TEASER

FADE IN

Xena, Gabrielle and Eve are walking along the peaceful coast of a beach. Argo trots alongside them.

EVE:
     Mother, I can't tell you how much I missed you and Gabrielle in the land of Indus.

GABRIELLE:
     It's a lovely place there, isn't it?

EVE:
     Oh yes. It's very peaceful.

XENA:
     Sure. Peaceful. If you don't count the demons at every turn.

GABRIELLE:
     Why are you always so cynical?

XENA:
     I'm not cynical. Just realistic.

Xena halts, darting her eyes around. Gabrielle, Eve and Argo follow her example, when Argo whinnies loudly. Streams of white light are blowing all around them. Xena draws her sword, and Gabrielle reaches for her sais. Eve tries wordlessly to get them to lower their weapons, but fails. Meanwhile, the light has been covering at a single point, directly in front of Xena. The figure of a large, bearded man replaces the white light.

XENA (harshly):
     Who are you? (levels her sword at him)

The figure waves a hand and with three bolts of white light, the sword and sais fly from Xena and Gabrielle's hands, respectively, to land on the sand behind them.

XENA (undaunted):
     I asked who you were.

FIGURE:
     I am Enma, Lord of the Spirit World.

EVE (steps forward, wishing to present a message of peace):
     I am Eve, the messenger of E--

ENMA (angry):
     I know who are. You are one of the pathetic ningens responsible for Xena escaping my realm.

GABRIELLE:
     Is that what this is about? A single mortal escaping you? We won't let Xena die again.

XENA:
     And believe me, I have no intention of dying again. (snarls) And no worthless wannabe god is going to have any say in it.

ENMA:
     Foolish. Self-obsessed. Like all you ningens. Do you truly believe that I, Enma, Lord of the Rekai would come to your worthless plain of existence because the life of one human escaped me?

XENA:
     Then why don't you get to your point?

ENMA (glances almost respectfully at Xena):
     Very well. Your escape from my realm, the Rekai, was far more destructive than you suspect.

XENA:
     Maybe you need better management. Give my regards to the Rekai's custodian. (starts to walk away, uninterested in a god's problems)

ENMA:
     More that my world was affected, Xena! You have put your own realm into grave peril.

XENA (turning to face Enma):
     You'll forgive me if I don't believe that you give a damn about us ningens.

ENMA:
     Humans may be irritating, but there are creatures that are far more dangerous. There are three different realms. Yours; the human world, the Ningenkai, Mine; the spirit world, the Rekai and last, a world so horrible that it should not exist, the demon world, the Makai. I control the gateways between these worlds. I keep them shut, so that everyone remains where they belong. But when you (fiercely grabs Eve's chin between his finger and thumb) returned your mother to life, you momentarily opened those gateways. (releases Eve's chin)

Now Enma's voice is heard over scenes of chaos, demons and spirits scrambling through the open gates.

ENMA (voice over):
     Demons poured into the Ningenkai, Humans fell through to the Makai, Spirits escaped and now wander as ghosts. I have sent my messengers to collect the spirits and the weaker demons.

Scenes change to show Spirit world messengers apprehending hundreds upon hundreds of spirits and demons.

ENMA (voice over):
     But even with my messengers and seekers of the dead on non-stop patrol, some still elude us.

Return to the beach.

GABRIELLE:
     And that's where we come in.

ENMA (almost ignoring Gabrielle):
     A particularly dangerous kitsune has escaped to Greece, beyond the range of my seekers. He has killed thousands of demons for mere pleasure and demons are much harder to kill than humans. I can only imagine what sort of havoc he will wreak in the Ningenkai.

XENA:
     And why should we help you?

ENMA:
     Quite aside from the fact that it will prevent me from dragging you back to the Rekai with me, apprehending this kitsune will save thousands of ningen lives.

XENA:
     All right. But I'm not doing this for you.

ENMA:
     I hardly expected you to. If I am correct, the kitsune has already destroyed the village of Elem and you should find him in or near Imat.

Xena nods and Enma vanishes the way he appeared as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER