Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spiderman used without permission

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	Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman
	Issue Eleven: Lessons part Four
	A Farewell to Akane

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	"Okay, so what's the plan?" Hikaru asked.
	"I have arranged for the other Riding Skulls to meet us a block away from Shigeru's
hideout. On my signal we will attack."
	"Whoa, back it up! What about Miku's safety?"
	"That, Spiderman, is where you come in" Daigo said. "Shigeru is always surrounded by
his most loyal lieutenants as well as some of his lower thugs. All are strong fighters."
	"I got it," Hikaru said in a knowing tone. "While you keep the goon squad busy, I'll
sneak in and grab Miku."
	"Be careful, Spiderman," Daigo warned. "Shigeru is a capable fighter himself, not to
mention a lunatic. He may try to use Miku against you."
	"I got it." Hikaru nodded. The anger, which was becoming all too familiar, rose up
in his breast again. Miku Tachibana would be saved, and Shigeru would be broken. Nothing
would change that, no matter what.
	"We are ready whenever you are, Spiderman."
	"Let's get this show on the road."

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	He could easily see the gathered Riding Skulls below. At least thirty had been
waiting in the shadows for Daigo to appear and lead them against the Ketsume.
	Man, they've been waiting for this, Hikaru thought as he listened half-heartedly to
the huge man's orders. He remained adhered to a wall above them. He and Daigo had agreed
that Spiderman's involvement had to be kept as secret as possible. Hikaru had a sneaking
suspicion that having his alter-ego involved in a gang war would be far too damaging to be
of any good.
	"Daigo-san!" one piped up. "If Shigeru's guard is as strong as you say, how are we
to win?"
	"I have a plan for that," Daigo explained, "one which, I am sorry to say, need not
concern any of you."
	"The time is now, Riding Skulls! The Ketsume must fall, and they must fall tonight!
Who's with me?" Daigo was greeted by a wall of shouted cheers.
	"Move out! The Ketsume's reign ends now!"

====================================================

	Gosunkugi crouched atop an adjacent building to where Daigo's gang remained in wait.
From the way they stuck to the shadows, this place *had* to be it. He saw Daigo look up and
clap twice.
	"That's my cue," Hikaru said to himself as he leapt to the top of the building
acrost the street. It was all up to him now.
	The plan had been deceptively simple. Once he found a way in, the was to signal
Daigo. From there, he would wait until the Riding Skulls gang had fully engaged he Ketsume
before sneaking in himself.
	Daigo would engage Shigeru's guards, leaving the man himself alone for Spiderman to
take down. Hikaru was, at first, surprised that one as seemingly proud as Daigo would
relinquish ultimate victory over a hated foe to a costumed marvel such as him.
	Maybe Miku means more to him than he implied, Hikaru thought as he found a likely
exhaust vent. Whatever the reason, Miku was the most important target. If he couldn't get
her out safely, then nohting else about this mission mattered.
	Hikaru crawled down the shaft, his spider-powers allowing him to easily cling to the
sheer metal surface. After a few meters, he found the top floor of the abandoned storage
room in sight. So far, so good. He climbed back up, a trip which took only a few seconds,
and ran to the edge of the roof. He found Daigo looking up expectantly, and he fished out
the compact Akira had given him.
	After a second, he saw Daigo nod. The other had gotten the signal. Hikaru couldn't
help but watch as a whole mob of Daigo's gang swarmed the building. Time to get down to
business...

	Daigo allowed a beastial roar to escape his throat as his Riding Skulls charged the
outer wall of Shigeru's hideout. This was it, what most of them had been longing for. Daigo
could not help but feel a little thrill himself. It was not the prospect of crushing a
mortal enemy, but rather the exhilaration of combat. Daigo knew this battle had been a long
time in coming, and the sight of Shigeru's men charging out from the shadows only emboldened
him further.
	Now, if only Spiderman could come through on his end...

