Chapter 11

The Fallen

The next morning Mara led the way, seemingly anxious to get going, if indeed anything she did could be described in such a manner. True to her word they walked over the snowy ground for only several miles before descending the north side of the mountain toward the valley below.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked after a while.

"Oh yeah, I used to – Damn it! These guys can't seem to remember the whole mountain doesn't belong to them," she said stopping in front of a chain-link fence that stretched before them across the slope. "This place, it's all owned by a big company now catering to foreign guests. Locals like me, I guess we get in the way of their plans," she said looking at her new enemy the fence. "I knocked this down years ago," she snarled.

"Uh-huh," Takumi replied inspecting it. "It looks fairly new. How many years ago was that exactly?"

"Let's see, I know it was after Skuld was all proud, yapping on about her brat . . ."

"That was almost a hundred years ago!"

"No, no, I mean the third one . . ."

"You mean her great grandchild? The one who runs the temple? That was still 35 years ago!"

"Ah yeah, time gets away," she said looking around.

As she did Takumi saw Mara was not the only one inconvenienced by the chain-link fence crossing the hillside, noticing groups of local children riding their sleds down what little of the slope remained on the far side of the fence, cut off from the long slope of the hill. Still they did their best, sliding down on their little boards one by one, only to walk back up again and repeat the little run.

He had no idea why it bothered him so. "Why did we come here again?" he asked looking away impatiently.

"I guess I came to like the scenery up here. At least the way it was before they started dividing it up. In the old days we . . . ," she stopped suddenly. "It doesn't matter. Who cares why I like it, I don't need to explain myself to you," she said looking toward the ridge unconsciously pressing the medallion around her neck between her thumb and forefinger.

"You alright Mara?"

"What? Yes," she stammered. "This used to be open hills when I first came up here. But then it was bought up to become a commercial ski property by some friend of Belldandy's."

"Some friend of Belldandy's?" he asked his ears pricking up.

"Friend, enemy - somebody," she waved. "In the Aoshima group. I don't really remember," she said continuing to scowl. "Trust me, sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"I see," he replied watching the children bang into the fence. "Something about that bothers you?" he asked.

"No. Nothing bothers me anymore Sato," she said cynically stretching. Yet as she did, he noticed the air itself seemed to groan before him, as the fenceposts creaked before snapping down their length as one section after another of the fence began to fall, sliding down the hill grooming the slope as it descended before them. Takumi smiled as mischievous hope began to bloom in the eyes of the watching children. It didn't take long for the pioneers of the group to begin taking off down the whole length of the hill.

"Are you in danger of becoming a good person Mara?" he questioned.

"What? Hell no! You expect me to climb a fence? I told them to take that down years ago!" she said marching on.

"So you do know these slopes well then?" he said.

"Oh I know these slopes," she said chuckling, before laughing demonically. He followed along nervously. At the bottom of the slope he saw what he suspected was the true target of their hike. Mara walked down, entering the narrow cozy alpine bar which stretched lengthwise along the shining slopes. Takumi followed her inside, watching her move down the bar with an ease of familiarity. He was sure it was mere paranoia, but he had the strangest feeling some of the bar's staff were looking at them strangely.

Mara sat down, gliding through the menu, complaining about the price before ordering kusu and a glass of ice. Takumi sipped his drink watching her, reflected in the window's sunlight as she calmly rolled her iced awamori looking out at the mountain happily; perhaps nostalgically. Her hand went once more to the medallion around her neck.

"Happy memories?" he asked after a time. Her eyes narrowed as though it was a sort of sin to reveal anything about oneself.

"May I look at that?" he asked motioning to the necklace. He thought she would decline but after a time she removed sliding it over to him to his surprise.

"I want this back," she said passing it to him.

He turned it over to see now it was a locket. Just as he feared it was stamped with a chrysanthemum on one side, a peony on the other. "Mara, what do you do in this world; now I mean?"

"You think I worked for them? Of course not!"

