From: Fuu-chan All the manga and anime characters pictured in this story are property of their respective authors, copyright and all those fun things to them, the various publishing companies involved and whoever else has them.This fanfiction has been written for the simple joy of writing and also to give homage to the beautiful works which have inspired it, no profit has ever been or will ever be derived from it. The story, as well as the original characters it contains, however, are my property. And now on with the fic itself! =) Fuu-chan. -- The Other Side of twilight - Part 3. It was hard to open my eyes, awfully hard. A part of me was yelling adamantly that oblivion was better, that sleep was still needed, but I ignored the tempting voice and pulled myself awake. I blinked, realizing I didn't recognize the ceiling above me. This wasn't my room, this had more the look of the cheap structure usually found in restaurants and inns. Where....? I grimaced as pain shot in my back and my left shoulders when I tensed, remembering the events of the night. My confrontation with the Sakurazukamori. The awful strength of his spell. Its delicate, beautiful and intricate perfection. I slowly, gingerly turned my head on the left to see the red-haired samurai sitting across the open panel leading to a small balcony, his katana resting on his lap and against his shoulder. He was looking outside, where dark gray clouds were invading the sky. It was likely it would rain today. Suddenly, as if warned by instinct, he faced me and smiled. "A good day to you, Tokio-san. How do you feel?" I thought about the question for a while, trying to remember his name in the same time. He had told me that, when fog had been almost completely obscuring my mind. Himu...Himura, yes. Himura Kenshin. A fine name, which fitted his beautiful smile, not the name of a cruel, bloodthirsty hitokiri. Eventually I remembered I ought to reply to him and said with a smile of my own, "I'm weary, but I'll be all right thanks to you, Himura-san." Surprise flashed in the dark blue eyes when he heard me pronouncing his name. I grinned inwardly, quite happy with myself, and then asked him, "Where is the young woman who took care of me? I'd like to thank her properly." He nodded. "Tomoe-san will be back soon. She left at sunrise to go warn your kin that you couldn't get back home for a while." What? How could they possibly know....? He added gently, "You talked during the night, you were fevered. You said words we didn't understand, but I understood the connection between 'seal' and the name 'Sumeragi' well enough." He stood, carefully resting his katana against the panel, and came to kneel beside me. Quietly, he told me, "When I saw you in the street last night, I really thought you were dying, but when I saw your wounds...." He stared at me steadily. "They're deep, but far from lethal. What happened to you, Tokio-san?" What had happened.... I closed my eyes, unwilling to give him an answer, quite sure I shouldn't give him one. I had talked while I was under the shock of the sakanagi backlash. Perhaps I had even spoken out names which must never be disclosed to any outside the clan, maybe I had-- "I know who and what the Sumeragi are. I know they are protectors of the spiritual side of Japan." I tensed at those words, and stared back at him. His eyes grew distant, and his voice reduced to a whisper. "Just as Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu exists to protect the people." Was it wistfulness I had heard in his voice? Melancholy and grief? Regrets? Weariness, certainly. I looked into those night-colored eyes, and saw in them a terrible exhaustion which was more of the spirit than of the body. It was as if Himura Kenshin was haunted, stalked by something which gnawed at his soul a little more each day, no matter how he tried to escape. He snapped abruptly out of whichever memory or feeling which had won over him and focused on me again, adding in that same quiet voice, "We share a certain kinship, in a way. So tell me, Sumeragi Tokio-san, what happened to you last night?" I sustained his steady gaze for a while, debating what to tell him, what would satisfy him without revealing information that belonged only to my clan...to get to the conclusion that no matter what I would say, it would be impossible to completely keep hidden secrets no outsider should have heard about. Eventually I made up my mind, and decided to follow my instinct and trust Himura Kenshin, to trust him just a little bit. I told him softly, "I met our clan's shadow last night, and we fought some kind of duel. The wounds which can result of that aren't only physical, which explains the state I was in when you found me." He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on mine. There was silence in the room, until a hand slid the panel open, and the young woman who had tended my wounds entered. Himura Kenshin's eyes lighted with something which might have been happiness at her presence, and a smile came to his lips as he said, "Welcome back, Tomoe-san." She bowed almost imperceptibly, and I watched her coming towards us and kneeling beside the young red-haired samurai, wondering what the name of the small fire inside my heart was. Jealousy? Jealousy because of how beautiful and womanly she was, of how perfectly she walked with her kimono; or jealousy because of the smile she had sparked in Himura Kenshin's eyes? She set a pile of neatly folded clothes down beside me, and I recognized my hakama, my shirt and my jacket, cleansed of the blood and sowed back together. Before I could thank her, she said in her eerily calm and gentle voice, "I left your kodachi blade in the smithy of its maker. They said it would be returned to your house once they'd have found the time to see to it. Then I warned your parents I had asked for your help in cleansing my house of a curse, and that I was to blame for your absence. I told your father it had been a difficult task, and that I had insisted you spend the night resting at my house." I chuckled despite myself, regretting the impulse instantly as it sent waves of pain along my left shoulder and arm, and told her, "Thank you from the heart, Tomoe-san, for going to such trouble on my behalf." I couldn't believe she had done that. Dear spirits, she had saved my hide, giving my father the one excuse which he would buy and accept, albeit reluctantly. How had she known what to say? She smiled faintly, replying, "It was not much." Not much.... I wished I could laugh. Gathering my strength, I tried to sit up, which I managed with Himura Kenshin's help. I took a moment to catch my breath and send the pain away, then I looked out the window. It was raining. Going back home was going to be a *real* pleasure. "Was it that bad then?" My father's voice was calm, much calmer than I had expected it to be. Tomoe had helped me walk back towards the house, which we had reached in the middle of the afternoon. Once the housemaid had gotten a glimpse of me, she had called for my father who had appeared immediately. As if he had been waiting for my return. I had tried to invite Tomoe to enter and warm herself with a cup of tea, but she had quietly denied the invitation and gone back to Himura Kenshin in the rain, pretexting work at the inn where they both stayed. I had watched her disappear with her purple umbrella, and a part of me had wished at that moment that I could be like her. It was a stupid aspiration, I couldn't be other than what I was, what I had grown up to be, but.... Sometimes I looked at my reflection in the pond at the center of the garden, and thought I was growing weary of loneliness. Shrugging the matter aside, I faced my father and nodded, my lie ready. "Yes, as soon as I entered the room, it came for me. It was angry and wild. It was as if it had sensed the presence of an onmyouji, and known I was there to send it back where it belonged. It struck before I could establish a correct ward, but fortunately it didn't go for Tomoe-san. I had never met anything that strong." He considered for a while, weighing my words, and finally sighed. "It was a mistake for you to leave for such a purpose without telling me. Onmyoujutsu is not a child's game, Tokio. Perhaps this will serve as a useful lesson to you." In deadly earnest, he added, "I know you meant well, but if I ever learn this kind of thing happens again, this freedom you love so dearly will be no more--next head of the clan or not. If you must be locked in your room, you will be. Am I clear enough?" I bowed deeply, replying between clenched teeth, "Yes, father, your words are perfectly clear." He gave me a curt nod, then said quietly, "The growing unbalance must have played a role in this, it would explain how a simple stray spirit could have such surprising strength." He stood up and exited the room, saying as he slid the panel closed, "Wear something proper instead of those clothes, Tokio. You must have a kimono which wouldn't cause problems with your wounds." With that, he was gone, and I slowly held up my head, watching the ceiling and feeling like laughing. Laughing until I cried. I was reading when the housemaid slid the panel of my room open and bowed. Looking up from the book, I asked her, "What is it, Hiroko?" Softly, she said, "There is someone to see you, Tokio-san. He said he was coming from Shatku-san's smithy with something he had to bring back to you personally. I told him I could take care of delivering whatever it was he had brought for you, but he insisted I fetch you." I looked at the faint blush on Hiroko's cheeks and felt a grin coming to my face. I thought I knew who had come, and I could very easily believe he could be extremely convincing with young women if he felt like it. Rascal. Shaking my head, I stood, waving off Hiroko's unwanted help, and followed her in the corridor, vastly amused. When we reached the entrance yard, she left me with the visitor, who bowed with a flourish when he saw me. Sure enough, it was Sakurazuka Keisuke. I bowed back politely, and then he said, "I'm done fixing your kodachi, Tokio-san, so I thought I would bring it back, and check to see how you're doing." There was a question in his eyes, to which I answered with a small, careful shrug, "I'm doing well enough, thanks." I sighed wearily. "You didn't have to bring back the kodachi all the way from the smithy, you know. I'd have come to fetch it in a few days. "I smiled at him as I added, "But