The End of The World: February 14, 2016

by SanJohn

The Ghostbusters are back to battle their old enemies for the end of the world is at hand. Will Professor Spengler's daughter get married? Will Ray lose his daughter and wife? Are Dana and Oscar lost to Peter forever? And what about Winston and the new Ghostbuster team, what is going to happen to them?

41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Garrett dropped the phone that he was holding in his hand.

"Mr. Miller," a voice said on the other end of the dangling phone, "are you still there?"

Garrett sat stunned, not listening. He felt as if his heart had just been stabbed.

"Mr. Miller," the voice said again.

Garrett recovered enough to pull up the dangling phone cord, that hung across his lap, and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Yes," Garrett stammered, "I'm still here."

"Did you understand what I just said?" The voice on the other end questioned.

"Yes," Garrett replied. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Good," the voice said, "I'll be waiting for you at the nurses' desk in the emergency room."

"Mr. Miller?"

"Yes," Garrett answered softly.

"I'm so sorry," the voice said as the phone went dead.

Garrett sat for a moment with the phone pressed against his ear until he heard a voice on the other end telling him that if he wanted to make a call he needed to hang up and dial again.

Garrett sadly took the phone away from his ear and placed it into its cradle on Janine's desk.

"How did this happen?" Garrett wondered to himself.

Shaking his head to clear it Garrett propelled himself away from Janine's desk and towards the stairs. On any other day he would have used the intercom to contact his fellow colleagues and let them know that he had to leave, but today Garrett needed to find Kylie and talk to her in person. He had already excused himself to the first floor of the firehouse to take the phone call that had come in.

Garrett carefully aligned his wheelchair onto the lift at the bottom of the stairs and pressed the 'up' button.

He wished that the lift would go faster. He needed to start on his way to the hospital in Queens and would have to take public transportation in order to get there. Usually he would ask Roland to drive him but the young man was in a meeting. "A meeting that I should be in now," Garrett said out loud as the lift reached the top of the stairs on the second floor.

Garrett rolled off of the lift and turned to his right. He needed to go up another level to where the meeting was taking place. Turning right he again aligned his wheelchair up onto the lift and pressed the button. Soon he could hear voices and when the lift came to a stop he wheeled forward towards the long square table where Kylie stood at the head.

Garrett noticed that Kylie was tired looking. She stood in a black knee-length skirt and blue tank top. Her right hand sat on top of her belly while she studded herself with her left hand on the table. She stood in her short white socks. Her black shoes were pushed under the table so that no one could see them. Garrett could see that Kylie's ankles were swollen and he knew that she had been sleeping much more lately. Her husband, Eduardo, had been picking up more of Kylie's chores around the firehouse too.

Soon Kylie would have her baby and Garrett knew that Roland and him would have to take over Eduardo's work. Garrett didn't mind the new schedule that the team had worked out, but now he had his own problems to attend to.

"Ah good you're here," Eduardo said as Garrett stopped next to Kylie's right side.

"Professor Tseng was just getting ready to translate an ancient Chinese parchment," Eduardo finished.

Garrett nodded his head towards Eduardo but cursed silently to himself. Now he wouldn't be able to talk to Kylie until Professor Tseng was done.

"Actually," Professor Tseng said, "I've recently found out that this Chinese parchment is the first prediction of an end of the world scenario."

"This, Professor Tseng said holding up a rolled parchment in her hand, "is from the Han dynasty."

"The Han dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.," Professor Tseng said.

"The second prediction of an end of world scenario is in this man's hands."

Professor Tseng gestured with her hand to a man that sat to her left before she looked towards Ray. With an apologetic look on her face she went on.

"Mr. Kin Takeda came to me after Melody's daughter, Nokomis, took a washi from a mummy in our exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"Nokomis took this washi to Mr. Takeda's home not realizing that she was actually stealing it, even though she thought her name was on it."

"So," Professor Tseng went on, "if we read the translation in Chinese we get this...,"

Professor Tseng trailed off as she unrolled the parchment she held in her hands out onto the long square table in front of her. She placed four paper weights, that were sitting on the table to her right, onto the parchment's corners. Picking up a large magnifying glass she proceeded to translate the document.

"A dark day cometh in the second month of the new year. A day that evil will come forth to destroy all that is good. Two demons will return to lead the way, demons that had been vanquished by good long ago."

"The end of the world cometh quickly through evil powers and will devour all that is good if they are not stopped. All manors of plagues will occur to the human race. Will there be anyone who can save the fate of mankind?"

"There can be a savior for that day if sacrifices are made by all. A story is told from days long ago of a trio of men that will come. They will come from the east and gather all the evil unto them as they go. They will go to five places on the earth destroying all the evil before them."

"Lives will be lost on both sides but good will overcometh evil in the end."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Eduardo questioned as Professor Tseng stopped translating.

"That's the same thing that I thought when I first read it," Professor Tseng replied, "but then Mr. Takeda contacted me."

Setting down the magnifying glass onto the table Professor Tseng sighed.

"Mr. Takeda showed me the washi that Nokomis had brought to him. It took me only a moment to realize that the washi must have come from The Lost Kingdom exhibit."

"I took Mr. Takeda to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to show him the exhibit."

Professor Tseng stopped talking and looked to Ray sitting at the other end of the table. Only Ray had known what had happened after Nokomis had stolen the washi. Ray and Professor Tseng had talked about the ramifications with Nokomis and how the museum now had to settle out of court and give part of the exhibit to Mr. Takeda. Professor Tseng took a breath and went on.

"Mr. Takeda recognized one of the Loulan mummies as his seventh great-grandfather Takeda Katsuyori Yoshinobu Kin. He provided us with proof, tracing his roots back to Emperor Seiwa in 850 A.D."

"Not only did Mr. Takeda ask for the mummy of Takeda Kin to be delivered to him, but when we went through the scrolls that were on top of the wooden table, where Mr. Takeda's relative had been found hiding underneath, we found another washi."

"This one was from Takeda Kin's surrogate father Yoshiro of the Mori clan."

Professor Tseng trailed off as she took the four paper weights off and rolled up the ancient Chinese parchment that she had been translating from. Placing it in the chair behind her she picked up another rolled up document. Before she unrolled the washi she pulled out a set of white gloves from her skirt pocket and handed them to the man sitting to her left.

"Mr. Takeda," Professor Tseng said, "could you do us the honor of translating this washi for us."

"My pleasure," Kin said putting on the white gloves, standing up, and coming forward to the table.

Carefully Kin unrolled the washi and placed the four paper weights on its corners.

"Nokomis brought me a letter from my seventh great-grandfather addressed to his dearest love, my seventh great-grandmother Naoko," Kin said.

"The kanji that depicted the name Naoko was conceived by Nokomis to be a nickname given to her by her new boyfriend."

"I don't understand?" Roland questioned. "Who is Nokomis' boyfriend and what does he have to do with this letter?"

"Well," Ray spoke up for the first time since the start of the meeting, "Professor Tseng, Mr. Takeda, and I had a talk with Nokomis after she stole the washi from the exhibit," Ray explained.

"After we confronted her she told us that she had been living with her boyfriend Jin and his surrogate father. Jin's surrogate father taught her how to write her name in Japanese. Nokomis thought that the two kanji were her nickname, Noko, that Jin had given her."

"Wait," Peter said interrupting, "why didn't her boyfriend's surrogate father just teach Nokomis how to write her whole name in Japanese?"

"For one thing," Kin said, "the name Nokomis doesn't translate into Japanese."

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"Japanese names," Kin continued, "are normally written using kanji characters and the Japanese write foreign words phonetically."

"It is not always possible to say how a name should be written in Japanese," Kin finished.

"Still lost here," Peter replied shrugging his shoulders and holding his hands out, palms up.

"Peter," Ray interjected, "have you ever heard a Japanese person say the word Phoenix?"

"As in the legendary Greek mythology bird Phoenix?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Ray said. "The Japanese don't phonetically pronounce Phoenix like we do."

"Instead of 'fee-niks'," Kin said, "the Japanese phonetically pronounce it 'fen-ix'."

"Okay," Peter said, "so they shorten it."

"Yes," Kin replied, "only Nokomis shortens to Naoko."

"Which is your seventh great-grandmother's name," Eduardo pointed out. "Coincidence?"

"No," Kin said, "most likely lost in translation."

"Nokomis," Ray said, "told us that Jin and his surrogate father only speak Japanese."

"Jin couldn't say her name in English when they first met. He could only say Noko and she left it at that. Jin's surrogate father translated Noko into Naoko," Ray finished.

"How do you know?" Eduardo asked.

"When I asked Nokomis to write her name in kanji, like Jin's surrogate father had taught her, she wrote it as Naoko," Ray replied.

"Okay," Eduardo said nodding his head, "so what does that have to do with this letter like Roland had asked earlier?"

"Probably nothing," Ray said, "but if it wasn't for Nokomis taking the first washi to Mr. Takeda we wouldn't all be here."

Kin leaned forward and translated the washi.

"My son,

Naoko came to me last night and told me a story. I am writing it down and sending it with you to take to Loulan, China. I fear that the shogunate named Councilor Kariya Kagetoki will capture me soon. He will torture me in order to reveal Naoko and your whereabouts. I will die before I give you away my son. So here is the story that Naoko told me:

In the season of haru in the month of kisaragi the kaidan will come to destroy the good people. Two oni will return to cause disasters, disease, and other unpleasant things if they are not stopped. These oni had been vanquished by Omoikane, Hachiman, and Jurojin a long time ago.

Here I stopped Naoko in her story and asked her if anyone could save the people of Japan today. She told me it wasn't just Japan that would be harmed, it was all of mankind and Naoko continued on with her story:

These three deity were coming from the east. They would follow the oni to five places on the earth and trap or exorcise the oni in the end if they could.

Here I stopped Naoko again. I asked her if the three deity failed what would happen. Naoko told me, that she was told, that there would be a savior for all mankind. I asked if Naoko knew who this savior was. She didn't reply but her face did. It held the answer that she wouldn't say out loud.

I believe that through the oni's powers they will devour all the good of mankind. I also know that good will over cometh evil in the end, but only when lives are lost on both sides.

My son there has to be evil so that good can provide its purity above it. Stay safe and if Buddha is willing I will see you on the mainland.

Your surrogate father Mori Yoshiro"

Kin leaned back and looked around the table. Eduardo was the first to speak.

"Well that clears everything up," Eduardo said sarcastically.

"No Eduardo," Professor Tseng jumped in, "It makes perfect sense to me, at least."

"Not any of us though," Peter said. "I didn't understand half of what was said."

"Remember this is a translation from the 16th century Peter," Ray said, "Not everything is going to make sense."

"True," Peter replied, "but come on...,"

Peter placed his hands on the table in front of him and spread his hands open before he went on.

"...can't we have English here. Half the words were foreign."

"Doctor Venkman the washi is from Japan," Roland interjected, "And since the words are foreign to us doesn't mean that Mr. Takeda can't tell us their meaning."

"True," Peter replied, "so let's start over."

"Alright," Kin replied, "what do you want me to explain?"

"Everything," Peter said.

"Start at the beginning Kin," Egon said sitting to Kin's left. "Explain the washi line by line."

Kin leaned forward. "My son...," he started to say before he was cut off.

"I understand that part," Peter interrupted, "what I don't understand is the part that you and Professor Tseng are both referring too."

"Alright," Kin said turning to his right. "Professor Tseng could you set out your ancient Chinese parchment next to my washi please?"

"Sure," Professor Tseng said as she stood up and placed her parchment onto the table next to Kin's washi.

Professor Tseng took and unrolled the parchment as Kylie handed her four more paperweights. Placing the weights onto the parchment's corners she turned towards Kin to let him know that she was ready.

"Alright," Kin said, "let's begin."

Taking a breath and letting it out Kin started to explain what he had translated.

"In the season of haru in the month of kisaragi the kaidan will come to destroy the good people."

"Haru is spring, kisaragi is February and kaidan is strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition," Kin explained.

"That gets translated as second month of the new year," Professor Tseng said pointing to the lines on her parchment, "and kaidan as evil."

"So something evil is supposed to happen in the month of February?" Peter questioned.

"Yes!" Kin and Professor Tseng said together.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Peter," Ray said, "haven't you been paying attention to what is going on these days?"

"The disease and plagues that have been brought over by refugees fleeing the war overseas," Ray continued.

"Yes Ray," Peter replied, "I do watch the news, but I also haven't heard about the demon that Professor Tseng is talking about."

"Actually," Kin interrupted, "It's two oni that will return to cause disaster, disease, and other unpleasant things if they are not stopped," Kin translated.

"Mine says the same thing," Professor Tseng said. "Two demons will return to lead the way, demons that had been vanquished by good long ago."

"I thought we had this settled," Kylie said. "It's one demon we are after, Azazel."

All heads turned towards the front of the table to look at Kylie.

"In this case I don't think so," Egon stated.

"Oh trust me Professor," Eduardo said looking away from his wife and towards where Egon sat across the table. "Kylie was researching Azazel for days."

"Actually it was one month, four weeks, and one day," Egon pointed out as Kylie went to open her mouth.

"But," Egon went on, "while Kylie and I believe that Azazel took the Sistine Chapel, the Rose Garden, and the Metropolitan Opera House, I personally don't think that Azazel is the demon that Kin and Professor Tseng are talking about."

"These oni or demons, depending upon whose transcript you are reading, were vanquished by good long ago," Egon said. "I don't think that Azazel is one of these two demons."

"Actually Egon," Kin said, "It's three deity who vanquished the oni."

"My parchment says a trio of men," Professor Tseng interjected, "but I believe that your washi actually names them."

"True," Kin replied as he bent over the washi. "The deities names are Omoikane, Hachiman, and Jurojin."

"Who are Omoikane, Hachiman, and Jurojin?" Roland asked.

"Well," Kin said as he straightened back up, "two are major kami or gods and one is not."

"Now Omoikane is said to be the deity of wisdom and intelligence. He was often called upon to 'ponder' and give good counsel in the deliberations of the heavenly deities. Omoikane was able to hold many thoughts at once or to combine in one mind the mental powers of many individuals."

"Sound familiar?" Janine leaned over and whispered into Verdie's ear.

Verdie who was sitting on the couch next to Janine, turned her face towards the secretary and frowned.

"Who?" Verdie mouthed back silently.

Janine just nodded her head towards where Egon sat.

Verdie looked towards Egon. The sentence that Kin had just spoken did have a familiar ring to it. But they were talking about Japanese gods here. Beliefs and traditions from the Shinto religion that formed the Japanese mythology and folklore of the Japanese people today.

And yet as Verdie sat and listened to Kin, as he continued talking, the washi and parchment stories were sounding a little bit like something too close to home.

"Hachiman," Kin continued, "is the god of war and is the divine protector of Japan and it's people. Hachiman incorporates elements from both the Shinto and Buddhism religions. Although he is called the god of war he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors."

"Tutelary god?" Garrett questioned. "What's that?"

"Tutelary refers to a deity or spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation," Kylie replied.

"I'd expect that kind of question from Eduardo," Kylie said softly leaning over to whisper into Garrett's ear so that the others couldn't hear her.

"Not you," Kylie finished.

"Yes that's correct Kylie," Kin went on not hearing what she had just said to Garrett.

"In this case," Kin said, "Hachiman protects the Japanese people and the Imperial house. The Minamoto clan and most samurai worshiped him."

"Now our last deity isn't really a god," Kin stated.

"Jurojin is one of the Shichi Fukujin Gods, or in English, one of the Seven Lucky Gods according to Taoist beliefs. Jurojin originated from the Taoist god 'the old man of the south pole'."

"South pole?" Eduardo questioned. "Don't you mean the North Pole? Like in Santa Clause."

"No Eduardo I don't," Kin stated. "The south pole is Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. It is the symbol of happiness and longevity in Far Eastern cultures."

"As for Jurojin," Kin went on, "he walks with a staff and a fan. He is depicted as an old man of slight stature, and by tradition, less than three shaku or thirty-five inches tall. He is often seen with a long white beard and a deer that accompanies him as a messenger."

"See," Eduardo interrupted, "I told you. Santa Clause!"

"Eduardo!" Kylie spoke harshly to her husband. "Let Mr. Takeda finish."

Kylie stopped short, sucking in a breath, before closing her eyes, and placing her right hand on top of her swollen belly.

"Ky?" Eduardo questioned, quickly getting to his feet and hurrying to his wife's side.