"But this -."

"It belonged to a friend of mine," she said. "It was given to me a long time ago."

Takumi opened the locket looking inside. He had been so consumed these past weeks by his own quest he'd scarcely stopped to think of what other people had gone through all this time, that they might have had their own lives; their own stories lived. "Is this him? Handsome man," he said respectfully. "What was his name?"

Hiro . . . Hiro Nakayma," Mara replied slowly.

"The tattoos on his arms and chest; and the symbols on the case. They are -?"

"Yes. He was a yakuza lieutenant. At least when we met.

The area up here was - open in those days. I guess he was looking to break free . . . I suppose we both were.

"You met here?"

"Uh huh. And so, in time we decided to walk away from it. We ran for years on our own."

"And they just let you go? My experience with both of your groups tells me that's unlikely."

"Well, perhaps let us go is a bit much. Let's just say the loss ratio didn't make sense after a while." Mara smiled thinking back on their days, of holding onto the back of the bike as his enemies careened after them. 'Here,' she shouted directing him down the side road.

'That doesn't cross the canyon!' he replied.

'You're going to have to trust me!' she said as they accelerated past the cliff edge 'miraculously' jumping the chasm to drop down onto the other side. Their pursuers – were not so lucky. 'Hah', Mara said observing the aftermath. 'You know what's funny about that? I think we owned the contract on most of those dudes. Double win!'

'You – you're kind of different aren't you?' Hiro replied.

From there, there were days of waking up beside one another, of springtime walks and Mara pouncing on him from under piles of leaves. True, there was the occasional stabbing or unrepentant demon to deal with, but Mara was as quick with a knife as he was - 'No, just hold him a little longer! I have to finish this!' she said completing the circle, igniting and vaporizing their opponent. 'Can we do that?' Hiro asked.

'Yeah I guess so', Mara shrugged walking away from the burning embers. Mara smiled thinking back, looking out the window. "There were a few 'accidents', attempts by his organization to take him out, but he was quite cunning for a human. And of course, so was I. For myself there were also some planned incidents - they just didn't work out for my former employers quite the way they anticipated. After we dealt with them one final time - they didn't send anyone after that."

Across from her Takumi shuddered, thinking of the damage such a pair might have done to convince both the yakuza and the demon realm to stop pursuing them. He carefully pushed the locket back to her.

"Did you ever tell him? I mean did he ever know you were - ?"

"Of course! We were together, we shared everything. I mean it would have been rather difficult not to, right? Although for the first month I did try to explain away my reluctance around shrines and good luck charms as some kind of overly religious upbringing."

"He used to tell me . . . that we were both demons in a way," she mused starting to tear up. "That's why he gave me this," she said picking up the locket. "He said in the end I was the only thing he needed to belong to."

"And after that?"

"We made our escape. We traveled widely - for a long time, traveling, both of us just trying to forget, forget everything . . ."

"With all that's happened, please tell me you had a good life."

"We did, for a long time. But well . . . ah you know humans," she said looking away. They just -," her voice trailed off blinking her tears away.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I take it he's up here somewhere? Nothing could be done?"

"That kind of power went out of the world when the realms collapsed," she replied sipping her kusu. "Fifteen years ago this August."

"I'm sorry."

"It's in the past," she said trying to convince herself it had no hold on her.

"Must have been strange. I mean you . . . you haven't aged a day since the last time I saw you."

"It is the same for us all. Once we achieve our adult form we change very little. If Urd were alive today she would look exactly the same as she did when you last saw her."

The pair spoke for several minutes until Takumi's feelings of unease returned. "Mara I'm getting a weird vibe."

"Ah you're paranoid."

Slowly he looked around, gazing over Mara's shoulder. "No, some of these folks are definitely giving us hard looks," he said, following their gaze until he noticed something behind the bar. He stood up trying to get a better view of what it was until – ! His face grew pale. "Mara why is there a wanted poster of you behind the bar?!" Spotting the notation below which read – 'Do not let in regardless of year!'