still, thank you." I turned, gesturing for him to follow me, and led him to the empty and quiet dojo. None of my parents would come here and ask what business I had, offering tea to a mere apprentice of Shatku the swordmaker. I bade Keisuke kneel on one of the few cushions I had taken up the habit of storing here for whenever Okita Soushi and I felt like chatting, and then went to fetch some tea. When I knelt beside him and set the cup down, Sakurazuka Keisuke said quietly, "The kimono suits you, Tokio-san." I turned towards him, ready to tell him I could do without being made a fool of, when I saw his eyes. He was serious. Denying the sudden lurch of my heartbeats, I snorted derisively, pointedly ignoring him, and made to rise. The fingers of his right hand brushed my left sleeve, sending a wave of pain, cold and something unnamed down my spine. "I'm not joking, Tokio." Had we suddenly become that intimate? I pivoted on my knees and raised my right hand, intending to punch him in the ribs for his presumption. He caught my fist in an iron grip and smiled at me, a smile which didn't reach his eyes. Softly, he said, "One of the first things they should have told you about women's kimonos is that they make certain movements more difficult, slowing them down. You should have taken that into account." I stared right back at him, refusing to be intimidated, and told him in a quiet voice, "Release me, Keisuke-*san*. Now" He did so, and I sighed, allowing the weariness to be heard in my voice when I said, "You're a fool. I told you not to cross over the limits, didn't I? I don't like being mocked, you should remember I have a mind to think, and analyze my own situation. Some things do not make me laugh." "I know." He reached out to me, gently pushing away some stray locks of hair which were invading my face. "And I also know you didn't listen to me the last time. The game we've been playing can become extremely serious if you want it to." I stood abruptly, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, and turned my back towards him. I shook my head, feeling another lump in my throat, and smiled sadly as I said, "The question isn't whether I'd want to, it's whether anyone would ever *truly* want to, and I know the answer to that as long as I refuse to become what society thinks I should be." I tried to keep the pain out of my voice, only partly successful. "And I'll never yield on that." Arms wrapped around me, gently bringing me against him, careful of my left shoulder. He had stood without a sound, and he-- "No, you don't know the answer to that question, Tokio." I blinked, fighting back what might have been tears when I heard the quiet whisper. "You do not know how I felt when I saw that young maid bringing your kodachi for repairs when I knew you'd never have let anyone do it for you." He paused for a few seconds, and then added, "You do not know how I felt when I watched you walking in the corridor, and when I saw how cautious you were around your left shoulder." I tensed when I felt his lips brushing my neck in the ghost of a kiss, torn between two opposite impulses. To break free of his embrace and run away. To lean against him and let go. Dear spirits, I was so tired, I wanted so much to close my eyes and forget the world around me, even if only for a fraction of eternity.... I raised my right hand, and rested it lightly against his, telling him in a carefully controlled voice, "Perhaps I don't know the answer as you say, Keisuke." Keisuke.... There, I had said it. My hand left his as I added, "Perhaps I will want to hear your answer to it, but not now." I sighed inaudibly, repeating, "Not now. I wish.... But there are matters which must be settled first, matters more important than you or me." I moved forward to free myself, and in the same time he released me. I walked a few steps and then said, without turning to face him, "I think it would be better if you left now, Keisuke." Before I broke down and made a fool of myself. I heard the faint sound of his steps on the wooden floor, and of the panel sliding as he exited the dojo. There was silence, then, "I can see the tears you're trying to hide, and I can feel the pain in your heart. I am no more a fool than you are, Tokio. Whether you admit it or not, our game has become a serious one," his voice reduced to a whisper as he concluded, "and it will end soon, one way or another." I turned to face him, but he was gone. Staring at the untouched cup of tea, I blinked and absentmindedly wiped away the warm, salty liquid which had started running down my cheeks. I smiled softly at the dying man trapped against the sakura, and whispered to him, "I know it hurts, but have patience, it will soon be over." Despair, absolute, joined pain and terror in his eyes, and I pursed my lips, finding the tableau to be lacking in substance. In reality. There was not enough strength, not enough life in this man. He had been a more than unworthy prey, but at least he had been a distraction for a few minutes. I watched him for a while, until eventually I snapped my fingers and ended it, bored. Focusing my mind on the Sumeragi clan, I grinned in the dim light of dusk. Everything was proceeding smoothly, just as I had planned it. Tokio