Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Sanyasi ❯ A Shred of Humanity ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and its characters are property of AIC and
Pioneer. The proceeding story, though based on pre-existing characters, is
the property of the author and may not be reprinted without permission.
All original characters found herein are also the property of the author and
may not be used without permission. (Did that sound official? I hope so.)

A Shred of Humanity

Chapter 1: Bad Blood

"I've come for you, Messiah," Sanyasi growled, his pistol still
poised.
"'Messiah?' Why so formal? I mean, we haven't seen each other
in so long, brother."
Sanyasi narrowed his eyes. "It has been a long time, hasn't it,
Ian?"
Kiyone's eyes widened, and shifted back and forth from Messiah
and Sanyasi. "I thought Ian was your brother's name."
"It is," Sanyasi confirmed.
Kiyone then realized where she had seen Messiah before. In
Sanyasi's room aboard the ship, she had come across the framed picture.
The other child in the photo, the one with the light eyes. Messiah's face
had aged by decades, but his eyes were unmistakable now. "You said he
was dead."
"I said I lost him to the Zaibatsu," Sanyasi corrected. "And that's
exactly what happened."
"You didn't lose me, Mitch," Messiah said scornfully. "You lost
yourself. You lost sight of the future, a future which even I saw from the
start."
"That was the future you wanted," Sanyasi said, "not the right
one."
"It was the only one," Messiah replied. "Tell me, how could we be
expected to get anything done when we were too busy kissing the asses of
our enemies? The other organizations were walking all over us, just
coming and going as they pleased. Mako had no problem with being a
doormat. That's why he had to be replaced."
"Alliances are necessary," Sanyasi said. "You might think
working in conjunction with the other syndicates is a hindrance, but I
guarantee you that you'll get even less done when they're all out to destroy
you."
"Let them come," Messiah boasted. "I'll wipe them all out."
"You're out of your mind!" hissed Sanyasi. "You know damn well
you can't exist alone as an island. You need your finger on the pulses of
everyone if you are to succeed. It's like a war out there! Without allies,
you are doomed."
"Don't you see? I'm putting an end to the war right now," Messiah
said.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war," Sanyasi replied.
"Then why aren't you dead?!" Messiah thundered.
"I am dead," Sanyasi said calmly. "I've been dead for two years,
you know that. Face it, Messiah, you didn't live up to your name."
Kiyone took the opportunity to pluck her blaster off the dead
enforcer while the two were locked in conversation. She pointed it at
Messiah. Messiah looked at her icily. "And just what do you think you're
doing?"
"Ian Grace, I am hereby placing you under arrest!" Kiyone said.
"Get down on the ground and put your hands behind your head!"
Messiah's narrow eyes slid back to Sanyasi. "What is this?
You're actually going to let her do this?"
"On the ground! Now!" Kiyone commanded.
"You know you don't want it to be this way," Messiah said,
grinning. "As much as you don't want to admit it, I'm all you've got left.
Where will you go? What will you do? Do you think letting me rot away
in some jail cell is going to solve your problems? You can't see the forest
for the trees. You've been so wrapped up in your quest for revenge that
you've failed to notice your entire world crumble to dust around you. You
have no home, and without me you have no family. Blood is thicker than
water, Mitch. No matter what happens between us, we will always be
brothers. There is more between us than just the Zaibatsu. You, in your
narrow-minded thirst for blood, fail to realize that."
Sanyasi stood as still as a rock, not saying a word. Messiah's face
grew impatient. He flicked his wrist to draw his throwing knife, holding it
up before Sanyasi in his hand. "Is this what you want?" he asked. He
threw it upon the ground, where it skidded and stopped at Sanyasi's feet.
"They were originally meant for you, and I must accept that. Take them.
What you do with them now is none of my concern. But know this: It
won't change what you are. It won't change everything you've done.
You'll always be a killer, Mitch. You can't run from your past. And
though you think that destroying me will help you confront it, you're
wrong. It will only dig you deeper. Think for a moment. How will you
carry around the burden of having killed your own brother? Will it make
you feel better? I think you know that it won't. You want redemption?
Then for once in your life show a shred of humanity. Let me go. Walk
away. You've made your point. Now let us both move on with our lives."
Kiyone watched Sanyasi carefully. The expression on his face did
not change. The wind that had blown his coat before had died out. He
looked as solid as if carved from stone. All except for one thing. His
hand, the hand which held his gun so tightly, did something it had never
done before. It began to shake.
Kiyone trained her eyes back on Messiah. "You want to show
humanity, Mitch? Help me take him in. We've got the Zaibatsu right
here. We bring him in, and the whole thing goes up in smoke. Your fight
is already over, Mitch. You won."
For a split second, Sanyasi took his eyes off Messiah, who took the
opportunity to reach into his pocket and pull out a pistol. Kiyone caught
the movement, and fired a quick shot before Messiah had a chance to aim.
The bullet zipped cleanly through his arm, causing the gun to fall from his
grasp. He winced in pain as he covered his injury tightly with his hand.
He looked back at Sanyasi, as if expecting a response.
"Mitch, you know it's the right thing to do," Kiyone said hurriedly,
hoping to end the standoff as son as possible. "You can do a lot of good
by helping me now."
"Don't you dare listen to her, Mitch!" Messiah shouted. "She'll
arrest you the second she gets the chance! All she sees is a criminal."
"Mitch, if you help me, we could work out a deal," Kiyone said.
"No jail time, alright?"
"Don't believe a word!" Messiah said. "She's treating you like
some stray dog! If you send me to prison, you'll rot right alongside me!"
"Not if I can help it," Kiyone said. "But it's a sure bet you will if
he gets away!"
"It's a lose-lose situation, Mitch! Just do what will clear your
conscience and let me go!"
"Do the right thing, Mitch! Help me take him in!"
Messiah's words had sunk deeply into Sanyasi's core. It was true
that he had hit rock-bottom, holding a gun to his own brother. He had
never allowed himself to feel self-pity, but now it all came bubbling to the
surface. Instead of wanting to finish what was started, he felt an
overwhelming desire to just run away and leave everything behind him.
He wished he was a million miles away. He wished that he could run
forever. But, he knew that he couldn't, and, somewhere down the line he
would have to face his demons again, and again, and again until either they
or himself were destroyed. He had once told Kiyone that he had nothing
to lose and nothing to gain. At no time did those words ring truer than at
that moment.
The hand that held Sanyasi's gun stopped shaking. He shifted it
from Messiah to Kiyone. "Drop your gun and kick it over to me," he said
evenly.
Kiyone's eyes went wide, her face white. "Mitch..."
"Drop your gun and kick it over to me!" he repeated.
Kiyone paused a second, scarcely believing what was happening.
Ever since she had first met him, all Sanyasi could talk about was getting
revenge on Messiah. He was like a rabid dog, relentlessly attacking,
foregoing his own safety for the sake of his mission. And now, in the
position he had seemingly sacrificed his future for, he balked. He was
letting his mortal enemy go. Kiyone reluctantly laid her gun down and
pushed it with her foot over to Sanyasi. "Don't do this, Mitch."
"He's my brother, Kiyone," Sanyasi began deliberately. "And he's
my responsibility. I won't let you drag him off to spend the rest of his life
locked away!"
"Think of all he's done," Kiyone pleaded. "Think of what he did
to you."
"I am," Sanyasi said, "and there's more to it than you can possibly
know. You wouldn't understand."
"I don't need to," Kiyone said. "All I know is that you're giving
him exactly what he wants. Don't let him get away with that, Mitch. Let
the real law handle it, not his own."
"I'm sorry, Kiyone," Sanyasi said. "I have to do this. Please
forgive me..." He pointed the gun back at Messiah. "...Brother." He
fired.
Messiah hunched over when the bullet went through his
midsection. He tightly clutched his arms around the entry wound, gasping
heavily. He wobbled on his feet and grunted in pain, blood slowly leaking
from the wound and spreading its stain on his gray long-coat. He looked
at Sanyasi, shock on his face. Sanyasi fired again.
The second bullet hit higher, completely knocking the wind out of
Messiah. He fell to his knees, struggling just to breathe. He wheezed and
coughed, a mixture of blood and spittle dripping from the corner of his
mouth. Sanyasi limped forward, and stopped and stood over his brother.
Messiah looked up into his eyes, his own face the picture of disbelief. His
eyes were wide and his body trembled. He looked at Sanyasi, his normally
cold eyes looking for nothing but compassion. Sanyasi's icy countenance
broke, his own eyes giving way to tears. They slid down his face and
dripped to the ground in front of the kneeling Messiah. Sanyasi raised his
pistol and emptied the clip into his brother's chest.

