Major thanks go to Gary Kleppe and Arthur Edwards, two
of the most steadfast pre-readers any where. BTW, if any of you need
someone who can generate organizations and weaponry for your
fanfic - leaving you to focus on story and character - then Arthur
Edwards is your man. He's done wonders for me.

Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spider-Man used without permission

-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----

	Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman
	Issue Eighteen
	Consequences

-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----




	*CLICK*
	"And in the headlines, Spiderman's battle with the man whom our
sources confirm to be Otto Octavius, AKA Doctor Octopus..."
	*CLICK*
	"Ten people are dead this morning as a result of a battle
between the mysterious Spiderman and..."
	*CLICK*
	"The Silver Fox Nightclub was discovered to be a front for an
illegal prostitution and slavery ring. The owner, Tatsu Ishikawa, has
been discovered dead when his car exploded on Highway 33..."
	*CLICK*
	Hikaru Gosunkugi hadn't slept. The horrible image played itself
on an infinte loop before his eyes. The debris falling, his webbing not
doing anything to stop it, the last few seconds of life for those ten
people whom he had killed.
	"I killed them. They died because of me, because of my
carelessness."
	He kept changing the channel on the television, hoping for
anything that would negate what had happened. Maybe he had imagined it,
maybe they were okay. But he knew it to be pointless.
	Despair wrenched at his heart and mind like a pair of calloused
hands. He couldn't save them. All the things he could do, all these
powers, and he couldn't save those people.
	He had caused them to die...
	*CLICK*
	"As I've said before, Spiderman is a menace."
	Hey, I know that guy, Hikaru thought as he watched the image of
the man on the TV. Benath his picture was the caption "Raizo Yamata".
Yeah, that was the one who had bashed him before, the first time he had
fought the Black Widows.
	"He had no right to interfere with a Koban operation," Raizo
went on. His voice was low and steady, but Gosunkugi could still feel
the accusation in those words.
	"But, the Koban still managed to shatter Tatsu Ishikawa's slave
trade," the interviewer replied.
	"True, but in the light of those ten deaths caused by
Spiderman..."
	"And what about this Doctor Octopus?"
	"He is no less a criminal than Spiderman," Raizo hissed. "In
fact, the American FBI has several outstanding warrants against him."
	"Negotiations between the White House and the Diet are already
underway for the capture and extradition of Doctor Octopus, once he is
found," the reporter said.
	"He will be found," Raizo Yamata replied matter-of-factly.
"Spiderman, however, is another issue."
	Hikaru Gosunkugi could only stare at the man who was downing
him, and knew he deserved every word.
	"In fact..." Raizo stared directly into the camera, seemingly
into Gosunkugi's own eyes. "I am offering a reward of ten million yen
for any information that leads to the arrest of Spiderman."
	"Ten *million*!" Gosunkugi shouted in disbelief.
	"Also, an additional ten million for anyone who manages to
capture that webslinging monster himself."
	"Twenty million yen on my head," he whispered as he muted the
television. He rose to dress for school. He desperately needed some
normality, and he could ill afford to miss any more days.

---------------------------------------------------

	"Wow." Nabiki could hardly believe what she had just heard. This
guy was offering *twenty* *million* *yen* for the capture of Spiderman!
It took an effort for her not to openly salivate at such an obscene sum
of money.
	I can collect on that, she thought. I have a good lead in Hikaru
Gosunkugi...
	That thought brought her up short. Should she risk it? Trying to
find out who Spiderman really was had gotten her and her family in far
more trouble than she was ever prepared to deal with. It had nearly cost
them all their lives!
	But twenty million yen could go a long way with her financial
savvy... No more selling semi-nude photos of Akane and Ranma to that
drooling retard Kuno, no more blackmail, no more financial insecurity...
	But it could get her killed. Her, Akane, Kasumi, her whole damn
family!
	Was it worth it?
	Nabiki Tendo was slightly worried that she couldn't honestly
answer that question.

	"What a load of crap!" Ranma shouted after inhaling his
breakfast. "Spiderman tried to save them!"
	Akane cast a sidelong glance at him, slightly worried about
Ranma's outlook on Spiderman. She could tell that he held the
wallcrawler in pretty high regard and - given how he had helped them out
against those Black Widow robots - she could understand it. But was
Ranma letting his respect for Spiderman blind him to the fact that the
costumed man had chosen to fight such a powerful opponent so close to
innocent people?=20

------------------------------------------------------

	Raizo Yamata emerged from the shower, having finally rid himself
of the TV makeup and feeling clean again and rather satisfied with
himself. Tatsu Ishikawa was dead. Anything the Koban managed to find in
the man's computers that related to him in any way would be squashed by
Chief Toju. And, best of all, Spiderman's days were severely numbered.
With the bounty he had just placed on the man's head, every vigilante
and loon in Japan would be swarming into Tokyo to try for that twenty
million yen prize. It was amazing how the goddess of fortune could smile
on a man so brightly.
	Raizo toweled off before wiping the condensation from his
mirror. Lady luck was on his side, but he knew how capricious she could
be. When she was yours, she was the most beautiful lady. When she sided
with another, she could be a real bitch.
	The blow drier came to life with its high-pitched whine. Hot air
blasted against his hair, evaporating the remaining water.
	Leung's men had stormed Tatsu's former nightclub, therefore the
Chinese man had to have determined the real culprit at nearly the same
time he himself had. Raizo had anticipated such, but he had never
dreamed that the infamous Doctor Octopus was on the Triad's side!
	Before turning to crime, Otto Octavius had been a well-renowned
scientist. One of the foremost in his field, even. Raizo couldn't recall
what had caused the German man's downfall, but he would check into that.
	"A former Nobel Prize winner working for the Triad," he mused
after clicking off the blow dryer. The comb came next, sculpting his
hair into its usual style. "What are you up to, Pao Leung?" Raizo made a
note to check into Otto Ocatvius' published research and articles.
Whatever the Triad was up to, it had to be huge.
	He completed his grooming ritual and emerged into his bedchamber
for the suit his wife had thoughtfully laid out for him. The meeting was
in an hour, and he had to be ready. His answer to Anthony Stark's foray
into the Japanese economy was ready to be revealed, and it was best not
to keep his guests waiting.
	This meeting at Shinshokai Robotics would be one to remember.

