Watchers, that are doing it against all the rules and hiding it from their partners. But, beside that, what we must worry is why they are doing it."
"Why?"
"Well, that's when other Immortals come in. I don't know exactly, but it seems we have our own working against the rules of the Game. It's all very confusing and very few are able to fully comprehend this. As there are very few who have all the facts in their hands. All of these… occurrences have taken place in one country." Nicolai said.
"Which one?"
"Japan." Misao turned pale. Since she had discovered her true essence and had run away from her family and friend, Misao had never stepped on Japanese land again. She had lived one hundred and nineteen years without ever going there. She visited many countries and had made many friends, some of them Immortals some of them not, but she had avoided her country.
~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback
Misao looked at the sea. That was the only thing separating from her country. That and her will. She had decided never to go there again, at least for a couple of centuries. She had bought a ticket to China, with some of her savings, and was now on the first day of the trip. She found the sea wind very soothing and good for loneliness, as well as the gentle rocking of the ship, breaking the waves.
She had forced herself to wear a kimono, for it would be awfully conspicuous if she ran around the ship wearing shorts. She bought five or six of them in a shop near the place where she had bought her ticket. She was wearing one right at that moment, of white with blue and pink butterflies, with a blue obi. Her hair was still in its customary braid though. She was strolling on the deck, when she had that outbreak of feeling again. Her head felt like it was spinning or was it the world around her? It seemed to move much faster than it used to. Then it started to abate, when a man came closer to her. He looked a bit older than her, with a very long and thin moustache, brown hair and he was dressed as an European. He smiled and bowed.
"Good day, dear lady." Misao could only stare at him, when he picked her right hand and kissed it. She snapped it back and the man smiled again. "I'm truly sorry to have offended you, but that is one of the habits I couldn't lose when I came here. In France we do it all the time, since the 15th century. I know, I was there."
Misao could say nothing and the man took the opportunity to place her arm in his and started walking along side her.
"You've not said a word, madam. May I know your name? Oh, come come! You must've felt me, no?" He said, smiling at her.
"I felt a sort of dizziness, yes." Misao said, trembling.
"Well, see? But you must be a very young one, if you do not recognize one of your own. You know that dizziness is what warns us of another Immortal, don't you?" Misao stared down, while he talked. "How old are you, little one?"
"Twenty."
"Twenty years old? My, my. I'm seven hundred years old and my name is Adrien. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Makimachi Misao. I'm pleased to meet you, Sir."
Adrien had walked with her the rest of the afternoon and they had became acquainted with each other during the trip. When they got to China, Adrien offered her his company and, for the next twenty years they had been teacher and pupil. Adrien had taught her everything he could, from sword fighting to gun shooting, even passing through lessons of etiquette and womanly behavior. He had given her a whole new life, introducing her to that German and French court. She had played the part of the exotic Japanese woman that amazed everyone. Until the day when, like everything good, it ended. Adrien was killed in a duel, a duel with another Immortal. A fight he could never win and that took away his life.
Misao had left France and went to London, where she had meet Nicolai.
1.1 End Flashback
~~~~~~~~~~
Misao raised from her seat on the couch and wandered around the living room. It was a nice room, with a cozy burning fire, nice tapestries and paintings. Lying on a table was a old picture, a photograph of the two of them. She was wearing the common beginning of the 20th century dress, holding an umbrella, smiling. Nicolai was resting his weigh on a walking cane, dressed in a clean and beautiful suit. He had always had a great taste in clothes, most of the times it had been him who had chosen her clothes.
She looked more closely and saw the earrings she had been wearing. They had been a gift from Adrien, made of silver with dairly sparklings and with a small ruby in each one. She still had those earrings, kept away from harm, considering they were part of the small group of souvenirs she still had from Adrien.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback
"What is it that you are doing, Adrien?" Misao asked, laughing.
"Me? Why, Mi-chan, what ill thoughts you have of me!"
Misao laughed again. She drank a bit on the liqueur he had given her. It tasted good, Misao figured, with a taste of bitter in an ocean of sweet.
"Yes you. Don't play the innocent part with me, I know you very well, remember. I've seen you courting that young lady… what is her name? Oh! Constance, isn't it? What evil projects do you have for that child?"
