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"Chosen Ones"Written By: Dùlin
Archive: This arc is archived on this site with permission. Do not reproduce it anywhere without permission. Disclaimer : I don't own them. Life is not fair. Rating : R to NC-17 for violence Warnings : Crossover GW/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
which means, AU and OOC-ness for the GW characters (since they're
not humans, niark niark !) Pairings : 1x2, 3x4, 6x5, explicit references to past 13x5 Author's note : You need to know quite a bit about
the Buffy universe to understand this fic. If you don’t know
what Buffy is or stopped watching after season two, just take a browse
on the official UPN site to see what the heck this is all about. The greatest thanks to the ever faithful Karina, to Amejisuto and the best beta-reader of the world, Laurence-sama ! Please do not take or reproduce without permission.
"Chosen Ones" Part 6 - Enemies Unfold Buffy, Heero and Duo came into Willy’s at the beginning of the afternoon. Buffy had not been really keen on taking those two with her, but Zechs had insisted. “I don’t doubt your capacities, Miss Summers”, he had said. “But if you meet a spirit, you will be dead in seconds. Heero and Duo can defend themselves and you too in that kind of situation. Even if they don’t get rid of the spirit, they can protect you from his attacks.” Buffy had halfheartedly admitted that the Light Spirit was right. Although, she thought, he had a slight tendency to talk like Giles. That could get on her nerves eventually. As soon as they entered that darkened establishment, the bartender said in a loud voice : “Hey ! That’s the Slayer ! How nice ! What brings you here ?” Some demons left their seats and got out swiftly, while vampires crept through the back door to go back to the sewers. “What brings me here ?”, Buffy said, a sugary smile on her face. “You know it, Willy. I have heard that some big baddies are about to come into my town, and I’m ready to bet you’ve heard a lot of stuff about that.” “Me ?”, Willy said nervoulsy. “Oh, ya know, people come here, they talk, but half of the time they’re drunk or…” “Willy …”, Buffy interrupted. The man gulped and stopped talking. “Let me make it nice and clear for your little head, Willy. Either you help me willingly, and I might consider not coming here every day to ruin your business. Or you don’t, and I’ll use you as punching bag for my trainings.” Willy shot a nervous look at the two young men standing on either side of Buffy. “Who are they ?” “Friends. They might have a few questions also”, she said with a questioning look towards Heero, who nodded. “Ok, just fire it”, Willy sighed. “Did you hear anything about someone trying to open the Hellmouth ?” Willy looked up hesitantly. “It’s not that clear, okay ? There have been rumors, but you know what rumors are. Some people said that a very big bad was up to visit the Hellmouth and maybe open it. And then, some demons have disappeared.” “Killed ?” “No, not killed. They just vanished. Some vamps too. No one knows what happened to them, except that we know they’re not dead. I reckon someone might be recruiting them.” Buffy looked at Heero. “What would you like to know ?”, she asked. “Have you seen a woman you’ve never seen before trying to contact demons or vampires, or even humans ?” “Depends”, Willy said. “What’s she like ?” “A little higher than me, light brown hair tied into two plaited buns with lil’ pink ribbons”, Duo said. “And able to switch from sugary sweet to cold hatred in about a second. A vicious one.” “Well, I can’t say I’ve seen anyone looking like this.” “But you’ve heard something”, Buffy pushed. Wily gulped. “I can’t help you on this one, okay ? I really can’t.” Buffy saw the fear in the man’s eyes. Their enemies had probably come before them, and now, Willy was too scared to say anything. Buffy felt rage build up inside of her. She controlled it. Beating the crap out of Willy would not resolve anything … But God that would be so nice, she thought, going towards the exit, still followed by the two silent spirits.
