All copyrights and disclaimers still apply. Full stop, no arguments, lovelies. So there. =P The Icelandic translation was done with an Internet translator so I‘m sure there are mistakes. There would have been more if I had found the Maori text translator, as I originally wanted. ;) If you’re Icelandic, please bear with me or help me.

“Temptation of Balance” by Magenta
copyright 2002 Kimyoo Films

part two
~~~~~~~

“I don’t dislike her, Tara, I just don’t trust her,” the red head clarified as she and her girlfriend got ready for bed.

The blonde looked at the wall they shared with the guest room the red mage was staying in as if it had ears. “Willow!”

“Hey...this is the room where we don’t lie. She’s just gotta have another agenda...”

Tara pushed blonde bangs behind her ears and regarded her girlfriend. “I k-know this is Sunnyhell and a-all, but I know Andraea. She won’t f-fight to make you t-trust her, it’s not her s-style. She knows you c-can’t force trust. I will, h-however, defend her to you, love. She’s n-not harmless, you’ve s-sensed her power, but she’s not h-here to harm anyone. If s-she were, she w-would have done it already.”

“You want to go to her, don’t you?” Willow asked, with a half-smile that she picked up from her girlfriend. When Tara didn’t reply, she said, “It’s okay...I know that if she were Buffy and I were in your place, I’d want the same thing... I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Tara, her smile lighting up the room by a thousand watts, kissed Willow deeply in thanks.

“Whoa,” the red head breathed when they finally parted. “Maybe you should wait and see her later...like tomorrow...late tomorrow...”

Tara smiled and kissed her girlfriend again, but before Willow could wrap an arm around the blonde to keep her there, she stood and headed out of the room.

Once Tara had left, Willow whispered, “I trust you, Tara...with all that I am.” With that, Willow mumbled an incantation to have the spirits turn off her bedside lamp.

*****

Tara knocked softly on the guest room door, but heard no response from within. She was about to go back to her room with Willow when she heard a very soft “Come in, Tara.”

Cautiously, she opened the door to find Andraea sitting zazen on the floor, a pair of headphones linked into her CD player. Her eyes were closed in her meditation and the music was at full blast.

Tara closed the door behind her and leaned against it, watching her old friend. A small smile eased onto her face as she watched her, remembering times long gone. She was so glad to have her two favourite women around her.

“Have a seat,” Andraea offered. “I’ll be right with you.”

The blonde crossed and sat on the bed, her rapt attention on the mage. *All that power and she’s my friend...she actually wants to be my friend...still..*

“Of course I still want to be your friend,” Andraea said as she opened her eyes and smile at Tara. “Why wouldn’t I be? Why wouldn’t I want that?”

Tara shrugged and looked away.

“Not this time, shy girl. I don’t know how long I’ll be in Sunnydale after we fight Tokoyami so we’d better get talking again...” the red mage reprimanded. She took off her headphones and pushed stop on the CD player. She pushed all of it aside and rose to sit next to Tara.

“W-What were you l-listening to?” the blonde asked.

Andraea sighed. “Bjork.”

“Yeah, she’s c-cool,” Tara returned, uncomfortable.

Andraea, of course, picked up on it. “Have I done something wrong?”

“N-No! G-Gods, no...it’s just m-me being me,” she replied, looking away from the mage.

“Will you ever stop berating yourself for nothing? You deserve all the good things people say about you and to you,” the raven and ivory haired woman said. “You remember how, if I don’t like someone, I can be pretty tactless about it?” Upon the blonde’s nod and half-grin, Andraea finished, “I’ve not gotten better in my old age. Life’s too short for pretense, Tara.”

Their eyes locked as Andraea’s eyes got the point across to the blonde, who finally acquiesced with a nod. “Good...now we need to get you to see how beautiful you are. You might listen to me and Willow, but you need to start believing it.”

*****

Dawn walked out of her bedroom to find her sister hunched over with her ear pressed against the guest room door, waving behind her for absolute quiet.

“What are you doing?” Dawn asked.

Buffy spun around. “You know what this means?” she asked while flopping her hand around at her sister in reference to her position. “It means, ‘shh! I’m being sneaky!’”

“Gimme a break, you’re not sneaky, you’re pathetic.”

“I am not,” Buffy replied defensively. “I’m curious and concerned for the welfare of my friends and family.”

“Are too pathetic.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

*****

There was silence as Andraea put her things away to let Tara think things over a little. If it weren’t for her duffle and messenger bags, no one would even know she was here.

The blonde, meanwhile, studied the mage and noted the changes in the way she carried herself, where her power lay, where her centre was. “What?” the mage asked without turning.

“I just n-noticed how m-much you’ve ch-changed...you move differently,” the blonde said, curiousity tingeing her voice.

“You knew how I moved well enough to compare it to now?” Andraea smiled, giggling at Tara’s wide-eyed response to the implications. Before she could stutter a defense, the mage soothed her by saying, “You’re too cute. Obviously, you remember how much of a klutz I was - “at Tara’s shy nod, Andraea smiled and continued, “Well, after I nearly broke a priceless T’ang dynasty equestrian figure, my father and mother decided it was about time to do something about it. They gave me a choice between ballet and karate. I can’t see myself in a dress, much less a frilly pink tu-tu, so you can guess what I chose.”

