Subject: Story Idea/spamfic
From: Mark Doherty
Date: 6/13/1997, 10:32 AM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

If anyone wants this fic idea, they're welcome to it. I'll just use a
spamfic to set it up, as per usual. Do with this as you will.

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Duncan Macleod blinked as he stepped out of the dimly lit church into the
harsh radiance of a Tokyo summer's day. Churches, shrines, temples, from 
any and all religions, all were Holy Ground, the one unbreakable rule of
peace in an immortal's treacherous life. And so if you were an immortal, 
it was best to scout out a few Holy sites whenever you travelled, just in
case they were needed.

Kenji, the son of an old, old friend of his, Yoshio Hanakawa, had contacted
him recently, practically begging for help. Apparently, Yoshio had been
kidnapped, taken brutally in the night by a group of armed thugs. The police
had tried their best, and they had failed to find Yoshio. 

But that, in itself, was not the reason that Kenji had called for Duncan.
No, it was what had been overheard during the kidnapping by the Hanakawa's
old and frail manservant, one Sansuke Watanabe. The ancient servant, far
too infirm to fight off the thugs, had heard one of them mention something
about 'immortals'. And so they had come to Duncan, for the Hanakawa family
was one of the few who knew and accepted Duncan's true nature, they knew he
was immortal.

He had come, of course. How could he not? Duncan had known Yoshio for over
sixty years, he was a rare thing to the highlander: a true friend. But now
that he was here, what could he do? How could he find Yoshio?

"Pai! Pai, where have you gone?" a young man's voice cried out from nearby.

Duncan turned to look at the shouter. A young man, couldn't be more than 
seventeen or eighteen, he wore a bandanna and had a squint that could have
killed. He was looking around, exasperated, obviously searching for someone.
Duncan turned his gaze upwards slightly, to look at a young girl, about the
boy's age, who was sitting in a tree that the boy was under. She was smiling
as she stared down at the boy, swinging her legs as she waited for the boy
to find her.

Duncan shook his head. Ah... young love. You never truly felt the weight of
the centuries until you witnessed sometthing like that.

"Pai! What are you doing up there!?"

Duncan shook his head. Enough delaying, he had a friend to find. It was
time to talk to his contacts, see what they could find. He started to walk
down the path, towards the young couple, as he mused over a plan of action.
When he had almost reached the couple, he heard another voice.

"Pai?" another man said, in little more than a whisper. "Don't tell me
that you ate of the flesh of a mermaid as well? I can't believe you're
still alive after all this time."

Duncan looked up. Another young couple had walked up while he'd distracted
himself with his thoughts. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the male half
of the second couple. It couldn't be... not after all these years. How, how
was it possible? 

Pai looked down at the new couple. She blinked a couple of times as rusty
memories surfaced, and a name came unbidden to her lips. "Yuta?"

The girl who had walked up with Yuta looked at her companion. "Yuta, who
is this?"

"This is Pai. I haven't seen her in fifty years." Yuta answered. "I didn't
know she'd eaten mermaid's flesh like us."

"Yuta?" Duncan said disbelievingly as he walked up. "It is you! But how?
If you're immortal, why don't you give off the..." he shook his head. "It
doesn't matter. Do you remember me?"

"Duncan?" Yuta said, blinking. "Last time I saw you was..."

"1852." Duncan supplied.

Yuta nodded. "Well, imagine running into old friends like this..."

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Friends are Forever. (Or whatever title you wish)
A Highlander/Mermaids (Forest/Gaze/Whatever)/3x3 Eyes X-over.

************  
Mark Doherty  -  mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au
My fanfics and the Weekly FFML Synopses Lists are at:
http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzhdoher

"Kawaii must die."