	Hikaru found himself in a dimly lit corridor. The sounds of startled shouts reached
him through the walls of the abandoned building Shigeru had made into his headquarters.
Daigo's part of the plan had begun, and now it was time to fulfill his end.
	He raced to the end of the hall, inwardly braced for his spider-sense to warn him of
incoming attackers. This was it, the final battle for Miku's life. He could not, *would* not
fail.
	The door on the other side caved in with one kick and Hikaru rushed through. The
room beyond was brightly lit, and the sight brought him up short. Pictures, nearly a hundred
of them, lined the walls and were stacked on small tables scattered across the floor.
Despite himself, Hikaru stopped and looked.
	Damn, he thought with rising alarm. All of them, each and every one, were of Miku.
Polaroids, telephoto shots, Hikaru's trained eye determined the nature of each shot. All
shared one thing in common, however. Each was a candid shot, the subject having been unaware
of the camera's presence.
	He picked up a nearby stack and began to leaf through the collection of images. Miku
at school, in her gym uniform, even a couple of her nude in her bedroom, all of them taken
without her knowledge or her consent. There was no *way* Shigeru could have gotten shots
like this with her permission, not judging by the lighting and angles.
	A sickening feeling of dread knotted Hikaru's stomach. Every photo struck a chord
deep within him and, much as he hated to admit it, he knew which one.
	The photos of Miku were nearly identical to those he had once secretly taken of
Akane Tendo. Every last one of them a candid shot, taken without her knowledge or
permission. Hikaru briefly recalled obsessing over his photos of Akane... had he thrown them
away as well?... and dreaming only of her throughout the night.
	Had Hikaru Gosunkugi been religious, he would have invoked the name of God. He
wasn't certain he had really gotten rid of his Akane photos, but he would make certain to
after tonight...
	Don't bother with it! he shouted at himself. This is just evidence! Save Miku,
*then* worry about your picture collection! Hikaru dropped the pictures and raced out the
other door.
	Come on, he implored his enigmatic spider-sense, help me out here. Let me find Miku.

	Daigo delivered a punch that sent one Ketsume flying against the wall of Shigeru's
hideout. The lust of battle sang in his veins as he engaged another Ketsume thug. The feel
of his fists crunching bone and rending flesh was one he relished in, yet not overly often.
Daigo knew how dangerous his strength and techniques could be.
	The battle was evenly pitched, neither side gaining a definite advantage over the
other. He cast a spare glance at the building before he flattened another enemy. If
Spiderman didn't come through soon, then this assault could go down the drain.

	Gotta go left!
	Hikaru obeyed the sudden instinct as his spider-sense screamed for him to change
course. He found the door and, uncaring about anything else, smashed it open.
	"LET HER GO!" he screamed. Hikaru's blood boiled at the sight of Miku being held by
the man he had been searching for. White rope was wound around her torso, hands pulled
behind her and a wide swath of duct tape adhered to her lips. The surprise in Shegeru's eyes
vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced with detestable madness as he dragged her
before him like a shield.
	"I can't have her." His voice sent cold fingers racing up Hikaru's spine.
	"Give Miku to me, and I'll let you walk out of here." Straight into a whole horde of
rival gangs, he silently added. Of course, Hikaru had no intention of letting him get that
far.
	"You've already taken her from me, Spiderman."
	"Say what?" The knife was in Shigeru's hands faster than Hikaru's eyes could follow
and placed at the hollow of Miku's neck.
	"Shigeru, listen! Put the knife *down*!"
	"Tell me, freak," Shigeru said. His voice was cool as an arctic wind, slicing
through Hikaru's bravado and anger as a blade would a scrap of wood. "How long have you been
seeing her?"
	"You dimwit, I've never seen her before!"
	"DON'T LIE TO ME! You *have* been seeing her, I know it! Why else would you be
here?"
	"I'm here because of a friend," Hikaru growled. That wasn't too far from the truth.
His eyes shifted from Shiegru to Miku. The fear in her eyes tore at him, their brown depths
pleading for him to help.
	"She's more than that to you, isn't she?" Hikaru glanced at the knife at her throat
and back to the madman holding her. "You came here looking for her, you attacked six of my
men while screaming her name and for my head."
	"I'm not gonna tell you again," Hikaru hissed. "Put. The. Knife. DOWN!"
	"If I can't have her, neither can you." Hikaru felt the scream rattle in his throat
as the knife began to bear down into Miku's pale flesh. Her own muted shriek became the only
sound he heard.
	His hand shot forth without thought. A long stream of webbing lanced through the air
in slow-motion as the world ground to a seeming halt. This had to work, this had to work,
this had to work...
	The silken thread slapped onto Shigeru's arm. Carried away on a tide of instinct and
adrenaline, Hikaru jerked the arm away from Miku's throat. Time slowed to a crawl as the
most minute details came into razor sharp focus; the tiny bead of crimson blood that marred
Miku's throat, the clatter of the knife hitting the floor, the sound of a shoulder wrenched
from its socket and the agonized scream that burst from Shigeru's lips.
	The world snapped back to proper cadence all at once. Hikaru was left stunned, still
turned as Shigeru slammed against the flimsy plaster of the wall. He hit the floor in a
whimpering heap, left arm twisted at an odd angle from his body. Hikaru regained his senses
and rushed to where Miku had fallen.
	"MIKU!" She was still breathing, he noticed with an audible sigh of relief. Her
slender form trembled beneath the stained school uniform as she looked up at him.
	"Hang on. I'll get you out of here," he said. Hikaru grabbed the ropes around her
torso in both hands and snapped them easily. He freed her hands next and removed the tape
from her lips as gently as he could.
	"Spider..." Miku gasped. She immediately began to rub her wrists while he picked up
her chin.
	"It's not bad," he said on seeing the small wound.
	"Nice outfit," she said with a slight grin. "It suits you."
	"Thanks..." The spider-sense rammed into the back of his skull like a jackhammer.
Hikaru grabbed Miku and leapt clear just before the bolt of purple energy annihilated the
wall where he once stood. Crouched on an adjoining wall, he glared at the retreating form of
Shigeru, one arm hanging limp and useless by his side.
	"Let's go," he said to Miku. "I'm getting you out of here."
	"No."
	"Say what?"
	"Spiderman," she said as he put her down on the floor. Miku stared into his eyes,
her own now filled with fierce determination. "Please, you *must* stop Shigeru."
	"I..."
	"Don't let him get away," she pleaded. "I'm not the first one he's done this to, and
if you let him go, I won't be the last!"
	"But..."
	"I'll be fine! Now go!"
	"Be careful," Hikaru said as he launched himself out the door.
	Miku flopped down onto the bed, her strength suddenly fleeing her limbs. She vaguely
heard the astounded shouts from beyond the newly-blasted hole in the wall, paid no heed to
the cool air that rushed in from outside. She knew she had to get back up, she just couldn't
find the strength.
	"Someone's fuckin' inside!" she heard a voice shout. One of the Ketsume, she dimly
recalled.
	Gotta get up. They're coming in. Can't let them get to me. Not again.

