Chapter 2

Spike groaned, turning in his sleep. A fly landed on his cheek and he waved his hand to get rid of it. He tried to get comfortable but the sand in his bed was slowly seeping into his clothing, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Wait a minute, Spike, he thought. Sand in my bed?

He opened his eyes and blinding sunlight filled his vision. He cursed, holding his coat over his head and looking around for a place to hide away from the burning sun. He scanned around him. He was in a vast desert with nothing to see but sand. A signpost was barely visible off in the distance, but there wasn't much in the way of shelter. He was going to burn up alive here in the desert. It was then that he realised he wasn’t burning. He tentatively pulled the coat from over his head, waiting for his flesh to catch on fire, for the flames to engulf his body, but they didn’t.

He waited a minute, staring at his own flesh as though it were alien. Finally he let out an exultant sound of joy. He was cured! Somehow, he was no longer a vampire.

He thought of everything he could do now, how he could go for walks in the park. He sucked in his cheeks thoughtfully. He probably no longer had the chip either and that meant he could finally punch Xander out. And maybe... maybe he could tell Buffy what had been haunting him for the last few weeks, what had tugged at his insides, bleeding him dry and making him feel like he was bloody burning alive from the inside.

Buffy. Where was she?

He ran towards one of the signs, eyes searching for her in the sand. “Buffy!!" he called. He stared at the sign as though it had offended him. He was about to kick it when the writing caught his eye.

“What..?” He stared at it.

‘Hud vyn du ku,’ the sign said. Spike shook his head. It must be some kind of demonic script. He and Buffy had probably been sucked into a hell dimension. He wished he knew where she was. He decided to walk in the direction the sign pointed. Wherever he was headed it couldn’t be worse than where he was now.

……………………………………………….

Buffy groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She frowned. The last thing she could remember? Spikes crypt! Spike did this. She felt a surge of anger and sorrow. Sitting up, she realised she was in a house of some kind. Woven rugs covered the floor. Her jacket and scarf hung on the wall. She stood up, taking her stuff from the hook. She could hear voices outside.

“You really think she’s from Zanarkand?” a deep, womanly voice came through the door in a disapproving tone.

“I… I don’t know, but she appeared out of nowhere, and the pyreflies... I don’t know why, but I have a feeling about her,” a soft, voice answered. “And anyway, I can’t just leave her here at Djose.”

Buffy shook her head, annoyed. She could only understand half of what they were saying. Djose? Pyreflies?

“I’ll go check to see if she’s awake,” the second girl said. As the door began to open, Buffy prepared herself for battle.

A girl walked into the room in a long purple pleated skirt, a white halter-necked top and a ridiculously large yellow bow on her back. She looked like a giant birthday present. Buffy cautiously dropped her fighting stance.

Upon seeing her awake the other girl looked slightly startled. “Oh, hello. I am the summoner, Yuna, from the isle of Besaid.”

“Uh, wha...? Oh, I’m Buffy, from... California. Um, ‘summoner?’ Huh?”

“Oh. As a summoner, it is my sacred duty to protect Spira from Sin.”

“Wow, this whole ‘sacred duty’ thing gets shared around a lot these days.”

“Yuna, we have to go,” a Hawaiian-sounding accent floated in through the door. Buffy looked questioningly at Yuna.

“Hey.”

The worst hair that Buffy had ever, EVER seen came through the door, literally followed by the head attached. Buffy’s eyes widened and she stared at the strange spectacle before her. Yellow chaps covered blue-black board shorts and a strange... well, it could be described as a shirt. Maybe. The clothes may have been considered only unusual if not for the hair. Standing four inches high in the front in the shape of an orange wave, with the rest of it spiked up. The sight itself would have given Cordelia an aneurism.

“Are we ready to go?” he asked.

Yuna turned. “She only just woke up. I don’t know if she’s strong enough yet.”

“Yeah, and all this said as though I weren’t even here,” Buffy commented to herself. To her surprise, Yuna turned around, a horrified look on her face and bowed in apology.

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to… I am sorry.”

“Whoa,” Buffy shook her head. “I didn’t mean for it to be a big thing. I was just saying... Never mind. Where are we supposed to be going?”

“Forgive me. I did not ask you. We are currently in the Djose Temple Inn. We are going to the Moonflow and from there, we go to Guadosalam. I thought ... I wanted to ask you to come with us because when you appeared I thought that you must be from Zanarkand.”