-------------------------------------------------------------

	"We are becoming very concerned about your progress, Pao Leung."
	He knelt on the floor in the nearly black room. He choked on the
indignity of this video conference, and how he had to prostrate himself
before the Twelve Elders of the Black Lotus Society.
	"I am sorry," Leung replied in Mandarin, voice calm as a spring
lake. "There have been many unexpected events..."
	"We are aware of your reputation," said another of the Elders.
"You have shown a marked ability to successfully manipulate the most
minute details. But you seem to have great trouble with the Spiderman."
	"Spiderman," Leung began, forcing is tone to remain respectful,
"is far more unpredictable than any opponent I have ever faced."
	"Not to mention the betrayal of Wu Long," said a third. "If you
cannot control your own men, Pao Leung, then how can you possibly
control the actions of Spiderman?"
	Damn you, he thought. Oh, how he would make them suffer.
	"The Black Widows were an important part of our plans," a fourth
added. "Wu Long and Spiderman have cost us dearly in time and money, not
to mention a weapons suite that would have reinforced our hold once the
Project was completed."
	"It is true that they were important, but they were not the main
thrust of the Project," Leung protested. "The main research is, as
you've noted in my reports, well ahead of schedule."
	"That is true," the tenth Elder said, "however, now people know
that Doctor Octopus is in Japan. If he were to be captured, then the
Project would be in grave danger."
	"You sent Doctor Octopus into the field, on an assignment that
you should have left to your own men!" shouted Elder Seven.
	"It was a precautionary measure against Spiderman!"
	"And it did no good! Spiderman is still alive, and our
opposition now knows that such a brilliant asset is in our employ!"
	"Never underestimate the enemy," Elder Eight said sagely. "You
have made a grave mistake, Pao Leung."
	"Replacing you would set our timetable back even farther," Elder
One said. "Pao Leung, your are not to take any further action against
Spiderman. Do you understand?"
	"Yes, sir..."
	"If the Project fails, you will die slowly. Do you understand?"
	"Yes, sir..."
	"That is all. Do not disappoint us again, Pao Leung."

	Leung rose once the screens went dark and the lights in his
office came up again. The steel shutters rose silently up in their
tracks to allow the sun to shine into his office. He had known they
would contact him after the Black Widow fiasco, but why had they waited?
	The Twelve Elders, he thought, the most powerful men in the
Triad. Very few outside the organization even knew of their existence.
The power of those old men was staggering. In the mainland of China,
they wielded power not unlike that of the Communist Party. How many in
the ruling body were on their payroll? Not even Pao Leung knew.
	Leung strode over to the window. His position was tenuous, now.
The Twelve Elders would be watching him very closely from this point on.
All of his plans, so carefully lain, were now on the brink of turning
into shit.
	"How could one costumed freak do so much damage?" Leung mused
while staring down at the city of Tokyo. The Elders had ordered him not
to move against Spiderman again, but maybe he wouldn't have to. Raizo
Yamata had done an admirable job of making the wallcrawler out to be the
villian in the deaths of those ten people.
	Leung cleared his mind of all thoughts concerning Spiderman.
More important things were at stake. But, if the opportunity arose...

-----------------------------------------------------------

	Hikaru Gosunkugi barely noticed the weight of the buckets he
held, each nearly filled with cold water, as he stood out in the hall.
The teacher had told him to come back when he learned that he had to pay
attention in class, which was a more humiliating way of saying get out
and stay out. Hikaru hadn't said a word, merely taking the buckets and
moving out to the hall. He didn't even bother to wonder what the deal
with the water buckets was. All Gosunkugi had noticed were the eyes of
other students on him - a feeling entirely alien in and of itself - and
imagining the accusation in each gaze.
	A few times, he had looked down to his hands and half-expected
to find blood on them. No matter how he looked at the event, he could
see no fault but his own. He should *never* have fought Doc Ock so close
to the street! Not so damn close to so damn many people!
	I should have gone higher, he thought. Ock would have followed
me. He wouldn't have been able to toss that truck! Why didn't I think
about that? I thought I had learned my lesson from the Black Widow!
	He had been lucky against the enormous robot spider the first
time, when the two had mixed it up on that unfinished building. He could
not distinguish this from himself according to his dual life. He could
not separate it from himself as he had so many things he had experienced
as Spiderman. Costume or no costume, powers or no powers, this was his
fault and his alone.
	Right?

--------------------------------------------

	Gosunkugi spent his lunch on the roof, leaning his head against
the chain link fence and being utterly confused. What should he do now?
Ten lives were lost because of him, and a heavy price tag was on his
head.
	What to do?
	Hikaru couldn't muster the energy to be angry in the maelstrom
of emotions that wracked his soul. There were too many as it was.
Prominent among them, at the core of his torment, was guilt. Their blood
was on his hands.
	It's not as if you *have* to turn yourself in, is it?
	Gosunkugi went rigid. The insidious voice sounded from a
deep-seated corner of his brain, seductive and appealing despite his own
consciousness.
	Its message held truth. So far as the rest of Japan was
concerned Spiderman was to blame, not Hikaru Gosunkugi. All he had to do
was to keep it to himself and not put the costume on again. It was so
simple.
	But it wasn't just Spiderman's fault. Hikaru was not two
separate people, at least not in the strictest sense. It was true that
he lead two lives, that he was known by two seemingly different
personas, but in the end he was just one man.
	Nobody would judge Hikaru Gosunkugi, though. He could easily
make sure that Spiderman never showed up again.
	But, could he live with the guilt? Could he look at himself in
the mirror every morning with the knowledge that he was living a lie?
Could he truly wash his hands of the blood which stained them?
	"I JUST DON'T KNOW!" he roared as he yanked at the chainlink
fence. The barrier came free of its mooring, steel links distending from
the force. Gosunkugi was vaguely aware of letting go and crumpling to a
heap on the roof. So what if he missed class? So what if he flunked out?
	And so, Hikaru Gosunkugi did something he hadn't done in years.
He cried, convulsing sobs of pain and torment and seemed as if they
would break his ribs and sent fire racing along the wounds Doctor
Octopus had inflicted on him just the night before.