Chapter 2: The Curtain Falls

Nothing moved. Kiyone just stared. She stared at Messiah's body,
riddled with bullet holes. She stared at Sanyasi, whose face was wrinkled
in a pain that went far greater than the wounds in his thigh and arm. The
air was still and thick, the silence oppressive. Even the smoke from
Sanyasi's empty gun seemed not to move, suspended motionless in the air
lest it disturb him. Kiyone just stared. Nothing moved.
Slowly, Sanyasi lowered his tired arm, his gun coming down to
swing nonthreateningly at his side. A few more tears picked their way
from his eyes down his cheeks. He blinked once, as if to confirm the
scene before him, and what he had done. He relaxed his hand, and the gun
fell. It clattered metallically on the concrete rooftop, the echo seeming to
spread out and envelop the entire skyline. It was a sound that Kiyone
knew she would hear for the rest of her life whenever she closed her eyes.
It was a long time before Sanyasi moved again. He continued to
stand in front of his dead brother, head down, to pay his last respects.
Then, just like that, it was time to leave. He turned around and grasped
gingerly the buckshot wounds in his arm, picked his feet up, and shuffled
towards the elevator, his injured leg sliding behind him. It was a surreal
picture to Kiyone's eyes. She had seen Sanyasi do amazing things with
nothing more than a pair of guns and his own two feet. Now, those feet
dragged, as if encased in lead. His arrow-straight posture was reduced to a
pathetic slouch. All the determination and fire that had so annoyed her
was gone. All that remained was a husk; a transparent shell, like an empty
bottle.
It was amazing to her when she recognized the feeling she was
having as pity. Just a day before she wouldn't have cared whether Sanyasi
lived or died by anyone's hand. The man infuriated her simply by being
alive. He was the antithesis of everything that she believed in and valued.
He was a cancer among decent people throughout the universe. But now,
she saw none of that. She saw through all his fronts of toughness and
anger, saw through to what he really was: a man. A sad, lost man.
Man or not, she remembered her duty and went for her gun. She
picked it up and pointed it at Sanyasi's back. "Mitch, stop," she said, in a
voice that half commanded, and half begged.
Sanyasi did stop. He stood still for several moments. "Kiyone..."
"You murdered him," Kiyone said. "I'm sorry, Mitch, but I have
to do my job."
Sanyasi sighed. "I know," he said softly. "That's what I wanted
from you." He imperceptibly reached his good arm into his coat and
grasped the last pistol he had on him, a sidearm he had brought for just
this occasion. "I'm sorry, Kiyone."
Contrary to the wounded shuffle he had adopted before, Sanyasi's
pivot was lightning quick. His coat flared from the turn as he brought the
pistol out from his coat and pointed it at Kiyone. Reflexively, Kiyone
pulled the trigger of her own blaster, wincing as the crack of the shot
shattered the stillness around them. Sanyasi stood, his pistol still pointed
at her, a blank look on his face. The gun fell from his hand before he
wobbled and fell forward.
Kiyone rushed over to him and knelt down, trying to get him on his
back. After he lay flat, his glassy eyes looking up at the sky, she inspected
the wound. "Shit, you've been shot in the liver," she said. "If I don't get
you help, you'll die soon." She sprang to her feet to go get help, but was
halted when she felt something around her ankle. She looked down to see
Sanyasi grasping it tightly.
"Don't go."
"Mitch, you'll die," she protested.
"It's better this way," he said, his voice surprisingly soothing.
Kiyone looked down at him. He had five minutes, tops. There was no
way she could have gotten him help fast enough, anyway. He was a dead
man.
Sanyasi slowly dragged and pushed himself to a nearby wall, where
he propped his back against it. He reached into his coat and pulled out a
cigarette from his pack. After lighting it, he took a deep drag and leaned
his head back as he blew out the smoke. Kiyone knelt down next to him.
"You know, those things'll kill you," she said, trying to show courage in
the face of death.
"I really should stop, shouldn't I?" Sanyasi suggested, smiling
slightly. He growled in pain. "Motherfucker, that hurts."
Kiyone looked over at where Sanyasi's pistol had fallen, and for
the first time noticed that the action was open. She gasped when she saw
that there was no bullet in the chamber. "Mitch, your gun wasn't loaded!"
she said in disbelief.
Sanyasi looked up at her. "Yeah, I... didn't want to shoot you by
accident." The cigarette hung limply from his mouth, seeming to suspend
magically on his lower lip.