Buffy realised that with all the weird, she had forgotten about Sunnydale, about Dawn, and about Spike.

“Spike. Do you know who he is?”

Yuna seemed to consider this question. She held her arms, clad in flowing, floor length material, out to the side. “I am afraid I do not know him. Perhaps someone in Guadosalam will?”

Buffy chewed her lip. “Okay, I’ll go with you to this Gaudysammy place. It’s not like I know anyone else here."

Yuna looked delighted. “We must leave at once. I delayed our departure to make sure you were okay.”

“Ah, it's no biggie,” Buffy waved the situation away. “I've been through worse. Though once I get my hands on Spike...” She left her plans for what to do with the vampire hanging in the air.

“Why are we wasting time?” a gruff voice asked. “We must leave as soon as possible.”

“We are coming,” Yuna called.

Buffy followed her out of the bedroom and found herself in the strangest building she’d ever been in. The shop was painted in a variety of colours, filled with strange bottles and unique weapons. A glowing orb sat in one corner. Buffy ran her fingers longingly over the weapons, her breath catching when one of the swords caught her eye. It was finer than the others. The blade was only three-inches across and was silver in colour, its black grip set with an ornate silver cross. She looked at it in awe. Yuna came up behind her, startling her.

“Oh, for…”

“Hey, no more forgive-me-ness, got it?” Buffy looked at the other girl, realising that her eyes were two different colours.

“Fo--. Okay.” She bowed. Buffy cast a regretful look at the sword, turning to leave.

“Would you like it?” Yuna asked.

“Huh?” Buffy had no idea what the girl was on about.

“This sword. You looked like... If you want it I will get it for you.”

“Oh, no. I could never... It would cost...”

“Don’t worry,” Yuna said. She picked the sword up from the shelf, placing it on the counter. A minute later she handed the sword to Buffy with a slight bow.

Disturbed by the noise, one of the native animals of the area, began doing laps around the counter. No one else seemed to notice. Buffy’s jaw dropped. It was small, with a body like a squirrel and a face like a kitten,

“That is soo cute!” Buffy exclaimed.

A tall man, clad in red, turned grumpily to her. Most of his face was concealed by a very high collar and dark glasses. “We have wasted enough time!”

Buffy had the feeling that he expected her to bow the way that Yuna did. She caught herself and looked miffed. “Sorry,” she said, just as grumpily.

She walked out of the inn, daylight falling on her. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth, when she opened them again, she gasped. A large demon was looming over her, ferocious yellow eyes staring out of a blue, furred face. She looked wildly around, wondering why no one else had noticed it. A woman in a black dress came towards her, gliding over the ground like a princess, her head held high. She turned to place a disapproving look at Buffy.

“I see we have picked up another one,” she stated.

Yuna cleared her throat. “Everyone! Everybody, this is Buffy," she introduced Buffy to those gathered around. She motioned towards the graceful woman in black.

“This is Lulu, and he," she pointed to the strangely dressed man with the bad hair, "is Wakka. This is Sir Auron,” she nodded towards the grumpy red-clad man “and he is Kimahri.” To Buffy’s surprise, Yuna pointed to the large, blue-furred creature. “He is a Ronso.” She explained, in an abstract answer to Buffy’s unspoken question.

“Oh, okay.”

“Oh!” Yuna exclaimed. “Where did Tidus go?”

“Heh!” A boy came running out of the inn, long spiky blond hair waving wildly in the breeze. “Wait up!”

Yuna turned, “And this is Tidus.”

“Oh. Er, hey” he said, giving her a questioning look.

“I’m Buffy,” she said, offering her hand.

“Come along,” Auron said. “Enough time wasted.”

……………………………………………….

Spike stopped in front of yet another sign. After wandering around for several hours, he was getting bloody tired and pissed off with whatever hell god had sucked him into this dimension.

'Home ec haynpo'

“Bloody hell!” Spike announced, delivering a kick to the sign. It flew out of the ground, landing several metres off in the distance. He stared in the direction the sign had gone and saw a dark shape off in the horizon. He walked towards it eagerly. Buffy might be there, or Dawn.

Dawn had mysteriously vanished only a short time before he and Buffy were sucked into this other world, so it stood to reason that she must have been brought here too.