“Yeehee ! Finally something to punch on !” Duo raised his eyebrows and fought not to burst out laughing. The girl was really fun. It was nice for once to meet someone doing the nasty job with a smile. Even if that smile hid something deeper and sadder. Duo was one to know about that. The two demons jumped on Buffy. She punched the first one right in the face, and knocked out the second one with a powerful kick in the chest. Color went up to her cheeks. “Come on, now ! Show me what you can do ! I’m a bit cranky today, I need to relax !” With the last word, she kicked one of the demon hard behind the knee, making him stumble and fall on the floor. The other one was starting to get up again and to creep closer from behind. Heero clenched his fists, ready to join the fight, but Duo held out his arm and stopped him. “Don’t”, he said quietly. Heero shot him an incredulous look. “But Duo, we can help !” “That’s not the point. Let’s see what she can do.” Heero suddenly got the point. He didn’t like to stand aside and watch an ally getting hit and hitting back without doing anything, but Duo seemed sure of what he was doing. Buffy cursed under her breath when she realized that the two spirits were not going to help her. That enraged her a bit more, and it took her around five minutes to reduce the demons into pulp. She then turned to Duo and Heero, her face flushed. “Would it have been too much for you to move your immortal ass and give me a hand ?” “But you were doing fine on your own !”, Duo protested. “And anyway, that’s your job, uh ?” Buffy sighed. “Yeah, my job”, she said dejectedly. “Lovely, isn’t it ? I am almost nineteen and what do I do for fun ? I kill supernatural creatures. And I can’t even stop because the only way for me to stop is to get killed ! That is, if it’s not the end of the world this time.” Buffy suddenly realized that Duo and Heero were not listening to her. They were looking around, and Duo was sniffing in the ambient air. “Guys ?”, Buffy said, waving her hands. “I was complaining loudly. The least you could do is listen to me while I complain loudly and comfort me. It’s because of you that I’m stuck in all that crap !” “I smell blood”, Duo interrupted. “Like vampires do ?” “Kinda. Except that whoever owned that blood might not be using it now. There is a corpse somewhere near this place.” Heero went to a great trash container and opened it. The stink that erupted from it made Buffy take a step back. She stuck her nose before she came closer. The body, or what remained of the body, was unmistakably human. It was impossible to determine which color his skin had been, since it was covered with black bruises and blood. The head was severed and lay on one side. Parts of the limbs had disappeared. “Eww!”, Buffy said. “I’ve never seen anything so gross !” “And you deal with demons everyday ?”, Duo asked, but his voice wasn’t really happy. “I deal with normal demons, not psychos ! Well, okay, most demons are psychos, but you see what I mean.” “Yes”, Heero said. “That human was tortured and killed for pleasure.” “Heero”, Duo said, “I think there’s a message for you.” Buffy suddenly noticed strange signs carved deep into the corpse’s chest. They were almost unreadable because of the coagulating blood. “What’s that language ?”, Buffy asked. “I can’t read it. But then, Giles says I should spend more time studying …” “It’s Shiar’a”, Heero said. “Language of my people.” “What does it say ?” “See you soon, Une.” **** Spike rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, though, Drusilla was still there. “It cannot be”, he whispered. Quatre was summoning all his power to maintain the illusion. He began to advance, his abilities still searching into Spike’s mind to find something that would put the vampire under some kind of control. When he found it, he smiled. The smile was reflected by the illusion. “Come here, my little Spike”, Quatre-Drusilla said. The vamp, unable to control his body, took a step forward. Quatre held out two long fingers, directing them towards Spike’s eyes. “Be in my eyes. Be in me.” The vampire’s eyes lost focus. Quatre reverted to his usual self. He felt tired. Changing forms was drawing a lot of energy out of him, but it was the best illusion charm he could do. Now, he had to try and convince Spike to fight for them. Quatre sighed, braced himself and held out his right hand, his eyes turning to gold. **** When Quatre finally showed up in Buffy’s living-room, it was dark outside. His other fellow spirits were here, and so were Angel, Giles, Anya and Xander. Only Wufei was missing. Quatre frowned slightly, but he was too tired to say anything. In fact, he was so tired that his legs gave way under him. Trowa just had time to run at his side to prevent him from falling. “Quatre, you overdid it”, he said severely. “Had to. The vamp is very stubborn. I had to morph and this is the first time I ever try that kind of spell on a vampire.” Quatre shivered. He shot an accusatory look to Zechs. “When I told you there was a reason why I didn’t use telepathy on vampires …” “You volunteered to do this, Quatre”, Zechs answered. “I did because none of you could have made it. Tell me, how many of you exactly know how to cast a controlling charm on an undead creature ?” “I don’t”, Duo said merrily. “But I don’t like to deal with undead creatures in general, this is against my nature.” Quatre smiled wearily. “Sorry for being grumpy. It’s the second time in a few days that I feel worn out, and I don’t like it.” “S’okay”, Duo said. “It’s not like it’s the first time you bite our heads off because you’re tired.” Heero elbowed him, but a smile appeared on the Warrior Spirit’s lips. “Where is Wufei ?”, Quatre suddenly asked. Zechs frowned. He looked actually worried. “I don’t know. He needed to be alone for a while. I told him it was dangerous, but you know him. He has blocked his signals. None of us have been able to locate him. I counted on you to do it, but you need rest.” “I can try …”, Quatre started, but Trowa interrupted him. “No. Zechs is right, you need rest. Just stay put for a few hours and then you can try it.” Quatre made an unhappy face, but deep inside, he knew Trowa was right. He would be of no use if he was deprived of all his energy. The blond boy nodded, and accepted to be led upstairs by Trowa and Willow. Trowa made him lie down on the bed. He examined his lover closely, but no physical damage had been done. Quatre was just mentally exhausted. “Did your spell work ?”, Willow asked. “I am not sure”, Quatre answered sleepily. “He will not fight for our enemies, that’s for sure, but I can’t guarantee that he will fight for us either. He’s on a kind of neutral ground. I couldn’t use a complete controlling charm, it would have meant for me to be concentrating on him full time. Vampires are too powerful to be controlled that way.” “Really ?” “They have human-related intelligence”, Quatre smiled. “They have a bad tendency to understand when someone tries to control them. I had to use a trick.” “Which one ?” “Drusilla.” Willow raised her eyebrows. “Good one. I wouldn’t have thought of that. But then, we’re so used to our good puppy Spike now that I didn’t think this would be necessary.” Trowa was moving his hands on Quatre’s body, activating the energy channels that needed to be refueled. He held out his hand to Willow. “Can you help me ?” Willow’s eyes widened. “Me ? I … I don’t know. I mean I can do a little magic, you know, floating pencils, summon elements, but this is … so above me.” “I just need you to help me control the energy I am going to summon. It’s very simple, but it’s pretty intense. I need someone from this world to do it.” “How come ?” “I could do it without you, but then I would have power flowing out of me. It can be destructive in a house.” “I see. Yeah, Buffy definitely wouldn’t like us to destroy her mom’s room.” “I figured so.” “What do I have to do ?” “Hold my hand, and focus on something simple. A waterfall. Imagine a waterfall in the middle of the woods. Visualize the water flowing down the rocks, again and again. Do you see it ?” “Yes.” “Good. Don’t let go off my hand.” Trowa’s body began to glow with a vibrant green light. Willow felt a rush of power go through her. Trowa’s right hand was on Quatre’s brow. Willow’s left hand automatically reached for Quatre’s chest, where his heart was. The Healer was still firmly gripping the witch’s other hand. Willow was almost out of her mind. This was so different from the lame little spells she was trying to cast. She had actually magic running through her very body. It was so strong, so overwhelming. So soothing also. The healing power was like a cool rain when it’s too hot outside, like a glass of water when your throat is so soar. It was comforting like the hug of a mother, like the kiss of a lover. When it brutally stopped, Willow was left disoriented for a few seconds. She sat at the edge of the bed. Quatre’s body was now glowing with a golden radiance. It was apparently a sign that his energy was replenished, because Trowa smiled. The faint green light around the Healer’s figure disappeared. Quatre opened his eyes again. “How do you feel ?”, Trowa asked. “Much better. Can I have a kiss ?” Trowa laughed softly and complied. Quatre began to pull him closer, apparently supremely unconcerned by the fact that someone else was watching. Trowa finally broke the kiss, and Quatre let out a whimper of disappointment. Willow’s face was flaming red. “I’ll just go”, she said, trying to get up. “No, stay”, Trowa said. “I need someone to keep an eye on him.” “You’re not staying with me ?”, Quatre asked. “I’ll be back very soon. We’re holding a meeting, in case you haven’t noticed. You stay here and take some rest, you’ll know soon enough what we talked about.” “I feel well enough to come.” “I said ‘rest’, Quatre”, Trowa said seriously, and his eyes flashed dangerously. “If you don’t do what I say, I’ll have to put you to sleep.” Quatre pretended to cower and made quite a good impression of a terrorized kid. “Oh no, please, Great Healer, anything but not the Sleep !!! Please !” The blond chuckled. Trowa smacked him lightly on the head. “You’re trying to imitate Duo’s humor, then I know you’re alright. Be quiet now.” “Yes, love”, Quatre said obediently. “But you’re going to pay for this.” “I know”, Trowa said. “I am ready.” And with a last smile, he left the room. Quatre sat up on the bed and looked at Willow. The red-haired girl realized she was staring and looked away