"So, then, that was the plan," Kiyone realized. "You knew I would
shoot you."
"Yeah," he said simply.
"Why would you do that, Mitch? Why would you make me do
that?"
"You're the only one who would," Sanyasi said. "Look at who's
around me. They're all either just like me or they believed that what I was
trying to do was right in some way. You saw past all that. You're the first
person I think who has ever seen me for what I truly am. And so, after
judging myself, I chose you to execute the sentence."
"Is that why you kept me around?" she asked. "You didn't kill me
because you wanted me to kill you, is that it?"
"Yes," Sanyasi replied.
"You used me!" Kiyone yelled. "Just like you used Iggy and
everyone else you've met!"
"It's the only way I could ever get what I want," Sanyasi said flatly.
"Would you have killed me if I asked you to?"
"There had to have been another way," Kiyone said, almost crying.
"Instead, you took a coward's way out!"
"I suppose I did," Sanyasi said. "But I've been fighting for so long.
I'm so tired, Kiyone. I didn't want this to go on anymore."
Despite her feelings of anger and betrayal, Kiyone could not help
but fail to hold back some of the tears she was holding in. Sanyasi lifted
his hand and brushed the tears away. "You'd better stop doing that," he
said with a smile, "or you'll fool me into thinking you actually give a shit
about me."
"I hate you! I should never have met you!" Kiyone said, catching
herself in sobs.
"I know," Sanyasi said. "And I'm sorry that you did."
Kiyone and Sanyasi stared at one another for several moments.
Kiyone was so confused; she cried over how she was manipulated, about
all the hell that Sanyasi had put her through. Still, she wondered if some
of those tears weren't shed for Sanyasi himself. No matter what he had
put her through, it was nothing compared to what he had had to endure.
She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be in that situation.
From watching Sanyasi, she hoped that she would never find out.
"You know," Sanyasi said suddenly, his voice down to a whisper,
"I guess I never really noticed before, but you've got really pretty eyes."
After staring into those eyes a few seconds longer, Sanyasi's own eyes
closed. His head drooped to one side, and the cigarette fell from his lips.
The quiet that had surrounded them before had returned, and
Kiyone's confusion did not alleviate. She felt like she was being pulled in
a dozen directions at once. Feelings of anger, resentment, pity, sadness,
relief, and loss all welled up and overwhelmed her. She remained on her
knees, crying for some time. She barely noticed when the elevator doors
slid open.
Out stepped Grifter, Lassiter, and Namesake, who hurriedly
inspected the scene. They immediately saw the lifeless Messiah, whose
body lay a scant few feet from the helicopter that would have delivered
him from danger. They did not have to look long to see Kiyone kneeling
next to Messiah, drawn to the sound of her crying. They all slowly inched
closer, not sure if they believed what they were seeing. To them, the man
they knew as Merchant was unstoppable, a divine force, invincible to those
who challenged him. It was a great shock to see his bloody body lying
still. Even more scary was the thought of their own mortality, and how
close they had all come to death that day. Silencer, Hazard, and Haywire
didn't have time to think about such things.
Lassiter was having trouble finding words. "I... I don't understand.
I thought... I thought he was here to take over. Why..."
Kiyone stood up and took a deep breath, making a considerable
effort to stop crying. She did not make eye contact as she walked past the
three men to the elevator. It did not even dawn on her that she should
have been arresting them at that moment. She had had enough. It was
time to go.

Epilogue

"Hey, Washu!" Tenchi called, leaning into the laboratory. "We got
a letter from Kiyone!"
"I'll be right out!" she called back. Tenchi sat down in the living
room, and opened the envelope. Ryo-ohki looked over his shoulder
expectantly, excited at the arrival of new news. Ryoko made her way
down the stairs and slumped down on the cushion next to him.
"Did you put Mie down for her nap?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Sure took long enough, though. I tell you, it
may only take two people to make a kid, but I doubt a whole army could
raise one without losing sleep."
"Well, it is a big responsibility," Tenchi replied. "Thank God
Washu is here to help. I don't know where we'd be without her."
"I don't want to think about it," Ryoko said. She lightly hit Tenchi
on the knee. "So, hurry up! What does she say?"
"Hang on, let's wait for Washu," Tenchi said.
"Does Yosho want to hear it?" asked Ryoko.
"I'm sure Grandpa is busy," Tenchi speculated. "I'll bring it up to
him later."
