Vengence is MINE!!!
by Shade

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo isn't mine, nor is the other
great series that was of great influence to this little venting
of frustration over tragedies both large and small.

This story is dedicated to Happosai and the decent Sasami fans.
~~~~~~~

I felt that the setting suited my mood perfectly, the murky atmosphere
of the Border was offset by the promise of violence from one of the
endless dimensional storms that swept across the no-man's land marking
the boundries between one's reality and another's fantasy.

This was a dangerous place, outside of the normal laws that governed
what most called "reality". Here, it was different. This was the realm of
dreams and nightmares, ideas and emotions. A place that only a select few
could ever see, and even fewer still could actually enter.

Now me, I just call it the Border and leave it at that. They say you have to
be
either crazy or a fool to get in here, perhaps they're right. I've never made
any claims to sanity, and I've done some really dumb things in my time. But
now, now I'm waiting here in the middle of some of the most unpleasant
terrain
in the Multiverse for my quarry when I could be watching my favorite Anime
tapes
back home curled up in the couch with a bag of popcorn and rice crackers.

"Damn, this sucks."

I continue to keep my eyes peeled for him.
He'll have to pass through here sooner or later,
and I want to get this whole bloody business over
with quickly. Shit, I wish I'd brought my jacket.
It's getting pretty cold, a storm's coming.

A movement catches my eye.

Well speak of the devil....

There's the smug bastard now.

This is my first actual look and
I'm quite surprised, *this* is supposed
to be the one?

Slightly overweight, a handful higher then my 5 feet 5 and 1/16 inches,
and a rather sallow complexion. Surely there must be some kind of mistake!

Then I look into his eyes.

My stomach heaves involuntarily. It's him alright.
But the rules have to be followed. I can bend them
but I can't break them. Too bad, this type of scum
doesn't deserve a fair fight.

I step out to block his way as he gets near.
He looks annoyed at my interference, good.

"Are you Jeff?"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"That depends, are you Jeff?"

He has no idea of what's in store for him.
The irony of this situation doesn't escape me.

"Yeah I'm Jeff! Now who the fuck are
you and what do you want?!"

Gotcha.

I smile, but it's not a pleasant smile.

"I'm called Shade, and I'm here to kill you."

He freezes for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha!! Sure you are shortie! What'cha going to do, beat me to
death with that stupid pen of yours!!"

The pen he's referring to is currently balanced on my shoulder, 
at 4 feet 5 inches it is the biggest freakin ballpoint pen in the Multiverse.
Although the thing's pretty useless here, I just couldn't leave it behind. 
I know it's weird, but if wasn't then I wouldn't be here now would I?

Or would I? Maybe. Something to think about....later.

Did I mention that I usually think about two or three different things
at the same time? Well, I just did. Now on with the bloodbath, or something.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Get lost freak. I'm going home."

He starts to stalk off, but he doesn't get far before 
I use my ace in the hole.

"Tired of the Tenchiverse already?"

If I'd shoved a pickaxe up his butt I couldn't have
gotten a quicker reaction. Jeff swivels around with
a guilty expression on his face.

"You....you know!"

I shouldn't be enjoying his fear, but I do anyway. 

Tossing my pen to the side reveals the family sword
resting in the crook of my arm. Coming from
an old Japanese family has its advantages sometimes.

The steel blade barely makes a sound as I draw it from its sheath.
Despite not having been used for nearly a century, it's edge is still
sharp enough for my purpose.

As I move into a guard position Jeff stumbles back, his face turning
white as he realizes that I am *dead* serious. His claims to apathy
vanish as he finally confronts the reality of his actual corporeal 
dissolution.

"You're crazy!"

"Your choice, die on your feet or die on your knees."

"But I don't have a weapon!"

I point toward the ground in front of his feet where
a katana literally *pops* into existance.

"Pick it up."

Hey, I'm not *completely* helpless here.
But as authors go, I'm not that hot with the 
ego thing. I leave that kind of stupidity to 
those who don't know any better. My talent
is the written word, not some cheesy super
transformation or instant omnipotence. 

And I refuse to use an avatar! If you want something
done right you have to do it yourself. Small mass 
materialization is the most I can do in the Border,
this place is the great equalizer. In here power doesn't 
mean squat, only a strength of will counts and even then things
tend to even out in the end anyway. 

