Interesting Times

      This isn't right.
      Kiyemon leaned against the mirror, hands splayed over the icy surface. Her mirror reflected back to the goings on in the mortal world whenever she cared to look. These days it was an activity that was beginning to happen with alarming frequency.
      She stared at the image of the shaded woods the Chibi Troopers had run into. She had not expected them to run off alone. And the tiger turned man... where was he? His sudden disappearance troubled her greatly. So much had happened these last few days that she hadn't expected. She had forgotten just how unpredictable mortals could be. And that bothered her greatly. As one of the keepers of the Demon's Gate, she had watched the mortal world for untold centuries. If anyone, she should have expected, anticipated everything that was happening and yet here she was, almost as much in the dark as a mortal.
      She shouldn't interfere. She had no right to interfere. And she had done too much of it already. The timeline could already be irreversibly damaged from her meddling.
      And yet...
      She clenched her fists, not heeding the pain as she drove her nails into the soft flesh of her palm. And yet, she found herself wanting to help them. Somehow... she just couldn't bring herself to let them die. It was what had driven her to save their lives in the first place. The idea of the Troopers' death had a wrongness to it. A cold feeling washed over her as if... what was that charming expression mortals had?
      Oh, yes. As if someone had just walked over her grave. That was it. That was the feeling. She didn't understand it. Not yet anyway. She just knew that if it was in her power, she had to try to help them. What to do, though? The others would stop her if she directly intervened. Not to mention it went directly against her instincts as an observer. And she had duties of her own. She couldn't just go off and baby-sit a group of six year olds, no matter what she felt.
      Kiyemon tapped her nails against the glass thoughtfully, her eyes clouding over in thought. The Troopers needed an ally, someone who could help protect them until the spell they were under was reversed. Someone who had experience fighting demons and spells. Someone like...
      She straightened, the corners of her mouth twitching in realization. Yes! She would be perfect. Kiyemon closed her eyes, stretching her mind out. Where are you...?
      Ah, there she was.

*****

Sunnydale, California.