Garrett pushed his wheelchair backwards, out of the way, as Professor Tseng pulled a chair over for Kylie to sit down in. Kylie felt Eduardo's hands on her arms and she let him help her down into the chair.

"Ky?" Eduardo questioned again louder this time.

Kylie reached her left hand out to her husband and felt him take it, as her lower abdominal area finally relaxed.

"Is it time for the baby?" Winston asked.

"No," Kylie managed to say as she opened her eyes. "Braxton Hicks contractions. That's all. The baby is due next month. Please finish Mr. Takeda."

"We can do this another time," Professor Tseng said.

"No!" Kylie shouted.

Realizing her mistake Kylie muttered an apology and turned her head towards the older woman.

"From what I understand," Kylie said to Professor Tseng, "we don't have a lot of time."

"What are you talking about?" Eduardo questioned his wife as he knelt by her side.

"Haven't you all been listening?" Kylie hysterically questioned the men in front of her.

"Kylie," Egon said quietly trying to calm her down, "we have been listening. We are listening to a story that's all."

"Professor Spengler," Kylie said getting excited, "it's not a story or folklore."

"This," Kylie said taking her hand off of her belly to point at the two ancient papers in front of her, "is real and it's happening now."

"I don't think so...," Egon went to say before Kylie cut him off.

"Professor Spengler," Kylie interrupted, "it's Friday February 5th already."

"The second month of the new year. Already many plagues have returned to the United States of America, starting with Nokomis bringing back smallpox."

"Something is coming," Kylie pleaded with clenched teeth as another Braxton Hicks racked her body and she hugged her swollen belly.

"Kylie take it easy," Eduardo said softly, "you're only making it worse. Calm down. Nothing is going to happen."

"Yes," Kylie nearly shouted at Eduardo, "it is!"

"This," Kylie said taking her hand off of her belly and pointing at the ancient papers in front of her, "is telling us what to do."

"Kylie," Winston spoke up now, "I really don't see the connection. Both of these papers were written hundreds of years ago. Long before any of us were born."

"Yes Kylie," Professor Tseng broke in, "Winston is right. I only brought it up to Doctor Stantz because of the similarities to my ancient parchment. That's all."

"No!" Kylie cried standing up.

"Look," Kylie said as she pulled a set of nine cards out of her skirt's side pocket.

"My great-grandmother Rose gave me these cards in a dream," Kylie said as she placed the cards out onto the table, in a horseshoe shape with the heel of the horseshoe facing her.

"She didn't give me the interpretation of the cards. That she left to me. But," Kylie said as she lay down the last card face down, "she did tell me that I had the power to change them."

"Kylie," Ray spoke up, "I thought we figured this out long ago."

"Some of them," Kylie answered, "yes."

"These cards," Kylie said pointing to the first card, The Three of Swords; then to the top card in the horseshoe, The Devil; and finally to the last card that sat to the right of The Devil card known as the Seven of Wands, "are the ones that you and I know for a fact their meanings."

"This one," Kylie said pointing to the Lovers card that set to the right of the first card, The Three of Swords, "I thought was representing Eduardo and me, but that's not true."

"This card represents the present," Kylie went to say before she was interrupted by Peter.

"What's the fist card represent?" Peter asked.

"The past," Ray answered, "Three of Swords."

Peter looked closer at the card that contained a red heart with three swords thrust through it. One straight through from top to bottom while the other two were thrust in sideways. A dark menacing cloud hung over the top of the heart.

"The Three of Swords, Ray went on, "represents three people."

"My parents," Kylie said pointing to the two sideways swords, "Steve Griffin, Jill Davies and," Kylie finished pointing to the sword that ran through the heart from top to bottom, "my great-grandmother Rose Lockyear."

"Now," Kylie said as she pointed to the next card in the layout, " in the present place is a card called the Lovers."

"When I had told my great-grandmother Rose that the card represented Eduardo and me I was told that I was wrong."

"My next thought," Kylie said taking her hand away from the card and looking to her left, down the table to where Professor Spengler sat with Mr. Kin Takeda on his right and Winston on his left, "was of Echo, Daniel, and Doctor D' Artagnan."

"But Doctor D' Artagnan doesn't figure into this anymore," Egon stated. "Since Daniel's return and Doctor Charlie Levine's interviewing him, while under hypnoses, the truth has come out."

"Yes I know," Kylie stated. "Daniel saw the man who raped Echo before he passed out in the alleyway and awoke in a hotel room's bed next to Echo."

"And Doctor D' Artagnan has come forward to state that everything he had said about Echo was a lie," Egon went on. "Doctor D' Artagnan was trying to deflect attention from his upcoming court case. He was trying to prove that he wasn't making anyone have sexual intercourse with him. They were doing it on their own free will."

"Yes," Kylie said nodding her head Egon's way, "but the card represents them," she said tapping the card with two naked people gazing at each other.

"You told us that Daniel remembered a tall man, with long gray-white hair that hung loose past his shoulders. The man was dressed in a brown cloak, of some kind, and had his right arm around Echo pulling her up against his chest."

"Daniel started running towards Echo," Egon went on, "before he was stopped by the man."

"Yes," Kylie said pointing to the picture of a person hiding behind a cloak above the two naked people on the card in front of her, "and I'm sure if we ask Daniel or Echo to look at this card they would tell us that this picture is the man they saw that night."

Kylie took her hand away from the Lovers card and pointed to the next three cards that formed a row, straight up and down.

"These cards are hidden influences in my life," Kylie spoke reverently looking back to where Egon sat, "and the three cards together are called 'The Three Magi'."

"I didn't know what they represented until today," Kylie said.

"The Magus," Kylie said as she pointed to the top card of the row, "represents you Doctor Venkman."

"Me?" Peter questioned.

"Yes, you," Kylie replied holding the card up for Peter to see.

Peter looked at the card and saw a pleasant, youthful figure, on tiptoes, standing on a mountain. The figure was juggling floating symbols around him.

"Reminds me of Garrett if you ask me," Peter said.

Kylie smiled as she set the card back down onto the table.

"Yea," Kylie agreed, "me too at first. But after some research and Professor Tseng and Mr. Takeda's translation of their papers, I came to the conclusion that this is you."

"In Aleister Crowley's book," Kylie went on, "the Magus means activity, self-realization, striving for power, and he shows an extraordinary vitality. The absolute will to form and change things is expressed in him."

"The Magus knows what he wants," Kylie finished, "and this lets him achieve his goals."

"Kylie's got you pegged," Janine said from the couch.

Before Peter could open his mouth to say something to Janine Kylie went on.

"This is the Hierophant," Kylie said tapping the middle card. "The search for hidden truth, knowledge, and enlightenment represents you Doctor Stantz."

Kylie held the card up so that Ray could see a picture of a priest sitting on a throne with his right hand raised as in a blessing, with two fingers pointing skyward and two pointing down. In the priest's left hand he held a cross.

"Looks more like Roland taking care of the local neighborhood kids," Ray commented.

Kylie smiled as she set the card back down on the table.

"No," Kylie said, "this is you."

"The Hierophant represents the world of belief and a deep trust springing from this certainty of belief. He indicates the search for hidden meaning and teaches us to examine the higher purpose, which we can recognize in everything."

"Kylie...," Ray started to say but she continued on.

"This card," Kylie said pointing to the bottom card, "is the Hermit."

"Well that's clearly you," Peter said leaning forward, resting his arms on the table, and looking past Winston to where Egon sat.

Ignoring Peter, Kylie went on.

"The Hermit corresponds to the archetype or the 'selfless servant of the actual self'. In contrast to the Hierophant who represents a 'divine image of the ego', the Hermit is searching for truth in the souls of human beings."

Kylie stopped and held up the card so that Egon could see it. Egon could see an old man, much like himself, in a cloak holding a lantern in his right hand and a staff in the other.

The card reminded Egon of Diogenes who walked through the street of Athens in broad daylight with a lit lantern. When people questioned Diogenes about the lit lantern he answered them back, "I am looking for an honest man!"

"Truth, knowledge, wisdom, enlightenment, taking life seriously," Kylie said. "The Hermit stands for times when there are inner and sometimes also external tests dealing with the search for the truth."

Setting the card down Kylie sighed before continuing.

"Professor Spengler," Kylie said softly, "when this knowledge doesn't get stuck in our heads, but rather penetrates the hearts, there is a fundamental change of all the previous conclusions."

"The Hermit," Kylie paused then continued, "you Professor Spengler, prepared me for phases of great change. The goal of which is being that I grew in depth instead of breadth."

"Kylie," Egon said placing his arms on the table in front of him, "I don't see how that card represents me or any of us for that matter," he finished spreading his hands open in front of him.

"Oh they do," Verdie said standing up from the couch and walking towards the other side of the table. Coming around the end of the table, where Ray sat, she stopped next to Egon's right side. Verdie gestured with her right hand to where Professor Tseng and Mr. Takeda's papers sat.

"Even in these papers," Verdie said, "they mention you. Although Professor Tseng's parchment speaks about a trio of men, Mr. Takeda's washi names all three of you."

"Kin's washi mentions deity," Egon pointed out, "Gods not men."

"True," Verdie said, "but have you listened to each gods description."

"Hachiman divine protector of Japan and it's people is Kylie's card The Magus or Peter."

Egon went to stop Verdie but she continued on.

"Jurojin is the god of longevity and walks with a staff," Verdie said looking to where Ray sat at the end of the table.

"Kylie calls Jurojin, Hierophant," Verdie went on, "and the only person sitting here that walks with a staff, or in this case a cane, is Ray."

"And," Verdie said turning her head towards her fiance, "as for you, do I need to spell it out?"

"Omoikane and the Hermit are one and the same."

"Verdie," Egon tried to say, "come on...,"

"No Egon," Verdie interrupted him, "Kylie's right."

"Whether it be in her Tarot cards, some 16th century letter, or ancient Han dynasty parchment, the outcome is the same."

"We are all fighting the obstacles in our way," Verdie said gesturing to the top card of Kylie's horseshoe pattern.

"I do have some knowledge of Tarot cards," Verdie stated when Egon looked her way bewildered.

"The Devil is among the cards with a creative potential that cannot be made unfruitful by panicky terror."

"It is related to the Lovers because it represents the shadow hanging over them," Verdie said.

"The Devil is the black magic side of the Magus and embodies the hypocritical and materialism worshiping opposing principle of the Hierophant."

"What does the card say about me?" Egon questioned Verdie.

"The Devil probably has to smile about you," Verdie replied.

"Why?" Egon asked.

"Because he realizes that people do not see how they themselves create the reality they subsequently fight against."

"We as humans," Verdie said to Egon, "are the black magicians who do not notice that we struggle against our own shadow, that leads to ruin and destruction if we are not careful."

"The Devil is always the tyrant who hoards the richness of the whole for himself," Kylie piped in.

"Yes," Verdie said turning her face towards the young girl who stood up tall at the head of the table.

"The Devil can be a tyrant of the mind, or a tyrant of our feelings, and always lives at the expense of another," Verdie stated.

"In our case you," Verdie said pointing towards Egon, Peter, and Ray, "are the vanquishers of the dark so that light can prevail."

"And both teams together, minus Kylie make up the next card, The Seven of Wands. An overlapping of bravery and assertiveness towards Kylie as a leader."

"We all face situations in our lives in which it appears that even our best is not good enough," Verdie went on.

"A true leader challenges us to rise above ourselves by taking the reins and pulling with us instead of dictating to us how we should pull."

"If we look further down the line in Kylie's cards we have the Moon card but turned upside down."

"Usually," Verdie went on, "the Moon card leads us into the endless depths of our soul as we pass from this world."

"But if we turn the card upside down, the way Kylie has it now, we can see that Anubis is not gazing up at the moon, but the moon gazes up at Anubis instead. This suggests that what rules is no longer in charge."

"Wait a minute," Ray said, "my gut feeling here is that Anubis is following orders."

"Out of chaos, comes order. But in this case you think that Anubis has lost control?" Ray questioned Verdie.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well that explains a lot," Ray muttered to himself.

"Explains what Ray?" Peter asked.

"What's been going on in the world today," Ray replied.

"Verdie's interpretation is spot on," Ray went on. "Revolutions, riots, countries melting down into political turmoil with no path to peace in sight. Just watch the news each night."

"So what's the outcome Kylie?" Ray asked. "What's on the last card that you've never shown me?"

Kylie bit her bottom lip and slowly sank back down into her chair.

"Nothing important," Kylie muttered hoping that no one heard her but Doctor Stantz had.

"Kylie," Ray said as he slowly stood up, "that card is important."

"This whole affair," Ray said spreading his right hand out over the Tarot cards, ancient parchment, and washi, "is like you said, happening now."

Ray carefully limped his way towards the head of the table to where Kylie sat, holding onto the back of each chair as he went because he had left his cane on the floor by his chair.

"Your past has led you here today," Ray said as he walked. "Your parent's death, your great-grandmother's death, has led you to the world of the paranormal."

"That desire to learn more about the paranormal led you to Professor Spengler's class, which in return led you to me."

Stopping for only a moment Ray gestured with his left hand to the other people sitting at the table.

"You are important to me. To all of us," Ray said as he passed behind Kin's chair now.

"I saw potential in you if you were just given the chance," Ray said as he limped on.

"I was seventeen years old," Kylie spoke softly. "How can you say that? I'm no one special."

"Oh Kylie Fay Griffin-Rivera," Ray said as he stopped by her left-hand side, "you are special."

Placing his right hand on Kylie's left shoulder Ray continued.

"I've seen you grow over the years. We all have. You have great leadership ability and yet you hide that ability from everyone."

Kylie sucked in a breath and turned her head towards Ray. How did he know about her inner fears? How did he know about her dream with the gypsy? She had never told anyone about the gypsy or the four Tarot cards that the gypsy had interpreted the meanings of to Kylie. Yet as Doctor Stantz went on it seemed that he knew.

"You have walled yourself up, so to speak," Ray went on, "from those that care about you, love you," Ray finished as he looked Eduardo's way.

"You are a sharp intellectual and have a cool, clear mental outlook on things," Ray continued, "But you have doubts."

"You worry that none of us will follow you, because you might have to send us someplace that is dangerous."

"I believe this comes from when Eduardo and Doctor Echo Spengler got hurt back in 2011."

"I ordered Eduardo to patrol the west side of Harlem Meer," Kylie cried to Ray, "I was supposed to be right behind him. It was my fault that Eduardo got hurt and Echo almost died."

"Ky," Eduardo said squeezing Kylie's right hand sitting next to her on the floor, "I'm fine. So is Echo. You have to come to terms with this or it's going to continue to plague you like the nightmares you are having."

"Nightmares?" Ray questioned as he removed his hand from Kylie's shoulder.

"Yes," Eduardo said as he stood up, "Kylie's been having nightmares since she saw what was on that last card."

"The same reoccurring dream," Eduardo went on, "Kylie sees a man with long gray-white hair hanging loose past his shoulders."

"Like yours Professor Spengler," Eduardo pointed out, "only longer. Almost down to his mid-back."

"This man is standing on the edge of a cliff and we," Eduardo gestured with his right hand to the people sitting at the table, "except Professor Tseng and Mr. Takeda are there."

"We are engaged in a battle of some kind against this man when he somehow gets a hold of Kylie by her throat."

"Eddie," Kylie cried out grabbing his left arm, "please don't."

"They have to know," Eduardo said turning his head to look at Kylie's face.

Kylie had tears streaming down her face and Eduardo reached his right hand out and gently brushed them away.

"Kylie heard someone shout at the man as they tried to save her but they were unable to," Eduardo said never looking away from his wife's face.

Kylie closed her eyes as Eduardo finished his story.

"Kylie was being choked to death. She was powerless to fight back. She watched as the man, who had her by the throat, sent out a bolt of energy catching the person who was trying to save her...,"

Eduardo trailed off, sighed, and then continued.

"Catching me," Eduardo corrected his story, "in the chest as I convulsed in pain and then fell to the ground."

"Somehow Kylie got free and crawled towards my charred, blackened body."

"No!" Kylie cried out burying her face into Eduardo's left arm.

Eduardo slowly leaned forward and reached out with his right hand towards the last card that lie face down. Picking it up Eduardo continued.

"Kylie searched for my pulse," Eduardo said quietly as he turned over the last card.

Everyone looked to the last card that Eduardo had just turned over.

"She didn't find it."