The door to the lab opened and Washu pranced out, taking a seat
across from Tenchi and Ryoko. She folded her hands between her knees.
"Okay, start reading!"
Tenchi took the letter out and unfolded it. He cleared his throat
before he began to read. "'Dear Tenchi, Ryoko, Washu, Yosho, and Ryo-
ohki. It's been a long time since I've gotten the opportunity to write to all
of you. I would have written sooner, but things have been pretty hectic
here at Galaxy Police headquarters. I'm handling several cases right now,
and people have been talking that I'm up for another promotion. And so
soon after making Sergeant! That whole business with the Zaibatsu really
made my career take off. Pretty much the whole department has read my
report on it, and every day someone new is patting me on the back. It's
hard to believe it's only been six months since that happened. It seems
like it was ages ago. I don't think I'm quite over it yet. It's a hard thing to
forget, isn't it? Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and, even
though I don't remember, I just know that I was dreaming about all I went
through with Mitch. I keep thinking that it wasn't right to shoot him, even
though that's what he wanted. I suppose no one could blame me; there
was no way of knowing whether or not his gun was loaded at the time.
Maybe I should just stop worrying about it. After all, I have no idea what I
would want if I were in his situation.
"'But, enough melancholy for one day. On to happier topics. Boy,
do I have some exciting news about Mihoshi! You remember when I told
you about how she and Iggy's brother Gabriel were an item? Well, last
week Gabriel proposed, and Mihoshi said yes! I talked to Gabe the other
day and I asked him why he would want to marry someone like Mihoshi,
and he said that it's much easier for him to be around her. Apparently,
most of the women he knows are professional, career-minded women who
are looking to climb the corporate ladder. He said that Mihoshi is like a
breath of fresh air. How in the world anyone can think something like that
is beyond me.'"
"Well, well, Mihoshi's getting hitched," Ryoko said. "That guy
Gabe is going to have his hands full."
"From what Kiyone has said, I think he can keep her out of
trouble," Tenchi said.
Ryoko grinned wickedly. "That's not what I meant."
"Ryoko! You are terrible!" Washu interjected.
"Hang on, there's more," Tenchi said. He continued on with the
letter. "'Anyway, Iggy is jealous as heck about it! From the minute he
laid eyes on her, I think he was head over heels. Even though having her
as a sister-in-law ensures him that he'll be seeing quite a bit of her, I don't
think that he ever thought of her as a sister, if you get my drift. But Iggy is
actually doing quite well for himself. He's back in school now, and he
works after school in the R and D section of the company.'"
"'Despite her matrimonial prospects, Mihoshi is still the same
old... Mihoshi. She's still a Detective First Class, and we don't work
together nearly as much anymore. She's always finding excuses to hang
around in my office, which I really don't mind. Now that I'm not working
with her every day, I realize that she's a lot of fun to be around. And I do
help her out whenever I can, so I guess we're still partners in a way. The
more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?
"'Well, I do have some more good news. Mihoshi and I are up for
some vacation time, so we'll be stopping by to see you soon. Maybe this
time we'll actually make it to Earth! And on the way back, we'll probably
stop and see Ayeka, Sasami, and Arcese, too. From what I understand,
there are suitors stacked up like cordwood in the palace. I sent her a letter
and asked her about it, and I can't wait to hear about what's being done.
You know, it's funny; every time I go into the cafeteria here at
headquarters, I half expect to look past the counter and see Sasami at the
stove. Guess I'm just nostalgic for old times. Or, maybe it's because I
haven't had a decent meal since she last cooked for us!
"'Well, nothing much else to report for now. I probably won't
send a letter before we come and visit, so I look forward to seeing you all.
I'll ask the Gilbrides if they would like to come and visit, too. I'm sure
Mihoshi would delight in showing off her fiance. And who can blame her!
The guy's young, handsome, rich; even I'm a little jealous! Drop me a
line and tell me how you are. And how's the baby? I can't wait to see
little Mie. That picture you sent me of her is absolutely adorable! She
looks so much like Tenchi! I can't wait to see you all again. We'll see
you soon!
"'Best wishes, Kiyone and Mihoshi.'"

The rain had started just before Kiyone got out of the cab. She told
the driver to wait there, and walked briskly through the icy droplets to the
entrance to the cemetery, the sky almost as gray and cold as the headstones
themselves. She passed by the black iron gates and continued on down the
paved path that led towards the back of the plot. It was the first time she
had visited the cemetery on Agravaine. She wasn't quite sure what had
made her come and visit that day. But whatever it was didn't care about
the cold rain.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the man standing in
front of the grave, his back turned to her. Who else could possibly care
enough to be there? She approached to find out, her sharp footfalls
resounding off the tarmac above the sound of the falling rain. The man
turned to see who was there. They recognized one another instantly.