      Weatherly Park at night was a different world.
      During the day, the park was a place where kids could hang out, maybe play Frisbee or set up a volleyball game. Couples could enjoy picnics under clusters of trees so perfect in their beauty that you'd swear they were fake. Old men could sit around playing checkers with their grandkids. Mothers could easily and confidently walk their babies around in strollers, secure in the knowledge that nothing could happen to them.
      All that changed as soon as the sun went down. The change was almost palpable as dusk lengthened into shadowy darkness. The warm, friendly aura of the park disappeared and became a veritable no-man's-land. No longer a place a person could walk comfortably in. Not if you were human and alive, at least.
      The dead... well, in Sunnydale, the dead tended to do pretty much whatever the hell they pleased. And usually did. Say what you like, but Sunnydale was never boring.
      There were times when Buffy Summers absolutely pined for boredom. She could remember glorious days long past when she'd had nothing more consequential to consider than her wardrobe or hair. Okay, she amended, so she wasn't all that sorry she was no longer a shallow Cordelia clone, but still would it be too much to ask for a night off once in a while? She was supposed to go for early fall orientation tomorrow morning at good old Sunnydale University.
      College. God, she could hardly believe that she'd made it this far. Or that she'd actually survived high school. I deserved a medal for that alone, she thought. And it was all about to start up again, the delicate nearly impossible balance of juggling school and her slaying duties. Between ravening hellbeasts, vampires, demons and whatever else the Hellmouth decided to throw at her, she was going to have little time for school, much less time to be bored.
      It was really unfair. Her life was a full plate, only she wanted to throw out all the rotten vegetables Fate kept throwing in the way. Which was never going to happen; at least not in her lifetime.
      Not in Sunnydale, at least. Sunnydale, for all its Southern California charm and style, was ground zero for every evil imaginable. Vampires were drawn here as if the place was blood, demons regularly popped up, and they weren't half as scary as some of the so-called normal people. Like Sunnydale's late, lamented former mayor who'd tried to eat the entire graduating class. Or her mother's ex-boyfriend, the homicidal robot with gourmet cooking skills, Ted.
      Of course that was just par for the course for a town situated on the mouth of hell.
      Boca del Infierno, as its first Spanish settlers had named it. A mystical convergence had made the town a magnet for anything with even remotely bad mojo. And though she had killed a few demons in her time, put down a few monsters, her main stocking trade was vampire slaying. They attacked, she slayed. Job done. It was as simple as that.
      If only.
      After all, this was Sunnydale and she was the Slayer. Things were never that simple. Most people her age worried about cars or grades, she worried about making it home safely each night.
      Okay, mopey much? She pulled her light coat closer, trying to dispel a chill that had nothing to do with the evening breeze playing with her hair. So far, her patrol hadn't turned up activity of any sort, which was a downright rarity in Sunnydale. She hadn't seen so much as one vamp out causing trouble. Something wasn't right here. She could feel the potential for... something in the air. Something that would more than likely mean trouble for her, probably of the life threatening sort. She checked her coat, making sure she had a stake handy.
      Ten more minutes, she decided. I'll patrol around the park for ten more minutes then I'm going home. Surely not even Giles could grudge her one night off. She wasn't really sure she cared if he did at the moment. Her Slayer sense was tingling and she wasn't sure she liked the feeling she was getting from it.
      Correction, she knew she didn't like the feeling she was getting from it.
      :Ssslayer...:
      Buffy froze at the sound of the sibilant whisper. She didn't stop to think. Her hand went for the stake and held it aloft, body sinking automatically into a defensive stance. She waited.
      Nothing happened. The park around her was empty. In the distance, she could see the swing set rock as the ghost of a breeze caressed it. A streetlight flickered and a dog howled in the distance. And that was all. No vamps lusting after her blood. No demons running towards her screaming. Nothing.
      Okay, now she had a serious case of the wiggins.
      :Slayer.:
      Oh, this cannot be good, Buffy thought with no small amount of dismay. What, I'm suddenly all Joan of Arc and hearing voices?
      :Slayer. Help them.:
      Buffy frowned, eyes darting from side to side, warily scanning the area. The voice seemed to ring loudly in her mind, not her ears. What was going on here?
      :Help them, Slayer.:
      "Help who?" she muttered. She wished Giles were here. Or Willow and Xander. Or somebody. Anyone. She'd even settle on Cordelia at the moment.
      :Save them. You must save them...:
      Her eyes narrowed. Was it her imagination, or had the temperature dropped about ten degrees? The night air once pleasant was now bitingly cold. And the sky... Buffy blanched. There was no light. No comforting moon overhead, nor stars to shine down. The sky was a great black slate, so vast and empty that it made her eyes hurt. She felt small, impossibly tiny and helpless.
      Move! some part of her mind yelled. Get out and find Giles.
      "Can't," she whispered in reply. Her body felt so heavy and rigid. She gave an experimental tug, trying to lift her feet. Her eyes widened as the ground beneath her rumbled, a strange filmy blackness seeping upward. First over her feet then climbing with alarming rapidity up her ankles, then her legs. Oh, this is not good, she thought faintly over her rising panic. If just moving her lips had left her feeling drained, how the hell was she supposed to get out of here?
      You don't, another, more insidious part of her mind whispered. You were complacent and some demon or warlock or something set a trap for you. Only you weren't paying attention, so now you're going to have to pay the price.
      No, she shook herself. I am not going down like this. I just have to stay calm and think. I--
      She didn't have time to complete the thought as the ground underneath her gave way and she found herself falling into darkness.

