Interesting Times

Chapter Two

      "A Vampire Slayer?" Nasuti asked, intrigued. "Now that's one I haven't heard before."
      Buffy adjusted the child in her arms, Shin, before turning to her attention to Nasuti, "I'll bet. 'Course I could say the same about moppets wearing mystical armor."
      They were walking towards Nasuti's house where they were going to meet up with some friends (or so Nasuti claimed). Anubis was leading the way, his body taunt and his wary gaze searching the area as if he expected to be jumped at any moment. He was carrying Chibi Ryo and Seiji in his arms, both of whom were peering sleepily over his shoulder back at Buffy and Nasuti.
      Following on his heels was Shu, who so far as Buffy could tell had more energy than he knew what to do with. He was skipping along, jauntily singing at the top of his lungs. Good thing we aren't trying to sneak up on anyone, she thought dryly. Walking next to her was Nasuti with Touma in her arms. Buffy felt the boy's eyes on her and she met his gaze. He reddened, turning his head so that he was burrowing his face in Nasuti's arm. Buffy raised an eyebrow, mentally shrugging.
      Chibi Shin, all tuckered out from the excitement earlier, was already out like a light, tiny snores exiting his slightly opened mouth. Nice to see somebody's getting their sleep, she thought, shifting him again as gently as she could manage. So far she'd done a good job; he was still sleeping. Of course that could be due more to exhaustion than any skill on her part.
      She still wasn't sure what to think about all this. After all, it wasn't everyday she found herself drug halfway 'round the world for reasons she was only now beginning to understand. Mom must be so worried, she thought, biting her lip. Giles, too. She could just imagine what was going through their heads right now.
      "Yes," Nasuti was saying when she returned her attention back to the present, "I see what you mean. It's just... vampires? I mean, it sounds like something out of an Anne Rice novel."
      "Vampires are overrated, not to mention overly romanticized," Buffy said abruptly. "You want a tip about vamps?"
      "Uh, sure."
      "You meet one, run like hell," Buffy replied flatly. She didn't sugar coat it. Doing that might get the girl beside her killed one day if she were unlucky enough to run into any bloodsuckers. Nasuti's eyes widened, apparently taken aback by the sharp note in Buffy's voice. The Slayer felt a twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry. That was harsh. It's just-it's just I was thinking about my mom and how worried she must be. She's been through so much because of me..." Buffy trailed off. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as they walked along.
      "How-how exactly did you come to be here?" Nasuti asked, changing the subject. "You said you were... dropped here?"
      "Yeah. I was out patrolling and-"
      "What's patrolling?" Touma asked, startling both women.
      "Touma, don't interrupt. It's rude," Nasuti scolded.
      "No, that's okay. It was rude of me to just expect you to know what I meant. I was out looking for vampires," she paused. "Or any other nasties that just happened to show up. And in Sunnydale, that could be just about anything."
      "Sunnydale?"
      "It's an itty-bitty town in Southern California situated on the mouth of Hell," Buffy explained.
      Nasuti blinked. "Oh..."
      "Hey," Buffy stopped short as something occurred to her, "where exactly am I?"
      "Japan."
      "Japan? As in Japan, home of Sailor Moon, samurai movies, and sushi - not necessarily in that order?"
      "That's right."
      "Mom is going to have a conniption." The Slayer sighed, then frowned, "Hey, you speak pretty good English. Are you guys from America?"
      "English?" Now Nasuti looked confused. "But we're not speaking English."
      "Hey! I've speaked... spoken English all my life. I know what English sounds like, and this is English." Buffy paused and frowned, suddenly doubtful of her own sanity. "Isn't it?"
      "We speak Japanese," Touma pointed out in that matter-of-fact, no nonsense way that only children, or Giles, seemed to possess. "And so do you."
      "Okay, time out," Buffy shifted the child in her arms again, attempting to hold up a hand to indicate her meaning. Unfortunately, she only managed to tousle Chibi Shin around a bit, eliciting a moan of protest as the snores stopped briefly then resumed at a different tempo. "I can't even ask for a glass of water in French, which is probably why I flunked French, so I know that I absolutely, positively, can not speak Japanese. Something of the way weird is going on around here."
      Nasuti actually smiled, her voice curious, but not demeaning or patronizing despite her next words. "You dropped out of nowhere, from the other side of the world, and you're just now figuring that out?"
      "Right," Buffy nodded, realizing precisely how odd her statement had to seem. She had literally been dropped out of the sky, just in time too, it appeared, and she was worried about language barriers and communication difficulties? With everything she had seen living on the Hellmouth, this additional oddity should not have surprised her. After all, she had even been able to read minds once upon a time in a town very far away, so maybe this was a throwback to that. Although, she hoped that it wasn't. She did not want to walk around reading minds again. Especially not Shadow-thingy minds or six-year-old minds.
      The latter made her shudder far more than the former.