"Lassiter."
He nodded. "Detective... Kiyone, is it?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Well, actually, it's Sergeant, now."
"I see," Lassiter said blandly.
An uncomfortable silence ensued. Two people, on opposite sides
of the law, who had been forced to work together, now stood facing one
another again. The likes of them were locked together in an eternal
struggle against one another. However, Kiyone and Lassiter had removed
themselves from combating each other. They now stood not as enemies,
not as allies, and not as friends.
"Your arm looks better," Kiyone said finally.
"Yeah, it's okay," he said, flexing it for proof. "How have you
been?"
"I've been alright."
"Are you here for the same reason as me?"
"Probably." She stepped in beside him and looked down at the
headstone which read, simply, "Mitchell Grace."
"You come here a lot?" Lassiter asked.
"No. First time."
"I come here a lot," Lassiter said. "I guess me and Mitch both have
a hard time letting things go."
"What's the Zaibatsu like these days?" Kiyone asked.
"Done," he said. "After... what happened, a few of the other
syndicates moved in and took over. All the operations and jurisdictions
were divided up."
"So, really, nothing changed at all," Kiyone said wistfully.
"Same shit, different people," Lassiter chimed in.
"Unbelievable," Kiyone said. "All that, and it was for nothing."
"In the grand scheme of things, you're right," Lassiter said. "But,
for some of us, it was everything."
"Are you still in organized crime?" asked Kiyone.
"Nah. The three of us beat it the hell out of there before the
hammer dropped. We're just doing odd-jobs now." They stood in silence
for several moments before he asked, "So, why did you come?"
"I don't know," Kiyone confessed.
"Did you like him?" asked Lassiter.
Kiyone shook her head. "I hated that man's guts."
Lassiter laughed heartily. "That seems to be the popular
consensus."
"What about you?" Kiyone inquired. "Did you like him."
Lassiter looked down at the ground. "Mitch was one of those
people that never gave you the opportunity to like him. I guess, more than
anything else, I looked up to him. He was the glue that held everything
together. When he was around, you just knew that everything was going
to turn out okay."
"Seems like it didn't turn out that way when he dragged me along,"
Kiyone said.
"He was always in control," Lassiter said. "Except for that one
time. And he paid for it. By the way, how's that kid. What's his name..."
"Iggy," Kiyone finished. "He's doing fine. He's back in school
now."
"Good, good," Lassiter said. "He won't turn out like us."
"I don't think he ever would have," Kiyone speculated.
"I got another question," Lassiter said. "Not that I'm not grateful
or anything, but how come you haven't tried to arrest us?"
Kiyone sighed. "I just didn't want to deal with it anymore. I mean,
The Zaibatsu consumed Mitch's life. I guess I didn't want the same thing
to happen to me. I figure, if the GP brass has no idea who you are, then
who am I to tell them what's what?"
Lassiter smiled. "Well, that's mighty nice of you."
"I'm doing it for me, not you," Kiyone clarified.
"Well, regardless, thanks," Lassiter said.
Another silence ensued. The two paused from their conversation
to look down at the headstone. It was a simple monument to a complex
man. Kiyone felt it fitting that it gave no other information other than his
name. She knew that Mitch would not want to be remembered for
anything. Just letting others know that he was once alive would be
sufficient.
"On the roof," Lassiter said suddenly. "It was you who shot him,
wasn't it?"
Kiyone was not surprised that he knew, although she was surprised
that he had brought it up. If he had held some kind of grudge against her,
then why didn't he contact her sooner? And why wouldn't Grifter and
Namesake be with him? "Yes," she answered. "I was doing my job."
Lassiter, eyes still trained on the headstone, nodded. "Mitch was
the kind of guy who wouldn't let things happen if he didn't want them to."
"Hmm," Kiyone said. She took a few steps back. "I'd better go.
Do you... need a ride?"
"Thanks," he said, "I think I'll stay a while."
Without saying anything, Kiyone turned around and walked back
to her cab. Lassiter did not make any attempt to say anything, either. In
the war between law and lawlessness, they were enemies. They could not
wish each other farewell.

THE END