26

The mild summer warmth of the past week was only a memory as Amon and the others dragged themselves through the thick humid sunlight. The desert wasteland of tar and concrete seemed to stretch on forever between the car and the train station. At least it would be cooler in the mountains, Amon thought.

"Can we please slow down a little?" Nagira asked from several paces behind.

Amon hadn't realized he'd been walking fast at all but when he looked back, the others were panting and trying to keep up.

"Hurry up," he said. "Our train leaves in twenty minutes."

"Am I truly related to you?" Integra asked with mild contempt.

"By my calculations, we're at least nine generations removed from each other and probably more," Amon said in reply.

"Nine? I guess that's enough," Nagira said thoughtfully as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Enough for what?" Robin asked.

"Nothing. Never mind," Nagira said.

"That was a bizarre thing to say," Integra said, eyeing him.

They all went quiet again until they were standing in line to pick up their reserved tickets at the entrance to the station. Nagira was the first to break the silence.

"Hey, Amon, tell us our itinerary. If we get separated, we need to be able to meet up again."

"We're taking the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki. At Takasaki, we change trains and get on the local Joetsu line. That takes us to Akagi Village at the foot of Mt Akagi. Once we arrive there, it should be easy to get up to where the waterfall is."

They were just walking into the crowded noisy station when Integra's cell phone rang.

"Hello?... Walter?... Wait, I'll put you on speakerphone. Alright, what's happened?"

"I'm still watching our friend the Paladin. Sir Integra, would you please tell me exactly where you are right now."

"We're at Tokyo station. The main Yaesu entrance. Why?"

"Oh dear..."

"Walter, what's wrong?"

"Well, it seems I'll be seeing you sooner than I expected."

"He's coming here!"

"I'm afraid it's worse than that, ma'am."

"How much worse?"

"Look towards the wall directly in front of you."

Integra looked up and her eyes widened. The others followed her gaze and saw the tall figure standing by the wall. He hadn't noticed them yet.

"My apologies for the late warning." Walter's voice sounded scratchy over the phone.

"Don't apologize Walter. Do not blow your cover, even if we have to fight."

"Understood, ma'am."

27

Integra could feel her heart rate rising. She had managed to hold Paladin Anderson at bay once by herself. But only for a moment and she had been expecting Alucard's swift backup then. What would she do now? Nothing, she decided. She would sneak herself and her group onto the train. If they could just get to the platform without being seen, they could slip right through the enemy's trap. All was not lost, there was still hope. Integra signaled to the others and moved down the huge lobby. Luckily, there were enough people there to hide them from direct line of sight. The ticket gate for the Joetsu Shinkansen was just visible through the milling crowd. Beyond it was the staircase that would take them to the raised platform. Integra had her ticket in her hand, reaching out for the ticket gate when that familiar voice boomed over the noise of the station.

"So ye thought ye could escape, did ye?"

Integra's head snapped around in the direction of the sound. Paladin Anderson was still several dozen meters away. He was moving slower than normal, pushing aside the smaller people around him, as if he were wading through water.

Integra was suddenly acutely aware of her surroundings. She smelled the blood of dozens of monsters as her enemy reached around his back and pulled out one of his huge knives. The screaming of the bystanders made her jump and come back to herself.

"Move," she commanded as the paladin got closer. Amon, Robin, and Nagira sent their tickets through the electronic reader and hurried onto the other side. Integra herself went last. She kept her free hand on her gun and her eyes on her enemy as she moved. He was already spouting bible quotes which Integra had long since learned to disregard. Once on the other side of the gate, she realized that she was on the edge of panic and she forced herself to calm down.

"Five minutes," Amon called out. Integra turned and nodded to him. That made her feel a little better. But five minutes could be a long time in a fight with a strong opponent. Amon knew that too. By the time the train left the station, they could all be dead. Integra looked back at Paladin Anderson as she reached the foot of the stairs. He met her eyes and raised his knife to slice through the ticket gate. Integra turned back to run up the stairs but almost ran into Robin. The girl was standing on the stairs with her glasses on. As the paladin's knife reached the highest point above his head, the witch used her craft. Anderson growled as the knife grew hot in his hands and the blade folded down on itself. Integra had to turn sharply again when she heard Nagira's teasing voice ring out from the top of the stairs.

"Don't worry about it, it happens to lots of guys!"

Integra allowed herself a snorting laugh before continuing on up the stairs. Robin ran beside her, smiling a little mischievous smile. Integra couldn't help smiling too. The feeling lasted until they reached the right platform. The train was ready to leave and they were announcing final boarding. Again, Integra was the last one to the door as they got on the first car. She reached for the handle beside the door but she had to stop when a knife flew from behind and buried itself in the metal inches from her hand. She snarled and spun around. The paladin was standing a few meters away, another knife already in his hand. Integra had finally had enough. She drew her gun from her belt and aimed.

"A weapon like that canna' scare me," Anderson said, advancing.

Integra's hand tightened on the grip of the gun but she never pulled the trigger. She felt someone grab the back of her shirt and yank her backwards onto the train. The door slammed shut in front of her and she heard Anderson's howl of rage as the train began to pick up speed. She didn't even have time to protest before Nagira's face appeared inches from her own.

"Are you nuts?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "He could have killed you. And you can't fire a gun in a crowded train station."

Integra's shock wore off just enough to let her answer.

"And what should I have done? Let him kill us all?"

Nagira's face darkened even more. "You should have gotten on this train right away instead of putting yourself in danger like that."

"Why do you care so much?" Integra demanded.

"Because you scared the hell out of me," Nagira said almost angrily. He took half a step back, stuck his hands in his pockets, and moved off toward their seats. Integra didn't move for a moment. She stood there by the door, using her hand to steady herself against the plastic wall. She took a deep breath and then followed Nagira deeper into the train. They had gotten four seats that faced each other, which had seemed like a good idea the night before. Nagira had taken the window seat beside Robin. Integra slid into the aisle seat next to Amon. Nobody spoke but Integra managed to get supportive looks Robin and Amon. Nagira stared out the window and wouldn't meet her gaze. After a few minutes, she decided to try again later.

Story Notes:

"nine generations" - This was my conclusion after calculating life-spans influenced by demon blood. I remembered to compensate for the ever-increasing diluting effect of human blood in each generation. That figure is as close to accurate as I can get it with the information I have. Email me for a full explanation.

"Joetsu..." - All this travel information is absolutely correct. I researched everything on the official website of the East Japan Railway Company. Don't believe me? Google "JR-East" and see for yourself.

"Yaesu entrance..." - I had a map of Tokyo station sitting on my screen the whole time I was writing this scene. The map was dated January 2006. Let it never be said that I don't do my research.