[kenshinfanfics] That Which Lingers - Part 7 (draft)

This is a rough draft of Part 7 my new story.  In this part, there are
several dream sequences.  I hope that I've marked them clearly but if
you're confused, get me know!

This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY universe which I've
called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed
with various supernatural and paranormal elements.  Other stories in
this alternate reality are:
        "Night Visitor"
        "All in the Family"
        "Romancing the Wolf"

WARNING:  This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements
(violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic!  Actually, there's

quite a bit of romance in it....     ^_-

This story takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc.  After
that, it takes a sharp left turn into its own world.  Elements of the
Revenge story arc may or may not show up later on in the story.  The
Kenshin Gumi already know that Saitoh survived the destruction of
Shishio's stronghold.

As always, C&C is greatly appreciated!   ^_^

======================================================================
    THAT WHICH LINGERS:  A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
        Part 7:  Times Gone By
======================================================================

---------------
Disclaimer
    All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro
Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties.
The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the
purpose of entertainment only.  This work of fiction is not meant for
sale or profit.  Original portion of the fiction included here is
considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.

---------------
Text Conventions
    (  ) are character thoughts
    / / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue
    * ----- * ----- *  marks the start/end of dreams or flashbacks
    [ ] denote visual or time notes

**********************************************************************

[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]

    The pouring rain came down in torrents and the howling wind seemed
to scrape the skin raw.  As Saitoh stared outside, Kenshin walked up
beside him and said, "It doesn't look like you're going anywhere
tonight... not in that storm."

    Saitoh flicked a quick glance at his wife before he slammed the
front door shut.  The black sword still in hand, he walked over to
Aoshi's bed and stared down on the injured man.

    "So Shinomori, it seems that you know some important things about
this sword.  Why don't you tell me how you happened to get that
information?"

    Tokio has successfully managed to get the former Okashira's
bleeding under control, but the extra blood loss left him hovering on
the edge of consciousness.  Aoshi dazedly replied, "Han...," before he
realized what he was about to blurt out in front of everyone.  He
abruptly fell silent.

    Misao stared at him.  (Was... was he about to say... Hanya!?)  Her
mind flashed back to that moment in Kyoto, when she had been lying
nearly unconscious on the roof of the Aoiya.  (Hanya told me that
Kenshin had succeeded... that Aoshi-sama was coming back to me....)
 
    Saitoh raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes?  You were saying?"
 
    Aoshi sighed and said in a weary voice, "I don't really know
anything about that sword."

    "Then why all the warnings to not touch it, hm?"
 
    "When Misao attacked me, her behavior was so... extreme...."
 
    She turned white at the memory.  The horrible things she had
said... the pain and bewilderment on his face....
 
     Aoshi continued, "There had to be something wrong.  I made a wild
guess that the strange sword she had was somehow responsible... so I
gambled and took it away from her."

    Sano muttered, "Pretty serious gamble if you were willing to break
her arm over it."

    Aoshi quietly said, "I didn't have time for gentler methods.  But
it seemed to work.  She started to act normally almost immediately
after she dropped the sword.  I think one could reasonably assume that
the weapon was the cause of her... unusual behavior."

    It was clear that there was a lot more going on, but it was
equally clear that Aoshi wasn't about to discuss the subject any
further.  Saitoh debated pressuring Aoshi for answers, but Kenshin and
others were bound to object strenuously.  He wasn't in the mood for a
pitched battle... at the moment.

    They all tensely waited for Saitoh's reaction to Aoshi's blatantly
vague reply.  To their surprise, Saitoh shrugged, but they all knew
that he would never give up so easily.  Saitoh Hajime would be back
for more answers.

    In the meantime, Saitoh glanced at his wife and said, "You're the
collector of old stories and legends."

    His wife bowed her head respectfully.  "There are many legends
about cursed weapons.  In some stories, the curses are subtle and take
generations to manifest.  But in other tales, evil spirits are said to
take up residence in certain weapons and drive men to instant murder.
It is improbable, but the sheer number of stories would indicate that
such things could happen."

    "Hmph."
 
    Sano yelled, "Is that all you can say?  So what are we going to do
about it?"

    "Nothing at the moment."
 
    "What do you mean 'nothing'!?  Shouldn't we get rid of it?"
 
    "And how do you propose to do that, you idiot?  Leave it out in
the street for some fool like yourself to pick it up?"

    "Whaddya mean by that!?" shouted an outraged Sano.
 
    Saitoh smirked evilly.  "There was certainly enough evidence to
suggest that there's something abnormal with this sword, but that
didn't stop you or the brat from fighting over it, hm?"
 
    From her bed, Kaoru said quietly, "He's right.  There's just
something about that sword that makes you want to pick it up."

    Yahiko muttered, "Maybe we could... bury it?"
 
    "Once there was a man who threw a cursed sword into the sea.  A
few minutes later, a great shark surged out of the waves and landed on
the deck of his ship at his feet.  Piercing the shark's body was the
very same sword which had been so recently cast away," Tokio recited
in a gentle voice as she started to pick up the remains of their long
neglected dinner.
 
    Saitoh apparently ignored his wife's comments and said, "This
sword is an important piece of evidence in several murders...," he
glanced at Misao and the still unconscious Megumi, "and attempted
murders.  I'm not about to drop it into a hole and leave it for any
stray dog to dig up and steal."

    Kenshin thought, (Saitoh's not scoffing at the idea of a cursed
sword.  Tokio says that it's quite possible that there really is
something 'wrong' about that weapon.  He definitely respects her
opinion, even on such a strange matter.  That's understandable.  So
would I.)

    Aloud, Kenshin said, "Since we can't get rid of it at the moment,
what do you suggest we do with it?"

    Saitoh casually tossed it in Kenshin's direction.  "Try not to
misplace it THIS time."

    "Oh, so you're dumping that thing on Kenshin, now?  What, are you
scared of it?" taunted Sano.

    "I'm not the one frightened of it."
 
    "Are you saying that I'm chicken!?"
 
    "Roosterhead."
 
    "ARGHHHH...!"
 
    Kenshin hastily grabbed a hold of Sano's jacket and said, "Sano,
please calm down!  At the moment, there's only two people who seem to
be able to handle this sword without being overcome by murderous
impulses.  It's either me or Saitoh.  Take your pick."

    "Sheesh... since you put it that way...."
 
    Tokio approached Kenshin with a blanket in her hands.  "Since the
scabbard is missing, you can use this to wrap the sword."

    "Thank you, Tokio-dono."
 
    She smiled at him and said, "Everyone really needs some rest,
especially Misao, Shinomori-san, and Kaoru."

    Yahiko yawned conspicuously, "Gee, I feel exhausted!"
 
    Sano muttered, "How can you feel exhausted!?  You didn't DO
anything!"

    "Whaddya mean I didn't do anything?  I was helping Megumi all
afternoon!"

    Tokio murmured, "He was a great help.  The child that was in here
earlier wasn't as badly injured as Megumi first thought.  We were
actually able to send him home."

    Yahiko yawned again. "Yeah, otherwise we would've had the entire
family hovering around here like a swarm of angry bees!"

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

    Everyone eventually found a place to spend the night.  Aoshi,
Megumi, and Kaoru occupied the beds in the clinic's wardroom, while
Kenshin and Sano ended up on the wardroom floor.  Tokio shared Dr.
Genzai's room with Yahiko.  There wasn't any place in the wardroom for
Misao, so Tokio gently coaxed the ninja girl into taking Megumi's
room.

    As for Saitoh, he prowled around the now silent clinic for a few
minutes.  Passing the wardroom door, he saw Kenshin sitting against
the wall, his sakabatou in its familiar place against his shoulder and
the black sword -- carefully and thoroughly wrapped in a blanket --
lying on the floor right beside him.

    They looked at each other for a long moment, then Saitoh walked
away.  He took up a carefully selected position in the clinic's main
room, and settle down for the night.  Like Kenshin, he no plans of
sleeping.

    So much for good intentions....

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

    Megumi found herself wandering through dark, unfamiliar streets.
 
    (What am I doing out here in the middle of the middle of the
night?  And where am I?)

    A faint shuffling noise came from nearby.  She looked around
frantically, but the street was still deserted.