	Daigo stood motionless in the ensuing silence as the violet ki ball burst through
the third floor wall of Shigeru's base and rammed into another building with murderous
force. Everyone, Riding Skull and Ketsume alike, stared up in mute shock.
	Spiderman, he thought, did you do it? Did you save Miku?
	"Someone's fuckin' inside!" The Ketsume immediately turned tail, rushing in through
the worn double doors of the building.
	"After them!" Daigo shouted, rallying his troops to renew the assault. He had to
keep them off Spiderman and Miku, no matter what. The gang was counting on him to bring an
end to the Ketsume tonight. Akira was counting on him to save one of her only friends. He
would not let either down.

	The air bit through Shigeru's thin uniform, adding to the pain from his destroyed
shoulder. He fought to focus past it, to recall the training he once took so seriously. At
one time, people thought him to be an excellent martial artist.
	How had he dodged that? he asked himself. How could he have known? Shigeru tried to
find the energy for another blast, yet found his strength flagging. All at once, he realized
just how much he had neglected his training.
	"SHIGERU!" He froze at the sound of his name and turned to face his opponent.
Spiderman stood in the doorway to the stairwell, every centimeter of his body tensed with
rage.
	"Come, Spiderman," he said calmly. "Let us finish this."
	"Gladly."

	Hikaru circled his enemy warily. He knew Shigeru was dangerous, in ways moreso than
even Doctor Octopus.
	He's wounded, a sanguine voice said, he's weak. Kill him! Hikaru sprung without
warning, launching a kick that would have splattered Shigeru's head had it connected. The
latter sidestepped the attack and delivered a thrust kick into Hikaru's side.
	He barely felt it as he kept up the assault. Anger fueled his strength, boosted his
speed as he launched blow after blow. The wounded Shigeru soon fell behind, moving from a
defensive tactic to one of utter futility as punch after punch fell against his body.
	Hikaru ignored the roaring in his ears, which he would later recall as his own
scream. The feel of Shigeru's flesh splitting and bones cracking only further encouraged
him.
	I'm killing him, Hikaru thought with mild surprise. I'm killing this man...
	And I don't care. Not one damn bit.
	He finally relented, stepping back to view the damage. Shigeru lay on the rough
tarpaper surface of the roof, his face swollen almost beyond recognition.
	Hikaru would never clearly recall hoisting Shigeru into the air with his left arm,
nor cocking his right back to deliver the final blow, but he would always remember Miku
Tachibana's shouted word and the way it hit him like a splash of icy water.
	"STOP!"
	"Huh?" He looked over at Miku who stood in the pale light of the moon.
	"Don't kill him, Spiderman." Hikaru could hardly believe what he was hearing.
	"Excuse me?" he said. "This... *monster*... has been stalking you, threatening you,
and damn near killed you!"
	"I know," she replied in a tight voice.
	"You told me to stop him, and..."
	"I don't want you to kill him!" Hikaru remained still, fist poised to bring about
Shigeru's end. Miku began to step closer, a whirl of conflicting emotions clear on her face.
"You said it yourself, Spiderman, he *is* a monster. But, if you kill him, you'll be a
monster as well."
	"If he's done this to other girls..."
	"I saw the room," Miku stated simply. "There's enough evidence in there alone to
send him away for the rest of his life. Spiderman, you don't need to do this."
	Hikaru shifted his hateful glare back to Shigeru, his mind divided. Part of him
screamed for justice, to send his fist rocketing forward to destroy what passed for
Shigeru's brain and end his threat once and for all.
	But if he did that, then he would become the very monster he held at his mercy. And
mercy was what separated men from monsters, wasn't it?
	"Please, Spiderman. Let the police take it from here."
	"Okay, Miku," he said as he slowly set Shigeru down. "For you, I'll let him go."
	"Thank you."
	"SHIT!" Hikaru took Miku by his side as the roof became flooded with people. Many
were of the Riding Skulls, others of the Ketsume, but all stared in open-mouthed shock at
the sight of Shigeru. He saw Daigo step forward and wince at the sight of the broken former
gang leader.
	"Ketsume!" Daigo shouted. "Riding Skulls! The war is over!" They all stared up at
the towering leader, none sure of what to do or say. Even Edge remained silent, Hikaru
noticed.
	"The cops're comin'!" one said, breaking the silence.
	"Miku?"
	"I'll be fine, Spiderman," she said. With that, Hikaru Gosunkugi fired a webline
into the distance and swung out into the night sky.