Spike’s face was beginning to burn. He had forgotten that the sun had that effect on humans. He grinned to himself as he thought about it. He was human...

He grimaced at the thought of actually living in a place like this, although he had seen a few animals off in the distance that had run away whenever he approached. He couldn’t imagine how they could survive in this desert.

Slowly, a city began to loom in front of him, looking like a strange, mismatched collection of tin cans stacked on top of each other. Though it looked like chaos, the vibe it exuded was peaceful. Strange beasts pulled brightly coloured machines, strange figures waved their arms and shouted to each other, and bright flags waved in the hot desert breeze.

Spike stood on the rise above the city, looking down at the movement below. Suddenly, he was hit in the back with what felt like a taser and he blacked out.

……………………………………………….

Buffy’s head was spinning. Everything that had happened, it was too strange. Vampires she could deal with; she’d just defeated Dracula. The Dracula. She was coping with the constant personality clashes between she and Riley. True, sometimes by crying herself to sleep, but she was dealing. So why couldn’t she look after her kid sister for one week? And now she was in this screwed up place. She shook her head. Maybe...

Her thoughts were cut short as a giant demon plunged onto the path in front of them. It resembled a giant flower, huge vine-like tentacles thrashed in the air and from its upturned mouth exuded a stench worse than anything she’d ever smelled… even the roasty toasty mayor.

Clasping her sword in her hand, she prepared herself for a big fight. Auron, Yuna and Lulu, however, calmly stepped forward as though this were nothing new to them. As the giant plant demon thrashed its tentacles and spat a viscous liquid at them, they dodged and attacked. Buffy plunged her sword into its springy flesh. Auron viciously slashed at it, taking a large chunk out of its side as it oozed green blood everywhere. Lulu raised her arms and to Buffy’s great surprise, a ball of fire shot towards it, engulfing it in a flame that it tried to slap out with its tentacles.

It shot forward with a viny limb, slapping Buffy in the side and leaving her winded. Auron grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the beast as Yuna calmly spun her staff in circles. Buffy watched, entranced, as a flicker of flame fell from the bottom of the staff, spreading across the ground in a great cross. She tried to step forward but Auron held her back as suddenly, the earth seemed to erupt and Yuna was thrown high into the air by what looked like a meteor.

Straining her eyes to see, Buffy realised that another demon, with large horns on its’ head and flame hanging, like tassels from its’ limbs, had taken hold of the girl as it too fell to the ground. Yuna, however, seemed unafraid and the great, red furred beast gently put her on the ground, turning towards the writhing, spitting plant.

What followed was so strange that Buffy could scarcely believe it. At a word from Yuna, the new demon attacked the plant with its’ claws and fiery breath. The plant finally shuddered, falling on its side and dissolving into a pillar of shining orbs which rose in the air where they seemed to disappear.

“Wha...? What was that?” Buffy gasped.

“That,” Lulu answered, stepping forward, “...was a fiend, a soul of the dead that stays on in this world. They are angry at the living and so attack us. There will be plenty more on the way. If you cannot handle it, I’m sure the rest of us can protect you.”

“Cannot handle..? Wait a minute. I can so kick their arses.”

“She does have potential as a warrior,” Auron said, taking his long, slow strides forward. “I’m sure that given practise, she would make an acceptable guardian.”

Buffy was furious. They wouldn’t last two seconds against the Master, Adam, or any of the other monsters she had gone up against.

“Given pract…? I fight dead things all the time!” She shook her head, frustrated.

“Please,” Yuna stepped forward, shadowed by the looming demon. “Do not argue. I’m sure we all want the same thing... to defeat Sin. I would like... I would like Buffy to come along with us. Maybe, maybe not as my guardian, but as a companion.”

The boy called Tidus stepped forward. “You. You’re not from Zanarkand, are you?”

Buffy shook her head. “Listen, I don’t know where this Zanarkand place is. I just want to get home and find my sister.”

Tidus nodded. “Yeah, I just wanna get home too." He had a faraway look in his eyes and Buffy decided not to question it. He sort of reminded her of Will in a strange way. They both had the same bubbly attitude, although he was a little over the top, swinging his giant sword around and cheering whenever someone said something he approved of.

Yuna was standing a short distance away from the red demon. As Buffy watched, Yuna held her staff and the demon vanished in a puff of smoke. Buffy blinked.