Which makes this the one place I can safely kill this little Stupid Idiot.
It also means that I can be hurt or even killed here as well.
That just makes things more interesting, without any risks
life tends to suck. Trust me, I know.

Speaking of things that sucked...

Jeff clutched his sword like a drowning man grasping for straws.

This was going to be almost too easy.

I hadn't been formally trained with a sword but I did have a 
black belt in karate and picked up just enough to be able
to actually know how to use it properly. Which was more experience 
then my oppenent had. I was no Kenshin, but he was noYojimbo.

My first overhand catches him on the arm, leaving a long red
cut behind as Jeff pulls away with a scream of pain. He manages 
to clumsily block the reverse slash, the blades ring from the impact
and I see his arms shake as a result of his sloppy grip.

I continue my attack.

With almost methodical precision I proceed to deliver several painful, 
but also non-lethal wounds to his arms, hips, and chest. Trickles of
blood flow from the shallow cuts as I deliberately avoid hitting the
arteries, that would be too fast...too easy. I'm goading him and 
both of us know it. It's stupid but I don't want to just kill Jeff,
I want to destroy him utterly.

He finally starts to take some wild swings out of desperation. Doesn't 
do him much good though, I can see them coming a mile away. The third
time he tries it I step back out of his swing then dart in and take a chunk 
at his buttocks. Not too much blood there, so less chance of him passing 
out.

"EUUUAAAAAAGHHH!!!!"

Heh, betcha he felt that one!

"Why! Why are you doing this?!"

I don't believe it, he has the audacity to actually
try and ask me to explain myself. I try to resist, but
in the end it comes spewing out in a dark torrent of 
rage and disgust.

"Your actions are unforgiveable. Your crimes beyond redemption.
Your very existance is enough of a justification for your termination."

"What good will killing me do?"

"I might as well put your energy to some good use, you Nithing.
Plus, I'll feel a whole lot better afterwords."

Time to end this.
A pity though, I was hoping for something more.....

Then my eyes seem to turn to fire and I nearly drop my sword
as the world dissolves into a malstrom of red pain.

SHIT!!!

The sonvabitch just threw a handful of sand into my face!
I stagger back desperately trying to clear my vision, even as
I do a blossoming of pain indicates that I wasn't fast enough.

I clutch my ribs, my hand feels a warm wetness through my torn shirt.
A few more inches and I'd have my guts hanging around my knees.
Still can't see much more then a blur, I need time but time is 
something I don't have anymore.

Harsh breathing from my right is the only warning, 

I duck and hear the swish as decapitation is narrowly avoided.

Stabbing out blindly in return I'm rewarded with curse as something 
briefly comes into contact. The sound of metal hitting the ground
comes a moment later. 

There are no words spoken now, Jeff's become a cornered 
animal. He's not going to stop till one of us is dead, and there's
no telling how he'll react anymore.

Damn it! I should have killed him when I had the chance.

Then I see a dark blur growing larger in front of me.

I react too late, a grunt is forced out as Jeff tackles me to the ground.
We go down hard, he's clawing and kicking while I'm still trying to 
get the grit out of my eyes. His hands come around my throat...he's 
trying to strangle me! Well screw you!! I didn't study dirty infighting for 
nothing!!

My knee smashes into his nuts at the same time I jab my 
index knuckle into where I think his throat is. Turns out to 
be his breastbone but the effect is mostly the same. He lets go.

I stagger to my feet while he curls up into a fetal position.
Most of the sand seems to have been flushed out by now.
My sight is only a little blurry at the edges. Throat feels
like hell though. 

Jeff seems to be trying to get back up. I catch him in the 
chin with a perfect boot to the head. Down he goes again.

Taking my sword in both hands I prepare to end this.

His eyes, slightly glazed over in pain, come up to meet my
pitiless stare. No quarter given in this lifetime asshole.

My blade comes down hard and fast. It cuts clean, severing
his head with one blow. It rolls to one side, forgotten as blood 
literally gushes forth from the corpse's neck.

This Duel is over.

It has only one law, a simple one really.

"In the end, there can be only ONE!!!"

As I hold my bloodstained sword aloft,
the Quickening begins.....

(The End?)
~~~~~~~~~~

Shade's note: It had to be done. After watching 'Highlander' the movie
six times in a row, having my computer crash on me, and then seeing
Kanashii no Imi in my inbox, something just snapped. Since I'm not 
allowed to deal with Leaf_chan, this was the next best thing.

-The return of Shade is coming....-

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