Under a slate gray sky, on a pale white horse, a yellowed skeleton in black armor was riding across a landscape. Beneath the horse were dead bodies both kings and common people. Not fighting their fate, knelled at the hooves of the marching horse, was a small baby and a young woman. The horse's bridle was brown leather and adorned with skulls. In the skeleton's right hand he held the horse's reins and steadied the animal. The skeleton carried a mast in his left hand.

On the mast was a picture, that as Garrett stared at he thought he had seen before. There were remnants of a burnt down castle in the center, flames still coming from its sides, with a pile of human skulls leading up to the front steps.

"Kylie you should have shown me this card back in November," Ray said, "I could have helped you with its meaning."

"It's Death," Kylie said raising her face off of Eduardo's arm. "I don't need anyone to tell me the meaning of death."

"My husband is going to...," Kylie trailed off.

"Ky," Eduardo said kneeling down to her level. "I'm not going to die. I'm right here."

"Kylie," Ray said as he watched Eduardo take Kylie into his arms, "this card doesn't mean that someone you love is going to die."

"Yes it does," Kylie cried into Eduardo's chest pulling him tight to her.

"Look," Ray said pointing to the Moon card. "When the Death card is placed after the Moon card it is an intense complement to death."

"What do you mean?" Kylie asked raising her head up from Eduardo's chest.

"You've reached a point in your life where you are so emotionally disrupted that you need to make a radical change," Ray said.

"No I don't," Kylie said.

"Yes Kylie you do have to make a change," Verdie stepped in.

"You are getting ready to make a massive change in your life, like me getting married again," Verdie said.

"I'm betting it's becoming pregnant and having a baby soon, Ray said.

"The combination of the Moon's emotional side and Death's transformation drives many people to finally make great changes in their lives," Ray explained.

"The Moon signifies emotions finally bubbling over like water in a boiling pot," Verdie stated, "While Death makes the change actually occur."

"No!" Kylie cried, "I've seen the outcome and Professor Tseng and Mr. Takeda have confirmed it."

"We have to battle this demon," Kylie said as she released her hold on Eduardo and pointed towards the top card of the horseshoe formation, "whether it be Azazel or another devil that we don't know about."

"And the outcome is still the same," Kylie said as she spread her hand to her left out over the last three cards.

"I tell you all where to go, you follow, and," Kylie stated dropping her hand back down to her side, "as Professor Tseng and Mr. Takeda have stated, "lives will be lost."

"But on both sides," Professor Tseng interrupted.

"And," Kin interjected, "good will over come evil in the end."

"But what evil?" Roland asked. "Who are we fighting?"

"Uh guys," Garrett broke in, "I think I know what demon we are fighting here."

"I've seen this picture before," Garrett stated as he pointed towards the Tarot card for Death.

"The picture that's on the flag," Garrett continued, "is the same picture in the storage room next to the Containment Unit."

"No," Egon said, "the picture in the storage room is a 83 foot tall by 52 inch wide picture painted by Pierro Della Francesca or Raphael in the 15th century."

"It is a picture of four robed saints protecting an infant that we took into possession from the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"And," Peter interrupted, "had a distinct resemblance to us."

"Oh!" Ray said getting excited, "Mr. Takeda's washi is correct."

"Omoikane, the deity of wisdom," Ray said pointing towards Egon.

"What was the saint that resembled you holding?" Ray asked.

"A book," Egon replied.

"Knowledge," Ray stated.

"And you Peter," Ray continued, "Hachiman a protector of Japan and its people. What was your saint holding?"

"A sword," Peter answered.

"Representing a protector for all mankind," Ray said, "strength."

"Jurojin represents happiness, longevity," Ray stated clearly becoming even more excited, "and my saint was holding an olive branch."

"Peace!" Ray finished as he looked around the room at bewildered faces.

"Come on people," Ray shouted raising his hands into the air, "is anyone following me."

Only blank faces and heads being shaken answered Ray back.

"Oh for crime-a-nee christmas," Ray said dropping his hands down to his side. "A trio of men? Three deity?"

Still Ray received only blank looks.

"Who started the Ghostbuster business?" Ray asked.

"You did," Winston answered nodding his head towards Ray, "along with Peter and Egon."

"Correct!" Ray shouted out before he turned towards Garrett.

"Garrett are you sure the painting in the storage room is gone?" Ray asked.

"Yes," Garrett replied, "I was in there yesterday and the painting that you are describing Professor Spengler isn't there."

"There is a painting of a rocky hillside with human skulls at the bottom of the painting," Garrett said. "Off to the left is a castle that has been burnt to the ground, destroyed, with flames still coming from its base."

"Is anyone in the painting?" Peter asked.

"No," Garrett replied, "there's a footpath that goes off into the distance behind a hill, but no people."

"Show us," Peter said standing up from the table and pushing his chair back.

Peter had a funny feeling that he wasn't going to like what Garrett was going to show him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the small storage room, next to a larger room that contained the Containment Unit, stood two rows of people. The older gentlemen were in the front row and the younger group were in the back.

The 'Ghostbusters' stared at an empty painting that should have been holding a 16th century ruler.

"See I told you," Garrett said.

"We did defeat him," Egon stated more to himself than to anyone else, "It would make sense that his presence is gone."

"Yeah," Peter said, "but the painting changed after that. Why would it change back now after all these years?"

"I don't know," Ray answered.

"Look," Roland said as he pointed towards the painting. "Something is coming."

Slowly from behind a hill a person approached. The person was dressed all in brown with tall leather boots and long gray-white hair. The closer the person got to the front of the painting, the group could see that it was a man. The man wore a thick leather 'jack of plate' and a set of faulds around his waist. He stopped and placed his right foot upon the mountain of human skulls.

"That's the man from my dreams!" Kylie cried covering her mouth.

Eduardo carefully pushed Kylie behind him.

"Vigo Von Homburg Deutschendorf," Ray said distastefully.

"That's Prince Vigo to you peasants," Vigo roared. "Now bow to your Master. Fall on your knees and worship me."

"Fat chance," Peter replied.

"In my grasp," Vigo said eyeing Peter, "your bones will turn to dust."

"Oh yeah," Peter taunted, "try it."

"Why are you here?" Egon questioned as he stepped in front of Peter.

"I have something of yours that you might like to have back," Vigo said looking over the four older men.

"What?" Egon asked.

"For one," Vigo said as he stared at Peter, "I have the Sistine Chapel and the Metropolitan Opera."

"Maybe I'll possess your son and take your wife while I make you watch," Vigo sneered.

"You son of a bitch," Peter shouted as he rushed at the painting of Vigo.

Vigo watched and smiled as the man named Winston held Peter back.

"Come on Peter," Winston said, "cool it. He's just talking to make you upset."

"Am I Winston?" Vigo questioned with a hint of hatred in his voice. "Maybe you would like to know about the Rose Garden in my possession and one very frightened woman named Iris."

Vigo watched as Winston stood his ground with his fists clenched.

"Maybe the hooves of a thousand steeds will trample her underfoot before you can save her Winston," Vigo finished as he leaned forward slightly and rested his right hand on his knee.

Now it was Peter's turn to hold Winston back as Vigo watched the two men struggling with each other.

"Go on," Vigo urged, "your hatred only feeds my rebirth quicker."

"STOP!" Egon shouted at Peter and Winston as he pulled the two men apart. "Fighting only leads to Vigo growing stronger, remember."

Vigo frowned as he stood up straight again.

"Congratulate yourself now mortal," Vigo said to Egon, "the time of peace is over."

"We don't fear you," Ray said to Vigo.

"Oh?" Vigo questioned raising his eyebrows and taking his foot off of the mountain of skulls.

"What if I told you that many mothers have twisted in agony at the horrors that I have visited upon their sons. And I'll do the same thing to yours," Vigo spat.

"You touch one hair on Melody's head or my child's," Ray shouted pointing a finger at Vigo, "and I will hunt you down like wild game and do things to you that will make Charles Manson look like Mother Theresa."

"Such empty threats," Vigo said placing his hands on his hips. "When the day comes, you will be the first to feel my wrath."

"Enough! Be Gone!" Egon said stepping forward to stand right before the painting. "You have no power to cross over. If you did, you would have done so already."

Vigo took his hands off of his hips and leaned towards Egon.

"In the grand scheme of things," Vigo spat at Egon, "you must realize that your words mean nothing."

"We defeated you before," Egon spat back not backing down an inch, "and we will do so again."

Vigo leaned back and spoke. "If you were in my realm, I'd have you strung up for that."

Egon only nodded his head at Vigo.

"Be that as it may," Vigo continued, "it was I that took Pierro Della Francesca's painting and had it painted over with my likeness. I then ensorcelled the painting to contain my essence after I died."

"If you think for one minute that you will defeat me again, then you are mistaken."

"I see the evil of the times to come," Vigo said spreading his hands out to his sides, "and you will taste my wrath again."

"When pigs fly!" Peter shouted and rushed at the painting.

Vigo laughed as Peter's body collided with the front of the painting and the older man fell backwards onto the ground.

"Mortal," Vigo said placing his hands on his hips, "you can not touch me."

With an evil grin on his face Vigo raised his right hand up in front of him.

"But I can touch you," Vigo said as Peter heard choking sounds behind him.

Peter turned around to see Kylie dangling in midair, her hands around her throat, trying to tear away the invisible hand that held her tight. Quickly Peter turned back to the painting to see that Vigo's right hand was held out in front of him, slightly curved.

"Shit!" Peter shouted as he turned around and rushed towards Kylie's floating body as all hell broke loose.

"Leave her alone!" Eduardo shouted at Vigo as he rushed towards the painting now.

Eduardo could only pound on the canvas as Vigo laughed in the young man's face. Eduardo heard Kylie choking out his name and turned to see Roland, Garrett, Peter, Winston, and Ray trying to help her. Egon was no where to be found.

"Enough!" Eduardo roared as he redoubled his efforts and pounded on the canvas with renewed vigor, "Let her go!"

Vigo looked down at Eduardo and sneered.

"In my realm demons are gathering to conquer you," Vigo said. "You don't stand a chance against us."

Eduardo looked towards his wife. Kylie's lips were turning blue and he knew she didn't have much time left.

"How about a trade?" Eduardo asked Vigo.

Eduardo watched as Vigo dropped his right hand down to his side. Eduardo heard a body dropping to the ground and he closed his eyes briefly. Saying a silent prayer of thanks when he heard Kylie gasp Eduardo opened up his eyes again.

"A sacrifice?" Vigo questioned placing his right foot on top of the mountain of skulls once again and leaning towards Eduardo. "I require a body."

Eduardo glanced behind him briefly to see that Kylie was sitting up and rubbing her throat. She was going to be okay and he was going to see to that.

Life was fragile, Eduardo knew, and no matter how much he fought to control its outcome he could not. He could only live in the moment. He loved Kylie with every bit of energy and soul that he had. And he would do anything for her, including sacrificing himself to keep her alive.

"Under one condition," Eduardo stated as he turned back to face Vigo.

"Name it," Vigo said.

"You leave Kylie and her unborn child alone," Eduardo stated. "And you bring back everyone that you have taken."

"I have taken many mortals," Vigo said as he stood up straight.

"Your sacrifice isn't enough to bring them all back. I will require that you give me more."

"How much more?" Eduardo asked.

"Your team," Vigo said, "as well as the original team members."

"And," Vigo purred, "I require Doctor Spengler's body. She was such a pleasure to enjoy as I impregnated her."

"Your Mother!" Egon cursed.

Eduardo turned to his left to see Professor Spengler standing in the doorway to the storage room. He had a slime blower strapped to his back, the plasma discharge port hanging from a strap around his neck. In his right hand Egon held Eduardo's proton pack by its straps.

"Here!" Egon said tossing the pack towards Eduardo.

As Eduardo caught the pack, he stepped backwards and pulled the pack onto his back. Pulling the gun away from the pack's side, he reached back and pulled a proton canister from the bottom of the pack. Quickly Eduardo attached the canister to the gun.

As Eduardo was doing this Egon had gathered the plasma discharge port, from around his neck, into his hands. Egon flipped the switch, turning the slime blower on and rotated the top handle, allowing air to flow into the gun to push the slime out the front end. Aiming the front of the plasma discharge port at the painting Egon concentrated on 'slimming' Vigo as he saw out of the corner of his eye that Eduardo had his proton pack ready, gun in hand.

"Now Eduardo!" Egon shouted.

Eduardo raised his gun up and pulled the trigger.

Vigo spit and raged at the two men as he raised his hands up to cover his face.

"You pitiful, miserable creatures," Vigo bellowed, "Don't you realize who you are dealing with?"

"The end is near. Judgment approaches. Prepare yourselves for the inevitable," Vigo roared as he pushed his arms forward sending the proton beam energy and slime back towards Egon and Eduardo.

Egon closed his eyes and turned his head away as the painting exploded outward. Egon was pelted by debris and he could still hear Vigo's voice.

"You dare to challenge the powers of darkness!"

Egon opened his eyes and turned his head towards the painting. The paint had turned to liquid and was melting off of the canvas, running onto the floor of the storage room. Underneath was a completely different painting. Egon had guessed that the original painting was by Pierro Della Francesca or Raphael, when he had first seen it. But now Egon knew, from Vigo, that the painting was by Pierro Della Francesca depicting four saints but Oscar, who was supposed to be in the center of the painting, was missing.

Even Winston was gone. In the place of four heavenly saints; with colorful robes over one shoulder; were Egon, Peter, and Ray forming a triangle. Peter was in the front with Ray and Egon on either side. The men were younger, had on their tan jumpsuits, and were wearing their proton packs, the neutron wands in their hands. Each man was looking upwards and had on a determined face. Each man's wand was raised up at an unseen foe.

As this painting started to melt away Vigo's voice could be heard one last time.

"You will all regret the day that you refused to worship me! You will all pay including your offspring!"

The firehouse was still with silence as Vigo's words sank in.

"Jean!" Ray yelled as he brushed past Egon and out the door of the storage room.

Egon watched as Ray limped over to the stairs going up from the basement.

As Ray climbed the stairs towards the first floor he shouted again. "Jean! You bring Nokomis back here right now!"

"Egon?" Verdie questioned as she rushed to his side.

Verdie had been watching from the Containment Unit's room with Janine. Verdie didn't know who the man in brown was when he had appeared and as Vigo talked to the two sets of 'Ghostbusters' Janine had explained who the 16th century man was.

"If it hadn't been for Eden's singing and getting the other people around her to join in Egon wouldn't be here today," Janine had finished.

Verdie just nodded her head as she heard screaming inside the storage room and saw Egon running past her. She saw that Kylie was being lifted up into the air by an unseen force and Eduardo was trying to exchange his life for hers.

Suddenly Verdie heard her mother's voice from long ago as Verdie lie in a hospital bed with a broken left leg and arm.

"In your lifetime," Verdie's mother said sitting next to her daughter's bed, "you will find and meet one person who will love you more than anybody you have known and will know. They will love you with every bit of energy and soul. They will sacrifice, surrender, and give so much that it scares you. Someday, you'll know who that is."

Verdie had thought that the person whom her mother was talking about was her former lover Sergei. But Sergei was just like Verdie's first husband, uncaring, and in the end, Sergei had taken their only son, Luka, and had committed suicide by driving the car, they were in, head-on into oncoming traffic.

When Egon rushed past Verdie again he was wearing a large tank on his back with two smaller ones attached to each side of the larger tank. Around his neck hung a strap with a silver cylinder attached to the ends of the strap. In his hand he carried another large, metal object.

"Egon," Verdie cried as she had reached out to her future husband, "What's going on?"

Egon had only stopped for a moment to talk to her.

"Verdie," Egon said with fear in his voice, "stay here. I don't want you hurt."

Verdie had watched as Egon rushed towards the door to the storage room and called out to Eduardo. Out of the corner of Verdie's eye she could see Janine and Louis in each others arms. She was slightly jealous that she had no one trying to comfort her when she suddenly realized that she did have someone.

Professor Egon Einstein Spengler was trying to save her life!

Egon wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his late wife Eden. Just like Sergei, Egon was contemplating on committing suicide when Egon had first meet Eden Parnell. Eden has saved Egon's life that day and she had later sacrificed her life, so that Egon and his daughter could live.

Now Egon was returning that favor as he stood in the doorway to the storage room, shooting pink gel at the man in brown inside a rather large painting. Egon would sacrifice his life for hers, just like Eduardo had tried to do for Kylie a few moments ago. Egon loved Verdie and after all these years, after all the hardships that Verdie had had to face alone, after believing that no one would want her again, Verdie had found love.