"There can't be, they don't do 'wanted' posters in this country. At least I don't think they do . . . you know actually I don't know," she mused. "Probably something they mocked up themselves. . ."

"Not our biggest problem right now!" he said seeing men approaching them now from either direction as he scanned for possible exits.

"-I mean they can't still be mad about that. It was a decade and a half ago. I'm not the criminal - they're the criminals, charging 18 dollars for these drinks," she muttered irritably.

"Um, what was a decade and a half ago?" he asked seeing they were almost upon them.

"Blah, blah, blah there was a bit of an altercation, a fire broke out and I . . ."

"Behind you!" he warned.

"You think I need your help?" she asked blindly slamming her glass directly into the head of the nearest attacker behind her as they dove onto her. The men came from both sides now. "Well I'm starting to get bored of this place -," she said as a general melee broke out as Takumi tried to extricate himself looking for the exit.

"In fact, I think I've had enough*," she in a sing-song voice.

(*Mara: performing a terrible rendition of Rhianna, West and McCarthy's – Four, Five)

"Mara what are you doing?" he asked.

"Might get a little drunk -," she continued.

"You don't really have that attractive of a singing voice -," he said looking between her and the oncoming guards.

"I say what's on my mind . . . might do a little time," she continued paying him no mind.

"Whatever you're doing - I don't I like it!" he said getting punched as he threw one of the guards off.

Yet as far as Mara was concerned, she appeared to be having a good time, "Cuz' all of my kindness," she continued, tossing another guard into the bar, "gets taken for weakness-," she crooned felling another guard with an elbow strike.

He shook his head, hearing the words she and Urd had sung in ages past here in the middle of all her insanity in this small mountain bar; in this strange time and place. It made him feel somehow connected to her.

But the full force of the guards were upon them now.

"Now I'm four-five seconds from wildin'," she chimed happily punching several in the group as the all-out brawl began.

"Do you have any plan Mara - EVER?!" he asked head-butting one as more came running. But she simply continued singing insanely as several more dove on top of her, taking her into custody as he fought his way to the door. Outside he escaped to the trees, kneeling down watching. What am I doing?! I should have known better! She's always such a force for chaos, he thought. He sat outside in the snow, watching for some clue as to her whereabouts. Eventually he saw a car being brought around out front. A moment later she was brought out, arrested, hands bound behind her back. But in spite of it all she simply stood there singing, casting an eye on the upper slope, taking pleasure in the children's fun and chaos she had created as the men gathered around her. But Mara only smiled gently; content to simply live in the moment. As they opened the car door she shuffled slowly forward in the snow. She continued on but seemed tired now, tired of fighting, tired of many things. Perhaps that was why she had allowed them to take her. Maybe she really was alone now. Perhaps she simply needed food and a place to sleep. As they dragged her forward to the car she looked up, quietly singing:

"And I know that you're up tonight

thinking how could I be so selfish,

But you called about a thousand times,

wondering where I've been,"

Now I know that you're home tonight,

thinking how could I be so reckless,

But I just can't apologize - I hope you can understand,"

Something in her words drifting over the snow laden pines pierced his heart as she disappeared into the car; her plaintive voice making him feel suddenly terribly alone. He sat there in the snow thinking. Then, gritting his teeth, he reluctantly stood up from his hiding place making his voice heard:

"If I go to jail tonight - promise you'll pay my bail," he replied singing as the guards spotted him rushing forward. "Cause they want to buy my pride - but that just ain't up for sale," he continued as they grabbed him handcuffing him.

Mara simply smiled through the car window as they shoved him into the back seat with her for their ride to jail. Together they regrettably sang as they began their ride down the mountain road into town. "Cause' all of my kindness - gets taken for weakness," they sang together.

"You two, shut up! You're both in a lot of trouble!" the guards in the front said as they approached the peak.