	Miku Tachibana watched Spiderman until he vanished into the shadows. It was over, at
long last it was finally over. She felt drained, empty as police swarmed the roof. Two of
them approached her, and she gave half-hearted answers to their questions. Two others cursed
at the sight of Shigeru and immediately called for an ambulance.
	She let the police escort her down to the street. For once, her mind was free from
fear, and the light feeling was sublime.

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	Hikaru Gosunkugi stared at the stacks of photos, each one bearing the likeness of
Akane Tendo forever captured on paper and film. He felt the bile rise up from his stomach at
the sight of them, at how he had gotten them.
	Could I have become like Shigeru? he asked himself. Could I have gone so far to have
someone who didn't want me?
	Of course not! part of him railed. Even if you tried, you'd have to face down no
less than five of Nerima's worst, not to mention Akane herself!
	But that was the rub, wasn't it? What if he had even tried? What if he had used his
spider powers to do it?
	Not for the first time, Gosunkugi hated himself. He stared again at one of the
pictures. In it, Akane was smiling at some joke he hadn't caught. He remembered how his
heart had ached at the sight. It still did, though not just from misguided infatuation
anymore.
	"Maybe it's time I grew up a little," he muttered as he gathered every single photo
of Akane he had, as well as the negatives.

	The boiler room was still as hot as it had always been. He stood before the open
door to the fire chamber, and remembered. The last time he had come was to throw away a part
of him, supposedly forever.
	This time was no different, really.
	Here he had tried to rid himself of Spiderman. Here he had destroyed both his old
costume and any momentos of his former exploits.
	Hikaru pulled back the mask of his new costume. It only felt right to wear it here,
now, with his face exposed.
	But first, he had to cut ties with one more piece of his past. One more bridge to
burn.
	Hikaru had saved these photos for last. They were the most recent, taken only days
before that spider had bitten him on the hand and changed him for eternity. He stepped up to
the flames and stared into their wildly moving mass.
	"Good-bye, Akane," he whispered as he tossed in the last sheaf of photos. He stared
at the rapidly vanishing envelope for a moment before closing the door and pulling his mask
back in place. He was Hikaru Gosunkugi just as much as he was Spiderman, now and forever. He
had finally let go of who he was before...

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	Hyo Imawano placed the cellular phone back in his pocket before leaning back in the
padded chair of his office as Student Body President.
	"Spiderman..." How had that masked stranger become involved? Not that it mattered
now. He had been planning to cut Shigeru and the Ketsume loose for some time. 7Leaving him
twisting in the wind for that brute Daigo to take down would have been the perfect means.
	"But it appears that Spiderman has done it for me." The reports he had recieved were
startling. Police had found evidence of Shigeru's... hobbies. Given his current condition,
critical and still sinking, it was unlikely that he would do any talking about Hyo's
organization.
	"You've done me a favor, wallcrawler," he said to the night sky beyond his window.
"But I will be keeping watch for you."

	Across town another, more powerful man had recieved the same news.

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	Pao Leung steepled his fingers on his desk. Spiderman was back, and was obviously
trying to up the ante. Those two small time gangs in Juuban had not been his, but the
implications were clear. The freak was now waging war on crime. How much longer before he
tried to interfere with any more of his own operations?
	No matter, he thought. The Black Widow is ready for launch. I can't think of a
better test...