----------------------------------------------

	"This is most unusual, Yamata-san," Keitaro Sakagami said once
the others took their places around the table.
	"Indeed," offered Genki Hashimoto before he brought the cup of
warm rice wine to his lips. "You have never summoned us here. We usually
meet in your home."
	Raizo knelt at his place at the head of the low table, breathing
in the jasmine-scented incense. This space was his home away from home,
a haven of traditional Japan seated in the midst of the country's
advanced science. Now was the time to relax, despite his guest's
disregard for tradition. They seemed ill at ease making small talk
before easing into the matter at hand. The fools were nervous. He had to
set their minds at ease, and he had just the way to do it.
	"You do not seem inclined to avail yourselves of my hospitality,
gentlemen."
	"We do not mean to be rude, Yamata-san," replied one of his
investors.
	"It is of no cosequence," Raizo said with a wave of his hand. "I
sense you are all impatient to know why I have called all of you here."
There were no replies aside from expectant stares. "Gentlemen, for the
past two years, my people have been hard at work developing a
next-generation battle system."
	Several men exchanged confused glances at Raizo's statement.
None of them had been briefed in on anything regarding what his own
assets were up to. No need for them to have the whole picture, after
all.
	"This system is a self-contained battlesuit, equipped with the
latest weapons designs gained from high-end development companies like
Rivermore National Labs and ArmsTech. After countless amounts of time
and money, we have perfected a prototype." Raizo Yamata paused for a
moment to allow his guests to comprehend what he was saying.
	"Yamata-san," breathed the man to his right, "is this true?"
	"Were it not, would I have called this meeting?"
	"You are correct. Forgive me."
	"And now, without further ado, I present to you our new
prototype."

	All heads turned toward the door as it slid open to reveal the
reason Yamata had called the meeting. Only Raizo didn't gasp in
astonishment. The suit fit snugly around the wearer's athletic body, the
coal-black material that resembled leather shining in the lights of the
chamber. Outside, the legs and arms were wound with a cobalt blue metal.
Plates of the same material covered the torso, back, lower legs and
groin. The helmet, however, was coal black. Each man could see his own
distorted reflection in the gleaming surface. On the forearms were a
twin set of silver gauntlets.
	"This, gentlemen, is our answer to Anthony Stark's weapons
development expertise."
	"Impressive..." breathed Genki.
	"Gods..."
	Raizo waited as the prototype walked into the room, each step a
dull thud on the wood. Merely showing them this suit would not be
enough, no matter how impressive it looked.
	"Now, gentlemen, to explain its functions." Many of them
returned their gazes to him before gawking at the suit again. "The
leather-like material you see is reinforced with Kevlar, capable of
resisting any melee attack as well as most small-arms fire. The
exo-skeletal metal is merely added support."
	"Just kevlar?" one investor asked.
	"I think you mis-understand me, Hiroshi. The kevlar is merely
reinforcement. The outer material is a radical advancement in soft
armor. The Ballistic Electro-Reactive Process fabric, or BERP as the R&D
people have affectionately named it."
	"BERP?" asked Takasato Michiru, who sat closest to the prototype
suit.
	"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Raizo replied as he rose
from the tatami mat. From beneath the table, he produced a small mallet
which he handed to Takasato once he had rounded the distance between
them. "First, Michiru-san, I want you to touch the material with your
finger." Raizo watched as, with a shaking arm, Takasato poked a finger
into the fabric, which gave easily.
	"It's soft," he whispered.
	"And now, strike it with this hammer, as hard as you can."
	"But..."
	"Trust me."
	Takasato reared back and swung the hammer into the prototype's
unprotected abdomen. The head struck with a loud bang just before the
handle broke in two.
	"Whoa...." Takasato whispered among several startled murmurs.
	"So long as a current is being passed through it, this material
can be harder than steel," Raizo said, "but that is only one of the many
innovations this suit employs."
	"Yamata-san... this is..."
	"Allow me to continue, honored friends," he said over the
whispers of astonishment. If they thought this was impressive, they
hadn't seen anything yet. "The helmet is equipped with several
enhancements, such as low-light, sound editing, a frequency-agile radio,
and even a rudimentary passive infra-red system.
	"The gloves are made of a conductive material, which adds
electrical properties to grabs, holds, and punches not to mention any
properly designed weapon.
	"On its back is a suspended liquid-metal battery which not only
powers the suit, but can sustain another innovation which, I am sorry to
say, is not fit to be revealed just yet." In another month or two,
however, that Tesla Gun would be more than ready...
	"Lastly, one of our crowning achievements. On the forearms,
you've noticed, are a pair of unusual gauntlets. These weapons are
called 'Vibro-Shock Units', capable of creating a static charge and
converting it into a miniature lightning bolt."
	"Has this been tested?"
	"Of course. If you'd like, the testing range is ready."

	Three hours later, Raizo Yamata was back in his car and hardly
noticing the city of Tokyo pass by while his driver expertly changed
lanes through traffic. The demonstration had been a rousing success. The
Shocker - the prototype's user had taken that name, and it seemed apt -
had more than impressed the investors. The real-world test against the
late Tatsu Ishikawa - which the investors had no need to know about -
had been a convenient method of proving Shocker's capabilities.
	The only snag was one he had seen coming. Takasato Michiru had
posed the question of how Shocker would stand against Stark Enterprises'
own Iron Man, to which Raizo had replied that he was more than confident
in Shocker's abilities.
	The truth was that he was slightly worried about that point
himself. The fact that Anthony Stark had never tried to market the Iron
Man was maddeningly curious. Perhaps the American wanted the knowledge
all for himself? If he refused to sell such a powerful weapon to any
military-industrial complex, then what was his plan?
	The question was not if Raizo's own battlesuit would sell. Once
people saw what it could do, military and government representatives
would be practically beating down his door.
	No, this was not a question of competition in the marketplace.
If Stark Enterprises was allowed a foothold in Japan, then the nation's
status as the world leader in electronics and robotics would crumble. No
other corporation would stand for long against Stark's financial might,
including Yamata's own.
	Raizo had to tread carefully. If the stories of the Iron Man's
power were true, then he could ill afford to have the armored monster
breathing down his neck.

