VIII – Closure.

At the door of a derelict storehouse in the suburbs of Edinburgh, Connor felt the presence of an immortal. She clenched his fists around the note inviting him there at midnight. He didn't know who had written it but... it would be interesting to know who was the wormfood-to-be.

He drew out his katana as he walked inside, finding total darkness, which he liked. Suddenly a square of light burst farther from him. He let his eyes adjust to the new illumination before making out a male shape further.

His hand tightened its grip on the katana. It was too weak a sword, too light. He dared not use it fully, for it might break. He should get a new blade. Maybe steal Duncan's from that hut in Scotland, or seek and behead an immortal which a nice sword. Only for a sword? A reason as good as any. All of them would die in due time and he would rule the World and the Universe.

Then he felt another person coming slowly from behind. He deigned not turn. He knew this new immortal wouldn't strike. They still played by the rules. Fools.

"The time has come, MacLeod."

Connor grinned, turning to recognise Kajima Akira. He raised his blade and shook his head with a broad grin.

"Baka! So good to see you again. You still want your honour?"

"Hold it! Both of you!" the shape that had been there in the first place approached, and John Crane stared at the two would-be combatants.

"John!" Connor greeted his acquaintance cynically. "How nice of you to call in." His eyes posed on a swelling at the Revelator's waist. "Oh, you're turned on?? Or that's a sword you're carrying there?" Crane opened his blue coat and revealed the hilt of his cutlass.

"This is between him and me." Kajima protested.

"You are a fine man, Kajima Akira. Your honour is not stained in any way. You may leave pleased with yourself, and with your head above your shoulders."

"You think that will make him leave?" Connor teased. "It won't... by the way, where's my son?"

"I don't know, Connor. I had him placed overseas to a place I don't even know myself."

"Nasty of you." Connor's voice was growing more and more coarse and cynical. "And the blondie?"

"I'm here, MacLeod."

Connor turned to find Scarlet Lambert holding a .357 in her right hand, behind Crane. He could see the fear tripping down as sweat, her pale skin glimmering in the pale light. He would get rid of these two... and then he would make her his. Why would he need the corpse he had taken after returning from the encounter with the Jappo if he had such a warm container?

"I told you not to get involved." John lectured. "Get away."

"I won't!" Kajima suddenly burst, unscabbarding his katana and thrusting at Connor. The Highlander dodged and the other two suddenly seemed to disappear to them.

Kajima struck up and down, right and left, all neat and precise attacks that missed by a hair's lenght. Connor retreated amused, dodging the other's blows without trouble. The Asian halted for a second and then began again, in a flurry of stronger, faster yet clumsier movements.

Connor started to have difficulties in remaining harmless. He felt his skin barely escaping the touch of the blade. He rose his weapon and parried a blow fiercely. Kajima staggered back, astounded by the force. Connor saw the man's resolve flicker.

"You're mine, Jappo." He insulted.

He went forward, his sword arching up against Kajima's neck. He grinned as his blade descended against the neck. The Jappo could have moved, had not he been petrified by fear. What a lousy worm!

The head fell and Connor stared at the blood-dropping bare neck. Nice, isn't it? No, it was not. Kajima was a fair man, he told himself, realising of the atrocities he had committed. He went down on his knees as the quickening seized him, making him shiver with dread. The building trembled and for a second, it seemed it would fall.

When the whirlwind went away, Connor fell on his knees, feeling the death of Kajima deep within him. But he also felt Erja's death, which had unadvertently welled inside of him till it burst now. Added to it, he had murdered Alex in the most vicious way. He hated himself. He had become what he despised, and what he had always fought against. He broke into tears as he dug his face in the dirty floor.

"Connor... it's over." John's voice soothed him.

"I... killed... them..." he stammered sadly. "KILL ME!" he bellowed as he glared at the rooftop in a cry for deliverance.

"There's a place... there're people... " John knelt and embraced his shattered friend. "The Watchers have a place where immortals can rest. It's called Sanctuary. "

"Sanctuary?" Connor gasped.

"Aye, lad." Crane's native tongue emerged in that sentence. "You can rest till you feel your sins relieved."

"Really?" Connor also hugged his friend.

"Yes. You can stay out of the Game..." John helped Connor to his feet. "... and let the darkness die."

John released Connor and stepped back to let his friend walk out, but suddenly the Highlander pulled the cutlass out of his open coat and made a sharp cut in his chest. The Revelator gasped, stammering backward, as he saw his friend viciously lunging toward him, weapon ready to strike at the neck.

"Darkness will never die!"

Connor's shriek came out as John's head fell. He smirked at the corpse and burst into mad laughter. He had gone insane. He knew it. John's soul would cleanse part of his quickening but the element of obscurity would still be within him.

The quickening seized him. Crane was an older immortal than Kajima, and had taken far more heads. Thus, the quickening was greater, and the building shook and collapsed over him as he shrieked with pleasure...

-----

Somewhere, sometime.

"How long have I been underground? An Unfathomable long, or maybe short, period of time. My eyes have already adjusted to the lack of light and darkness and the other dormant immortals are my only, eternal, companions.

"My days, weeks and years passed, pass and will pass monotonously. Here I shall be hibernating always waiting for something new, an odour, a sound... As it was in all my years, happiness always ending. Only that there's no happiness to terminate now. I'm alone.

"I have crossed the line. I mustn't leave this place. I'm a threat to mankind, as Ramirez said. Men will fear me and try to drive me away. I am to be feared. I am evil.

"I don't know nor does it matter when the darkness seeded on me. All I know is I got lost... and maybe I will never see a way out of it."

END