Love had come to her just like it came to others who still hoped after disappointment, who still believed after betrayals, and who still loved after they had been hurt.

"You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before," Egon had said to her early one morning as she trembled by his side.

Verdie had just moved into Egon's house and she had had a nightmare about Sergei and Luka.

"That my love," Egon had said as he placed his right hand on her left cheek, "is bravery."

"Egon?" Verdie asked again as she reached out and touched her fiance's arm. "Is it over?"

Egon wheeled around, surprised that someone had touched him. Verdie looked into Egon's scared face before he lifted the silver cylinder off of his neck and shrugged out of the straps that held the three large tanks on his back.

"Oh Verdie," Egon said gathering her to him.

Verdie could feel Egon's body trembling against hers and she wrapped her own arms around the man she loved.

"You're safe," Egon said burying his face into her neck, "Vigo can't touch you."

Pulling back slightly Egon pressed his lips to Verdie's right ear.

"I'll make sure of that," Egon whispered into her ear, "if it's the last thing I do."

Suddenly Verdie's heart broke. She finally realized that the man her mother had been talking about was Egon. And if Professor Tseng, Mr. Takeda, and Kylie were right, lives would be lost and Verdie feared it would be Egon's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Echo's quiet moaning woke Daniel up. Opening his eyes he turned his head to his left. Echo lay on her back in a hospital bed next to his chair. Both of her hands had white bandages on them and they lay on small pillows above the bed sheets. Daniel knew that Echo was in pain, but there wasn't anything that he could do for her except to be by her side.

Doctor Stringham had called in the best plastic surgeon in New York City to operate on Echo. Echo had frostbite on her middle and ring fingers of her right hand, as well as her thumb and pinkie fingers of her left hand. Doctor Abby Yates had carefully removed each finger's dead tissue and grafted in cadaver tissue in its place.

"Echo will have no fingerprints for those four fingers," Doctor Yates had told Daniel and Egon after the operation, "but with time she will regain full control of each finger."

"I can't wait until that day," Doctor Yates said as she placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, "I would love to here Echo play Handel-Halvorsen's Passacaglia with you again."

"I heard you both in Washington D.C. last year, right before you two had become engaged," Doctor Yates went on.

Taking her hand away from Daniel's shoulder Doctor Yates placed her fingers to her mouth, kissed them, and opened them up like a rose.

"Benissimo!" She said before she turned and left Daniel and Egon alone.

Daniel reached out with his left hand and brushed a lock of hair out of Echo's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said.

"Daniel?" Charlie asked from the doorway to Echo's room, "you still here?"

"Aye," Daniel said as he rose up from his chair and crossed to where Charlie stood.

"I'm getting ready to go home for the night," Charlie said, "Do you want to come with me? That offer of a bed and good nights sleep is still open."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Daniel said as he turned his head to where Echo was.

"I'd rather stay here with Echo if you don't mind," he finished.

"I've ruined enough things in her life," Daniel said as he turned back to look at Charlie, "I don't want to be the one to ruin anymore."

"Daniel," Charlie said gently, "no family is perfect, trust me."

"We argue, we fight, we even stop talking to each other at times," Charlie said, "But in the end family is family. The love will always be there."

"Aye," Daniel said, "Family is complicated."

"Truth," Daniel's head dropped to the floor, "is not."

"Daniel," Charlie said as he reached out and placed his left hand on the young man's chin raising it up, "I thought we discussed this."

"We did," Daniel replied, "but it still doesn't ease my mind."

"It is important that you forgive yourself for past decisions that you have made," Charlie told Daniel releasing his chin, "Now it's time to move on in the right direction."

"She was beautiful," Daniel said as tears started to form in the corner of his eyes.

"She was beautiful for that sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved," Daniel continued. "She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile, but I've destroyed that."

"Her hair that she sold for ten dollars," Daniel said trying to hold back his tears, "just like Fantine in Les Miserables did, so that Echo could get a meal."

"Her attempted suicide because she was so sad inside that it physically hurt to live," Daniel choked out as a tear ran down his face. "That was my fault."

"Everyone makes mistakes in life Daniel," Charlie said, "but that doesn't mean that you have to pay for them the rest of your life."

"Not everyone's mistakes physically hurt someone they care about," Daniel cried, "Someone they...,"

Daniel stopped speaking as Echo's moaning brought him running back to her bedside.

"Easy lassie," Daniel said as the tears finally overflowed from his eyes. "Ah hae gart a mess ay things."

Charlie watched as Daniel sat down in the chair and placed his left hand on Echo's right shoulder.

When Egon and Kane had brought Daniel back to the United States the first thing that Daniel had done was drop the charges against Professor Spengler and his daughter. The next thing that happened was that Charlie had questioned Daniel about his time with Echo before Charlie allowed the young man into see her.

Daniel's story had been what everyone, who had been at the bar that night, had already told Charlie. Drinking, dancing, and leaving with an inebriated Echo. But when Charlie pushed further Daniel drew a blank. That was until Charlie tried hypnoses. And just as Charlie had suspected Daniel's source amnesia had come flooding back.

Daniel had come back outside the bar, with Echo's handbag, hoping to find her sleeping on the bench, with the bartender watching over her, and a taxi waiting for them to take them back to the hotel.

But Echo wasn't on the bench, the bartender wasn't around, and there was no taxi to be seen either. Fearing that Echo had wandered off, and hoping that the bartender had gone with her, Daniel had started to walk down the street in search of her. But as Daniel walked he felt a cold, dark, menacing feeling come over him. The same feeling that Echo had told Charlie about under hypnoses as well.

As Daniel came up to an alleyway he saw a tall older man with long gray-white hair that hung loose past the man's shoulders. The man was dressed all in brown with something that looked like a small cape hanging around his shoulders. The man held Echo to his chest his right arm wrapped around her body, his left hand up the inside of her skirt.

"Echo!" Daniel screamed as he ran towards the pair.

The man suddenly turned towards Daniel and raised his right hand up into the air. A blue bolt of energy caught Daniel in the abdomen, the force of it causing Daniel to spin around. Daniel's head collided with one of the buildings brick walls in the alleyway and he fell to the ground unconscious.

The next thing that Daniel remembered was waking up in bed with Echo, with the thought that he had been intimate with her when he realized that they were both naked.

Charlie walked towards Echo and Daniel and stopped when he reached Echo's left side.

Just like Echo, Charlie had had to sedate Daniel when he had woken up from under hypnoses. Both Echo and Daniel had awakened thrashing, screaming, and trying to get away from the man in brown. Daniel had finally settled down after he awoke a few hours later, Echo however, had not.

Charlie reached over and lowered Echo's rate on her intravenous drip before he turned towards Daniel.

"Daniel," Charlie said, "you haven't made a mess of anything."

"A pretty face gets old. A nice body will change, but a good woman will always be a good woman."

"Echo is beautiful," Charlie finished, "deep down in her soul, where it counts."

"But I've broken her," Daniel cried.

Charlie smiled, "We're all a little broken Daniel. But the last time I checked broken crayons still color."

Daniel smiled briefly raising his head up to look at Charlie.

"There are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits," Charlie said.

"However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives, and to become something different from what we were. We become better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with a stronger will to live than we had before."

"It's hard," Daniel said sadly.

"I know," Charlie replied, "I know it's hard to move on, but once you move you'll realize it was the best decision you ever made."

"What if Echo doesn't want anything to do with me?" Daniel asked.

"Don't rush anything," Charlie said, "When the time is right Echo will let you know."

Daniel nodded his head at Charlie before he turned his attention back to Echo, stroking her right shoulder.

After Kane had found Daniel they had walked the horses back to Allen's home. Kane had ridden Quantum Theory and Daniel had rode Pie, bareback and without reins. The two men had talked quietly to each other as they rode. Twice they had had to stop, to allow Daniel time to empty the brandy from his stomach. By the time they got home Daniel was leaning over Pie's neck, with his face in the stallion's mane, trying to stay awake.

"Daniel!" Allen shouted when the pair had gotten close enough so that he could see the riders clearly.

"Sairy Pop," Daniel slurred out as Pie came to a stop and Daniel slid off of the horse and onto the ground.

Kane, who had been riding next to Daniel's side the whole time, reached over and grabbed a handful of Pie's mane before the horse could bolt away.

"I got this one," Kane told Allen as he urged Quantum Theory forward and led Pie towards the stables, "you take that one."

Allen watched in amazement as Pie obediently followed Kane, with Egon standing quietly behind Allen.

"Well I'll be," Allen exclaimed as he bent down to the ground and lifted Daniel's head up.

"That's one man I would like working for me," Allen said as he helped Daniel to sit up.

"Aye," Daniel replied back sleepily, "Pop you know what Kane told me as we rode back?"

"Whit's that?" Allen questioned as he pulled Daniel's upper body to his chest.

"There is one principle that should never be abandoned when training a horse," Daniel said, "and that same principle applies to life."

"Whit?" Allen questioned.

"The rider," Daniel said slowly, "must learn to control himself before he can control his horse."

Daniel finally broke down and told his father what had happened between him and Echo.

"I didn't control myself where Echo was concerned and now I've got to go back and try to fix what I broke," Daniel said.

"I should have held my ground when I got gobsmacked by the press," Daniel said to his father, "but instead of taking Echo into my arms, kissing her, holding her face, and telling her that everything would be fine, what did I do? I accused the woman I loved of being street meat!"

Daniel turned around so that he could face his father.

"Pop," Daniel continued, "I watched those eyes as the spark went out from them when I ordered a paternity test done."

"Oh Daniel...," Allen went to say but his son cut him off.

"Pop, I know I can't have children. When I awoke in the hospital after the accident with Pie I heard the doctor talking to you."

"I opened my eyes to see you and the doctor standing in the doorway to my room, talking about me. I should have listened to Echo that night."

"She told me that there might be a reduction of semen produced, but I could still father children."

"She's correct," Allen said.

"No!" Daniel cried as he grabbed Allen's shirt into his hands, "I heard the doctor clear as day. I will not be able to have any children."

"Tell me I'm right Pop," Daniel pleaded.

"Nae my son," Allen said softly, "you heard wrong."

"Yer talking pish," Daniel said in anger as he pushed Allen away from him and tried to stand up.

"Nae Daniel," Allen said as he watched Daniel fall to the ground. "The doctor wasn't talking about you."

"You have been trying to shift the blame of being intimate with Echo for sometime now," Allen went on, "and you are using your accident as a stepping stone."

"Nae!" Daniel cried placing his hands on the side of his head, covering his ears.

Allen got up and walked over to where Daniel was. He bent down by Daniel's side, placed his hands onto Daniel's hands, and took the young man's hands away from his ears.

"Hell hath no fury like a toddler who wanted the green cup instead of the orange one that was given to him," Allen said. "Now you are going to listen to reason!"

"The doctor," Allen said bringing his voice down, "was talking about me."

"Cummin' the cunt?" Daniel asked.

"Aye," Allen said releasing Daniel's hands, "I'm serious."

"Your mum wanted lots of children," Allen said. "Did you think we stopped at nine because it was a good number?"

"Six girls and only three boys wasn't good enough for Lesleigh, so we tried again and again for number ten."

"And we succeeded," Allen said proudly. "McQuarrie number ten was on their way."

"Lad or Lassie?" Daniel asked.

"We never found out," Allen replied, "Lesleigh miscarried the baby."

"And then we lost our oldest son Angus," Allen said sadly, "and Lesleigh's grandmum when you were four."

"I don't remember that," Daniel replied.

"You were lost in your own little world Daniel," Allen said.

"Angus' wife was left with one child and another one on the way," Allen continued. "Your mum and I were too busy with everything that had happened to try again for any more children, let alone see to it that your young mind was okay with losing your best friend."

"When Lesleigh and I finally found the time for our family you were six and I had an accident that kept me from my job for a year."

"Your playing for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as a soloist helped to pay the bills for the horses, because I couldn't get them to any shows so that they could pay for themselves."

"Nine long years afterwards your mum and I tried to have more children. It was nine years of hell for me," Allen recalled.

"Every time Lesleigh found out that she was pregnant she would lose the baby. Thinking that it was her fault your mum went to a specialist and they ran a complete set of tests."

"Good news is it wasn't anything that Lesleigh was doing wrong," Allen said, "Bad news was it was me."

"How so?" Daniel asked.

"Just after you had turned sixteen but before Pie tossed you," Allen replied, "I went to the doctor. The day of your accident the doctor had found out the results of my tests."

"That's who you saw in the doorway that day Daniel. It was my doctor talking to me."

"I was the one who couldn't have any more children because I had a problem called varicocele."

"Whit's that?" Daniel asked.

"Well," Allen said, "in a nut shell the veins in my testicles are too large, thereby heating the sperm up, so that they can't viably produce any offspring."

"Whit caused it?" Daniel questioned.

"Most likely the medication I was given after my accident," Allen replied. "I told Lesleigh about my problem. I didn't try, like you did, to shift the blame."

"I faced my problem head on Daniel. And even though we can't possibly have any more biological kids that hasn't stopped us from loving the ones we have."

"Pop," Daniel said, "I accused Echo of sleeping with Doctor D' Artagnan. I was convinced that the child was his until Kane told me that Echo had been raped."

Allen nodded his head as his son rushed on.

"I called her a scaffy Pop. I couldn't trust her because she didn't tell me that she was pregnant. I had to find out from the press."

"Daniel," Allen said, "If you're not careful the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."

"Aye," Daniel shook his head sadly back and forth, "I know that now, but back then I told Echo it was her fault for what had happened to her."

"I walked up to her and dropped her mother's wedding band in her lap as Echo sat in the hospital corridor in labor. I turned and walked away from her, out of her life, as she screamed my name and gave birth to Emrick."

"I should have tuned around," Daniel cried as he hugged himself, "I could have been redeemed if I had stayed. Now what am I supposed to do?"

"You have to make a choice," Allen replied, "between what is right and what is easy."

"You have to go back and apologize to Echo," Allen said, "Apologizing does not always mean that you're wrong. It just means that you value your relationship with Echo more than your ego."

"Look son," Allen finished, "It's better to cross the line and suffer the consequences than to just stare at that line for the rest of your life."

"How?" Daniel asked, "Where do I start?"

"Go with Egon and Kane," Allen said as he waved his hand behind him to the two men standing there.

"But Pop...," Daniel tried to speak but Allen cut him off.

"Just do it! Force yourself to get up and place one foot in front of the other. Don't let it get to you. Fight. Cry. Curse, but keep going. There's no other way."

"Sounds good to me," Egon said. "What do you say Daniel?"

"Aye," Daniel said as he fell forward into his father's arms.

"Daniel?" Charlie questioned bringing him out of his daydream.

"Aye," Daniel said weakly.

Daniel was tired and Charlie knew that the young man was still blaming himself about what had happened to Echo.

"Until you heal the wounds of your past, you are going to bleed," Charlie said. "You can bandage the bleeding with food, alcohol, drugs, work, cigarettes, sex, but eventually it will all ooze through and stain your life."

"Find the strength to open your wound, and pull out the core of the pain that is holding you in the past. And once you do that, make peace with it and walk away."

"That's easy for you to say," Daniel said quietly, "you have a perfect life."

"No Daniel," Charlie replied sadly as the young man looked up at him, "I don't."

"On January 22nd of this year my wife Trixie tried to commit suicide by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge."

"I stood by her side, trying to talk her out of it, as she clung to a steel beam that made up one of the supports. I made a fatal mistake that day when I rushed at Trixie trying to grab her arm. She released the beam and flung herself off of the bridge before I could stop her."

"Trixie missed the embankment and hit the shallow water of the shore instead. By all means she should have died but she didn't. She is a floor above this one in a coma, brain dead, and on life support."

"I don't have the strength to let her go," Charlie cried as a tear ran down the man's face.

"I had said things to Trixie the day before," Charlie said wiping the tear away with his arm. "I wasn't able to make amends for my mistakes, hopefully you will not follow in my footsteps."

"Daniel," Echo's voice caught both men by surprise.

Charlie watched carefully in case Echo panicked again and he had to turn up her medication.

"Right here lassie," Daniel said softly turning to face her.

"I'm so sorry about all you went through," Daniel said as he stroked her right shoulder once again. "It's my fault that all this happened to you."