    The shuffling sound got louder... came closer.

    "Who's out there!?"
 
    There was no answer, but she saw something move.  She backed away,
her heart starting to race.

    The shuffling continued to approached... and then she heard the
hoarse breathing.  The stench of decay and corruption clogged her
lungs.

    Then she saw it... a patch of murky shadow that seemed to swell
and grow as it headed in her direction.

    Megumi spun around and ran for her life.
 
-----------------------------------

    (What the...!?)
 
    Misao stared around her in astonishment.  She knew these streets.
She had played in them since she was a child.
 
    But what was she doing back in Kyoto... and at night?
 
    She sensed a sudden presence behind her.  Misao turned and jumped
away just as something large and dark sprang from the shadows and
struck the spot where she had been standing.

    It looked like a huge paw... but not from any beast she had ever
seen.
 
    She retreated as she grabbed for her kunai.  Her attacker
followed.  She couldn't see who -- or what -- it could be, but she
could easily sense the malevolence that hovered around its shadowy
form.

    / You were mine once... you shall be again.... /
 
    "You wish!  KAN SATSU TOBI KUNAI!!!"
 
    The blades pierced the darkness... and were swallowed without a
sound.

    / All mine, pretty little hellcat.... /
 
    The hunger in the eerie voice made her knees shake.  Then she felt
something... tugging at her... somehow trying to suck her into the
shadowy mass that shambling after her.

    Misao did the only thing she could.
 
    She ran for the Aoiya.
 
-----------------------------------

    Sano abruptly sat up when he heard a woman's terrified screams.
 
    "Jo-chan!!!"
 
    He jumped to his feet, but was stunned to realized that he was no
longer in Dr. Genzai's clinic.  Instead, he was standing on a deserted
street that he had never seen before.

    It was nighttime.  The moon was up, but instead being the usual
pale silver, the moonlight seemed to contain an unhealthy reddish hue.

    (As if it's tainted by.... blood.)

    Another piercing scream echoed in the night, but no one appeared
to notice.  The neighboring buildings stayed quiet... their windows
remained dark.

    As he ran in the direction of scream, he could hear a woman
begging and pleading.

    "Please don't kill me!  I had to do it!  They threatened to
destroy my family if I didn't!"

    An appalling familiar voice coldly said, "You lie.  You spied and
betrayed us for money alone."

    "No!  That's not true!  I was paid, but... but the money was not
for me.  It was for my brother!"

    "To pay gambling debts and his drug supplier," the icy male voice
stated.

    "I have some of the money left!  Take it!  You can have whatever
you want!"  Her voice turned coaxing and seductive, "I'll do anything
for you.  Just let me liv.....agggGHHHH!"  Her voice abruptly choked
off into a muffled scream.

    Suddenly, a few houses away from Sano, a door slid open and a man
walked out.  Pausing briefly to flick the blood from his sword, Saitoh
Hajime stepped into the street.  But it was a Saitoh that Sano had
never seen before... a man with long, flowing hair held back by a
headband and a high set ponytail... a man dressed in a blood-flecked
light blue jacket whose sleeves were edged with a pattern of white
triangles.
 
    "Saitoh!!!"
 
    But the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi didn't
answer.  His gaze seemed to skim over Sano as if he wasn't even there.
 Saitoh then turned and walked away, a cold smile of satisfaction on
his face.

    Sano ran over to the house and looked inside.  He stared in shock.
 In the blood-splattered hallway was the body of a dead woman.  She
lay just inside the doorway with her guts spilling from her slashed
belly.

    "Saitoh, you murdering bastard!  You're not getting away THAT
easily!"
 
    Sano didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was going to
find out from Saitoh... one way or another.

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

    Shinomori Aoshi stood in the middle of a street which was both
familiar, yet eerily different.  He wasn't certain how it was
different, but something was definitely wrong.

    How could he be standing in a place that was at least a five days'
travel away?

    How could he be standing in a darkened street of Kyoto?
 
    Even as he struggled with those questions, he heard the sound of
running footsteps.  He turned just as a woman with long black hair
bumped into him hard.

    He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, then stared in
astonishment.