had been wounded more than I had thought; the brave but foolish young woman had likely lacked the necessary reserve of strength to shield herself from the second backlash. Still, she was recovering quickly, which was good. I would have been more than unhappy to be deprived of one of the most amusing pieces of the gameboard so early. The ice around her heart was breaking, slowly but certainly. I still hadn't decided how I would end it...or whether I would end it. I would need a woman at some point, to bear my child, and the thought of having one who was the next head of the Sumeragi clan be the mother of my heir had a certain appeal to it. Ah well, I would decide when the time came. It wasn't important. What was important was that I had entered the house of the head of the Sumeragi without even triggering one of the wards he had set over the place. Laughable shields, which were as subtle as clay. I laughed disdainfully and walked away in the night, while a lifeless body was falling without a sound in the grass, at the foot of an old sakura. I felt a feral smile coming to my lips as I saw the tall, skinny boy crossing the bridge and walking over to the holy tree. It had been worth it to listen to apparently meaningless and insignificant reports, and to wait patiently. Unaware of the danger, my quarry knelt at the foot of the ancient sakura and reached out to it slowly, almost with reverence. Puzzled, I decided to keep on watching for a little while. I could wait a bit more. The scrawny boy wasn't going anywhere. I bowed my head, sighing in relief when I felt the seal still firmly anchored to the old tree. It was whole. The Sakurazukamori hadn't had the strength to cast the destruction spell again after I had run away, which told me there were limits to his power. He was a human being. I hammered the thought inside my brain. A human being, not a monster of legend. Human. I focused on the tree, watching attentively the whole seal's structure, searching for the tiniest sign of tampering, but there was none. He hadn't come back to finish his work, for some unfathomable reason. Or perhaps.... He had told my father it was a game to pass the time, he had told my father he didn't care about the city's spiritual balance. Perhaps it was true, perhaps there was no real plan, no real design behind his random destruction of seals. He was just having fun. Leading us in a wild goose chase. Playing with chaos. Damn him. I clenched my fists, angry at the Sakurazukamori, furious even. He had no right, no right to-- Shiver along my spine. I freed myself from the slight trance, my hand going for the ofudas stored in my left sleeve. Someone had just crossed one of my alarm wards. Gathering my strength, I let a veil of cold descend over me, focusing on all that Soushi had taught me. "Don't make another movement, *boy*." I blinked, unable to prevent the smallest bit of the surprise which had taken over me from showing. That voice, and the mocking emphasis on the word "boy".... Saitou Hajime, the captain of the Shinsengumi's third troops. Something inside me was finding this extremely funny. Hell, was the man my personal nemesis, or what? I felt the cold steel of his blade against the left side of my neck, and gritted my teeth. He meant business, I knew he wouldn't hesitate to sever my head from my body in the blink of an eye if he thought I threatened him. All right. He wasn't the opponent I had expected, but he would do just as well. I allowed fear to taint my voice as I told him, "I didn't do anything, sir, I swear. Here, I have my han for you to check." While I was saying this, my fingers closed around one of the ofudas in my left sleeve, and I moved in the same time, pivoting on my right foot and turning on the right to face him. I was water. I was wind. Flowing. I rested the ofuda against the flat of his blade, letting out the one sound which would release the spell. It was a simple one, a game I had liked to play when I was a kid. A wall of blinding light flashed into existence between us, as if fireworks had just blown up at our feet. Taking advantage of the confusion, I ran. "Oh no you don't. Not this time, *boy*." Pain exploded in my left shoulder as he violently struck it with the hilt of his katana. I heard a scream in the air, coming from me, and I went down, unable to prevent the horrible sensation from clouding my mind. Reflexively, I rolled on the right to protect my shoulder and lied on the ground, my hats a few steps away from me. I willed my eyes to see and focus on my surroundings, fighting the devouring pain which echoed in my body, and grasped the earth beneath the finger of my right hand for support as I slowly forced myself to rise. Focusing on anger, I locked my eyes on the man who was standing in front of me, unmoving. Waiting, with a smile on his lips. He had sheathed his katana, and stored it back at his side, as if all danger was now passed. As If I had ceased to be a threat. Ignoring the locks of hair invading my face, I frantically tried to find a way out of this mess. My left arm was hanging limp on my side; even if by some incredible chance his blow hadn't reopened the wounds, there was no way I could use it now, no way for me to use the form Soushi had taught me and which might have been my only chance to surprise my enemy. I was done for. As I realized this, and the likely consequences it would have, fury came over me like a dark cloak, enfolding my being. I stepped towards Saitou Hajime, who was still waiting with that satisfied smile on his lips. Not for much longer. Breaking into a run, I clenched my right fist, snarling, "Damn you, bastard!" The light in his eyes.... He danced to the side when I reached him, easily avoiding my clumsy assault, and said quietly as I passed him by, "The first thing you should have been taught when learning the way of the sword is to watch your adversary and find his weak point. Once you've seen that...." His right fist came towards me, in a slow motion. "Hit that weak spot, with all your strength." I had neither the time nor the strength to dodge, and his blow connected, striking my left breast with such violence that I felt the air being drawn out of my lungs. I tried to cry out, but no sound could pass through my lips. I fell forward, like a broken doll, and he caught me with his left arm, supporting my weight and holding me upright. From very far away, I heard his voice whispering in my ear, "Sword fighting has nothing honorable or glamorous about it. It's no game for rebellious girls, Sumeragi Tokio-san." He pushed me back, leaning me against the trunk of the old sakura, and a pitiful moan escaped me as I managed to get air inside my lungs. Oh dear spirits, the pain.... I focused on the feeling of the bark's rough structure against my back, and bit my tongue until I tasted blood in my mouth. I couldn't allow myself the luxury of passing out now. I couldn't. He knew my name. I had no idea how, but it didn't matter. A captain of the Shinsengumi knew it was one of the Sumeragi clan who had fought against him and defied his authority. The consequences of that.... "So, now that you understand how things stand, perhaps you will consent to answer a few innocent questions." The pain was slowly receding, in waves. I focused on him with difficulty, set on keeping my fear and despair to myself. "What kind of game are you and your clan playing at, ojo-san? What is your connection to all those unexplained murders, and what is the heir to the Sumeragi clan's leadership doing, kneeling at the bed head of an insignificant tree as if it were her best friend?" I stared at some imaginary point behind him, silent. "Answer me, Sumeragi Tokio-san." His voice was calm, level, but there was no mistaking the threat in it. I let a smile come to my lips, refusing to yield to the cold and sick feeling gripping my heart. His right hand came to rest on my left shoulder, lightly. Ever so lightly. Unblinking, I kept staring at something beyond him. In the sky, the wind was slowly blowing the thick clouds away, allowing the late morning sun to shine over Kyoto. It was beautiful, this play of light and shade.... "Since pain and defeat aren't enough to talk sense into your stubborn head, then I guess I will have to convince you by other means." His right hand closed upon my throat and he bent over me, so quickly I didn't have the opportunity to react. I wouldn't have had the strength to, anyway. His lips came upon mine, forcing a kiss, and I felt my eyes going wide with shock. With terror. On instinct, I drove my right knee up, aiming for his groin, but there was no strength in the blow and he avoided it easily. Panic washed over me like a tidal wave, refusal and denial a howl in my throat, eclipsing the fury which had engulfed me. No. Shit, no! I felt tears coming to my eyes, and in a last, desperate attempt, I slapped him wildly with my right hand. He stepped back, reflexively feeling for the bruise on his left cheek but his eyes still set on me, cold and merciless. Like a wolf's. I shook my head, feeling sobs rising up my throat, undeniable. In a hoarse, broken voice, I cried at him, "Curse you, Shinsengumi bastard! What will you do once I've disclosed secrets you can 't even begin to understand?! Will you annihilate my clan for fear we'd take a part in your insignificant struggles for power?! What will it mean to you if I tell you the city's spiritual balance is breaking because an assassin who's been our clan's shadow for centuries felt bored?! What will it mean to you to know this murderer uses Onmyoujutsu to kill in a way no sword can?! What will it mean to you if I tell you that this old tree is one of the ancient seals protecting Kyoto, that I've been defending it and saving it from destruction?!" My voice faltered as sobs came over me. I couldn't even feel the tears run soaking my face. This fool of a samurai would undo all our clan had stood for for countless years, because of me. Mastering my emotions with a desperate effort of will, I went on in a hoarse whisper, "We guard what your eyes cannot see, what your hands can never touch. Your world isn't ours, we care little for who sits in power and who doesn't. We simply carry out our duty and watch over the spiritual side of Japan, we have nothing to do with your despicable political games!" The sound of my voice faded into silence, and I leaned my head back against the old sakura's trunk, trying to control my ragged breathing. It was done, I