"No Daniel," Echo said as she raised her bandaged right hand up in pain, "the fault is mine."

"I should have told you that I was pregnant and that I thought that the baby was yours," she said as she carefully stroked Daniel's left cheek, "We should have worked this out as a couple, but I was afraid of what you would do if you found out that I had become pregnant and we were not married yet."

Daniel carefully took his left hand off of Echo's shoulder and placed it on Echo's bandaged right hand instead, stopping her from stroking his beard.

"I would have married you the next day," Daniel said quietly, "knowing that the baby was mine. But now, I've treated you like cack. I don't deserve you."

"Daniel," Echo said, "Do you know what screws us up the most in life?"

"Nae," Daniel replied.

"It's the picture in our heads of how our life is supposed to be."

"It's not your fault of what happened to me. You were not there to prevent it from happening. I've got to live with this man's decision and it is going to affect you and me for the rest of our lives because of it. Just ask my father."

"But Echo," Daniel said as he carefully sat her bandaged hand back onto its small pillow, "I was there. I ran towards the man, but he used some kind of energy against me, knocking me into the wall, unconscious."

"I couldn't help you lassie," Daniel cried. "Everything that happened from that point forward is my fault."

"Daniel," Echo said, "what would have happened if I never knew you?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied.

"I do," Echo said. "I'd be safe right now, probably sitting in Father's house, reading a book by the fireplace."

"But," Echo stated, "I'd never have known your love, your gentle touch. I would be empty inside, like something was missing, and I would never have known why."

"Daniel, I found in you what was missing in me and I'm grateful for that."

"Before I met you Daniel I felt, that I was waiting on something that wasn't going to happen. Waiting for something special to happen to me."

"Then you came along," Echo went on. "You could have said no to the invitation to come play with the New York Philharmonics Orchestra that day, but you didn't and our lives crossed. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they crossed and we will never be the same two people again."

Echo turned her body to her right and sat up on her right elbow.

"Daniel, even after everything that has been said and done to you and me I still love you."

"Echo," Daniel said, "have you lost all of your marbles? I hurt you."

"Yes you hurt me," Echo replied, "and I've forgiven you for that. Now forgive yourself."

"And no I haven't lost all of my marbles," Echo said as she leaned over and kissed Daniel on his lips.

Charlie watched as Daniel, taken back at first, finally returned Echo's sweet kiss, wrapping his arms around her, and bringing her to his chest.

Echo broke off the kiss first and pulled her head away from Daniel's face.

"But," Echo said with a twinkle in her eye, "there's definitely a hole in the bag."

Daniel smiled at Echo and took her back into his arms again.

Charlie nodded his head in agreement and quietly left the room. He knew that the two had a long road ahead of them. But Charlie also knew that couples that are meant to be are the ones who go through everything that is designed to tear them apart. Yet they come out even stronger when all is said and done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jin pulled Nokomis closer to his chest as she placed her mouth into his left shoulder and cried out in pain.

"Hurry up," Jin pleaded silently wishing that Yoshiro was back already.

A crackling of underbrush in front of him caused both parties to freeze in their hiding spot.

Nokomis pulled her feet up higher into Jin's lap when she saw the chicken poke its head out from under the bush in front of her. She wasn't interested in the stray bird, but Jin apparently had a different idea. Quickly reaching forward Jin grabbed the chicken by its neck and pulled it towards him. Nokomis heard the distinct click of its neck being broken before Jin deposited the animal to his right.

Nokomis felt Jin carefully slide her off of his lap and placed her to his left. She watched as Jin crawled forward and stood up from their hiding place.

"Noko," Jin said as he bent down and picked up the dead bird, "stay here, out of sight."

Nokomis did as she was told as she brought her knees up closer to her stomach and wrapped her arms around them. She held the toes of her feet up off of the ground, with her heels only touching the cold ground. She pulled the hem of her kimono down over her feet to keep them warm. She secretly wished that they were back in the house in Kofu, but knew that was wishful thinking.

Nokomis was the reason that they were here. That and the shogunate's roju that was after the three of them.

When Nokomis had come back, Yoshiro the old man, had been waiting for her by the edge of the forest that surrounded Sanjo's estate in Kofu, Japan.

"Come," Yoshiro said to her in Japanese beckoning with his right hand for her to follow him, "we don't have much time."

Nokomis followed Yoshiro as he led the way into the forest. Before they could go too far from the estate Nokomis stopped.

"What about going to the house first?" Nokomis asked. "I'd like to see Jin. I have something that I need to tell him."

"Iie," Yoshiro said also stopping and turning to face her. "Jin is waiting for you."

"He's sorry that he can't be here to greet you himself as he has always done. Councilor Kariya Kagetoki has found out where Jin was hiding. Jin and I fled after a fierce battle with a metsuke that the roju sent. We hid in the forest north of here."

"Was Jin hurt in the battle?" Nokomis asked as Yoshiro turned around and led the way north.

"Hai," Yoshiro answered as he continued to walk away from her.

Nokomis held back and looked out towards where Sanjo's estate was. Between the trees she could see the smoldering remnants of what had once been a beautiful bamboo manor complex house with the main residence attached to the rear and a stable in the distance.

But unlike Helen's husband, Kin's, picture that hung in the old man's office, that was a rendition of the estate, Nokomis knew the house only too well. She had lived there for two months now. She was hoping to go back, but given her conversation with Kin and what she knew was going to happen to Jin and Yoshiro that wasn't going to happen.

The genkan, a traditional Japanese entryway where Nokomis removed her shoes before entering the main part of the house, sat in the middle. It's hand-carved wooden beam, that carried the Takeda clan mon carved in the center, lay burnt, split into two pieces on either side of the genkan.

The main building of the manor complex house had been sprawling with many wings leading off in different directions. Beyond the genkan had been the guest rooms covered in tatami mats where Lady Sanjo's husband, Lord Takeda "Taro" Shingen, would meet visitors and conduct business.

Off the central wings had been meeting rooms and also rooms where the household staff had lived. The kitchen in the manor complex house had been huge, because in Jin's great-grandmother's early years the estate would have had to feed well over a hundred people. But when Nokomis had lived there it had housed no one but her, Jin, and Yoshiro.

They had lived in the main residence, that had been attached to the manor complex house by two covered walkways, where a rectangle courtyard had laid between.

The courtyard had been beautiful with small white round pebbles running along the edge of the walkway. A small stream with moss growing around the sides sat inside of the courtyard. In the center, had been a patch of well maintained grass with a bench and cherry blossom tree in the center. Koi fish had swam in the waters.

Inside the main residence had been a small kitchen with rooms off of the kitchen. Outside the main residence the pit toilet was still to the left that Nokomis could see, but the furo that had sat inside the manor complex house on the right was gone. Burnt to the ground.

From the furo's door Nokomis could have looked out into the courtyard. And at the end of a long day the trio would take turns soaking, as they relaxed in the nice, hot bath.

The main residence, as well as the manor complex house, had had wide doorways and when the shoji had been slid aside, the breeze from the mountains was welcoming to make the long, hot summer months more comfortable.

The manor complex house had been quite impressive with a high, soaring roof of ceramic tile, but there had been few furnishings in the place. Nokomis remembered tatami mats, zabutons, a couple of small zataku tables, and a wooden armrest for Takeda Shingen to lean on. But in the main residence, where Nokomis had stayed, there had been more furnishings. The kitchen had been like the kitchen in the house in Numazu before it had been burned by Yukimaru. In the center of the room there had been a sunken hearth with a jizai-kag hanging overhead. A pot hung from the hook to heat water in and an iron rack sat above the fine sand to cook on.

Beyond the kitchen had been the living room that contained a chadansu. The chadansu held plates, chawans, and yunomi inside for the meals. The kamidana sat next to the chadansu. Each morning Jin would open the doors to the kamidana, kneel, put his hands together, fingers peaked up, and pray to the ancient Japanese gods. Before the sun set he would repeat the process and close the doors on the small shrine before the sun set for the day.

Off of the main residence's kitchen had been private rooms. Jin had picked his great-grandparent's room to stay in with Nokomis, while Yoshiro had chosen another room across the hallway from theirs.

Inside Jin's great-grandparent's room had been a futon against one wall while a oshi-ire was on the opposite wall. The outside and inside shoji had been hidden by two folding screens, to provide privacy, when Jin and Nokomis had been changing clothes or sleeping. By the shoji, that divided the hallway from the bedroom, had been a rack for hanging kimonos and Sanjo's vanity table. Jin's great-grandmother had used the table to put on her makeup long ago. The vanity's drawers had still contained Sanjo's makeup and supplies, albeit they were a little bit dried out.

On each side of the futon Nokomis remembered there had been tall lamps. They had been made out of wood with rice paper shades, where a small oil lamp had sat inside.

But the prize of the room had held Takeda Shingen's armour. Sitting inside a small, what Nokomis would have called armoire, was Shingen's o-yoroi.

Takeda Shingen's o-yoroi had been constructed from many small leather plates connected to each other by cords made from braided silk. The silk cords had been made in a specific pattern and color. In Shingen's case the color was bright red. These plates were then attached to a leather backing.

Nokomis thought that the armour would be heavy, but when Jin had lifted it down from its wooden rack the armour was really light weight. Jin had explained that the armour had to be lightweight because a samurai would have to preform many tasks while wearing it. Including riding a horse, archery, and swordsmanship.

Takeda Shingen's armour had been brightly lacquered red to protect against the harsh Japanese climate.

"Noko!" Yoshiro called from up the trail bringing Nokomis out of her thoughts.

"I guess it doesn't mater now," Nokomis muttered to herself, as she turned from the burnt out estate and started up the winding trail after Yoshiro.

Traveling north for about five kilometers, Yoshiro finally came to a stop. Nokomis looked beyond Yoshiro to see a hot spring located at the bottom of the quiet hill that they were on. Carefully Yoshiro worked his way down the hill as Nokomis followed. As they got closer Nokomis could smell chloride coming from the hot spring and see a young man soaking in the pool.

"Good for curing external wounds," Yoshiro replied when Nokomis had asked the apothecary what the young man was doing.

"Jin," Yoshiro called out when he was near enough to the hot spring so that the young man could hear him, "Noko's back."

Nokomis watched as the young man with dark brown hair turned towards where she was coming down the hill. Carefully Jin worked his way towards the side of the hot spring where Nokomis was. He stiffly walked out of the water and when Nokomis came to a stop before him, Jin gathered her into his arms.

"O kaeri nasai Noko," Jin said into her ear before he kissed it lovingly.

"Jin," Nokomis said pulling away from him, "I have something I need to tell you and Yoshiro."

"Tonight," Yoshiro replied as he picked up Jin's fundoshi from a nearby rock and handed it to the naked samurai. "Right now I want to put as much distance between us and the metsuke as possible."

"But," Yoshiro continued, "we needed to stop here for Jin's wound."

Nokomis watched as Yoshiro pulled a clay jug from the sleeve of his kimono. As Yoshiro pulled the cork from the top Nokomis could see that the jug contained the same three small circles, with a larger rectangular one that sat on top of the small circles, as the jug that sat in Mr. Takeda's curio cabinet back in New Jersey.

Yoshiro placed the index and middle fingers of his right hand into the jug. When he removed his fingers they were dripping with a light yellow, thick gel. Yoshiro used his left hand and pulled Jin's hair away from his back to sit over his right shoulder.

"This will sting," Yoshiro told Jin as he waited for the young man to brace himself.

As Jin released his hold on Nokomis she quickly gathered his hands into hers.

"Iie," Jin replied trying to get Nokomis to let go. "I will hurt you. Yoshiro has done this before."

"I want to help," Nokomis pleaded hanging onto Jin's hands harder.

"Buddha will protect me," Jin replied as he was finally able to get his hands free, "Go ahead apothecary."

Nokomis could only watch as Yoshiro liberally applied the thick gel and Jin gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain. When the apothecary was done Jin fell forward, but Nokomis caught him on the way to the ground.

"Give Jin a moment for the sting to wear away," Yoshiro said to Nokomis as she sat on the ground next to Jin's wet, shaking, naked body.

"Where are your clothes?" Yoshiro asked.

Jin couldn't answer, he could only point with his right hand to the Sekisuiji Hot Spring to his right. His back left shoulder was on fire. Worse than when the metsuke had attacked Jin and cut Takeda Shingen's o-yoroi, injuring Jin's back in the process.

Jin laid his head on Nokomis' right shoulder and closed his eyes. He knew that the pain would go away soon. The cut had not been deep, thanks to the protection of Jin's great-grandfather's armour, but it had been painful.

Yoshiro and Jin had fled into the forest and had managed to lose the metsuke that had attacked them. Jin had led the way, north, to the Sekisuiji Hot Spring. This was a place he had come to as a child with Sanjo.

"Your great-grandfather was born near here," Sanjo had told the young Jin under her care. "Taro would come here often, after a battle, to heal in the waters."

When Jin had come to a stop by the edge of the hot spring that night, he had collapsed onto the ground. He couldn't go any further.

"Ah!" Yoshiro had exclaimed, "Good choice my son. And if I'm not mistaken," Yoshiro went on breathing deeply, "I smell chloride."

"That is good for curing your wound," Yoshiro finished as he helped Jin out of the armour.

Yoshiro had applied the gel after Jin had soaked in the hot spring. Jin had been unprepared when the gel had touched his back that night.

"Isoide!" Jin had yelled at the old man.

"Almost done," Yoshiro had said softly back.

"Jin," Yoshiro called out gently waking the young man out of his sleep.

Jin opened his eyes and lifted his head up off of Nokomis' shoulder. Standing in front of him was Yoshiro with his clothes in one hand and his great-grandfather's armour in the other.

"Do you wish to take this with us?" Yoshiro asked holding out the armour towards Jin.

"Hai," Jin replied taking the armour, "but the sode needs to be fixed before it is of any use to me."

"Later," Yoshiro said, "we need to move now. But I have no idea where we are."

"Kisarazu where my former master's dojo was is that way," Jin said pointing behind him.

"Well scratch that off the list," Nokomis said. "If the shogunate is after you that would be the first place they would look."

"I agree," Yoshiro said. "What's that way?" The apothecary asked as he jerked his right thumb over his shoulder.

"Kai," Jin replied, "but I don't think that we should go there."

"Why?" Nokomis asked.

Jin turned his head to look at Noko. She was different this time. She still had her slightly wavy light brown hair that hung loose to her shoulders, but there were no black tips this time. Over the months that they had been together the black had started to fade. Her heart shaped face held concern for him this time, and yet if Jin didn't know any better Noko knew something. Her face held a secret that she hadn't uttered yet.

"Kai," Jin finally replied, "is where I was born and where my father and mother were forced to commit ritual suicide."

"Sori," Nokomis said softly placing her right arm around Jin's waist. "There is so little I know about your former life, and yet you know so little about me too."

"What about going north?" Yoshiro asked eager to be off.

"The Okuchichibu Mountains are north of here," Jin answered as he turned to face the apothecary.

"Get dressed," Yoshiro said as he dumped Jin's clothes into his lap. "We only have a few more hours of good light left before we will have to make camp for the night."

"The Okuchichibu Mountains consists of folded mountains and ranges from 1,000 to 2,600 meters in height. Mt. Kimpu, which lies further north, is the second highest peak...," Jin trailed off.

He looked into Yoshiro's eyes and nodded his head slightly towards Noko to indicate that he didn't think she could make it over the mountain range.

"Koshinuke!" Yoshiro insulted Jin.

"Noko can make the mountain pass better than me," Yoshiro went on.

"But...," Jin went to say before Yoshiro cut him off.

"Jin, it's the mountains or death for us all," Yoshiro said sternly, "your choice."

"I vote mountains," Nokomis said holding up her left hand.

"But ever since I was a little boy," Jin went on, "Sanjo told stories of tengu in the mountains."

"Tengu?" Nokomis asked not liking the tone that Jin's voice had just taken.

"Tengu," Yoshiro explained to Noko, "are mountain and forest goblins."

"They're shapeshifters who can appear in both human and animal forms. But tengu are more mischievous than evil. I'll take my chances with the tengu over the shogunate any day," Yoshiro said.

"Besides," the apothecary went on, "the Celestial Buddha Shino has protected you this far."

Yoshiro turned away from Jin and Nokomis to face the unknown mountains to the north.

"Who says that she will stop protecting you now?" Yoshiro finished as he walked towards the hot spring.