    "Takani Megumi!?"
 
    The doctor had been staring over her shoulder, a frightened look
on her face.  But when she heard her name and turned to see who was
talking to her, her expression became even more terrified.

    She wrenched herself free of his grasp and staggered back a few
steps.

    "Shinomori... Aoshi....  No... it can't be!"  With those words,
she dashed toward his left and tried to run past him.  He reached out
to stop her but mysteriously, she eluded his grasp.  Even as he
watched, she bolted down the street and abruptly disappeared into the
shadows.

    He ran after her, but she was gone without a trace.
 
    "What's going on!" he muttered to himself.  Suddenly, a man
shouted nearby.  The sound was swiftly followed by several screams and
groans, then some thumping noises.

    Aoshi emerged from the alleyway to a scene of carnage.  Even as he
watched, there was a single flash of silver... the unmistakable sound
of steel slicing flesh... then two men crumpled to the ground.  They
joined six other men who lay in great pools of gore.  The lone
swordsman left standing wiped the blood from his blade, then let the
stained sheets of paper flutter away in the frail night breeze... then
he turned.

    But even without looking at his face, Aoshi already knew the
identity of the swordsman.  Even the pale moonlight could not wash out
the telltale redness of the long hair, bound up in a high ponytail and
flowing around his face like the mane of a great hunting beast.

    Staring into the cold golden eyes that gleamed with a nearly
primal fire, Shinomori Aoshi finally confronted the man he had hoped
to challenge for the title of 'Strongest'... and felt the faintest
twinge of dread.

    The master killer of Kyoto....

    "Hitokiri Battousai."
 
    The name came out as the faintest of whispers, so quiet that it
was drowned out by the sighing of the wind.

    The Battousai suddenly froze, then turned to look down the street.

    ...then Aoshi's heart nearly stopped as he saw Misao running
toward the red-haired swordsman, frantically shouting, "Himura!
Himura!"

    (No, Misao!  NO!!!)

    The Battousai took a two-handed grip on his katana and started to
move in her direction.

    Aoshi grabbed for his kodachi but his hands came up empty.  He was
unarmed.

    Misao stumbled to a halt and gave the Battousai a bewildered look
when he didn't respond to her cries.

    "Himura...?" she whispered, even as the Hitokiri's pace
accelerated and his sword -- definitely no sakabatou -- prepared to
strike.
 
    Aoshi erupted from the alley into the street and skidded to a halt
in front of a startled Misao.

    "Aoshi-sama!?"
 
    He took a defensive stance and prepared to meet the Hitokiri
Battousai with his bare hands.  His only hope was to delay the
Battousai long enough to give Misao to get a good headstart.

    "Run, Misao!"

    She was now only realizing this was not Himura Kenshin charging
toward her.  This was the TRUE Hitokiri Battousai... and he made the
person who had taken out Cho of the Jupon Gatana with a single sword
stroke seem like the palest of imitations.
 
    "No! No, I won't!"
 
    There was no time to argue.  The Hitokiri was upon them.
 
    Aoshi prepared himself -- futilely perhaps -- as the Battousai and
his blade plunged toward him....

    "AOSHI-SAMA!!!"
 
    ....and went right through him.
 
    A stunned Aoshi stood, completely untouched and unharmed.  He
stared blankly at his body.  There were no pain... no blood.  It was
if the Battousai hadn't even been there.

    "Uhhhh...."
 
    "Misao...!"  Aoshi spun around just in time to see her collapse on
her knees, stupefied by both shock and relief.  He grabbed her
shoulders and frantically looked her over.  She appeared completely
uninjured, just like him.

    He glanced over her shoulder and froze at the battle raging just a
few yards away.  She turned to look, also, and saw the Battousai
fiercely battling his way through a group of uniformed swordsmen
wearing headbands and pale blue jackets.

    Aoshi softly whispered, "Shinsengumi...."
 
    Misao clutched at his shoulders even as she stared at the fighting
going on in front of her.  Himura... no, the Battousai methodically
cut down every single of his opponents with a bone-chilling
combination of efficiency and grace, the likes of which she had never
seen before.