"Somebody is," Mara nodded agreeably, but before Takumi could question her the path beneath them grew slick as the car veered over the edge of the road, traveling down the open mountain slope at an ever-increasing rate. "AAAAAHHH!" everyone but Mara screamed simultaneously in the car.

"What's the matter boys?" she said laughing manically as she broke the handcuffs from behind her back putting her arms around her would be captors as they careened down the hill. "Aren't you ready to die? Because I am."

"AAAAAHH!" They all screamed even louder.

"Mara I'm not sure I can survive this!" Takumi said as the car now went momentarily airborne.

"Oh? I can," she shrugged smiling at them all.

"Is this - Mara . . . tree, tree . . . another tree!" he shouted as the car shot down the slope.

"Just get out of here!" the guards screamed, instincts for self-preservation blotting out all other thoughts.

"But I thought you were taking us to jail?" she teased as the car narrowly missed another tree careening down the slope. "Well if you guys aren't going to drive, I guess I'm going to have to," she said moving her hands as the car flipped over on its side before going completely inverted, skidding until it came to an eventual stop at the bottom of the hill. "Okay then," she said kicking the locked car door with her feet causing it to rip from its hinges. "Ride's over boys. My friend and I are just going to get out here," she said calmly snapping Takumi's handcuffs. "And if either of you happen to be smarter than you look, you'll forget you ever saw us," she said as Takumi scrambled for solid ground. "And if I ever come back there and find that stupid fence is up again -!"she began shouting.

"Mara, time to go -," Takumi said pulling her. They walked on through the brush a little way before he asked, "Do you have any idea which way to go?" he said looking back at the mountain.

"The same place we were going before you started screaming like a little girl. We're going into town."

"That was not going into town!"

"Sure it was. You wanted me to walk down here? When there were perfectly good cars and drivers available?"

He walked on saying nothing, following her as they moved across fields dropping down into the river valley to hide themselves for half a mile before climbing up into a strange village. He approached the structures slowly. "Did you do something Mara?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"It doesn't look like we're in Japan anymore," he said walking.

"Nice, isn't it?" Mara replied strolling the stone path under the proud trees leading them past a merry-go-round into a warren of European alpine style buildings, balconies and workshops.

"What is all this?" he said.

"Moegi village."

He looked back to find he could still see Mount Kinpu.

"Hiro and I, a few years into our adventure, found ourselves taking refuge in this place. The people that were here at that time took us in. There were artists from many places. We stayed helping them for a while, and had some adventures of our own with them." She passed her hand over one of the beds of well-tended flowers close enough to the building to still be in bloom. "In time we helped bring money to -."

"Mara?!" called a voice up ahead in one of the workshops.

"Yes, it's me Heidi," Mara replied coming forward.

The old woman came out from the shop's interior looking at her astonished. From her dress he guessed she was some kind of metalworker. She looked up wrapping her arms around Mara's frame. "I can't believe it! It is you, you old hound of hell!"

"Yeah . . . it's me," she replied hesitantly as though she was speaking to her mother. "I know it's been a while. Are . . . is everything okay here?" she asked sheepishly.

"Oh we're making out alright love," the woman replied taking her by the hand and leading her down the path back into the warren of houses. "Better than you are at any rate -," she said with a look at the broken handcuff cinches adorning Mara and Takumi's wrists.

"This - is not my fault," Mara complained raising her hand. "But he might need some help getting out of his if you don't mind," she said looking over the workbench.

Takumi followed them to the far corner of the workshop.

"I could punch out the rivets," the woman said eyeing the circlets. "Though it might slip and cut his hands."

"Do I get a vote on any of this?" Takumi asked. "Why don't we just see how yours goes first Mara?" he said as Mara broke her own cuffs off with her bare hands.

"Alright then, maybe . . . .," he began as Mara put his hands flat on the counter.

"I'll drill the rivet out instead," she said picking up a large drill.

"Just - give me a shim and I'll slide it under the ratchet," Takumi said watching their preparations.