Jin nodded his head in agreement as he got up stiffly from the ground. Taking his fundoshi cloth with him, from where he had dropped it when Yoshiro had applied the gel to his back, Jin placed it over his right shoulder. As he twisted the material to make what Noko called underwear, he saw her blush and he smiled back at her. This was not the first time she had seen him naked.

The night before Nokomis had left Jin had 'pleased' her. Unlike Jin's first time with Shino, he had taken the initiative and had kissed her on the lips. Jin had been surprised when Noko had pulled back, scared of him. He had thought that she liked him. They had been sharing the same futon since she had come back after Yukimaru's death. "But," Jin told himself, "that was your doing not Noko's."

"What's wrong?" Jin had asked Nokomis that night as she pulled away from him.

"Sori," she had replied as she rolled off of the futon and sat in the corner of the darkened room.

Jin had gotten up and had sat by her side in his juban, his legs pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. His dark brown hair hung loose past his shoulders. He couldn't see Noko clearly as he had placed his glasses in the oshi-ire for the night, but that hadn't mattered. All Nokomis had wanted was company that night, and a listening ear, as she cried out her story about Scott. How she felt that if she found someone else they would treat her the same way. How she felt ugly about her scars on her body. Everything.

In the end Jin had placed his left hand into her right one and had repeated the same words to Noko that he had said to Shino many years ago.

"I'll always be gentle with you Noko," Jin had said as he squeezed her hand.

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend."

"Someone who is worthy of your love will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them."

"If you are searching for that one person that will change your life, you've found them. You have certainly changed my life."

Nokomis had stopped crying and had looked up at Jin's face. She didn't understand how this simple man liked her. She was far from beautiful. Nothing like her cousin Echo. Nokomis had inherited her looks from her mother, but yet this young man that she had met was nothing but kind to her. Jin treated her with respect, understanding, and love. And as soon as Nokomis realized it she asked the question out loud.

"You love me?"

Jin had smiled back at her that night as he released her hand. He placed his hand onto her chin and leaned forward to gently kiss Noko on her lips.

"I do," Jin had replied back, "Come back to bed. I will not touch you unless you tell me I can."

And of course Nokomis had allowed Jin to touch her that night.

"Jin?" Nokomis questioned holding his white gi out to him.

Pulled back from his thoughts Jin turned around so that Nokomis could help him on with his gi. As he turned back around to face her, placing the right side of his gi down and tying the two hip strings together in a bow, he could see her shocked face. She had seen his wound.

"Yoshiro says it could have been worse," Jin replied as he took his kimono from her trembling hands, "if I hadn't been wearing the o-yoroi."

"You should be seeing a...," Nokomis trailed off as she didn't know the Japanese word for doctor.

"Yisheng," Nokomis said in Mandarin.

"Someone who helps sick people," she explained in Japanese.

"Ah," Jin said in recognition, "a Yakuzaishi."

"I'm glad we both know one," Jin said as he gestured his head to were Yoshiro was by the hot spring waiting for them both.

The climb through the forest had been easy at first. Beautiful soft dirt trails that wound through evergreen and cedar trees. Multiple bird species that would announce their arrival. And Nokomis swore that she had seen a bear. She nudged Jin, who was walking next to her, and pointed to the small streak of black that disappeared into the forest.

"Kokuma," Jin said quietly to her as he watched the cub run away from them.

"I wonder," Jin said as he carefully stepped off of the trail to where the cub had been.

In a thick bush there were some left over cherries from summer. Jin quickly pulled them from their branches and placed them into the sleeve of his kimono.

"For dinner," Jin told Nokomis as he returned to the trail and her side.

That night they camped near a small stream that wound its way down the steep mountain's side. Jin had stood in the stream, in only his white gi, and had caught three fish with his bare hands as Nokomis watched from the rocks nearby.

"How does he do that?" Nokomis asked as Yoshiro came up to her to ask her for help with the firewood.

"You have to understand the fish," Yoshiro said leading Noko away from the stream.

"Fish understand their situation by the water that surrounds them. If you oppose that water flow, the fish will notice and escape you."

"But if you entrust yourself to the water and approach the fish from downstream," Yoshiro said, "you have a good chance of catching them."

That night, as the three of them sat around the campfire eating cooked fish and sweet cherries, Nokomis and Yoshiro had fixed Takeda Shingen's sode for Jin.

Nokomis told her friends what she knew from Kin Takeda's letter, but she left out the fact that Jin had written the letter later next month.

"So if the shogunate is coming after us," Nokomis said staring into the fire, "it would make sense to get off this island."

"Would they follow us to China?" Nokomis asked turning her face towards Jin.

"Hai," Jin replied sadly. "Until Councilor Kariya Kagetoki has my head on a stick, mounted outside the door of his house, none of us are safe."

"I know of a place where we can hide," Nokomis said quickly. "My mother and I were in Loulan, China before I came here. There is a cave," Nokomis skipped the word for tomb, "there."

"No one will find us inside."

Yoshiro sat nodding his head in agreement with Nokomis, but Jin wasn't liking the plan.

"Iie," Jin replied sadly, "it is better if I leave. You both head to Nagasaki without me. Maybe you can both get passage on a European ship there."

"I will only slow you down," Jin went on before the others could protest.

"Ta made!" Nokomis cursed in Mandarin at Jin.

"I'm not leaving you!" Nokomis finished in Japanese.

"You have to," Jin said looking soulfully into her eyes. "I can't see you hurt because of me. I have to do this alone."

"You don't have to do this alone anymore," Nokomis said, "you have Yoshiro and me."

"No!" Jin replied getting upset, "That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Yoshiro asked.

"I'm not...," Jin trailed off.

"Not what?" Nokomis asked this time.

"I'm not," Jin sighed and continued, "I'm not strong enough."

"Strong enough?" Nokomis questioned before her temper exploded.

"Naozhong!" Nokomis spat at Jin in Mandarin, rising up from the ground.

Jin knew that Nokomis would be upset at him when he had suggested that the trio part ways, but he was unprepared for her mad temper streak. Jin could only watch and listen as Nokomis converted back to her first language that the Europeans spoke, as she paced up and down in front of him, yelling at him in a language that he couldn't understand. Eventually Nokomis switched back to Japanese and stopped in front of Jin.

"You think that leaving Yoshiro and me and going it alone will make you stronger?" Nokomis spat at him.

"Hai," Jin said regretting his answer and he quickly replied no.

"What is this?" Nokomis yelled at Jin throwing her arms up into the air.

Quickly Jin was on his feet and grabbed Nokomis' hands into his.

"I can't lose you again!" Jin shouted at her.

"I can't," Jin lowered his voice and dropped his head to the ground.

"You almost died from hososhin," Jin said as tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.

"And then Yukimaru tried to kill you with his wakizashi."

"Both of those times had been my fault," Jin said raising his face up.

Nokomis stood there shocked as she watched the tears flow from Jin's face.

"I can't Noko," Jin whispered, "not again. I'm not strong enough to lose you a third time."

Nokomis quickly gathered Jin into her arms and pulled the crying young man to her chest. Here was someone who would die for her, no questions asked, to keep her safe and Nokomis didn't know what to say to him.

Suddenly Nokomis' father came to her mind. It was the night before she had left for Japan. Nokomis had not planned on coming home again and had said her goodbyes to her parents. Somehow Ray knew that something was bothering his daughter and he had come up to her room around ten o'clock.

Nokomis remembered talking to her father for an hour and a half, about everything and nothing at all. Right before Ray got up off of Nokomis' bed to leave he had given her some advice.

"Nokomis," Ray had said, "remember the older you get, the more you realize that it isn't about the material things. It's about our hearts and who they beat for."

Nokomis pulled Jin tighter to her chest. If she had never gotten lost in the desert, her Aunt Jean never would have had to come to her rescue. Nokomis in turn would have never met Jin and in return Jin would have never met Yoshiro. Nokomis wondered how completely different her life would have turned out had she stayed at the expedition site.

Nokomis knew that her circle of friends had decreased in size, because when she was home she didn't have the time to see her New York friends. But in the end it hadn't mattered to her. Because her new friends, in Japan, had increased in value. Jin and Yoshiro were better companions for her too.

Nokomis' friends at home were rich, cool, and treated people they came into contact with poorly. Jin and Yoshiro were poor, but well educated and treated other people with kindness and compassion. They were happy even though the two men had nothing. They just made the best of everything they had.

"Always help someone," Yoshiro had told Noko one day as he gave away the trio's money to a poor widowed mother of two small children, "you might be the only one who does."

Nokomis' friends back home were always getting her in trouble. Blaming her for things that they had done wrong. Her cousin Echo had seen it, even if Nokomis' parents didn't believe their daughter when Nokomis had told her parents that her friends were lying.

"Nokomis," Echo had told her before Nokomis had left for China with her mother, "make sure everybody in your boat is rowing and not drilling holes when you're not looking. Know your circle."

Nokomis felt Jin pulling away from her. Here in front of her was the only circle that she needed.

Nokomis had tried too hard to search for love after what Scott had done to her. Looking for another person to be with that wouldn't take advantage of her. And in the end she didn't need to look that far. Love had found her in the most unexpected way, in a young man from before she was born, in a hopeless place, in a far away country. And she was never going to let that go.

"Jin," Nokomis said quietly, "your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come."

"Hai Jin," Yoshiro said coming up to the pair and placing a hand onto Jin's shoulder. "If you do not enter the tiger's cave you will not catch its cub."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Jin said silently to himself.

"Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely," Yoshiro continued.

"I'll stand by your side," Nokomis told Jin, "no matter what happens."

"Stop worrying about the shogunate," Nokomis said as she leaned in and kissed Jin gently on his lips.

Pulling back Nokomis said, "Worrying won't stop Councilor Kariya Kagetoki from coming after us. It just stops you from enjoying the good times we have now with each other."

The underbrush crackling in front of Nokomis woke her with a start. She didn't remember closing her eyes and saw that the sun was beginning to set. She smiled thinking that Jin was coming back for her.

In the weeks that had followed that first night at the stream, Jin's affection towards Nokomis had grown. Often at night the two would sneak away from Yoshiro so that they could enjoy each other in private. They would return in the early morning with smiles on their faces and holding hands.

Yoshiro would smile back at the pair and sometime in the day would pull Jin to the side and talk to him privately.

"You love Noko," Yoshiro stated to his adoptive son mater-of-factually.

"Hai," Jin replied as he turned his head to see Noko following behind him.

Nokomis wore a green tsukesage kimono with a plain background. Medium, hand embroidered red and blue flowers sat inside the seams. The sleeves of the kimono were short. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, but it was not done up in a bun. The end hung lose past her left shoulder as she bent down to pick a flower, placing it behind her right ear.

"So," Yoshiro went on, "when are you going to ask her?"

Jin just shrugged his shoulders and looked forward once again.

"You've been yaruing Noko for nights now," Yoshiro said. "Time to make it official."

Jin would blush and stop walking, waiting for Nokomis to join him as he held her right hand in his left.

Nokomis caught sight of something white in the brush ahead of her and she held still. Both Jin and Yoshiro wore black hakamas and she wondered if it was the shogunate that had finally found her.

Four days ago she had broken her waraji. The straw sandal had become stuck in a rock as the trio had crossed a river. And when Jin had pulled on her arm to help her out, the waraji had broken in the arch area. Yoshiro had inspected the sandal after they had crossed the river.

"We don't have any hemp to fix it," Yoshiro said, "I'll have to take them into a nearby town or village."

Jin had not been pleased with Yoshiro's plan to leave Jin and Nokomis up in the mountains and go alone into the next town or village they saw, but two days later Jin had no choice but to let the apothecary go.

"Choshi ga warui desu," Noko told Jin when she had awoken that morning.

Jin could only hold Nokomis' hair out of her way as she turned and vomited into the grass by her side.

Slowly the trio had made their way through the forest, heading west, but had to stop often because Nokomis would get sick. Nokomis had been walking without her waraji, in only her tabi socks, never complaining, but her constant stopping was slowing their progress tremendously. That night Jin asked Yoshiro to examine Nokomis as the young samurai paced back and forth nearby, waiting anxiously.

"What's wrong with Noko?" Jin asked as Yoshiro walked up to him.

"Nothing's wrong with Noko," Yoshiro said smiling, "she's ninshin."

Nokomis gasped as a woman wearing a white kimono stepped into view. Nokomis knew who the woman was. The woman had taken Nokomis' hand in October and December of last year and had helped her to cross through the round glimmering portal back to her world.

The woman who Jin called the Celestial Buddha Shino was two weeks early and Nokomis pulled herself further into her hiding place afraid.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jin walked quickly and quietly through the forest back to the stream the trio had crossed last night. Squatting down Jin held the dead bird by its neck and began to pluck the chicken's larger wing feathers off first with a downward motion. He then moved onto the smaller feathers placing them into a sleeve of his kimono. Yoshiro would somehow make use of them Jin knew.

After the bird was plucked Jin drew his wakizashi out of its scabbard to dress the chicken. Placing the dead bird's head on a nearby flat rock, Jin took his sword and removed the head. Turning the bird over he made a circular cut at the hind end of the bird, creating an opening into the cavity of the body.

Jin held his wakizashi into the running water of the stream, to remove the blood, before he returned the sword to its scabbard. He knew that Noko needed food. She hadn't kept anything down in two days now. Jin hoped that by boiling the bird in water, to make a soup, Noko would be able to keep some of the broth down.

After Jin had returned his wakizashi to its place by his side, he reached barehanded into the opening he had just made in the chicken. Using gentle, firm pressure he worked his way into the body cavity until his fingers could go no further.

"Takeda Katsuyori Yoshinobu Jin," a voice said from behind.

Jin quickly stood up, the chicken still in his hands, and turned to face the voice. A man in his early thirties stood before him surrounded by half a dozen younger men. The older man wore a brown kataginu over a mossy green kimono with split black hakamas. A sugegasa sat on the older man's head hiding his eyes. The older man's right hand sat on the pommel of his katana. Jin had never met 'The Hand of God' before, but he knew the man instantly.

"Councilor Kariya Kagetoki," Jin said with distaste in his voice, "forgive me for not bowing."

Kariya raised his head up and smiled coldly at Jin.

"Show me the mujuushin kenjutsu skills that killed Mariya Enshirou before I end your life," Kariya sneered at Jin.

"Ta Made!" Jin cursed as Kariya's bodyguards slowly pulled their swords out of their scabbard's and advanced on his position.

Fighting in pairs, the first two bodyguards descended upon Jin.

Councilor Kariya Kagetoki watched the fight before him, never moving, as the ronin fought for his life.

Jin curved the fingers of his right hand downward and quickly scooped out the dead birds intestines throwing them into the bodyguard's face on his right. At the same time he tossed the dead carcass at the bodyguard on his left. As Jin had guessed the man on his right held up both hands to cover his face, while the man on his left lifted his katana up to stop the bird. Acting quickly Jin got behind the bodyguard on his right and used his body to push the bodyguard into his opponent's oncoming sword.

Jin then drew the man's wakizashi from its scabbard , that he had just pushed, as Jin heard the second bodyguard's sword penetrating the first man's abdomen. Before the startled second man could react Jin thrust the wakizashi into the man's abdomen from the side. Jin pulled the wakizashi from the man's side as the two bodyguards fell at Jin's feet. But Jin didn't have time to rest as two new bodyguards took their place.

Jin raised the borrowed wakizashi into the air and stood his ground. His left hand was on the handle of his own wakizashi. He needed the two bodyguards closer to him if his next move was to work. Slowly the two bodyguards worked their way towards Jin. As soon as they were close enough Jin charged.

Jin threw the sword that he held in the air into the man's throat on his right. He drew his own wakizashi from his side blocking the second man's katana aimed towards him.

Before the man could react Jin pulled his katana from its scabbard and drew the blade across the man's chest. As soon as Jin heard the man's surprised cry and saw him start to fall forward, Jin quickly took his wakizashi and brought it in line with his katana.

Placing both hands on each of his swords that Jin held together; his right one near the tsuba's and the left one on the pommel's; Jin raised the two swords over his head. As his opponent fell forward, Jin took a step backwards and with all his might brought both of his swords down. His swords made contact with the back of the bodyguard's neck. Jin closed his eyes for only a second as the katana and wakizashi cut through the bodyguard's skin, broke the bodyguard's vertebrae, severing the spinal cord, before moving on to the esophagus and trachea. The bodyguard could only gasp as the swords finished their cut, severing the jugular veins and two carotid artery's before making their way out of the man's throat.