“I assume you are as clueless as Tidus,” Lulu said evenly, noticing Buffy. “Yuna is a Summoner. She is one of the few who can defeat Sin.”

“What’s this sin business? You keep saying it and it makes zero sense.”

“Sin is a great evil that was brought upon us a thousand years ago. It ravages villages and kills many people. No one is safe so long as Sin remains. A Summoner's sacred duty is to travel from temple to temple, praying at each, all the way to Zanarkand where they will receive the final Aeon and defeat Sin," Lulu explained.

Tidus’ answer to this was a loud whoop while everyone else stood in an uncomfortable silence. Yuna looked as if she wanted to change the subject.

“Okay, so Sin is, like, a big demon. Got it. And Yuna can kill it. But what is an Aeon?”

“Ifrit, the fire demon you just saw, he is one Aeon. They are powerful beings, brought forth by summoners.” Lulu continued.

“Okay, so we go to a bunch of temples, collect Aeons and fight Sin,” Buffy nodded. “It... it sounds kinda simple. Why hasn’t anyone else done it?”

“My father, Lord Braska, he defeated Sin. Ten years ago,” Yuna looked sad.

Auron stepped forward. “We have talked enough for now, we must continue.”

Buffy noticed Tidus giving the tall man strange looks. “Wow, he’s, like, super grouch, isn’t he?” Buffy said.

“Yeah, he’s always been like that,” Tidus said, suddenly getting an exultant grin on his face. “Let’s go get Sin!”

Buffy was left with major confusion. That kid was weird. She shrugged it off. Nobody else around here was exactly normal.

“He-ey!” Wakka called. “You comin’?”

“Ow. Oww!” Spike groaned as he sat up, looking around. He was in a small, steel room, with a glowing computer monitor set into the wall, and strange symbols all around it. He stood up, examining the room he was in. A sudden creaking made him spin around. The door began to open and he frowned to himself. A strange man came walking into the room. His yellow blonde hair was cut short and was obscured by a pair of goggles. His clothes were predominately yellow and when he spoke he sounded like he’d just walked straight out of a cowboy movie. Spike had a nagging feeling that he recognised him but this thought was overcome by the realisation that the man wasn’t a demon.

The man handed him a glass of water. Spike found himself strangely thirsty. Must be a side affect of being human, he thought.

Spike stopped swallowing his water and breathed it in instead. This led to a fit of coughing. “What?”

“They thought you must be a Yevon spy, what with those weird clothes you’re wearing. They searched through your clothes and you had no Yevon symbols, so, here I am.”

He released the man who proceeded to rub his neck, giving Spike a sideways look.

Spike burst into a short bark of laugh. “You stupid wanker. You expect me to believe that load of bollocks?”

“So, you’re the Al Behd, this place I’m in would be called Spira, right? And summoners are running around the land trying to defeat Sin?”

Spike laughed, then shook his head. “And I suppose Little Bit’s a summoner and the slayer grew blue fur and became a Ronso?” He shook his platinum blonde head again. “I can’t believe it.”

Cid regarded Spike, unsure. “Listen, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, kid but...” He was worried about this kid. He seemed to be crazy as a shoopuff rider but with Rikku gone, he could do with the help. He shook his head, finally deciding what to do. “Well, you don’t look to me like a Yevon spy. Tell ya what, if you help out you can stay here with us. We can feed you and give you a place to live, maybe some real clothes.”

“You can bloody well keep away from my clothes,” was Spike’s short response.

“Help out with what exactly?” Spike asked, still not believing what the other guy said. He may as well play along for now. He could keep an eye out for Buffy and Dawn and until then...

Spikes eyes lit up. “Machina?” He drew his packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, realising that he’d left his lighter on the table. “Yeah, I’d say I know a thing or two about them.”

Dawn stood in front of her house, staring at her window. It had been easier to climb out of than it would be to get back in. She tried to climb back up the side of the house, failing miserably. In the end she sighed and tried the front door. It was unlocked. She really, really hoped Buffy was still patrolling or in her bedroom or something, but a sinking feeling of dread that wasn’t attributed to the three beers told her otherwise. Nevertheless, she snuck stealthily into the house and up the stairs, wincing as one of them squeaked. She pulled open her bedroom door to find her bedroom askew. She sighed, shaking her head, so Buffy knew she had gone. Now she’d tell Mom and Dawn would be grounded for, like, forever. She squeezed her eyes closed. Why didn’t anybody understand? If they didn’t treat her like a dog on a leash maybe she wouldn’t need to sneak out of the house.

