Pain. It pierced right through his toes and his feet felt like leather, stretched and dried ;bearing the marks of needles that sewed endlessly. He could still walk, but barely. And it was just the first few minutes on the pathway.

The first mercenary he passed shouted "Traitor" and started throwing stones. The rest soon followed suit. They hit with deadly accuracy, causing his face and arms to bleed profusely. He tried to shield his head and face but it didn’t seem to help.

He passed the next row of mercenaries. By now, they had crowded round the pathway to look and jeer at him.

"Fool!" One sneered and then spat at him. The spit landed on his cheeks with a disgusting splat, but Mitsui didn’t respond. He just concentrated on taking that little step forward.

Another rushed forward. Ryu.. Mitsui thought vaguely. A brash, hot-headed fellow.

"This is for the day you stole my client!! " Ryu shouted vehemently and pushed Mitsui to the floor. He landed a few short, powerful punches at Mitsui who didn’t have the energy to resist and then laughed.

Mitsui grimaced, and half-turned on the floor. I have to go on... there is no - other - way ...

He got up, but with great difficulty. The men beside him jeered and some laughed at some crude joke. They started throwing stones again. Mitsui told himself to forget all of them and to just -concentrate - on walking through the pathway.

But after Ryu’s example, the men started to get more and more daring. Some younger mercenaries, obviously rash and out to have ‘fun’ started a game.

"Come on, he can’t hit back. .. let’s see who can beat him down! "

Some giggled at the prospect of Mitsui standing meekly at their jeers. Some went forward to pull punches on Mitsui, some light, some heavy. The heavy punches drove Mitsui to his knees. Sometimes they even drove him lying on the ground.

Others brought vinegar, and just for the highlight of seeing Mitsui grimace in pain, threw the contents of the whole bottle of it at Mitsui, causing his wounds and cuts to flame and sting.

Not - one - word - of - pain .. Even his thoughts were getting hazy. He couldn’t tell how long he could go on , like this. Not when his body was shouting for release and not when he couldn’t even see the end of the pathway.

When the only thing he could see was a certain prophet ...

It wasn’t even half of the pathway yet.

"Hey guys! Look what I’ve got ... ! " Nishimoto. A man of average height. He was holding a bottle of wine. "Got it from the kitchen... "

He sneered at Mitsui. " You look kinda thirsty, my Brother. Let me offer you a drink ... " With that, he proceeded to hurl the whole bottle of dark wine at Mitsui’s head. Laugher. Cruel, mocking laughter.

The bottle hit Mitsui directly at the side of his forehead. The shattered pieces flew all over, another souvenir for the Gift of Freedom. The aroma of the wine filled the hall, and it flowed from the remains of the bottle like a blood river.

The blood dripped from Mitsui’s head as if someone had just let the dam loose. Mitsui crashed to the ground. No word of protest. No scream of pain. Just a silent fall.

He couldn’t even feel the sharp stones underneath anymore. He knew it was a bad sign but he was relieved. Perhaps, they would let him rest now... Perhaps, he could drift into that soft nothingness .. where there was no pain, no hurt, no nothing...

His feet hurt ... the skin was torn and sore by now, and he would probably have to wash it out properly to get rid of all the small pebbles that have got caught in the bloody holes the bigger stones made...

He was tired ... so tired...

There was only one road ...

The mercenaries had a song. It had one of those silly, sing-song tunes that people just remembered. Mitsui didn’t know just how the song floated up in his weakening consciousness.

it was long and it was winding...

He just stayed there. Lying face-flat on the stones. The laughter, the rancid smell of the men surrounding the pathway and Tetsuo’s face were withdrawing... It was as if they had become farther and farther away. Very soon, he would not be able to hear them , or see them.

And there was no one else...

But the pain was still there. A pain that screamed and bit at him in all parts of his body. His head spun and he barely registered the red liquid that flowed down his forehead. It wouldn’t leave him alone, it mocked him, and its tendrils twirled themselves all over him. Perhaps he would choke on his blood and they would all leave him alone ..

you have to walk it all alone ...

The egg grew and burst his veins. A creature crawled out of it and its claws are biting acid that scratched on his stomach. It would demolish the wobbly reality there in his head but it seemed to be restless. It gnawed at his flesh, and pain spiralled up (or down?) . The creature soon unfolded and spread its wings. Mitsui wondered in a daze whether it would ever climb out of him. Each step it took griped into every fibre-thin bone, and he could feel it, the wet feathery sensation that enveloped him everywhere.

Kogure stared blindly at the sight of Mitsui fallen on the pathway. A vision of Mitsui lying in a pool of blood.. Was this the one? The one vision that he swore never to come to pass? By the gods, yet another failure to add to the list ...

The men cheered and laugh. It wasn’t everyday that you get to bully a man to death. The Gift of Freedom was a gift. Except that freedom came in the guise of death. Stones can’t kill. It was the Brothers themselves who meted out death and humiliation, for the Gift of Freedom didn’t stop his enemies from killing him right on the spot.

Nishimoto exclaimed loudly. "Look at that .. that dog can’t move anymore.... " Collectively, they all stepped forward for a closer look. The stone-throwing stopped.

"Leave him alone." Nori said bitterly, refusing to look at Nishimoto at all.

"Do you call yourself a Brother of the Dagger at all?!" Nishimoto snarled into Nori’s face.

In a flash, Nori was at Nishimoto’s throat. However, before a fight could break out, a voice called.

"Stop it. Let him bear the consequences alone. Mitsui Hisashi will pay for his deeds." Tetsuo stood, a voice that sounded unnaturally calm. The men fell quiet as they waited for the fallen mercenary to die.

It was pointless. Everything was pointless. All this pain – for what? It was a world where nothing good prevailed. All would fade. What good would it do to fight? Mitsui prepared to let the pain overwhelm him, drawing him into the bottomless whirlpool and forgetting everything else..