Jin opened his eyes up and turned towards yet another two more bodyguards, as the dead man's head rolled from his body to land in the stream.

Dripping with blood Jin took a sword in each hand and stood up to face yet another round, breathing heavily. One of Kariya's bodyguard's turned tail and ran. Jin watched as the bodyguard fled up the hill to where Councilor Kariya Kagetoki stood watching the fight.

But before the bodyguard could get past the roju, Kariya quickly pulled his katana out and ran it threw the bodyguard's abdomen. Pulling his sword out Kariya nonchalantly flicked the blade, to remove the blood, and placed the sword back into its scabbard.

Kariya raised his right hand up to his sugegasa and touched the brim with two of his fingers, bowing his head slightly before removing his hand, as if to say that he wanted to see more from Jin.

Jin gritted his teeth and prepared for his opponents attack. The bodyguard's katana cut from left to right and Jin carefully ducked out of the swords way, as he swung his own katana at the bodyguard's chest.

Seeing the katana coming his way the bodyguard jumped back to avoid the blow. Jin braced himself for the bodyguard to come after him, but the man darted off. Jin quickly looked to his left to see the man splash across the stream and work his way up the hill on the other side. Suddenly Jin heard a hissing past his right ear and saw the fletchings of an arrow sticking out of the retreating bodyguard's back.

As the bodyguard sank to the earth dying Jin turned to face Councilor Kariya Kagetoki as he walked calmly towards him. Jin quickly placed his wakizashi back into its scabbard and surveyed his surroundings. He was getting angrier by the minute and he breathed deeply trying to repress the anger that he felt. If Jin wasn't careful he would be killed right here and Nokomis would never know.

Councilor Kariya Kagetoki had only two bodyguard's left with him. An archer on Jin's right and a trembling swordsman on Jin's left. Jin knew that the swordsman wouldn't give him any trouble. Jin could sense that at the first sign of trouble that the swordsman would run. And Jin paid the swordsman no attention as Kariya stopped a few feet in front of him.

Jin drew himself up to his full height and with perfect clarity spoke to his assassin.

"I knew this would happen one day," Jin said evenly, standing extremely still.

Jin slowly brought his katana forward, level with Kariya's face, and stared at the older man with hatred in his eyes.

Jin's sword was his soul and even though he didn't have a master to defend anymore, he had something better. But Jin also knew that this was a fight that he might die in also. He couldn't put off this battle, he would have to eventually go through it, but not today.

Slowly Jin lowered his katana but kept his eyes on Kariya's face.

"What's this?" Kariya asked, "Are you afraid of me? You won't fight me?"

"Iie," Jin replied, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then fight me," Kariya raised his voice to Jin becoming impatient.

"Becoming fearless isn't the point," Jin said calmly, "That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it."

"Nonsense," Kariya roared, "Fight me or your 'gaijin' bride and your apothecary friend die now!"

Jin took a deep breath and released it slowly. Kariya didn't have Noko or Yoshiro. If he did he would have revealed them to Jin by now. The roju was trying to break Jin down and have him make the first move. Jin was beyond the councilor's tricks.

"Know this Councilor Kariya Kagetoki," Jin said with a calmness that shook the archer to the roju's left.

"It is my mature to be kind, gentle, and loving. But when it comes to matters of protecting my friends and family, who are dear to my heart, do not trifle with me," Jin said as he emphasized the word not.

"For I am the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know if you do."

"Enough!" Kariya roared at Jin as he reached for his katana by his side.

This was the moment that Jin had been waiting for. As Kariya rushed at Jin with his katana, Jin stepped to his right and raised his left arm up so that the sleeve of his kimono was in the direct path of Kariya's sword. The councilor's blade cut through the silk material of Jin's sleeve sending the material falling to the ground and a flurry of freshly plucked chicken feathers into Kariya's face.

Jin took advantage of this by running his katana straight through the surprised archer's abdomen. As Jin pulled the katana loose he turned to see what he had expected. The swordsman of Councilor Kariya Kagetoki was running for his life and Jin thought it best to do the same.

Turning to his left, Jin ran past the startled Kariya, who was still trying to rid his mouth of the feathers, and placed his katana back into its scabbard as he went. As soon as Jin reached the crest of the hill he ran into someone standing there. Surprised he stumbled back and reached for his sword. He had to get to Noko to protect her.

"Important encounters are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other," a woman's voice said that Jin knew.

"Celestial Buddha Shino," Jin pleaded releasing his swords, "please help me."

"Hai," Shino replied, "I will always help you."

"What do you require?" Shino asked.

"Save us!" Jin pleaded as he dropped to his knees on the forest trail.

"I can only save one person Jin," Shino said sadly. "Remember I told you that a day would come when you had to make a choice about Nokomis?"

"Hai," Jin replied softly letting his face fall to the ground.

Jin couldn't make that choice. If Shino saved him then Noko and Yoshiro would die. But if he had Shino save Noko then Yoshiro and his life hung in the balance. Somehow Shino sensed Jin's inner turmoil.

"Jin at the end of life," Shino said as she fell to her knees before her former lover, "what really matters is not what we bought, but what we built."

"Not what we got, but what we shared. Not our competence, but our character, and not our success, but our significance."

Shino took Jin's chin into her hand and gently pulled his face up so that she could look into his beautiful brown eyes.

"Jin you have lived a life that matters," Shino said smiling at him, "you have lived a life of love."

A single tear fell from Jin's eye as he muttered what he thought were going to be his last words.

"Tell Noko that I love her," Jin said closing his eyes.

"Save her Celestial Buddha Shino."

Jin opened his eyes when he felt the rough hands of Kariya metsuke's grabbing his arms, thrusting his face into the forest floor, and his swords being taken roughly away from him. As Jin was pulled to his feet, his arms tied behind his back, he could see that Shino had vanished. Jin hoped that she had gone to save Noko.

Jin's only regret, as he saw Kariya walking briskly towards him, was that he never asked Noko to be his wife. And he would never get the chance as Kariya brought the pommel of his katana down onto the side of Jin's head, knocking the young ronin unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please don't do this," Nokomis cried to Shino.

"I made a promise to Takeda Jin," Shino said, "There is not much time."

"I can't leave him," Nokomis cried. "I love him."

"I know," Shino said as she bent down to the young girls level.

"Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."

"I loved Jin when I was alive also," Shino said sadly. "I only wish that our one child had lived."

Nokomis placed a hand up to her mouth as she realized who the woman was before her. This was Mr. Kin Takeda's relative. But what had she just said? One child had died. Quickly Nokomis took her hand away from her mouth and asked Shino a point blank question.

"Were you pregnant with Jin's child?"

"I was pregnant with Jin's children," Shino corrected.

"But you said that the child died?" Nokomis questioned.

"Sanjo, Jin's daughter, died of hososhin when she was two years old," Shino explained. "However Sanjo's twin, Kin, lived."

"What?!" Nokomis exclaimed as men's voices could be heard coming in their direction.

"I'm sorry," Shino said as she grabbed Nokomis' kimono and pulled her out of her hiding place.

Turning the shocked, young girl around Shino pushed Nokomis through the round glimmering portal before the roju and his metsukes could see them.

Shino stood still as the men marched by her, carrying Jin's unconscious body between a pole. Jin's hands were tied up to one end of the pole and his feet were at the other end. Jin's head hung backwards, his hair slowly working its way out of the topnotch that Jin had placed it in that morning.

Councilor Kariya Kagetoki looked to his left but only saw forest as he followed behind his men, a smile on his face, as he thought about what he was going to do to the ronin.

On the other side of the earth Nokomis sat crying on the back doorstep of her house. Her right fist pounding on the door until she had hurt her hand causing it to bleed.

"It's not fair," she muttered over and over to herself as the back door finally opened up and Ray gathered his hysterical daughter into his arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kylie sat at the head of the large square table in a solemn mood. Around her sat the people she knew all too well. Although she had never really been one to take charge she was now in that position and it scared her. She had to make a decision. Send the people she knew and loved out on assignment, or let what Professor Spengler was calling 'the end of the world' happen, and do nothing. Be like everyone else and point their finger elsewhere. Blame someone else about the problems that they themselves were having.

Kylie sighed as she waited for the last two people to join the meeting. Kylie wondered if her husband and Janine would even show up. She wouldn't blame them if they didn't. It would be her fault in the end Kylie knew. Her fault for doing what was necessary to save the people of the city in which she lived in, let alone the world.

"If they don't show up in a few minutes," Kylie said to the others at the table, "we'll start the meeting."

Kylie watched as the groups that she had assigned together went back to talking quietly among themselves.

To Kylie's left, sitting together in a semicircle, were Egon, Echo, and Daniel. They were considered team one. Then came Peter with the twins Sandy and Harry. That trio was group two and that was why Janine wasn't at the meeting yet.

"You can't take them!" Janine had hollowed at Kylie. "They are only fifteen years old!"

"I don't have any other choice," Kylie had tried to explain before Janine cut her off.

"And to put Peter in charge of them," Janine had went on with tears in her eyes. "He's going to lose them like he did my first child."

Janine had run out of the front door of the firehouse and Kylie had let her go. Kylie needed the twins help and the teenage boys were only too eager to volunteer.

"Maybe they shouldn't have volunteered," Kylie thought to herself as her head moved down the table to land on Ray, "this isn't going to be a picnic in the park."

Ray sat at the opposite end of the table away from Kylie. Next to him sat Winston and Kin Takeda. Ray and his two friends were team number three.

Kin Takeda had also volunteered to lend a hand. He was a colonel, like Winston, but Kin was Army while Winston was in the Air Force. When Kylie had tried to talk the older man out of going, saying that it was their groups problem, Kin had replied likewise.

"First Kylie," Kin had said with a sly smile, "I only look old."

"Second, I have a feeling that I'm supposed to be here," Kin had said, "It's like my destiny."

Kylie turned her head to her right. Roland sat next to any empty chair that was Eduardo's. The three of them would be known as team number four.

"Why you!" Eduardo had screamed at his wife last night. "You stay here and let someone else go!"

"I've worked everyone's names through a dozen times," Kylie had spat back. "I can't send anyone else!"

"Send Winston with Roland and me," Eduardo had stated.

"You want me to send Winston back to the Rose Garden?" Kylie had questioned. "Winston who lost his wife, Iris there. Remember?"

Eduardo had gone to open his mouth, thought better of it, but still released the stinging blow.

"You're pregnant!" Eduardo had pointed out. "And I'm not letting you risk my child's life because you feel that you are the only one who can do this!"

Kylie felt as if Eduardo had just slapped her across the face. Throughout her whole pregnancy Eduardo had referred to the growing child inside of her as 'ours' never 'mine' or 'yours'.

"I will not," Eduardo had roared at Kylie, "let you go on this mission!"

Kylie had tossed herself onto their bed crying, after Eduardo had slammed their bedroom door and left.

Kylie wiped away a tear, that had fallen from the corner of her eye, before anyone could see. She was going on this mission whether Eduardo wanted her to go or not. There was no other choice. As Professor Tseng had stated two days ago 'sacrifices had to be made'. Kylie just wished she knew who the savior was, that was talked about in Professor Tseng's ancient Han dynasty parchment.

"Kylie?" Garret asked quietly bringing her out of her thoughts.

Kylie looked towards where Garrett sat at the table next to Ray's left side. Garrett had other things going on in his life and still he was here at this meeting. After the meeting on Friday, Garrett had told Kylie what his phone call had been about.

"Go!" Kylie had said as she hugged the young man, "Give them my best wishes."

"We'll be here for you when you get back," Kylie had finished.

Garrett, Louis, and Janine were to be team five and stay here in New York City. Kylie wanted Garrett to be near his parents, who were in the hospital. But just like Roland and her, Garrett was down one member of his team.

"Kylie," Garrett said again, "I don't think that they are coming. We need to start."

"Alright," Kylie agreed.

Kylie was not looking forward to handing out the teams assignments. She had gathered all the information that every team needed. She was ready to led the way and she was asking the others to follow her.

As she looked around the table at the people who looked up to her she saw faces. Some terrified, some mesmerized, some without any expressions at all. How could she ask these people that she loved to follow her into battle against a god? And even worse, who would not return.

Kylie shook her head to clear it and began the meeting.

"Okay," Kylie began, "you all know which teams you belong in and who your team leader is correct?"

"Yes," everyone sitting around the table muttered back.

"Good," Kylie said shuffling the papers in front of her.

"Now I have each team's assignment here," Kylie said as she stopped shuffling the papers and held them up into the air.

"Before I give them out I have this to say," Kylie stated as she placed the papers back onto the table.

"I've been at this for two days now trying to figure out where best to send everyone, so that I'm not sending anyone into a situation where their emotions are high. If you have a personal problem with this, please come see me afterwards. Agreed?"

Kylie watched as all heads nodded in agreement.

"Team one," Kylie said handing the top paper to her left, "you get our newest assignment."

"While digging for a new subway line just outside of Washington, D.C. the workers ran into a door with ancient writing on it," Kylie explained.

"Professor Spengler," Kylie said, "you are the only one that I know of that has studied anything to do with extinct languages. Please see a Mr. Azhar and report back."

Egon nodded his head as he took the paper from Kylie and showed it to his daughter and Daniel. He thought about why Kylie had placed them on this assignment. Ray also knew some ancient languages, but his friend hadn't kept up on his studies. Ray had forgotten a lot and Egon figured that since Echo was just out of the hospital, the team would have to take it easy. Maybe that was why Kylie was sending them to Maryland.

"Peter," Kylie said as she passed the next paper in her pile to where the man sat, "you and the twins get to go to Harmony, Minnesota and help the Ghostbusters of Minnesota. At a place called Niagara Cave, where there is an underground waterfall, a crevice has appeared."

"So why call us?" Peter asked.

"It wasn't made by nature," Kylie replied.

"Ghosts?" Sandy Tully said as he adjusted his rimless, rectangular shaped glasses on his nose. "Sweet!"

"Now just a minute there Sandy," Peter said to the excited young teenager, "no one said anything about ghosts. We are just going to make a routine spook check."

"Your routine spook checks ain't routine Uncle Peter," Sandy replied.

"Aren't," Louis said correcting his son.

Sandy just made a face at his dad and went on.

"Well it says here," Sandy said pointing to the paper that Peter was holding in his hand, "that Brock Myers states what they found at Niagara Cave was a Class 1. And last time I checked that's a ghost."

"And if you read further Mr. Smarty-pants," Peter went on, "the only reason the Ghostbusters of Minnesota listed what they found as a Class 1, was because the group heard voices. That's all."

"Correct," Kylie interrupted before Sandy could talk back. "As Peter said before Sandy, this is a routine spook check."

"The Minnesota group is new to our franchise and they just need someone more familiar with our procedures," Kylie said, "that's all."

"Something safe for the twins," Kylie said to herself as she turned her attention to the next group.

"Ray," Kylie said changing the subject, "you're team leader for team number three."

Kylie handed Egon the next paper in her stack and watched as it was passed down to Doctor Stantz. As soon as Ray had the paper in his hands she went on.

"As you can see I'm sending your group back to Italy," Kylie stated. "We need more information about where the Sistine Chapel went and its connection to Vigo Von Homburg Deutschendorf."

"Well from our research that we did years ago," Ray said gesturing with his head to where Egon sat, "we know that Vigo was born in 1505 in the small Balkan Kingdom of Carpathia in Hungary."

"Yes," Kylie replied, "and Hungary is near Italy so there has to be something there."

"We'll do our best," Ray answered.

Kylie turned her head towards Roland and handed him the next to last paper.

"We make up team four," Kylie told Roland, "and we are going back to the Rose Garden."

"With or without Eduardo?" Roland asked.

"With," Eduardo said from the top of the stairs to the third floor, startling everyone.

All heads turned towards Eduardo. He had on a pair of blue jeans with a green long sleeve shirt and an orange vest. His brown hair was a mess, having not been combed in a day or two. Along the side of his face was a day's worth of stubble.

"So you finally decided to grace us with your presence 'Goat-Boy'," Garrett said in anger. "Why did you...," but Garrett wasn't able to finish his thought as Mr. Takeda interrupted him.

"A word spoken can never be taken back," Kin said.

Garrett turned his face to his right as Eduardo came forward and sat in the empty chair by Roland's side.

"Who made you boss?" Garrett asked with a hint of resentment in his voice.