    All his opponents dead or dying, the Hitokiri Battousai flicked
the blood off his katana, and sheathed it as he disappeared into the
darkness.

    Misao huddled against Aoshi's body for comfort as she whispered,
"I... I don't understand....  What's going on!?"

    Aoshi had finally put it all together when he had seen the
Shinsengumi.

    "Misao, we're not here."
 
    "Wha...?"
 
    "We're not really here.  This isn't real."
 
    "Are... are you saying that... this is a... this is all a dream!?"
 
    "Yes, I think so."

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

    Kaoru stirred restlessly, then finally opened her eyes.  She sat
up carefully and looked around Dr. Genzai's clinic.  Aoshi was
sleeping in the bed to her right and Megumi was lying on the bed to
her left.

    (What... what woke me up?)
 
    There was something nagging at her.  A thought... a feeling....
She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it had something to do
with....

    "Kenshin."
 
    She got out of bed and slowly walked over to him as he sat against
the wall, his head bowed.  As she approached, Kenshin didn't move at
all.

    (Is he really asleep?)
 
    She reached out to touch his shoulder when her eyes focused on the
blanket-wrapped bundle lying on the floor beside him.  She stared
blankly at it for a minute, then slowly reached down.

    A door quietly slid open.
 
    "Kaoru?  What are you doing out of bed?" said Tokio.
 
    Kaoru stood up suddenly, then nearly passed out from the painful
twinge in her stomach.  Tokio quickly grabbed her around the waist and
helped her back to bed.

    "Is there something you needed?"
 
    "I just... Kenshin...," Kaoru muttered.
 
    "Do you want me to get him for you?"
 
    "Oh no.  It's... nothing."
 
    "All right.  Just lie down and close your eyes."
 
    As Tokio gently stroked her forehead, Kaoru drifted into a
peaceful sleep.
 
    When she was certain Kaoru was unconscious, Tokio walked over to
her husband.  Like Kenshin, he seemed to be so deeply asleep that he
didn't react to her approach.

    Tokio knelt beside her husband and put her fingers on his neck.
His pulse was strong and steady, but he still didn't wake up.  She got
back to her feet and gave him a long, thoughtful look before returning
to her own bed.

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

    Aoshi and Misao stood together on a bloodstained, corpse-filled
Kyoto street that wasn't really there.

    "If this is a dream, then... what are we both doing here?  Why
would either of us be dreaming of Himura?  I've got much better things
to dream about...."  Misao blushed furiously.

    Aoshi looked at her.  He wasn't actually smiling, but there was a
faint curve to his lips that hinted that he might.  However, his voice
remained quite serious.

    "I don't know.  Maybe this isn't a dream.  Maybe... it's a
memory."
 
    "Uh.... Aoshi-sama?"
 
    "Yes?"
 
    She suddenly threw her arms around a startled Aoshi and sobbed,
"I'm sorry!  I'm sorry I said all those horrible things to you and I'm
sorry I hurt you and I don't know why I did it and please forgive me
and you probably now hate me and...."

    Aoshi was ruefully grateful that in this dream at least, he wasn't
injured... otherwise, her fierce hug would have really hurt.  He
gently put his hand over Misao's mouth to silence the flood of
incoherent apologies, then gently held her shoulders.
 
    "Yes, those things you said to me hurt... much more than any of
the physical injuries you inflicted."  He felt her flinch and he
gripped her a bit tighter.  "But your words hurt because they were
mostly true."

    "No!"
 
    "It's only fair that you should be angry with me for what I've
done... what I've put you and the others through.  You're quite
correct.  I was a selfish, traitorous coward in the past.  And now...
I'm still selfish and still a coward."

    Misao mutely shook her head in denial.
 
    Perhaps the certainty that this was all a dream gave Aoshi the
courage to say things he never would have said while awake.

    "So much of what I've done... so much of what I have NOT done...
it's all because of fear and pride."  He looked away.  "I envy your
strength, Misao."

    She stared up at him in confusion.
 
    "You're brave enough to wear your heart in plain view and you
don't care if you appear foolish when you do so."

    "Aoshi-sama...."
 