“Which one? Which martial art?”

“All the ones I could, since we moved a lot. Shaolin kung-fu, bushido, tempo karate, jeet kune do, judo, aikido, capoera, African kung-fu, ninjutsu, kickboxing...of course, I haven’t mastered them all, no one really could, but I’ve used everything I’ve learned. All of it keeps me from pulverizing priceless works of art...”

*****

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Hey, guys...I know you’re thinking you’re all sneaky and stuff, but even I can hear you...shut up,” whispered Willow as she peeked her head around the door to remand the Summers’.

“She started it,” they whispered in unison.

The red head walked out of her bedroom and towards the bickering sisters. “I don’t care who started it. I’m finishing it...now are we going to spy properly or are you two going to fight some more?”

“Sorry.”

Then, the three eavesdroppers bent down and placed their ears against the door...

*****

“How are y-your mom and d-dad?” Tara smiled.

The red mage’s expression fell a bit before she replied, “They died a few years ago...car accident.” In an instant, Tara was on her feet and had her old friend wrapped in a comforting embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Ande...”

“Thanks, Tare...”

The two friends held each other another moment before Tara pulled away. Andraea smiled and reached up to wipe away the tears that rolled down the blonde’s cheeks.

“Why d-didn’t you tell me? Or f-find me?”

“I tried, but your dick father was, well, a dick...and there’s so much for me to tell and so much for me to hear that it’s a little like brain freeze, y’know?” the red mage replied before sneaking stealthily towards the door. At Tara’s concerned look, Andraea motioned for quiet before opening the door to give entrance to three spies: Buffy, Willow and Dawn. The erstwhile Jane Bond’s toppled into the guest room, unbalanced by the lack of a door to prop up their eavesdropping ears.

“If you want to know, ask...it’s much less painful than falling on the floor,” the mage giggled as she stopped to help someone up.

“Willow!” Tara shouted, mortified about her girlfriend’s actions.

“I saw Buffy and Dawn out there and thought ‘Gee, what if something is going on?’ so I had to just bent down to the door when it was opened and I’m sorry, Andraea,” the red head babbled, her apology genuine.

“I’m sorry, too...I was just curious...” said Dawn, her face as red as Willow’s hair.

“I’m not sorry...” Buffy said, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. As all eyes turned to her in surprise, she uncrossed her arms. “I mean, as sorry...not as sorry.”

Andraea was about to tell them all to sit so they could hear her life story without being sneaky when Tara stepped forward. “If she w-wants you to know, she’ll t-tell you when you ask...but for now, I s-suggest we ALL l-leave her alone so she can g-get some sleep...” Willow stared at her girlfriend as she ushered people out of the room, then back at Andraea, wondering what she did to make her so take-charge in front of everyone.

Andraea smiled as the visitors left and Tara shot her a “We’ll talk later” smile, then closed the door behind her. The mage sighed, then flopped onto the almost comfortable bed, exhausted, and closed her eyes, surrendering to sleep at last.

*****

“I’m telling you, do it like this!” the eldest Summers shouted at her sister, Andraea shaking with silent laughter as they sat in the training room at the Magic Box. Buffy noticed, but tried to ignore the mage so she could teach Dawn how to defend herself...but each passing moment was getting worse. She didn’t even know why she consented to have Andraea sit in with them. As the teenager once again fell on her rear, the mage could no longer hold in her laughter. Dawn giggled a little herself, but shut up once she saw the stern look on her sister’s face.

As she helped Dawn to stand, the Slayer asked, “What is so funny?!”

Andraea leapt to her feet and did a few subtle stretches. “Your foot placement’s all wrong for that type of move, Slayer.

“What would you know about that?” Buffy asked, motioning for her sister to sit, Dawn complying gratefully.

Andraea smiled and said, “Much more than you expect.” She shook out what little tension remained, then asked, “Wanna spar a little?”

“If you’re up for it,” the Slayer replied.

“Oh, definitely.”

Buffy took her south paw defensive position and looked into Andraea’s eyes. Deciding to take the offensive, the Slayer gave the mage a slow, but powerful series of kicks and punches, which the mage easily blocked, but didn’t counter. They were feeling each other out, trying to discover their weaknesses.

“Don’t favour your right leg, even though it’s injured. Never show an opponent that much information,” Andraea informed, making Buffy mad.

Left, right, hook, jab, kick...the Slayer attacked in rapid-fire, powerful succession, not a one of which hit the mage.

“You’re telegraphing...don’t pull back so much. Use your momentum, your whole body, to give your attacks power,” the mage continued to instruct, smiling to herself about how red Buffy’s face was getting, not in exertion, but in anger.

No longer afraid of hurting Andraea, who hadn’t yet tried to counter-attack, the Chosen One went into full attack mode, as if she were fighting for real. The mage seemed almost bored. She no longer blocked, she merely moved around and under the Slayers attacks, split seconds before it would have landed.