*****

      "Okay," Chibi Tenku no Touma skidded to a halt, "which way?"
      Chibi Rekka no Ryo scowled, squinting around at their surroundings and trying to pretend as if he knew exactly where he was leading them. After a moment, he pointed to the right. "That way."
      "Are you sure?" Chibi Korin no Seiji crossed his arms. His one visible eye looked doubtful.
      "Yes," Chibi Ryo snapped, but it carried less weight than it might have. He just hoped he looked as confident as he felt.
      "Oh, leave him alone, Seiji. Ryo knows what he's doing," Chibi Suiko no Shin admonished, giving Chibi Ryo a warm smile. His chubby face was so open and trusting that Ryo couldn't help but feel a tad guilty.
      Good old Shin, Ryo thought. Too bad he didn't have the heart to tell his friend that he didn't have a clue as to where they were going or what they were going to do when they go there. I can't wait 'til I grow up, Ryo thought dreamily, I bet I know everything.
      Behind them, branches swished and swayed as if moved by a rough wind, but no air stirred. Chibi Ryo tensed. There was something bad here. He could feel it. A quick glance at the other Troopers revealed that he wasn't the only one.
      "Something's here," Chibi Seiji said unnecessarily, his hand moving to the blade of his small sword. His face was paler than usual, his one visible eye darting around the clearing.
      "W-w-what do you suppose it is?" Chibi Shin asked, taking a step back then letting out a small shriek as he bumped into Shu. Equally startled, Shu screamed in return.
      "Shut up, you guys," Chibi Touma hissed. "Geez, you're such babies."
      Shu's face darkened. "Am not!"
      "Are too!"
      "Am not!"
      "Are."
      Shu stepped up, looming threateningly over the smaller boy. "Take it back, dummy."
      "Make me," Chibi Touma snapped, but his voice wavered. Chibi Ryo didn't blame him. Shu was awfully bigger than him; he'd probably flatten the smaller boy without really trying.
      They didn't have time for this, Chibi Ryo realized. Something was out here and they needed to be fighting it and not each other. If Touma and Shu weren't being such dummies, they'd realize it, too. "Stop it, you guys," Ryo interjected, deciding it was time to step in. "You're both acting like geeks."
      It was perhaps the wrong thing to say. Now instead of Shu and Touma glaring at each other, they were now turning their attention on him. "Who're you callin' a geek?" Chibi Shu bellowed. "Jerk."
      Chibi Ryo scrunched his face in anger. "Shut up, Shu."
      "Why dontcha-" Shu got about halfway through when Chibi Ryo barreled into him. The two young boys fell to the ground, rolling around and shouting at each other as they wrestled.
      "Um, guys," Chibi Seiji's soft, worried voice caused the two belligerents to look up.
      They were surrounded.
      Chibi Ryo rolled away from Chibi Shu, rising slowly to his feet. They were ringed in by several long, dark figures. Their smoky, writhing shapes were all too familiar. He gulped audibly, then straightened.
      "Shadowlings," Chibi Touma whispered. His midnight blue eyes were large with fear as he looked to Ryo. "What're we going to do, Ryo?"
      Chibi Ryo cringed, noting that Touma wasn't the only one looking his way. The others were, too. They were all standing there, weapons aloft and waiting for him to tell them what to do. They were scared. He could tell. Well, he was, too. He wanted to do nothing more than run back to Nasuti's and find Yaku-chan. Yaku-chan would protect him...
      Then Chibi Ryo straighted. No, he thought, lifting his small round face, I hafta be brave this time. Just like Yaku-chan. He wouldn't run away.
      And neither would Ryo.
      "We have to beat these guys up," Chibi Ryo said, his voice quiet. He couldn't keep the tremble out of it, but that was okay. At least, he didn't look like he was about to start bawling like Shin.
      "All right!" Shu jabbed a small fist in the air, in an attempt at bravado that made even Seiji smile. "Let's kick their butts!"
      "Go ahead, Shu. I'll be right behind you," Touma waved at him.
      Chibi Shu's brows knit. "Whatsa matter, Touma? Chicken?"
      "No, I-"
      Before Chibi Touma could finish his sentence, there was a flash of light in the sky above them. Everything seemed to flicker and dim for a moment, then there was an angry howl of wind and what sounded like an indignant yelp as a large shape tumbled out of the darkness above to land in their midst.
      Shadowlings momentarily forgotten, the Chibi Troopers turned toward the newest arrival to the tableau being played out. By the light of Chibi Seiji's sword, Ryo could make out blond hair framing a very pretty, but very, very angry face. In fact, he found himself suddenly more afraid of her than the dark creatures they were surrounded by.
      The girl (for it was girl) sat up, wincing and rubbing her lower back. Then she seemed to realize she wasn't alone. Clear blue eyes bored into his face, then flickered over the rest of the scene. Slowly, she rose to her feet, eyes rolling towards the heavens.
      "Great. Munchkinland and evil bad things. And I don't even get a little dog."

***End of Prologue