had given him his answers, and betrayed my clan in a mad, desperate attempt to save it. For I had understood. I had understood with a mercilessly clear certainty what he would have done if I had kept silent. I had seen the light, the cold fire in the wolf's eyes. He would have turned against the clan, and then.... My whole body was shaking, as if fevered. "It would mean that I would watch you closely, but give you free reign to act unhindered. It would mean that I or one of my men might be nearby when one of yours is attacked by that assassin, and might help." I stared at him, uncomprehending. Was he saying that he believed what I had told him, and understood we were not enemies of theirs? Could it be? He came towards me, adding in that same quiet voice, "Shinsengumi's motto is 'Aku. Soku. Zan.' Evil will be destroyed instantly. We share that, Sumeragi Tokio." No. No, he was wrong. He didn't understand. We had always achieved balance, coexisted with our shadow. It was the way of things. Light and dark both needed one another...but I couldn't argue the point with him now. What mattered was that the clan was safe. Safe. He reached out to me, his fingertips wiping my tears away in a surprisingly gentle gesture, and then he brushed away the hair which was hiding my face, whispering softly, "What I did to you was harsh, but you must know you should never expect mercy or compassion from your enemy. Fairness never was a part of war, remember that." A smile came to his lips, all of a sudden. A gentle, secret smile which brought more tears to my eyes. "You are brave, Sumeragi Tokio, and proud. In your own way, you shine, much brighter than most. I am glad I didn't have to break the spirit I see in you." I wished I could laugh when I heard that. It was perhaps true, but...I was so tired. So terribly tired. I breathed deeply, and looked into his eyes as I asked, "Why do you believe me? Why does a Shinsengumi trust my words?" He chuckled. "Didn't your swordmaster teach you anything?" He sobered quickly, and then said, "I trust you because I have read your ken-ki, young lady, because I have seen the spirit of your blade. You told me the truth, even if only reluctantly." That said, he frowned while his fingers cautiously probed my injured shoulder. I fought the reflex to wince as pain flared up again, and eventually he nodded. "It's not bad, the wound is only bleeding a little, but you should have a physician examine it nonetheless." His eyes came back to my face, and he asked me, "Will you be able to walk back alone?" I thought about that for a while, and then nodded silently. He bowed to me then, smiling. "Good day to you then, Sumeragi Tokio. Until we meet again, don't forget what I told you." He went away then, not even looking back once, and I stared up at the old tree's branches, wondering what to make of all that had just happened. Saitou Hajime was a strange and complex man. A ruthless, merciless fighter who would reach his goal no matter what, and kill without the slightest afterthought, certainly, but.... There was more to the wolf than just that. I remembered his smile, and blinked as the wind rustled the sakura's branches, allowing the sunlight to reach me directly for a brief moment. A war between onmyoujutsu--magic--wielding clans.... It was the last thing we needed on our hands now. Was it nothing more than a strange coincidence, or....? I sighed softly, gesturing helplessly. The young woman clearly didn't think it tied with the current problems, but that didn't mean anything. There was little one could do to change reality, anyway. At least, I had been able to ascertain where the Sumeragi clan stood. I smiled despite myself as I thought about the young woman. I had had to push her far, farther than I had expected, and I had even thought I would have to break her. Fortunately shock had washed her anger away, clearing it from her mind and she had realized she had no choice if she wanted to have the smallest chance of saving her clan. It would really have been a waste to choke the light out of her spirit. Tokio. Her name had been easy to remember, she was easy to remember. She stood for the continued balance of Kyoto, even if it was on a plane other than the mundane, real one that I knew. In a way, we were allies, at least for a time. It was good, in a strange way, it was very good. Chasing the memory of her scent and of her lips away, I grinned as I walked the streets of Kyoto. It was time for the wolf to go back to hunting more solid enemies, like that fabled hitokiri. End of Part 3. -- This is the year of the hungry man / This is the year of the guilty man Whose place is in the past / Your television takes a stand Hand in hand with ignorance / And you find that what was over there And legitimate excuses / is over here The rich declare themselves poor / So you scream behind your door It's so hard to love, there's so much to hate.... (G.Michael / Praying for Time) --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- Want to send money instantly to anyone, anywhere, anytime? You can today at X.com - and we'll give you $20 to try it. Sign up today at X.com. It's quick, free, & there's no obligation. Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------