"You know this is a fairly respectable place now Mara," Heidi said drilling not hearing him. "Should we expect people to come looking for you at some point?" she asked removing the first rivet.

"No, I think we left them with the proper impression," Mara replied. "We'll only be here tonight. We didn't come here to complicate everyone's day."

"Nonsense, everyone will be thrilled to see you! You should have seen her in the old days, she and Hiro, returning like pirates every now and then keeping the place going."

"Well this place - it was nice of you to let us stay."

They were soon tucked safely into a loft in one of the A-frame buildings. Then Mara disappeared outside, to cheers of some of the older residents as he heard much drinking and carousing with her old friends. He listened to the music thinking about Tariki Hongan temple, which felt a world away from here. He wondered how Skuld, Sora and Tai were doing. But of course they would be fine. They had been for many years. He looked out the small window feeling alone. Should he call? Would it matter? He fell asleep, and in his dream Urd was beside him. 'You've been asleep to long,' she urged nudging him. He looked into her eyes and woke up. It was early and Mara was nowhere to be seen. Pulling on a blanket he went outside searching until he eventually found her, muttering drunk against a tree beside the merry-go-round.

"After you - the world goes around, only the faces change," she murmured to herself sadly. She opened her eyes looking at him. "We think we're in charge - but we're not," she muttered.

"-Because we're all part of something bigger," Takumi replied. "That's what Bell used to say anyway."

"Yeah, she did used to say that," Mara nodded agreeably.

"Come on. You need to get some rest," he said picking her up.

Moving her he noticed the flower design on the tile beneath her. So that's where she put him, he thought.

She slept fitfully as he kept watch over her, trying to make sense of it all. Mara spent most of the next day recovering with friends, but late in the day she made her final goodbyes. "Do you guys need anything?" she asked Heidi.

"We're fine. Don't worry. If anyone comes asking, I'll tell them I saw you heading toward Nagano. Unless that's the way you're really going!"

"We're heading back to Tokyo.

"Do you want to take the truck? Or take your violin in the Hall of Halls?"

"Her what?"

"Didn't she tell you? She's quite the violin player."

"-her and Satan," he muttered.

"We'll be fine," Mara replied. You keep it. We've got a car waiting for us . . . back a ways."

"We can't drive that!" Takumi protested.

"Of course we can. It's fine," Mara said heading out.

"You know, I notice you and Urd both have a tendency to say 'of course' and 'it's fine' - a lot!" he said following her. "Your friend Heidi was nice. Did you have a good time visiting her?"

"Her name's not 'Heidi'. It's Hidey, you know because she was good at hiding things Hiro and I brought back."

"You're kidding?"

Mara smiled walking on.

"You're messing with me Mara," he said accusingly. "That makes me trust you even less . . ."

They arrived at the crashed car surveying it, "Oh it's not so bad," Mara said looking it over.

Takumi walked up, checking the crushed side and windshield now shattered in several places. "It looks good because it's almost nighttime. They won't let us drive this!" he said.

"Oh it'll be . . . nevermind. Just help me push it over," she said as they toppled it. It was about this time a police car pulled up.

"Mara, you don't have some invisibility covering this do you?"

"Ah, they're probably just coming to give us support - there's a lot of support among police."

"Somehow I doubt it . . . ," he muttered waving awkwardly as they drove up giving them a hard look.

"What, you've never seen a busted-up patrol car?" Mara cried.

"Some punks pushed ol' Betsy off the road. My partner and I are just here to bring her back. On our day off!" she added remembering their lack of uniforms. "Yeah, lot of good times with ol' Betsy," she said narrowing her eyes patting the car.

The two officers looked at each other, neither knowing quite where to begin. "You can't drive the car in that condition."

"Oh come on, stuff happens all the time. Let me show you," she said quickly pushing the officer's car off the side of the road down into a ditch. See how that happens?!" she yelled.

Mara you're an ecological disaster?!" Takumi said running.