-----------------------------------------------------

	Hikaru Gosunkugi stared at the costume which hung on the rack in
the secret compartment of his closet. The material was limp and
wrinkled, torn in a few places from abuse that the fabric was never
meant to take. It was strange how, when it was not on him, the suit
looked merely like a cheap Halloween costume. Only when it was being
worn did it bring Spiderman to life.=20
	"I made this," he whispered as he reached out to touch it. Just
painted spandex, and nothing more. "I made this when Miku was kidnapped.
I made it for her." What if Miku had been there? What if she had died
along with those people in Odaiba? What if his mother or father had been
there?
	How many lives had he saved with this costume, and the one
before it? How many had he endangered? How much of what had happened
these past months was partly his fault?
	What if that spider had never bitten him? What if it had found
someone else? Why had he been the one to receive this power?
	"I always wanted power," he said. "Now I have it. I used it, and
I royally fucked up. I should have known." Those words carried far more
than what they said. He should have known as soon as he saw Doc Ock
outside the club that a fight was bound to happen.
	No. He did know. He just didn't stop to think.
	"I should have left well enough alone," Hikaru spat, but deep
inside it didn't ring entirely true despite all the guilt. Could the
Koban have rescued those girls and dealt with Doc Ock at the same time,
not to mention Ishikawa's own men? Gosunkugi recalled the other times
when he and the gaijin scientist had thrown down. Ock was as tough as
they got. Even with all of Hikaru's spider powers, he had danm near
gotten his ass kicked in every battle with the man.
	Hikaru shut the secret door. The best thing would be to destroy
this costume the way he had his old one. He could never put it on again,
not after this. Twenty million yen bounty be damned, he just couldn't
face such a total failure. Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could
pretend his powers simply didn't exist...
	Gosunkugi walked over to his bed and collapsed on it. That felt
like a total cop-out, the way his last early retirement had been. But,
he hadn't killed anyone then either.
	Come on, his brain said, it's not like *you* threw the truck!
You tried to save them!
	He simply couldn't do it, not any more. Spiderman, for all
intents and purposes, was dead. If all he did in that costume was
endanger innocent lives, then the ones he saved were a moot point,
weren't they?
	Weren't they?
	Hikaru wrestled with that question until his body demanded its
due and sleep claimed him.

	Cologne replaced the binoculars. The boy was doing exactly what
she expected him to do. He was searching his soul, questioning his every
action to date. At his tender age, she had done the same more than once.
He had to realize that he couldn't always pick and choose his battles,
and that sometimes innocent people were harmed. Good intentions didn't
always translate into good results, and the young didn't easily come by
that realization.
	The wizened elder hopped away from the window, wondering what to
do about this. Hikaru Gosunkugi was only the second foreign youth she
had ever taken an interest in - the first being Ranma Saotome - and
seemed far more fragile despite his unusual powers. The abilites of
Spiderman brought into the Joketsuzoku would be a great addition
alongside Ranma's own. Ranma's battle prowess coupled with Spiderman's
abilities... The possibilites were staggering!
	Bringing him in would prove to be no trouble in accordance with
Joketsuzoku law. She merely had to summon the proper candidate - Cologne
had one in mind - and ensure that she would lose. Forcing Gosunkugi to
use his spider-like abilities would be little trouble.
	But, what was he truly capable of? That was one thing Cologne
did not know. It was entirely posssible - even likely - that what she
had seen was little more than the tip of the iceberg.
	First, she had to snap Hikaru Gosunkugi out of his funk. A good
chat would not be appropriate. She could not reveal that she knew his
secret just yet. Oh, well, something would come up. All she had to do
was watch and wait.

------------------------------------------------------

	Cologne placed the sign outside, signalling that the Nekohanten
was open for business. The crisp air invigorated her ancient body in
spite of the complex hydrocarbons spewed by a city full of vehicles. Out
in a small ward like Nerima, it wasn't a big deal. Many people chose to
walk, or to catch a train into the city.
	She felt his presence before the shadow fell across her.
	"It's been awhile, Sergey," she said in her best Russian.
	"Indeed, Tovarich. I see your senses and your command of the
Russian language are as good as ever."
	"What brings you to Japan?" Cologne asked, though she already
knew the answer.
	"A hunt, Tovarich. A very profitable hunt."
	I thought so. "Come inside, Sergey."
	"I would be delighted," Sergey Illych Kravenov said. "It has
been too long since I partook of your culinary artwork."
	"Heh. Flattery will get you nowhere, Tovarich."

	"Welcome to Nekohanten, how I help?"
	"Shan Pu?"
	"Yes."
	"It has been too long since I saw you last!" Sergey boomed. "I
see you have grown into a fine woman!"
	"Who you?"
	"Shan Pu," Cologne said, "this is Sergey Kravenov, an old friend
of mine."
	"You friend of Great Grandmother?" Shampoo asked in her broken
Japanese. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his powerful figure. At
nearly seven feet tall - all of it muscle - and with his severe Russian
features, he was a difficult man to miss. His hair, dark as night, was
slicked back on his block-shaped head. The ice-chip eyes above his flat
nose and dark goatee shone with delight at seeing her. Why was this man
so familiar?
	"The last time you saw him, Shan Pu, you were just learning to
walk. You likely do not remember him," Cologne said.
	"You do your matriarch proud, Shan Pu," the man said in thickly
accented Mandarin.
	"Thank you. What is your name?" she replied in kind.
	"Sergey Illych Kravenov, my dear."
	"Now I know you!" Shampoo gasped. "Great Grandmother has told me
about you!"
	"Shan Pu," Cologne said. "Bring out two deluxe ramens. Sergey
and I have a lot of catching up to do."
	"Yes, Great Grandmother."

	"She is indeed lovely," Sergey said as he took a seat across
from Cologne at a corner table. "I'm glad to see she has grown so
strong."
	"I am very proud of her, old friend. Don't worry. She is also a
good cook."
	"HA!" he boomed. "If she is your great grandchild, then I would
expect nothing less."
	"How long has it been, Sergey? Fifteen years?" Cologne still
remembered when they had first met. Sergey Illych Kravenov had been
wandering the wilds of China, injured from an attack by a tiger.
Surprised that he still lived, she had decided to take him to the
village and tend his wounds.
	"Too long, my friend."