Adrien laughed for some good five minutes.
"Someone who might listen might think you're much older than she is. You're merely thirty-five years old. Not that much."
Misao laughed a little and put on a hurt look.
"You're so mean!"
Adrien opened a drawer in his desk and took a little box from it. Then he made his way near the couch where she was sitting. He sat near her.
"I've got a gift for you, little one." He placed the box in her hand and urged her to open it. Inside the velvet box was a pair of beautiful and exquisite earrings. The symbiosis between the rubies and the earrings brilliant was amazing. Misao put the earrings on and moved closer to the mirror. Adrien came closer to her and held her from behind. "Worthy of a queen, don't you think?"
"Adrien, they are beautiful." Misao turned and hugged him. "Thank you so much. I don't deserve it!"
"Tonight we'll be dining in the Count's house. You'd not wish to turn up not dressed for the occasion, would you?" He said. "Think of it as a birthday gift in advance." Misao smiled at him in return. "Now, what dress will you wear tonight?"
"Oh, I don't know. I haven't thought of it yet."
"If it were a sword, you would've thought of it already. You're still a little tomboy, aren't you? My little tomboy."
1.2 End Flashback
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nicolai, you know my feeling towards Japan, don't you?" Misao said, still looking at the photograph. She felt Nicolai move, walking to her side. He placed a hand in her shoulder.
"Yes, I know. But I also know we have a mad man on the run in Japan, the Watchers are going gu-gu and you're the only one I know that knows Japan like the palm of her hand. Especially Kyoto. Most of it has happened in Kyoto, and almost every Japanese Immortal is there. Your friend… what's his name?"
"Saitoh, Haijime Saitoh. What? He's there too?" Misao asked in amazement. She had come to know Saitoh much better than before. She had meet him one day, in Germany, when she was still with Adrien. She had felt his presence entering the room of one of the biggest gambling house in Berlin. They had seen each other, but hadn't talked until Saitoh greeted Adrien and they talked like old friends. They had stayed together for some days and then Saitoh had returned to Japan. Misao had felt ecstatic when she realized not everyone of her time was going to die while she was strolling the world. Of course that thought had brought another and it had been with extreme control that Misao hadn't asked about him. About Aoshi. That man, even though more than a hundred years had pass, was still very much alive in her head.
Nicolai interrupted her thought. "Yes, he called me the other day, telling me to get to you. Apparently they need all the help they can get, over there. After all we are fighting against Immortals and Watchers now. Saitoh has constructed a huge network of surveillance over Japan and he's trying to locate that madman. You know Saitoh, he's always been good in those kinds of jobs."
"He was a cop when they killed him and turned him into an Immortal." Misao said, absentminded.
"That explains it." Nicolai said, picking up a pack of cigarettes. "Want one? Oh, you don't smoke anymore?" He lighted it and took a drag from it. "You understand now why I called you." Smoke was coming out of his mouth, while he spoke. " I'm going to Japan the day after tomorrow. Will you come with me?"
"No. You know I swore I'd never step foot in that country again, at least for some centuries." Misao said. Nicolai walked around the room for a while, wondering what to say. He took long drags from his cigarette and, after some minutes, it was over. He quickly lighted another one.
"Misao, I've respected your… feelings towards Japan, but no one, except Saitoh, that you know is alive. They are all dead, Misao. Don't you want to know where they are buried? What happened to them after you left? If they have descendents? Damn it, Misao! It ain't gonna bite you, if you go there." He stopped for a while to catch his breath and to take a drag of the cigarette. "We need all the help we can get, Misao. You worked as a spy in Kyoto, so you are a valuable ally in all this."
Misao ran his words through her mind. Did she really want to know where they were buried? Where Aoshi was buried? She felt her mind split into two different parts, one that didn't want to take the chance of hurting herself even more, and the other that couldn't wait to get to the plane. Misao sat on the couch again and looked at Nicolai.
"Alright, I'll go with you. I'll back you up in every way I can, but if I find anything displeasing I'll return without second thoughts."
Misao could see Nicolai wanted to ask her what were those 'displeasing' things, but decided against it, concluding that he had, at least, convinced her.
"Good. Then you sleep here and the day after tomorrow, we'll get on a plane to Kyoto. Saitoh is meeting us there."