hastily. “We must be quite disturbing for you humans”, Quatre said. Willow let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, sorry, it’s just … I feel strange, when I watch you kiss and do smoochies and stuff. It doesn’t seem …” Willow looked for the best way to finish her sentence. “Appropriate for higher beings ?”, Quatre suggested. “Exactly ! I mean, you’re supposed to be above us humans, how come you are not above our trivial emotions too?” “Love is not a trivial emotion, Willow. Far from it. Love is one of the most powerful thing in the world. It can make you things you never imagined you were able of. It works for humans, why not for us ?” “I don’t know. Of course, the disturbing thing is also that you actually look like fifteen-year-olds, but you’re not. How old are you exactly ?” “I lost count after the fourth millenium. And I am the youngest of us all.” “And how long have you been with Trowa ?” “Forever, it seems. My life was pretty much nothing without him. We Spirits of the Dream are said to be lazy scums, because most of the time we just daydream and don’t use our powers. He made me more than that.” “So, you can feel love, passion, hatred, all those things ??” “Yes. Maybe even more than you do.” Willow hesitated, then decided to ask. “Why do you love Trowa ?” Quatre gave her a long searching look. “Do I need any particular reason ?” “No, but, … Do you know why ?” “This question is meaningless, Willow. I love him, that’s all I need to know. Love is unconditionally given and received. If you need a reason to love someone, then you don’t love them. Do you know why you love Tara ?” “I think I do.” “No. You know that you feel good when she’s around. That thinking of her brings a smile to your face and makes you want to sing. But that’s an effect of your love for her, not the reason why you love her.” Willow looked perplex. Obviously, she had been thinking a lot about love lately, Quatre thought. He smiled. Maybe they had a chance, maybe they could make it. His foresight could only tell him that the prospects were dark. But if the humans could understand, then maybe the sun would rise again after the night. Quatre lied back on the bed. A disturbing little thought sprang into his mind. Wufei. Where was Wufei ? He had promised not to try for a while, but that bothered him. Wufei was vulnerable and off-balance. He shouldn’t have gone out alone blocking his signals. An alarm began to ring in Quatre’s head. Wufei was in danger. And if he was, they all were . **** Wufei was wandering aimlessly in the town of Sunnydale. He ignored the astonished looks of the people on the street. They were not really used to see young Chinese boys in traditional costumes here in California. At least not in Sunnydale. Wufei was brooding. And he didn’t like it. Fire Spirits were not supposed to be brooding. It was not in their nature. Weather Wielders like Heero, Dream Spirits like Quatre, Hell, even Duo could be brooding ! But he shouldn’t. The fact that he knew the exact cause of this brooding didn’t really help. Killing Treize had been his only objective for thousands of years. The treason had hurt him so badly that he had dedicated his life to eradicate the one who had created that pain in his heart. The feeling of fulfillment when it had been done had been so overwhelming. That impression that he could start living for himself again. That the nightmare was over. And now, to learn that it was all bullshit, that Treize had never died, that he could start it all over again, that was enough to depress him. Wufei clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to control the wave of hatred that threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn’t afford to lose control. Not this time. This time, it was not only his life that was at stake. There were also the lives of his companions, fighters that he had learnt to respect ; the lives of those humans who were helping them, fighting valiantly against the forces of Darkness ; The lives of the innumerable Spirits of his original dimension. So much. Wufei held a trembling hands to his lips, remembering the kiss. Zechs had kissed him. Wufei had not been in any kind of relationship since Treize had broken his heart. But strangely, that kiss was not as disturbing as he had thought. In fact, thinking of that kiss helped him calm down a little. Wufei smiled to himself. Maybe he should just go back to where his brothers were. They were probably dead worried because he had blocked his signals. “What are you smiling for, Wufei ?”, a sweet voice asked behind him. Wufei froze. That voice. That unctuous, honey-sweet voice who had sworn so much to him. Wufei’s body began to shake. The Spirit cursed at himself under his breath. How could he have been so careless ? He hadn’t even felt the other one arrive. The Chinese Spirit turned around to face the person who had addressed him. He closed his eyes involuntarily, as if that could erase the man that was standing there and the painful memories that seeing him was bringing back. But it didn’t work. The man was still there, smiling widely, his blue eyes looking up and down Wufei with an almost greedy look. “Happy to see me again ?”, Treize asked.
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