	He had healed rapidly, and had even started to pull his weight
among the men of the tribe. The Russian's command of Mandarin Chinese
was passable, and his strength had been formidable. Cologne had decided
to keep him around for awhile. If nothing else, he had seemed determined
to pay back his debt.

	"How have you been?"

	Cologne would never forget that day when she had let him join a
hunt which she had led. It was rare for an elder to do so. She had only
gone along to observe the skills of another Elder's grandchild, Ping Ha.
Sergey had been more or less a pack mule, carrying enough supplies to
break a horse's back.

	"I have spent the past year in Africa, hunting the Savannah,"
Sergey replied.

	Cologne had been disappointed that the girl had let the one-eyed
tiger surprise her as it leapt from the bush, claws ready to cut deep
into her flesh. Ping Ha had spun just a little late, and the elder was
certain that the beast would claim the girl.
	It was then that, with a great roar, Sergey cast off his burden
and tackled the massive feline in mid-leap. Cologne merely watched as he
wrestled the cat, powerful muscle and sinew grappling with a natural
predator without a weapon.
	She had doubted his chances until, with a masterful move, Sergey
had wrapped his left arm around the tiger's neck and rose to his feet.
The Russian had been bleeding from several deep scratches, yet he seemed
to ignore them completely. Then, with a mighty squeeze, he snapped the
tiger's neck like a dry twig.
	Cologne let her surprise show a little as the massive man stood
panting over the beast that had nearly killed a Joketsuzoku warrior,
blood running from gashes on his arms and chest. He had the lifted the
tiger by the scruff of its neck and grunted in satisfaction.
	"This beast wounded me," he said, "and I took its eye. It
attacked a warrior of my benefactors, and I have taken its life."

	"AH! This smells wonderful, Shan Pu!" Sergey bellowed with a
hearty Russian laugh.
	"Thank you," She replied with a smile before returning to the
kitchen to answer the phone.
	"So, Sergey, you say a hunt brings you to Japan?" Cologne asked
in Russian.
	"Yes. You have read the news, Tovarich?"
	"Ah. Sergey, I am surprised. Since when do you hunt for money?"
	"Khu Lon, you know me better than that," Kravenov said with a
hard glare. "The money is impressive, true, but it is not why I am
here."
	"True enough. Forgive me, Tovarich."
	"No apologies are necessary," Sergey said with a wave of his
hand. He snapped apart the chopsticks and expertly levered a string of
noodles to his mouth. "Wonderful," Sergey sighed after swallowing.
"Little Shan Pu has learned much!"
	"If you think her food is good, wait until you see her fight."
	"I'll take your word on that. May I ask why you are in Japan, of
all places?"
	"A tribal matter that has yet to be resolved, Sergey."
	"I see. I shall probe no farther."=20
	The two ate, speaking of trivial matters. Sergey asked about
Shan Pu, and of others he had met in the village. Cologne in turn asked
about his adventures in Africa, and of his family back in Moscow. They
spoke as if old friends, for in fact they were. After that hunt in the
wilderness outside Jusenkyou, Cologne had found a certain respect for
the man. In the amazon tribe, such went very far indeed. She had helped
him improve his Chinese, while he in turn taught her a good amount of
Russian. The day he had departed had been somewhat of a sad one. Cologne
had few true friends, and Sergey Illych Kravenov was one of them.
	"I see the lunch crowds are here," Sergey said on rising from
his seat. "It has been good to speak to you again, Tovarich."
	"Stop by again, Sergey," Cologne replied.
	"I shall, Khu Lon. I shall."
	Cologne looked on as he left the restaurant. Things had just
gotten very complicated in a big hurry.
	Hikaru, she thought, stay low. There is good reason why the
Joketsuzoku named him Kraven the Hunter.

-----------------------------------------------------

	The case against him was open and shut, as far as William Pate
was concerned. Within the Silver Fox nightclub had been enough evidence
to send Tatsu Ishikawa on an express ride to the gallows. The women
which had been recovered all showed signs of severe mental and physical
abuse along with addictions to barbituates. Treating them would be no
easy task, and thankfully that wasn't his department. At least those
girls have a chance at starting their lives over again.
	Prostituion had been just the frosting on the proverbial cake.
Tatsu had been using them as mules to smuggle cocaine across the ward.
The files from Ishikawa's computers likely had the information on his
sources. The most frightening part, however, had been the fact that
Tatsu had actually sold some of the girls in his stable to rather
wealthy clients in Russia and the Middle East. William had seen some
very sick things in his life, but he never thought he'd run up across
something like this.
	"It's horrifying," Keiko Megumi said from across the desk.
	"That's not even the word," Pate replied. "I get the feeling
that this isn't quite over yet, though."
	"The people down in the labs are still decrypting the files we
found. Once we get some more names, Interpol will look for the women
Tatsu sold off." Keiko couldn't hide the disgust in her voice. "To think
that someone can buy and sell human beings like so much cattle!"
	"I hear you. You know, Keiko, I'm almost glad that Ishikawa got
blasted all over Odaiba Ward like that. Saves us some paperwork."
	"It's strange, William. Forensics hasn't found any explosives
residue on what's left of Tatsu's car."
	"Yeah. A lot of people said they saw a white light hit the BMW
before the whole thing went up in flames." What could do that? Pate
wondered. "Who had it done?"
	"This case isn't quite so neat and tidy, is it?" Keiko asked. It
was a rhetorical question. There was a hell of a lot more to this than
one slaver, two gangs, a dangerous foreign criminal, and the Spiderman.
	"Tatsu Ishikawa was Yakuza, we knew that long before all this,"
Pate said. "Whom did he work for?"
	"The Kabudosai," Keiko replied, "a cell operating out of Odaiba
and Nerima Wards."
	"Kinda odd for an Oyabun to keep his two territories that far
apart."
	"Their power base is unknown, but they operate more in Odaiba
than in Nerima."
	"I've heard of Nerima," Pate said. "Lots of really tough martial
arts types there, right?"
	"Yes. 'The Devil's Nest', some call it. Besides, there isn't
very much in Nerima."
	"Okay, let's get to Nerima later. First, someone had Ishikawa
greased. Hard. Who could it be?"
	"The men who accompanied Doctor Octopus last night were
confirmed to be Triad."
	"Who were they with?"
	"I don't know, William. Maybe it was them?"
	"Or maybe it was the Oyabun he worked for?"
	"William," Keiko began, "I didn't get a chance to tell you
this."
	"Tell me what?" This could be good...
	"My contact in the Yakuza met with me the day before all this
happened," she began. "He told me that Ishikawa had struck a deal with a
rogue Triad man."
	"Go on..." What the hell?
	"My contact didn't have much, but he told me that it was big.
The Yamaguchi Industrial Complex disaster was related to it."
	"No wonder the Triads were after him," Pate mused.
	"Guess who else was involved?"
	"Spiderman."
	"Right."
	"You know, he keeps turning up in the damndest of places,
doesn't he?"
	"I wonder how much he knows?"
	"Good luck trying to question him," Pate said. "If I had twenty
million on my head, I'd make myself pretty scarce."
	"If only we knew who he really is."
	"Well, we don't, and it's not too likely that he'll turn up
anytime soon. Do we know who calls the shots in the Kabudosai?"
	"Unfortunately, no," Keiko said. "Their leader has a tendency to
be very reclusive."
	"How about this Triad group?"
	"Do you want the truth?"
	"I see."
	"I'm certain that Ishikawa's files has his name."
	"I hope so." This case was not over. Not by a longshot.