“Buffy, I know that you know. You can come out of hiding now,” she called, resigned. “Buffy, you don’t have to be such a cow. Buffy?”

Dawn opened the door, expecting to find her sister, arms crossed, in front of her door, but she was met with nothing. “Buffy?”

No way Buffy would have gone patrolling now, maybe she was out looking for Dawn. She decided to go to bed and deal with her sister in the morning.

In his room the magician went over all his books. Where had he gone wrong and what had he done? He sat back, tired. “We’ll deal with this in the morning,” he decided.

Buffy groaned, stretching her legs. They’d been walking through the forest for over an hour and after her initial shock over the first fiend, she had proven her skills as a warrior, although according to Lulu, ‘Physical strength alone isn’t enough, you need to develop skills, special abilities.’

She walked next to the giant blue Kimahri. Apparently he was from a race called ‘Ronso’, which were like big blue kitties that stood like humans. Buffy heard a chirping noise. She looked around, curiously and saw nothing. Then her eye caught on a struggle in the bushes. She ran over to investigate.

“Would you like to rest?” Lulu asked in a condescending tone, looking over her bare shoulder. The collar of her dress was off-the-shoulder and lined with fur.

“No, I’ll just be two secs,” Buffy answered, annoyed. She pulled leaves apart to find one of the strange furry creatures from the inn in a tussle with a wasp-shaped fiend. Buffy swung her sword at it, missing it but scaring it away nonetheless. The furry creature, which resembled a kitten and a squirrel combined, ran over to the slayer, up onto her shoulder. Buffy ran to catch up with the group who were stopped at the edge of the path. As Buffy approached, Kimahri made room for her. Before them was the most beautiful lake she had ever seen. The water was reflective and covered in purple lilies. The strange, translucent shining orbs hovered low over the flowers, flying in lazy circles.

“The Moonflow,” Lulu explained. “The pyreflies are attracted to the moon lilies. At night, the whole river glows.”

Tidus’ face fell like a kicked puppy. Suddenly growing bright again, he waved his arm emphatically. “Alright then. Once Sin is dead we’ll all come back here.”

Buffy thought it sounded really nice. If she hadn’t been so worried about Dawn and her friends she would love nothing more than to stay here, day and night. Maybe Riley could come too. The idea was nice but, she knew, impractical. She had a sacred duty. To save the world, unless all evil decided to retire. She realised that the silence around her had gotten heavy. The look on Yuna’s face reflected that of Buffy’s. Lulu finally broke the silence.

Lulu fell in step beside Yuna in an almost comforting way. Buffy shook her head, confused. She felt like she had missed something. She followed the others along the bank of the Moonflow until they came to a clearing. What Buffy saw there shocked her.

“Whoa oh!” Tidus stared, eyes wide. Then a look came over his face, like a boy with a new toy. In front of them stood what appeared to be an elephant. It had a long, fishlike tail and a rolled-up, skinnier nose as well as very small ears. Beyond that, it was definitely an elephant. It had a large basket-like device on its back, shaped like a gondola and a thick, white scar on its leg.

Auron took Tidus aside to talk to him, pointing at the strange creature as he spoke.

“Ohh, it’s a shoopuf,” Yuna answered, looking awed. “I... I’ve only ever been on one once before”

“The shoopuf will take us across the moonflow, to the north bank,” Lulu explained.

“Boarding Shoopuf,” a strange voice said. “Shummonner Yuna and her Guardiansh, ze shoopuf ish ready to go.”

They walked up the stairs onto a platform, then boarded a wide, open elevator.

“Machina are machines,” Wakka answered, “and we only use the machina approved by Yevon. Yevon tells us which machina are good and which are bad.”

“Remember ‘Operation Mi’ihen’? That kind,” Wakka answered. To clarify, he added, “This machina is used for peace and to help the people of Yevon. Machina that kill, they’re all bad news.” Wakka waved his hand in front of his nose as if warding away a bad smell.

Buffy thought about it. If people really banned all machines used to kill, there wouldn’t be so many problems. Sure, there would be vampires and people would have knives ‘n stuff, but if there were no guns, no nukes. She was startled as the Machi-- elevator, she mentally corrected herself--came to a halt.