*****

      "We had a deal!" Sachiriku shrieked at the top of her lungs, throwing punches at phantoms only she could see. "Traitor!"
      "Sachiriku-sama, please," Kaijin attempted to grab one of her flailing limbs, then thought better of it. "You must calm yourself."
      "So close. We were so close!" Sachiriku wailed. "We had them! Then that... that insect showed up and ruined everything!"
      Kaijin grimaced. He had known his mistress was not going to be pleased with his failure. However, her behavior was worse than even he'd expected. Upon his return, he found her destroying everything she could lay hands on, shrieking about betrayal and lies. At first, he had thought she was referring to him. It was only after listening to her delusional ramblings for a while that he realized her anger was focused elsewhere.
      And for once he could not rightly say where.
      "The girl's appearance was unexpected," he allowed, hoping that by speaking in a low, rational tone he might snap her out of this fit. "And as such, the Troopers had the element of surprise. It will not happen again. The armor will be yours, my queen."
      That was if she didn't destroy them all in a fit of insane anger, he acknowledged grimly.
      "Fool," she hissed, slapping him, "do not presume to instruct me. I am not a child. Nor am I a blundering fool like my servant."
      "Mistress, I meant no disrespect-" he stammered.
      "Enough." Her violent rage seemed to ebb down to a colder anger. "Leave me, Kaijin."
      "But-"
      "Go!" she barked, heading up the dais to drape herself across her throne. "I have much... to consider."
      That sounded mildly hopeful. Well, mildly rational at any rate. For a moment, Kaijin could swear he heard an echo of the woman she had been before Arago had shattered her sanity. A passing illusion, he knew, but he couldn't help but grasp at that illusion. It hurt less than seeing the reality.
      "As you command," he replied stiffly. He bowed, then left the room with as much dignity as he could muster. I will get those armors, he promised his mistress. And I'll bring you the head of that damned girl for a trophy.
      The thought actually made him smile.

*****

      "Incompetents," Sachiriku muttered, rubbing her forehead, "I'm surrounded by complete incompetents."
      :Sachiriku...: A disembodied voice was echoing across the throne room before it had even truly begun.
      "And traitors," she hissed, drawing the sword resting against her throne. She sat up right, two of her hands gripping the armrest of the throne, leaving the other four ready.
      :There was no betrayal, Sachiriku. At least, not by me,: the voice purred. It was a cold voice, dry and dusty with the weight of time.
      "Liar," Sachiriku flared, "you promised me the yoroi of Arago. And I have yet to see any delivery on that promise. Not only that, but it would seem the Troopers have a new ally."
      :Yes,: the voice conceded thoughtfully. :A Slayer. I did not expect her to move so quickly to counter me.:
      "Who?" Sachikiru asked curiously.
      :That is none of your concern. There are other things to worry about.:
      "I shall decide what is or is not my concern," Sachiriku snapped.
      There was a moment of silence. It stretched for so long that Sachiriku wondered if she was not alone again. Then, the voice spoke again in a submissive hiss, :You are, of course, right, milady. I only sought to spare you from having to deal with such inconsequential matters when you have your own battle to fight.:
      "My own battle?"
      :Against Lord Arago. You seek the armor to destroy him, do you not?:
      Arago. Sachikiru felt blind rage swim upward again, taking with it all rational thought and poise. Yes, she had to destroy Arago. Arago who had made her into the monstrosity she was now, Arago who had imprisoned her in darkness for an eternity. Even now she could hear him laughing at her, his cruel laughter trickling through her mind in a destructive rush until there was nothing left but that anger.
      "Yes. Arago is ever my concern," Sachikiru hissed. Her eyes flickered blindly over the room. "I see you, Demon Lord! I see you over there taunting me. You will regret the day you did this to me. You will kneel before me."
      :Yeeees,: the voice whispered. :Arago will pay, but first you must get the armor, sweet Sachikiru. But I know a way to make you stronger. A way to make you invincible.:
      "Tell me," Sachikiru demanded eagerly. "Tell me so that I might destroy Arago."
      :Patience,: the voice said soothingly. :First, we must deal with the Slayer and with the yoroi and their bearers.:
      "I'll send Kaijin to destroy her." Sachiriku leapt to her feet. "Then I can-"
      :No!:
      Sachiriku drew back in pain as the voice grew louder, echoing painfully in her head. Clutching the sides of her head, she whimpered. "But why? You said..."
      :I said we must deal with the Slayer. And we will, but if we are to make you truly a goddess then we will need her alive. For now.:
      "I do... do not understand."
      :My dear Sachiriku, there is no need for you to understand. Simply leave everything to me. This is turning out far better than even I could have hoped.:

*****

      Byakuen circled his opponent warily, a low guttural growl pouring out of his throat. His rage rose thick and musty in the back of his throat. Kokuen-Oh's words were pounding themselves over and over in his head.
      You see, as your little baby friends are going off to do some exploring, the Shadowlings will go after them. They will then take them back to Sachiriku's castle where she will do... well, basically, whatever the hell she wants. Of course, she wouldn't have done it if a certain someone hadn't struck a deal with her earlier: I give her the Troopers, she will take you and me to a place where we can finally battle it all out. No interruptions, no interference, no nothing. Just you and me, boyo.
      If that was what Kokuen-Oh wanted, then Byakuen would be more than happy to give him his fight to the death. He flexed his fingers as if still had the razor sharp claws of his true form. Right now, nothing would give him more satisfaction than throttling the life out of the creature before him. Because of him, Ryo and the Troopers were in grave danger. And because Kokuen-Oh had managed to teleport him away from Nasuti's house and to Kaosu only knew where, he could not reach them in time to help.
      Ryo. Oh Kaosu, please watch over him. Watch over all of them until I can find my way back.
      "Really, Byakuen, you're acting like... a mortal," Kokuen-Oh grinned nastily. "How pathetic."
      "If you had wanted to fight me, Kokuen-Oh, you should have challenged me. You should not have involved the Troopers. You should not have involved Ryo," the tiger turned man spat out.
      "Your pathetic Rekka? He deserves to die just as you do. I'm only sorry you won't be there to experience the anguish I did when I watched my master die," Kokuen-Oh said.
      Kenboukyou. So that was what this was about. "I am sorry your master died, Kokuen-Oh. More than you'll ever know."
      "You know nothing," Kokuen-Oh hissed. "You are a fool, Byakuen, if you think to move me to pity with your great 'understanding' and compassion. Even if I had not struck a deal with Sachiriku, I would have destroyed you eventually. It was always only a matter of time."
      Byakuen nodded, saddened by how hatred had twisted Kokuen-Oh's noble nature. In all the ways that counted, their lives paralleled each other. Both had served masters engaged in a battle against Arago and both had lost their masters. Kaosu to Arago and Kenboukyo to Ryo when he had been foolish enough to challenge Rekka's bearer.
      Byakuen, however, had been lucky enough to have Ryo when Kaosu had sacrificed himself for the Troopers. Kokuen-Oh had not been so fortunate. His master, the one person he had truly loved, had died and rather than let himself take the risk of loving again he had submerged himself in Byakuen, saving his life but taking Kokuen-Oh's at the same time. And however much he might hate Kokuen-Oh, Byakuen could not forget that it was sacrifice that had saved his life.
      Once they might have been brothers, but that time was long past. Now what lay between them was blood and it could never be washed away.
      "Then come," Byakuen said wearily, "let us make an end to this."
      The time for words had long since past. The atmosphere was razor sharp with tension, the potential for violence hovering waiting for the right moment to explode. They circled each other. Vicious yellow eyes met determined brown and everything seemed to still. The knife-edge of potential held, then descended with all the force of an axe in mid-swing as Kokuen-Oh launched himself at Byakuen, who had already dropped into a defensive crouch.
      I'm sorry, Ryo, Byakuen thought bleakly, raising his hands to ward the oncoming blow.
      Then the sky around them shook with one word, "Hold!"

***End of Chapter Two