----------------------------------------------------

	Heihachi Toju asked himself - again - why he had given in. He
was a portly man in his late forties, thinning hair mostly grey atop a
face that was rapidly growing slack in the jowls. His girth was growing,
and his doctor kept warning him about what that weight could do to his
ticker.
	His salary as chief of Odaiba Koban was meager next to what
Raizo Yamata paid him and so far he hadn't had to do anything of major
consequence. So he turned a blind eye to a few deals. Okay, he made sure
his officers weren't in certain places at certain times. Who cared? It
wasn't like he was openly breaking the law or anything. Right?
	But this was something more. Raizo Yamata was asking him to
purposefully alter any evidence in the recent incident that could lead
back to him. No, he wasn't asking. It was an order. Smart people did not
disobey orders like that from a man like him. Not if they wanted to stay
healthy.
	Toju had no illusions as to what Yamata would do to him if he
were to disobey. They had been in bed together for a while, now, and he
had learned how to relax, bend over, and enjoy it. He had even learned
how to suppress the part of his mind that was still that of an honest
cop.
	It was decided. Heihachi Toju could not go against his real
master. He would make sure that Yamata's name was misfiled, vaulted, and
buried so deep that nobody would ever find it. After all, he had the
system administrator's password.

----------------------------------------------------------------

	Hikaru Gosunkugi stepped through the gates of Furinkan High, his
head feeling as if it had been replaced with a lead weight. He glanced
about at other students, some milling about the courtyard in their
little cliques and discussing weekend plans and such. Having no one to
confide in had never been an issue for him until recently.
	Heh, even if I had real friends, he thought sourly, how in the
world would I tell them any of this? Either way, I'd be screwed.
	Gosunkugi still wasn't sure of what he should do, and he didn't
feel any closer to an answer than he had been last night. He couldn't
bear the thought of wearing the costume again, but he couldn't bring
himself to talk about what had happened to anyone. He looked around at
the milling crowd of students, for once wishing for all he was worth
that he was one of them. Happy. Popular. Normal. If there was any
certainty in this whole mess, it was that regardless of what he decided
the spider powers would not go away. He could toss as many Spiderman
costumes into the boiler as he wanted, but the power given by that
spider bite would remain.
	His eyes passed over a trio of boys speaking quietly to each
other, and then it hit. Gosunkugi went rigid as the spider sense
screamed in the base of his skull.
	What the hell? he thought as he searched about frantically. He
saw her standing by one of the trees, and the spider sense peaked.
Hikaru couldn't take his eyes off of her, creamy skin that was as close
to perfect as any girl could get, a delicate face - almost elven in its
fine features - that could inspire epic poems beneath short hair that
seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
	Who is she? Hikaru thought dumbly. Why is she setting off my
spider sense? He tore his eyes off of her with an effort and found that
the grass on which she stood was... wilted? Gosunkugi watched in morbid
fascination as the blades faded from green to a dead brown, as if the
life was being drained. He looked toward the tree - careful to avoid
looking at her again - and saw that the leaves above were sharing the
same fate.
	What's going on, here? Gosunkugi thought. All around him were
=46urinkan's student body, laughing and carrying on as if the strange =
girl
in their midst simply didn't exist. He couldn't be the only one who was
seeing this!
	He looked at her again and noticed those cold eyes which stared
at nothing yet seemed locked on him. Hikaru's spider sense screamed
while his body went cold. He blinked once, twice, and then...
	She was gone.
	Gosunkugi stood there, panting as his heart slowed and the
spider sense fell silent.
	No, he thought. No way. That did *not* just happen! I'm just
under a lot of stress. Yeah, that's it. I've been thinking about those
people so much that I've started hallucinating. Yeah. Sure.
	So why did my spider sense suddenly go nuts?
	Hikaru walked over to where she had been standing. That damn
buzzing in his head had gone off before without anything being there. It
had happened just after the Black Widows had kidnapped Saotome and two
of the Tendo girls. Maybe it really was on the fritz...
	"What in the world?" The grass, no matter how much he didn't
want to believe it, was still brown and dead, as were the leaves... no,
it was the whole freaking tree! And no one seemed to notice that
anything was wrong.
	"Okay, I've officially lost my mind," Hikaru muttered as he
backed away and headed toward Furinkan's entrance. "Maybe I should have
left all that voodoo stuff alone like mom told me to."