"Hey if I wanted to hear some rules of the road I'd -."

"Live in society like a normal person?!"

"YEAH!" she agreed running faster.

"So what's the plan now? Run to Tokyo?!"

"See the pool beside the river ahead? Get ready to jump!"

A moment later they arose inside the darkened back room of a music club. "Man that's convenient," Takumi muttered getting his bearings. "But where are we now?"

"A bar I know in Isezakichō. We should be fine here."

"You might be. Just drop me at the temple."

"Are you nuts? I'm not going anywhere near that place! Especially these days. Too many good luck charms. Stay here and have a drink while I sort a few things out. I'll buy. You can get a train back to the temple anytime." She ducked out the door as they entered the main club. "Take care of this guy," Mara said passing the bartender.

"Mara, when did you - ?" was all he could get in before she disappeared into one of the back rooms.

Takumi picked up the drink he was offered, wondering once more if the real reason she wanted him to stay was simply due to loneliness. He rested against the bar listening to the music, wondering as he took in the scene how many more like Mara may have left the demon realm in all the time that had passed, if indeed anything she had said was true. Still the boyfriend seemed real enough. But would the Heavens really hunt down people like her? He shook his head wishing Urd was at his side so she could explain it all to him. She had been with him the last time he'd been in a place like this. That seemed a long time ago now. He tried to suppress the ache in his heart now spreading throughout his body. He needed to maintain some measure of control. He looked out at the dance floor realizing Mara had not returned. He was about to go look for her when the bartender gave him a shove. "Buddy," he said passing him the phone. He picked it up scanning the text:

'YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!'

He snapped it closed scowling. Funny Mara, he thought, scanning the bar nonetheless. But he saw nothing amiss. He started to hand the phone back when it buzzed once more. He read the massage - - 'DUCK!'

Only Takumi's preternatural speed saved him, flinching just as the axe bit deep into the pillar a fraction of an inch above his head. The next instant screams erupted on all sides of the bar as he struck at the object in front of him at full force jumping away, crashing out the back door off balance into the street before racing away down the alley like a madman. As the screams faded away his only thought was of escape. Whatever it was that had struck at him was serious. He flew down one alley after another at top speed to get away, running until he had put considerable distance between himself and the bar. What the hell was that?! he thought, panting as he leaned down trying to catch his breath in the darkness of the street. He rose just as the metallic whistles caught him from an impossibly long distance, slicing through his shoulder and upper thigh as he dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He rolled throwing the nearest trash can, but the creature was already almost on top of him, striking twice with a bladed weapon narrowly missing him each time. The dark creature surged forward and down but Takumi kept beyond his blade for another instant. He reached out wildly for a metal trash lid, slamming it between him and the creature but the blades he now saw were claws which dug into the top of the lid in an instant. Dammit! Whatever it is it's stronger than me, I can't keep it off and I can't get close enough for a bite! Snarling the creatures claws now tore the lid in two, rising for the fatal blow. It lunged just before going completely limp collapsing on his chest. Takumi looked back horrified at the creature and its apparently glowing green tongue. Peering upward the whole of its body then began to move, as though from a dispossessed will, lifting and moving free of his body before being thrown to one side into the garbage. "Logi!" the dark figure behind them said as the creature burst into flame, its ashes blowing away.

He now realized the 'glowing tongue' he'd seen was actually the emerald colored head of a spear whose owner had pierced through the creature's skull, killing it in a single stroke. Though appearing crystalline, the nature of its glow made him suspect it was an artifact of considerable potential, likely harder and sharper than anything he knew. The hooded figure stood silently before him, her emerald eyes looking back at him in the darkness as he scrambled to his feet.

"Bell? . . . . . Urd?!"he ventured.

"No," the shadow said beginning to retreat.

"Who are you?!" he shouted as the figure walked away down the alley into the night.

"The Fallen -," the figure replied disappearing into shadow.

"Wait!" he shouted. But he was alone now in the alleyway.