Faith is a candle where Reason is the sun;
No one needs a candle; until Darkness falls. *

A voice, warm like summer and old as time. Mitsui stirred. Faith? Hope? What god-damned rubbish ..

What?

---Never---give---up---

The voice stirred something in him. An image of a ancient old man with a white aura. Mitsui felt the soft gentle wash of the words as that old man smiled.

---I---believe---in---you---

And he left, leaving Mitsui in a daze of wonder. Images flashed past him, his childhood, the days he spent with Tetsuo as a youth, the even more precious days he spent with Kogure ..

... ...Kogure!

That did it. If all it took was faith, then faith it would be. If he had walked thus far, anything was possible. Anything.

Nori gasped as he saw Mitsui’s hand moving. The mercenaries drew back as they saw the signs of life in the fallen man. Mitsui felt his pain come crashing back into reality. This time, he felt the full effects of it. His head was spinning with the effort and his legs didn’t seem to obey his commands at all.

Some had horror on their faces and some still sneered at the pathetic effort that Mitsui was making to get up. Some, however had a grudging look of respect.

Hope burst like ray of light in Kogure. Perhaps..

Get up, dammit!

Mitsui struggled long and hard in the hall which was silent by now. First, he kneeled painfully, crouching on the floor like a small wounded animal. Next, he attempted to stand, one hand cradling his head and one hand balancing himself on the floor. Blood still dripped from his wounds.

The pain screamed for attention. He desperately wanted to roll on his back and pretend that nothing had happened. He got up shakily; slowly but surely. Mitsui Hisashi finally stood up on the pathway. The crowd had by now, drew back, some gazing at him with a reluctant wonder.

His legs didn’t seem to obey him. In fact, it seemed his body didn’t seem to work. His head, hands and legs seemed to be separate entities altogether. He could barely move without feeling the shock of pain each time he moved.

But move he did. Slowly, but surely, Mitsui was nearing three-quarters of the pathway. The crowd stared at him, all silent at the sight of the pathetic youth in front of them struggling to walk to the end of the pathway.

"Hah, so you think you are great?" Fukuda was the first to speak. He strode down to stand at the edge of the pathway where Mitsui stood shakily. Mitsui did not even bother to answer him, except to concentrate on taking the step forward.

"This is for thinking too highly of yourself!" Fukuda flicked his dagger at the hunched figure in a swift motion. The dagger flashed, glinting a bright silver.

Brother against brother, blood against blood.

------I------

Mitsui clutched his sides and dropped with one knee to the floor. The dagger slid into his right side with a sick crunching sound. Head hanging, his breath came out in ragged gasps as one hand slowly came up to finger the dagger.

------WILL------

His hand tightened on the dagger and he stuffed his other hand into his mouth.

------NOT------

Closing his eyes, he bit into his hand as he pulled out the dagger forcibly. A spurt of fresh red blood gushed from the deep wound. He was feverish. The pain rose up and railed at him. He would gladly die if he could, but there was no way he could stop now. Not now. Not in front of them. Not when he was reaching the end.

------GIVE------

His hand bled from his teeth marks as well. Silently resisting the urge to scream at the inferno that raged at his bleeding side, he placed two hands on his knees and staggered up. The crowd stared at him, this time with slightly fearful eyes. What kind of a monster was this who had survived the pathway till now?

------UP------

So be it. He would walk till the end. Nothing was going to stop him.

"The Gods be my witness: I swear you will NOT live to walk till the end ... " A voice full of hatred hissed. Fukuda’s face twisted with fury and started to admonish the rest of the men. "Are you just going to let him go like that? Do you not remember that he killed two of our Brothers?!" Glaring at Nori, he picked up a stone the size of his palm and threw it at Mitsui. It hit his arm but it was as though he didn’t notice it.

Pain was irrelevant now.

Some started throwing stones at him again. Some just watched to see what would happen.

Just a few more steps to freedom.

"You will fucking die!" Fukuda screamed. His fingers gripped a dagger, this time, he would aim it at Mitsui’s heart. This was his one last chance to get rid of Mitsui, the only chance he would get to appease his need for vengeance.

One more step...

In a swift move, Fukuda flicked his second dagger at Mitsui.

He reached the extreme edge of the pathway.

Freedom ... !

"NO!" Kogure didn’t know where he got the strength, but he drew it out from reserves he didn’t know he had and finally broke free from his guards and ran towards Mitsui. Kogure fell in a heap beside the fallen Mitsui and cradled his face in his hands. His hands fingered the dagger in Mitsui’s chest uselessly.

"No..." Kogure whispered brokenly as he cradled the unconscious Mitsui. He had caught the look that flashed past Mitsui’s face before he toppled and fell.

A look of sweet victory.

* taken from Sean Stewart in "Nobody’s Son"

Note: The two line phrase means that in the light of harsh logic, faith is just a little candle compared to reason which is like the sun. But when 'darkness falls', meaning where there is no more hope; faith will be all that we have.

This has been an ultra-long chapter. Its a grand total of seven pages! Oh yah, people who have watched 'The White-haired Demoness' would have recognised a similarity in scene. (It happened in Xena too) Erm right, one other trivia; I was trying to decide between letting Kogure step in halfway to help Mitsui or just letting Mitsui handle the pathway by himself. In the end, I decided that it was Mitsui's fight and anywayz, he is strong enuf ^^ Agree?

"It’s an awful truth that suffering can deepen us, give us a greater lustre to our colours, a richer resonance to our words. That is, if it doesn’t destroy us, if it doesn’t burn away the optimism and the spirit, the capacity for visions, and the respect for simple yet indispensable things."
~ Anne Rice in "Queen of the Damned" ~