--------------------------------------------------------

	Gosunkugi spent his recess the way he usually did of late, which
was to say that he leaned against the wall near the door to his next
class and spoke to no one. Before, he would try to find an opportunity
to take photos of Akane, usually with Ranma showing up to scare the wits
out of him and make an insult about his fiancee. From there, Akane would
seem to appear from out of nowhere and whomp Saotome silly.
	At least it had been predictable...
	"Hi, Hikaru."
	"Miku!" Gosunkugi turned, surprised that she was speaking to him
again. "Listen, about what I said..."
	"Don't worry about it," she replied with a shake of her head.
"I'm over that."
	"R-really?"
	"Yeah."
	Gosunkugi's head began to swim. Miku seemed ready to let bygones
be bygones, and his heart grew a little lighter. Having her near him
seemed to make what had happened in the fight with Doc Ock seem far
away. He couldn't remember ever needing someone this much before.
	"So... what's new?" he stammered.
	"Not much," Miku replied. "How about you?"
	"I..." What could he say? "Nothing. Nothing at all." He wanted
to talk to her, to let it all out. But what would she think of him then?
Would she hold him, tell him that it was all right? Or would she run
from him in disgust? Of all the people in Hikaru's life, Miku Tachibana
was the one person in whom he wanted to confide.
	But he just couldn't. Especially not now.
	"Oh. I see." They fell silent for awhile, neither able to find
any words to fill the void. Gosunkugi cursed himself, cursed Spiderman,
for the fact that he couldn't speak freely to the one girl whom he had
genuine feelings for.
	I saved you, Miku, he thought. Spiderman's the reason you're
still safe and alive, and he's the reason I can't talk to you the way I
want to. Maybe I should give it all up. Maybe I could one day tell you
everything...
	"What?!"
	"Hikaru?"
	Oh, no. Not again! The spider sense flared, and she appeared
again. Her hair billowed slightly in a breeze that did not exist as she
sauntered down the hallway. Hikaru couldn't help the feel of abject
horror that washed over him as his spider sense screamed and wailed. The
eyes of the boys in his field of vision all fell on her at once, each
pair filled with wonder and lust.
	Why am I so afraid of this girl? he wondered. Who the flaming
hell *is* she?!
	"Hikaru? Hikaru, what's wrong?"
	Gosunkugi ignored Miku as the strange girl walked past. His
every instinct, coupled with that enigmatic sixth sense, warned him that
something was definitely wrong with what he saw.
	She stopped in front of a taller boy with an unruly mop of
light-colored hair. Hiroshi, that was his name. One of Ranma's friends.
The girl smiled at him and walked away toward the end of the hall with
nearly thirty pairs of eyes trailing behind her. She rounded the corner
and was gone.
	The spider sense quieted again, leaving Hikaru panting in its
wake and with traces of an inexplicable fear lingering in his brain.
	"Hikaru?"
	What was this?
	"Hikaru?!"
	"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Miku."
	"What's wrong?" she asked, worry in her almond eyes.
	"What?"
	"When that girl walked by... Hikaru, you looked scared out of
your wits!"
	"I..." He glanced back to to where she had vanished. "Miku, have
you ever felt like you're losing your mind?"
	"What?"
	Hikaru looked back at her and nearly swore. Good going, he
thought. Make the girl you like think you're a total basket case! Smooth
move, Ex-Lax.
	"I've been under a lot of stress lately, Miku," Gosunkugi said.
"Sorry."
	"Want to talk about it?"
	"Excuse me?"
	"I asked if you wanted to talk about it."
	"Well... I... Um..." You bet I would! he didn't say.
	"Meet me at the Beef Bowl stand on Katsuhito Avenue," Miku said.
"Four o'clock."
	"Huh?"
	"If you want to talk, Hikaru, I'm here."
	Hikaru stared into the depths of her eyes, and wanted to become
lost in them.
	"Uh... sure. I'll be there."
	"Great!"
	The bell rang, and Miku departed for her next class. Hikaru
stood there for a moment, utterly stunned.
	He had a date.
	With a pretty girl.
	She had asked him.
	A beautiful girl had asked *him* out on a *date*! A real,
honest-to-God *date*!
	"Well, how do ya like that?"

-------------------------------------------------

	"I agreed to it," he said as he walked out of Furinkan High that
afternoon. "What was I thinking?" Just what would he talk to Miku about,
anyway? Spiderman? That weird girl whose name nobody seemed to quite
remember? "My first real date hasn't even started yet, and it's already
way too complicated," Gosunkugi grumbled.
	She said she would listen, and that made Hikaru's heart seem
lighter. This girl actually wanted to hear his problems and for the
first time he wanted to talk about them. No, he needed to talk about
them. Keeping them all inside was eating him alive. But what would she
think of him?
	Gosunkugi stopped cold just past the main gate. Telling her one
thing meant telling her the rest. Could he do that? Should he?
	"You didn't have to wait for me at the gate, Hikaru," Miku said
as she came alongside him.
	"Huh?"
	"Come on, handsome," she said with a wink. "Let's go."
	"Oh! Okay." Hikaru fell into step with Miku as the two walked
toward Nerima's Beef Bowl location. It was too late to back out now.

------------------------------------------

	"Sure you don't wanna play some Playstation?"
	"Nah, Daisuke. I got a lotta homework to catch up on."
	"Suit yourself, Hiroshi. Later."
	"Later on, man." Hiroshi walked away as Daisuke closed the door
to his house. A rousing game of Dead Or Alive usually never failed to
keep him at his friend's house until nearly midnight, talking and
laughing when they both knew that they should be doing homework.
	But she was all he could think about. The new girl whose name
escaped him and who had sent that lascivious look his way in the hall at
recess. Daisuke didn't believe it, but Hiroshi knew that her gaze had
been on him. HIM!
	She so wants me, he thought. If Daisuke can't get over that,
then who needs him?
	"Going my way?"
	"GYAH!" Hiroshi spun and there she was.
	"I'll take that as a yes," she said.
	"Uh... Hi..." Hiroshi's eyes tried to cram in as much of her as
they could in one go, and then did it again. "Wh... what's your name?"
	"Lorilei."
	"That's a great name." Jeez, man, could you have possibly done
any worse? he shouted at himself.
	"Thanks," she replied. The lilt in her voice sent Hiroshi's
blood racing. Whoa, she was so HOT! "I just transferred here today."
	"Really? Um... you're not... attached... are you?" It would be
just his luck for this girl to be engaged to Ranma...
	"No," she giggled. "I'm single. And availible." She said the
last with a wink that threatened to make Hiroshi do something very
embarrassing. Were he able at the time, he would have wondered why this
girl was turning him on so much. "Say, you wanna go somewhere?"
	"G...go... somewhere...?"
	"Private, I mean."
	"Um...." THANK YOU, GOD! "Uh... sure!"
	"Great," she said, taking his arm in her own. "I know just the
place."