    "You and Himura...."  He felt her shiver and quickly shook his
head.  "Not the Hitokiri Himura Battousai... I'm talking about Himura
Kenshin.  You've both shown me that it's not the strength in my sword
arm or body that's the most important.  No, it's the strength of the
mind and the heart."

    He uttered a soft, bitter laugh.  "You two have taught me this so
clearly... and yet, I find that I can't follow your example.  I don't
have the courage... maybe I don't have the ability to so."

    Tears started to flow from Misao's eyes as she said, "Don't say
that!  You have as much heart and feeling as anyone!  The Oniwabanshuu
don't just respect you... they love you!  And Hanya and the others...
why do you think they were willing to die to protect you?  They won't
do that if they couldn't sense how much you cared about them in
return!"

    Aoshi opened his mouth to protest, but Misao quickly added, "You
might have wandered into darkness for a while -- just like Himura
Kenshin did -- but that doesn't mean that you've lost the right to be
happy!  Everyone deserves a second chance!"

    She sniffled and wiped at her nose.
 
    "The most important lesson I learned from Kenshin, Kaoru, and the
others is to... to trust in the people who care about you!  You've
hidden away your laughter, your smiles, your feelings for so long.  If
you can find these things and set them free yourself, that's fine.
But if you can't, then let someone help you!  Let ME help you...," she
finished in a soft whisper.

    And even as the street around them started to fade into mist,
Aoshi stared into Misao's bright blue eyes and thought that maybe...
just maybe... she was right.

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

    Kenshin awoken with a start, then glanced around.  Everyone still
seemed to be asleep.  He rubbed his eyes blearily, dutifully picked up
the bundle containing the black sword, and trudged off to get some
cold water.

    Still half-asleep, he managed to wash his face and tidy himself up
by sheer force of habit.

    (When we get back to the dojo, I need to take a quick bath.)

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

    Sano woke up as someone prodded him ungently in the ribs.  He
rolled over and found Saitoh staring down at him with his usual
infuriating smirk.

    Sano leapt to his feet and grabbed Saitoh by the collar.
 
    "You bloodthirsty bastard!  How could you kill that woman!?"
 
    Saitoh's only response was to slam his fist into Sano's stomach.
As the young man crumpled to the floor gasping for air, the policeman
gave him an irritated look.

    "Wake up, you dumbass."
 
    Sano sat there on the floor a moment as he tried to sort things
out.  "Huh.  Must have been a dream...."

    "Idiot."
 
    Sano scrambled to his feet and glared accusingly at Saitoh.  "Oh,
since you're not satisfied with making every one of my waking hours
hell, now you have to invade my sleep, too!"

    "If it wasn't for the fact that my wife was the one who cooked
dinner, I'd say that your brain's rotted from food poisoning.... what
little brains you have, that is."

    "Why you....!"
 
    Saitoh glanced away, uninterested in Sano's little temper tantrum.
 The former Shinsengumi abruptly stiffened as he caught sight of
Kenshin coming through the clinic's back door.  Saitoh's hand went
reflexively to his sword.

    "Saitoh?"  Kenshin said in a startled voice.
 
    The only response he got from Saitoh was a long, searching stare.
Sano gave the policeman an angry, but befuddled look, then he glanced
at Kenshin himself and gaped in surprise.

    Sano had never seen Kenshin wear his hair up like that before.
Instead of being tied back at the nape of the neck as usual, his long
red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail which somehow gave a
surprisingly fierce edge to Kenshin's appearance.

    "Hey, Kenshin!"

    "Yes, Sano?" he absently replied.
 
    "Why do you have your hair like that!?"
 
    "Like what?"  Kenshin looked even more confused than before.
 
    "Like that!"  Sano made a wild pointing gesture.
 
    Kaoru entered the room, assisted by Tokio and exclaimed, "What did
you do to your hair?"

    "Kaoru-dono?"  Kenshin nervously patted his head, but as soon as
his fingers encountered the ponytail, he froze.  Both Kaoru and Sano
watched in both confusion and worry as a tense, dismayed expression
appeared on Kenshin's face.

-----------------------------------
(end of part 7)

**********************************************************************

Next part:  The creepiness continues!  ^_^

--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

http://members.aol.com/madamhydra/index.html