Boarding the shoopuf was fairly simple, like boarding a boat. She settled into one of the seats, it was a lot like a gondola. The seats were covered in thick cushions and there were curtains at the sides. As they sat there, most of them talked amongst themselves. Buffy was mildly interested in the conversations about some old city that had fallen into the river. She and Kimahri sat in silence as the small creature she had named Kirrel- kitten squirrel- slept soundly on her lap.

Yuna stood up, staring over the edge of the shoopuf into the water, Buffy looked out across the Moonflow, then everything went chaotic.

Two men in swimsuits and goggles dove out of the water, snatching Yuna and diving back under with her. Before Buffy knew it, Wakka and Tidus jumped in after her. The shoopuf continued its slow swim through the water. Buffy bit her lip for a second before taking Kirrel off her lap and removing her jacket, preparing to dive in too. Auron grabbed her arm. “They can manage,” he said.

Buffy stared at the offending hand. “Listen,” she tossed her hair, hands on her hips. “I don’t know who you think you are but I’ve never been good at taking orders, not from my watcher and certainly not from you.” She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as she removed it from her arm. “A girl is in trouble. Don’t you understand that? I need to help her.”

As she said this Tidus came gasping to the surface, Yunas’ limp body in his arms. She coughed, opening her eyes, and he helped her back up onto the shoopuf. Wakka and Tidus then climbed up onto the shoopuf where Tidus proceeded to shake like a dog.

Auron looked at Buffy as though she were a child throwing a tantrum. He suddenly broke into a small smile, disarming her. “It would seem I am not in control of everything, but I would like you to know that I am personally glad to have you protecting Yuna,” Auron said quietly to her, as everyone fussed over the summoner in question. Buffy was left feeling confused. She shook her head and moved Kirrel out of her chair as the blue-finned driver called up to them.

Spike stood in the engine room of their newest find. He tightened the screw on the fan when, to his surprise, it came on. He jumped back, shocked.

“Bloody hell!” he yelled, furious. To his horror, his face shifted, reflecting his mood. He froze. “What? But-- I’m human. But, Buffy…”

He felt a wave of sorrow wash over him, threatening to drive him into the ground and leave him destroyed and defeated. He shook his head, his vamp face melting away, and he replaced the sorrow with anger, ascending the ladder into the control room.

The Al Behd known as Brother sat at the controls, flicking buttons. He looked up when Spike came in.

Spike was picking up the basic gist of the language with surprising speed. It had only been a day and he could mostly make out what people were saying.

“How am I doing? I was doing fine,” he answered, sucking in his cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

“You bloody stupid ponce! If I was in the engine and you were working the engine, what the bloody hell did you think was going to happen to me?”

The best thing about Al Behd was that the developers of the actual game, Final Fantasy, had based Al Behd on the English language. It was more a cipher than a language so if you knew a word, it also existed in Al Behd.

Brother was contemplating what Spike said, a deep and thoughtful look on his face. He contemplated for about a minute, almost seeming to count in his head. “Oh!” he said suddenly. “The engine could hurt you. You shouldn’t be down there while I’m working it.”

Spike opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. The kid made Xander look like Einstein. He shook his head.

Buffy looked around when they reached the north bank. Most of the surrounding area was dense tree cover. She came off the shoopuf, looking around. Kimahri was standing, arms crossed in front of his large, blue chest. Buffy realised that Yuna was in a sheltered area, surrounded by people.

“Hello, miss,” a voice said. “Can I offer you any of my valuable merchandise?”

Buffy turned to see a strange little man, a little smaller than she, with a huge pack on his back.

“Uh, sorry. I don’t have any money,” she offered, wondering what he could be wanting her to buy.

“Umm, yes,” Buffy was distracted by a giant Ronso she could see through the trees. If she thought Kimahri was tall, this Ronso made Kimahri look like a doll.

“Who?” He turned to look. “Oh, those are two other Ronso, Biran and Yenki. They had an argument with Kimahri back in Luca. Wonder what they’re doing here?”

Buffy yawned, stretching. She really wanted a hot shower, clean clothes and a long sleep, not to mention food.

Yuna came back to where Tidus was. Everyone gathered around. “Okay, everyone. It isn’t far to Guadosalam now. We should get there before nightfall.”