"All I'm trying to say," Kin said lowering his voice, "is that sometimes the person who's been there for everyone else needs someone to be there for them."

"Garrett," Ray quickly interjected before the young man could retaliate, "Just because it pops into your head does not mean it should come out of your mouth."

"Do you understand?" Ray finished staring Garrett in the eyes.

Garrett knew that Eduardo had left early last night. Garrett had been in the sleeping quarters, a floor below the married couple, when he had heard them fighting. When Eduardo had slammed the door Garrett had been waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Garrett had asked blocking Eduardo's way.

"Out," Eduardo had simply stated as he jumped the railing to his left to get past Garrett.

Garrett had been quicker, moving his wheelchair sideways to hold Eduardo's legs up against the banister.

"I don't think so," Garrett had replied as he took Eduardo by the shoulders and pushed his upper body back into the banister.

"Move it!" Eduardo had shouted trying to push Garrett away.

"Only when you come to your senses and apologize to Kylie," Garrett had replied holding Eduardo at bay.

"Never!" Eduardo had shouted.

"Garrett?" Ray asked again. "Do you understand?"

Garrett rubbed the side of his face. He remembered that Eduardo had somehow gotten his right arm loose. Garrett had been unprepared for Eduardo's right hook that sent him flying out of his wheelchair. As Garrett laid sprawled in the middle of the floor, Eduardo had kicked Garrett's wheelchair into the nearby wall and had stormed down the stairs to the first floor.

Shocked, Garrett had laid on the floor, as he heard Kylie crying above him. A minute later he had pulled himself along the floor with his hands towards his wheelchair. Setting his wheelchair into an upright position Garrett had pulled himself into its seat before he went to see what was wrong with Kylie. That was when he had learned what had happened between the pair. And Garrett had become angry at Eduardo.

Now Doctor Stantz was trying to calm his anger, as well as Mr. Takeda, and Garrett thought back to his last conversation with his mother before she had ended up in the hospital.

"People change for two main reasons Garrett," Mrs. Miller had said, "Either their minds have been opened or their hearts have been broken."

When Garrett was ready to leave that day his mother had one more piece of advice.

"Look after your friends," Mrs. Miller had said placing her hand on Garrett's face. "Make sure they're okay. Sometimes they are going through things that are really heavy, but they might not say it."

"What was Eduardo going through that he had made Kylie cry?" Garrett wondered to himself as he now understood what Doctor Stantz was saying to him.

"Message received," Garrett said as he looked to where Eduardo sat wanting answers.

Eduardo saw Garrett glaring at him. He felt like garbage. How could he have hit the only person that he considered a friend?

After Eduardo had knocked Garrett out of his wheelchair, he had left the firehouse in a rage. Eduardo had walked north until he had come across some girls prostituting on the street corner.

"Looking for a good time," the girls cooed at Eduardo.

"No!" Eduardo had grumbled brushing past them and continuing on his way uptown.

After a time Eduardo had found himself standing outside a bar. He wasn't one to lose himself into a senseless stupor anymore. He had responsibilities now. He was going to be a father soon.

"The hell I am," Eduardo mumbled to himself as he pushed open the door and went inside.

Eduardo ruffled a hand through his already messy hair.

"Garrett," Eduardo muttered, "look man, I'm sorry about what happened last night."

"I was upset and I took it out on you," Eduardo said bringing his hand back down to his side. "Can you forgive me?"

Garrett nodded his head.

"Yeah man, just don't do it again. Deal?" Garrett asked.

"Deal," Eduardo agreed before turning to face his wife.

Kylie was tired looking, Eduardo noticed, with circles under her eyes. She held her body rigid, preparing for whatever Eduardo was going to throw her way. But her husband only reached out with his right hand and placed it on the table in front of her, palm up, and opened wide.

After Eduardo had had a couple of drinks he had met a young girl in her early twenties. She was alone and the girl reminded Eduardo of Kylie when they had first met. Her name was Krystal.

Krystal had short, blue tinged hair, like Kylie had long ago, and wore a pair of large gold hooped earrings. Krystal's tank top was a sparkly, pink satin material with small plastic circles that hung from it. Her short, black leather mini-skirt complimented her white rabbit fur shrug that she wore. Krystal's petite frame was shoved into a pair of six inch high-heeled platform shoes, bringing her face up to Eduardo's level.

With Kylie, Eduardo was always looking down on her and he liked the way that Krystal had listened to him that night. Kylie hadn't listened to his wants and needs in a long time. But had he even told Kylie what he had wanted? Eduardo didn't remember.

"Sounds like you need someone who can give you what you want," Krystal had said right before the bar closed early in the morning.

In his drunken state, Eduardo had watched as Krystal had stirred her drink and then pulled the wooden stick out. She carefully licked the stick with her tongue before she spoke again.

"I can give you what you want Eduardo," Krystal said in a low, sexy voice, "and more."

Eduardo didn't remember how he had gotten back to Krystal's place, but he did remember petting, kissing, and necking Krystal before he reached his hands up, inside her leather mini-skirt. Lifting Krystal up by her buttocks, Eduardo placed her onto the kitchen table before he unzipped the fly and undid the top button on his jeans.

"Oh Kylie," Eduardo said in perfect bliss as Krystal wrapped her legs around Eduardo's waist.

Krystal unwrapped her legs and pushed Eduardo's body away from hers.

"Who the hell is Kylie?" Krystal spat at Eduardo.

Reality suddenly sank in and Eduardo realized what he had almost done. Quickly turning Eduardo fled out of the apartment. He had walked the streets of New York pondering what he had done until about five minutes ago. Now he found himself standing on North Moore Street looking across the street at the brick firehouse, wondering what he should do.

When Eduardo had left he had hated Kylie for what she had done. How dare she place her life and that of their child's in danger. How dare she tell him that there was no other way out. Then someone stopped by his side.

"You know," Janine's voice said in a far away tone, "I wish I had never answered that advertisement in the newspaper for a secretary."

Eduardo turned his head to where Janine stood next to him. One hand held her faux, leopard fur coat closed, the other held a tissue to her face. Janine had been crying and she dabbed at her eyes before she spoke again.

"I wish I had never met Peter," Janine went on, "but I did."

Janine sighed and dropped her hand away from her face.

"You know Eduardo," Janine said, "some family trees have beautiful leaves, like Professor Spengler's."

"And some have just a bunch of nuts."

Eduardo stifled a laugh as Janine smiled up at him for the first time that day.

"If I hadn't met Peter then I never would have met Louis Tully and gotten to know him better five years later. I never would have had my beautiful children too."

"Before I met Louis, I had been convinced that I didn't need another human being to make my life complete," Janine said, "but let's be honest Eduardo."

Janine turned her face to look into Eduardo's eyes.

"Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them as disasters in your soul, but cracks to put their love into," Janine said softly, "is the most calming thing in this world."

"My husband has made me laugh. Wiped my tears. Hugged me tight. Watched me succeed. Seen me fail. Kept me strong," Janine stated looking back at the firehouse.

"Louis made me a promise. That I will have him as a friend forever, long after all our children have grown up."

"And even though I get angry at people and say terrible things to them, I have to ask myself one question."

"What question is that?" Eduardo asked.

Janine turned back to Eduardo.

"If I were to die tomorrow, was it worth wasting my time being angry?"

"Eduardo," Janine said as she released her coat and gently placed her hand on his right arm.

"Have you ever just stopped and realized that if you hadn't met a certain person that your entire life would be completely different?"

"Not really," Eduardo said shrugging his shoulders.

"Where would you be right now, this very moment, if you had never met Kylie?" Janine asked.

"I don't know," Eduardo said turning his face away from Janine, "still living with my older brother Carl I suppose."

"Probably getting into trouble," Eduardo rambled on, "maybe sitting in a jail cell right now."

Janine nodded her head in understanding and squeezed Eduardo's arm before she released it.

"I've seen you grow into a fine young man over the years," Janine said. "I've seen you come to terms with your brother."

"I've seen you learn how to show respect to others and the most important one of all. I've seen you learn to love."

"One of the hardest decisions you'll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away," Janine stated, "or try harder."

"What are you going to do?" Eduardo asked turning to face Janine again.

Janine smiled up at Eduardo.

"Try harder," she replied. "But not before I give Peter a sympathetic pat on his head, with a hammer."

"Go on," Janine urged, "I'll be along shortly."

"Kylie," Eduardo said softly, "I'm sorry about last night."

"I know that a tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart and I have broken yours."

"I walked the streets trying to figure out how to apologize to you and the only thing that I came up with was this. People always say you don't know what you have until it's gone. And while that maybe true, what about the other side of it?"

"Other side?" Kylie questioned.

"Yes," Eduardo replied. "What if I did know what I had?"

"What if I knew that I had the best friend in my life sitting before me. And what would happen if the best thing in my life disappeared in the blink of an eye? Would it matter if I knew what I had or not?"

"Well," Kylie asked, "would it?"

"Well Kylie," Eduardo said, "since I know that you are my best friend, my lover, my wife, it would matter to me."

"When I first saw you I was afraid to meet you. When I first met you I was afraid to kiss you. When I first kissed you I was afraid to love you. But now that I love you I am afraid to lose you."

"Eduardo," Kylie started to say, "we went over this last night."

"I know," Eduardo said stopping Kylie before she could go on. "I know that you tried to talk to me last night and I yelled at you. I'm sorry about that."

"I hold my hand open before you Kylie for a reason," Eduardo said.

"Love is not about holding hands while you understand each other. It's about having many misunderstandings and not leaving each others hands."

"Please don't leave me," Eduardo pleaded, "Forgive me. I can't live in a world without you."

Kylie reached her own hand out and grabbed Eduardo's open one, squeezing it tightly. During the worst times of her life, Kylie got to see the true colors of the people who said they cared about her. Her great-grandmother Rose had always been there for her when her parents were not. But then Rose had died and Kylie had met Eduardo.

After time Eduardo had replaced Rose in Kylie's heart and Kylie never wanted to feel broken again. Out of the corner of Kylie's eye she could see Echo and Daniel. Kylie knew what the young couple had just gone through. If they could start over again, why not her.

"I forgive you Eduardo," Kylie said smiling at her husband as she held his hand.

"And me as well?" Janine asked from behind Kylie.

Instantly Kylie was on her feet and crossed quickly to where Janine stood by the top of the stairs. Kylie gathered the older woman into her arms as she spoke into Janine's ear.

"Always," Kylie said breaking her hug.

"Now that the gang's all here," Peter said as Janine took her seat next to Louis, and Kylie returned to the head of the table, "we can get on with this meeting."

"I'd like to get on the road before I grow old," Peter finished.

"You're not old Uncle Peter," Harry said.

"You're just crumpled," Sandy finished.

"Great," Peter said rolling his eyes. "How long of a drive is it to Minnesota?"

"Well given the current conditions and wind speed," Egon started to say.

"Never mind Egon," Peter said as he waved his hand in the air, "I don't want to know."

"Kylie," Ray interrupted, "you never said why your team is going back to the Rose Garden."

"When the workers were filling in the crater size hole they discovered a set of tunnels," Roland explained.

"So why call us?" Peter asked. "Wait don't tell me. I think I know the answer. They were not man-made tunnels."

"Correct Doctor Venkman," Kylie replied.

"Kylie," Janine said, "where are you sending Garrett, Louis, and me?"

"Team five is staying right here in New York City," Kylie said as she passed the last piece of paper in front of her down the table.

"The Metropolitan Opera site," Kylie went on as Garrett, the team leader looked over his assignment, "hasn't been fully investigated yet. I'm counting on your team to do that."

"Alright," Peter said pushing back his chair, "I'm out of here. I need to take Laurel and Hardy on the road," he finished as he jerked his thumb over his back to indicate Sandy and Harry.

"You have to tell them," Egon said quietly to Kylie so that only she could hear.

"I know," Kylie muttered back.

"Just a minute Doctor Venkman," Kylie said as she rose to her feet, "I have something to say before you all leave."

Kylie looked out over the table in front of her as the five teams watched her. She had to tell them the truth. Professor Spengler and her had discussed this before the meeting had started. The people before her had a right to know what might happen to them.

"These assignments are not gong to be easy," Kylie began. "I want all of you to take whatever equipment that you think necessary with you, along with your personal three day emergency kits."

"Make sure you check your personal kits before you leave this firehouse. I don't want you leaving and then finding out later that you don't have any food or water."

"The only thing that I will need is a sweater when I'm inside the cave," Peter said as he stood up.

"Ah no Peter," Egon interrupted, "you will not."

Peter turned to his right to face Egon.

"What are you going on about?" Peter questioned. "All these assignments are routine."

"Have you forgotten the painting incident on Friday?" Egon asked.

"A one time thing," Peter said waving his hand in the air, "You took care of that. It will never happen again."

"What about your guest Elaine's prediction?" Kylie asked.

"Who?" Peter questioned.

"Don't you remember your television show 'World of the Psychic' Peter?" Kylie questioned.

"Yes, I remember my show," Peter replied, "Oh wait, Elaine. She was the New Jersey housewife that had an affair and made up a story about aliens so she could avoid telling her husband the truth."

"Maybe Peter," Egon said, "but we can't ignore the fact that, maybe, Elaine was telling the truth."

"Elaine was an attractive, timid, woman," Peter went on, "Some guy at the bar probably slipped her something in her drink and then took her back to his hotel room and banged the hell out of her."

Egon heard Echo gasp and turned his head to see that Daniel had gathered her into his arms. This was not going to be easy for her and Egon hoped that she had made the right choice in coming along.

"Peter," Egon said turning around to face his long time friend. "I know you're upset about Dana and Oscar right now, but you need to put your feelings aside for a moment."

"Over the past year we have been warned that something is going to happen," Egon went on.

"The first time was with Raymond and Melody in Loulan, China. Ray's sister Jean delivered the message."

"Next was Echo's and my turn. Eden came in person to let me know and in a dream to Echo."

"Kylie's great-grandmother Rose came next to warn of what was going to happen."

"Even Winston got the message," Egon said, "Only it was through his wife's dead fiance, Adam Channing."

"And," Egon said getting excited, "the message has always been the same every time."

"What's the message?" Peter asked.

"They are coming," Ray, Egon, Echo, Kylie, and Winston said together.

A shiver ran down Peter's spine as reality sank in.

"Who," Peter asked become scared, "are they?"

"Eden told me that Professor Tseng had the answer," Egon replied.

"The two demons that had been vanquished long ago," Peter whispered.

"Correct," Egon said.

"I believe that your two guests, Milton Anglund and Elaine were talking about one of the two demons."

"Which one?" Peter questioned.

"Who did we battle over twenty-seven years ago on New Years Eve?" Egon asked Peter.

"Vigo?" Peter asked with surprise in his voice, "But he's gone..," Peter trailed off.

"Death is but a door," Ray said in a quiet voice.

"Time is but a window," Winston picked up the saying.

"I'll be back," Peter finished as he sat back down into his chair.

The room fell silent for only a moment before Peter spoke again.

"If Vigo is one of the two demons who is the other one?" Peter questioned.

"The only other demon that we have fought is Gozer the Gozerian," Ray said. "And that almost didn't end well."

"Don't tell me that these two have joined forces?" Winston asked.

"I believe they have," Egon said quietly.

"That's why these assignments are not going to be routine," Kylie spoke up.

"We are facing two of our hardest cases from long ago. I don't know if we can save mankind this time around," Kylie said sinking down into her chair.

"Wait a minute," Egon said snapping his fingers together, "Eden said something to me about that."

Everyone waited as Egon searched his mind for that small piece of information from last June.

"Oh," Egon said getting excited and turning to Ray. "Eden told me that Nokomis' new friend can save us all."

"Nokomis is gone," Ray cried to his friend. "She won't be back until February 22nd, and that's if she comes back at all."

"What do you mean?" Egon asked.

"I didn't want to say anything," Ray rushed on, "because of what is going on here at headquarters. But I found a letter after Nokomis had left addressed to me. She told me she wasn't coming back and my sister Jean confirmed my fears."

"If Nokomis' boyfriend is supposed to help us," Ray finished, "I don't think we can count on him."

"Okay," Peter said, "we go forward with what we have. What's our time frame Egon?"

"I believe one week," Egon replied. "I think your guest Elaine was right about her prediction about the end of the world."

"When is that ?" Kylie asked.

"February 14, 2016," Egon replied.

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To be continued... Look for the next installment. The End of the World: The Final Battle. Thanks for reading!