“Break from kata. Improvise. You’re putting yourself into a patterned, structured fight,” Andraea said and, as if trying to prove it, resumed blocking, “Now, pay attention.”

The mage caught Buffy’s right leg and tapped the injury just hard enough to make the Slayer feel it, then dropped the leg, catching a flying forearm as it tried to connect with her face. Andraea then blocked a blow that was aimed at her kidneys, then head-butted the Slayer backwards.

Then she began her attack.

The Slayer never knew where exactly the blows were intended to land until they hit and even then, only hard enough to leave minor bruises, patient reminders that she gave too much away. Andraea attacked randomly, making the Slayer’s head spin.

“Patterns and robotic movements can be countered, but unpredictability can save your life,” Andraea said as she blocked a kick-punch combo and grabbed the Slayer’s throat, lifting her off the ground. “Tokoyami knows more about the way you fight than I do and if I were him right now, you’d be dead.”

The mage put the Slayer down and stepped back, bowing to her sparring partner with her right fist cupped in her left palm. Dawn let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Tokoyami has more training than either of us combined, several hundred years to master them, and the drive to kill you.”

Buffy fixed a narrow gaze onto the mage, trying to figure out what about Andraea was different than everyone else and why she set off the Slayer’s spidey sense.

“Dawn, would you-”

The teenager was already halfway to the door when she turned to reply to her sister with, “I’m already gone.” She gave Andraea a small smile before she left.

“Okay, what is this? You’re not a Slayer, you’re not a vampire, you’re not a goddess, are you?”

The mage smiled and shook her head. “No, and I’m not a daemon, either... I just want to defeat Tokoyami.”

“What’s going to happen when we do? Are you going to stay or go back to the Council or what?” Buffy asked, leery of the newcomer who beaten her in hand-to-hand combat.

“Subtlety’s not your strong suit...that’s good. Don’t lose that. It’s a valid question, one I’ve been asking myself since I saw Tara again. The truth is I don’t know...but you needn’t worry. I’m no spy for the Council and they will learn less from me than if they’d asked you themselves.”

Buffy smirked a little, not trusting the mage entirely, but sensing no evil within her spidey sense. Her face took on it’s own special mask of resolve, as if she’d just made a terribly difficult decision. “Okay...make me better,” she instructed, putting herself into position to be taught. Andraea smiled, nodded, and stepped forward to start the lesson.

*****

“Láta Dimma og Ljós sameina í the Helgun. Láta the Heild koma upp og umbreyta okkur allur. Með the máttarvöld af Himinn og the máttarvöld af Helvíti , fullkominn Ljós og Dimma , mega the Nýr Ríkja byrja.”

Llewellyn frowned.

“What’s the matter?” his master asked.

“What the Hell did you just say, sir?”

Kurik laughed. “It’s Icelandic...”

“Aren’t spells of this magnitude usually in, uh, Latin, sir? Or at least something without all the tongue-twisting?” the underling asked, afraid someone may have given them the wrong text.

“I suppose...but the text for this spell is in Icelandic. The wily bugger who created this spell was a powerful Viking shaman who was actually trying to cure vampirism...the spell failed, the Slayer survived and ended the Totality before it could take hold, blah, blah, blah... Shortly thereafter, the Viking elders and the shaman destroyed the text. As for the Slayer, well, they thought she brought the Evil upon them....” Kurik snorted.

Llewellyn frowned again. “So why do you have the text?”

“It’s not the original, mind you...a ghoul made a copy for the Unnamable One and it’s been passed down through the ranks, from Master to Master until we could get a hold of the main ingredient again. They tried to breed a Dark One, but it never worked...bloody scientists...” the vampire stressed with obvious distaste. “Their mucking about probably weakened the bloodlines far worse than eternity ever could...”

“What was the shaman’s mistake?” Llewellyn asked.

“He didn’t kill the Slayer in the first place...duh. It was just pure chance they picked her as part of the ingredients,” he replied.

“No, I mean, the spell...the cure...” the underling asked, gingerly.

“I don’t really care...something about needing a soul and such which vampires don’t have.”

“Angelus did.”

“Angelus was a freak, Llewellyn.”

“Twice.”

“Bugger off. The cure is nothing next to the potential of the Totality,” Kurik chided. The underling was relieved at this questions came while his master was in a good mood. Otherwise...

“Now, we just need to get the ingredients and we’ll be all set,” Kurik said, wringing his hands in wicked glee.

“Do they know what’s going on?”

“Oh, I doubt it. The Dark One might, but the Council refuses to have further contact with the rogue...”

At that moment, Kurik squinted at the text and translated, slowly, “‘Let Darkness and Light combine in the Consecration. Let the Totality emerge and transform us all. With the powers of Heaven and the powers of Hell, ultimate Light and Dark, may the New Reign begin.’
“Don’t you just love when spells are so direct and almost poetic?”

~~~~~~~~
end part two

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