-------------------------------------------

	Hikaru sat across from Miku, his meal finished as well as the
small talk. He knew it would come to this. He knew what she really
wanted to hear from him.
	I can't tell her, he thought sadly. She deserves to know, but I
can't put her in that kind of danger.
	"Hikaru, you're kinda quiet," she said.
	"Oh. Sorry." What if she told someone else? Yeah, some lucky
soul would collect twenty million yen, but what about if that
information went to the Yakuza? Wouldn't they just love to know who
Spiderman was? Would they stop at just him?
	"You said you have a lot on your mind," Miku said softly.
	"Yeah." They kidnapped innocent people to get at Spiderman. What
would happen to his parents? To Miku? To Akane and the others? None of
them were friends, but he had to keep them from harm. Even if he
couldn't become Spiderman again, he couldn't endanger them either. As
such, he sat with his hands on the table, wondering just how to break
the news to her in this mostly empty place.
	"What was with you?"
	"Huh?"
	"When that new girl walked by. You looked scared out of your
wits!"
	"Oh." Maybe he could field this one. "I don't know."
	"Uh-huh. Tell me another one," Miku deadpanned. "Do you know
her?"
	"No. I've never seen her before."
	"Then why the near freak-out?"
	"I... I can't really explain. It's just that when I saw her,
every fiber of my being said that something about her was just... wrong
somehow."
	"Wrong?" Miku asked with a raised eyebrow.
	"Yeah." Wrong didn't even come close, not in this case.
	"Hikaru." Miku's hand appeared on his and an electric shock
raced up the nerves of his arm directly to his brain. "I need some
answers from you."
	Hoo-boy, he thought. Guess I can't put this off forever.
	"Miku," he said in what he hoped to be a stern voice. He locked
gazes with her, willing her to understand. The determination in those
brown eyes nearly made him weak. Going on proved to be an effort in the
face of the pure strength in this girl's stare. "Listen to me."
	"That's why I'm here," she replied. Was that hope in her voice?
Gosunkugi thought. This was getting worse by the second...
	"Miku..." The words jammed in his throat, as if they refused to
be spoken.
	"What is it, Hikaru-chan?"
	Oh, to hell with it! "Miku, we shouldn't see each other
anymore."
	All at once, the world seemed to stand still. Nothing held any
significance as Hikaru watched the hurt grow in Miku's lovely eyes, and
felt it in his very soul. This was right, he told himself. This was for
the best.
	Then why was it so damn painful?
	"Wha... What?"
	"Miku." Now that it started, Gosunkugi found it difficult to
stop. "There are... things going on in my life. Things that you don't
want to be a part of."
	"I think I should be the judge of that, Hikaru Gosunkugi," she
replied in a voice like stone.
	"Damnit, shut up and listen!" he hissed. "These things...
they'll put you in danger. Understand? Getting involved with me..."
	"It's about *him*, isn't it?" Miku spat the term, and Hikaru
knew full well who she meant.
	"Yeah. Yeah, it is."
	"Damn you, Gosunkugi, stop following him around!" she said in a
harsh whisper. "He could get you killed!"
	"It's not that simple, Miku. I wish it was, believe me I do, but
it just isn't."
	"Have you been watching the news, you idiot?" She was almost in
tears. "Do you know what kind of price is on his head?"
	"Yeah. I don't think he's gonna turn up until this blows
over..."
	"Don't be stupid! This won't blow over! If..."
	"Miku, how many men have hurt you in the past? Shigeru
notwithstanding." Miku didn't reply. "I thought so. That's only what I'd
do. I can't hurt you, Miku, I just can't." Gosunkugi rose to leave, on
the verge of crying himself. This had to be done, but he sorely wished
it were otherwise.
	"If you walk away from me," Miku said, "don't bother coming
back. I've been hurt too many times to deal with it again."
	"I know."

	"Wow," the first waitress said to her co-worker as the two
watched the boy walk away. "That was one bad break-up."
	"At least he's taking care of the bill," the second replied when
he stopped by the cash register.

	Miku refused to cry, no matter how much she hurt. He didn't want
to talk to her. He didn't want her in his life. So what?
	SO FUCKING WHAT!!
	If chasing Spiderman was more important to Hikaru Gosunkugi than
a girl who wanted to share his feelings, then so be it. Let him follow
that wallcrawling freak to his own grave for all she cared!
	Miku stared down at her empty dish, suddenly wishing she hadn't
come here at all. Oh, well, if that was how he felt, then it was best to
get it out in the open instead of driving herself nuts trying to get
close to him.
	Why? she asked to the heavens. Why can't I find a nice, normal
guy for once?

-------------------------------------------------

	Gosunkugi stopped in a nearby alley, barely a block from the
Beef Bowl, and stared at the wall. The chill air didn't concern him. The
car horns and voices of passing people were of no consequence.
	"Well, Gos," he muttered, "that sounded noble enough. A total
cop-out, but at least it sounded good."
	Keeping her safe from the things he had done as Spiderman,
hinting at the dangerous things in his life in such a cryptic way... He
couldn't have done it better if it had been scripted by a manga artist.
	But none of that approached the real heart of the matter, and
Hikaru Gosunkugi knew it. Guilt, that was at the bottom of it all. Guilt
over ten people whom he had never really met, dead by his own
recklessness. Guilt that, instead of turning himself in, he was too
afraid to do what was right and chose to live a lie.
	"I don't deserve you, Miku Tachibana," he said to the bricks.
"You deserve a lot better than me." At least he had saved her, that was
one thing of which he could be proud. He had hurt her, but at least she
was still alive, and she could find a normal man. A real man.
	"RRRRRAAAAAAAGH!" Gosunkugi's fist smashed into the wall,
sinking in up to the elbow.
	"Stupid powers," he growled to the hole his blow left in the
bricks. "I wish I was like everyone else! Not a freak, not a geek, just
a normal guy!"
	Gosunkugi began the long walk home, feeling more miserable than
he ever thought possible.

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