They all turned and headed down a long path between the trees. After sitting on the shoopuf, Buffy’s legs had recovered from the major tiredness and she was happy to walk anywhere as long as the result was food and a shower.

“Kimahri!” a voice bellowed from up ahead. Buffy realised that the two Ronso she had seen before were blocking the path. Kimahri calmly walked up to them, staring up at their faces.

“Come to fight Kimahri?” he asked. Buffy was somewhat shocked. It was the first time she had heard him speak.

“Poor Kimahri, first lose his horn, then lose his summoner,” the large one said.

The skinny one began scratching his arse. “Hornless, hornless,” he said before they both laughed and walked of into the trees.

“Shelinda said something about summoners going missing,” Lulu said, looking concerned.

“Wow.” Buffy said. Everyone turned to look at her. “Oh, nothing important ‘wow’. It’s just, those guys really have no life. They’re, like, Harmony meets a Fyarl demon.”

Lulu pursed violet lips, turning back to the others. “Let’s keep moving.”

They came out of the forest walking along the banks of the Moonflow where Wakka informed the group that the path turned back into the forest farther up. Buffy had no idea how he knew this. Yuna stopped for a moment, staring out across the Moonflow. Tidus didn’t realise and kept walking. Buffy stared up the path after him, shrugged, and turned back to the group. Yuna turned to smile at the group and they all headed in the direction Tidus had gone.

“So, how come you don’t talk?” Buffy asked. “I mean, it’s not like I want you to go super revealy on me. It’s just, how did you end up with Yuna? I mean not ‘with’ with. I mean as her--”

“Guardian,” Kimahri filled in. “Ten years ago I was asked by dying man. ‘Protect Yuna, take her to Isle of Besaid.’ I have looked after her since.”

She was cut off as the group came to a halt. At the edge of the path, where it wound back into the forest, was a girl. She was about Dawn’s age, wearing the smallest green shorts and an orange sleeveless top. Her orange-blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and sat on top of her head. Her eyes seemed to be forest green, though there was something strange about them that Buffy couldn’t quite place.

“Uh, Rikku saved my life. She’s an Al Be--” Tidus cut himself off short and looked guilty.

Yuna cleared her throat. “Um, I would like to talk to Rikku for a minute.”

To Buffy’s surprise, as Wakka stepped forward, Rikku held her hand up, jigging from side to side. “Girls only. Boys, please wait over there.”

Buffy blinked several times trying to work out what was going on. A minute later, Yuna and Lulu came back and Yuna spoke haltingly, “Uh, I would like Rikku to join me, to become my guardian.”

“Um, sorry if I’m all backwardsy around here, but what is a guardian,” Buffy asked.

“Guardians are those solemnly sworn to protect the summoners, until the end.”

“A summoner must trust a guardian with her life,” Yuna added, hesitantly. “That’s why my guardians are all my friends.”

Buffy nodded, thinking of Xander, Willow, Giles and maybe even Anya. They all fit that description. This place--Spira, Tidus had called it--it wasn’t so different from Sunnydale. Lost in thought, Buffy was unprepared for what came next.

“…and I would like to ask you, Buffy, to join me as my guardian too. You… you don’t have to, but I would like you to come with me to Zanarkand.”

Buffy realised that she wasn’t the only one surprised by this. Lulu, Wakka and even Tidus looked on in shock. Auron looked smug, as though he’d had something to do with this and Rikku… Buffy looked at the small, blonde girl. Well, she just looked vague.

“Oh!” Buffy remembered that Yuna was waiting for an answer. Well, she seemed to be stuck here and this small, very strange group of people were the only ones Buffy knew. She took in a deep breath.

“Yeah, just call me 1-800-Dial-a-Slayer,” Buffy added, strangely enthusiastic about the idea. Maybe because it wasn’t her having to save the world for once. Maybe it was because, in some deep part of her, she envied her friends their roles. She envied the way they dove into the work, no binding ‘destiny’ thing, nothing. They just wanted to help. She had always wanted that choice. Not so that she could run away from the slayer biz, but because she wanted to be a Scooby, a ‘Guardian’. And now she was.

Lulu turned to Wakka. “I’m afraid I do not understand half the things she says.”

Auron was talking to Rikku. “Look at me.” Rikku raised her head, eyes closed. “Open your eyes.” The girl opened one eye. Auron stared at her for a second. “Are you sure?”

Spike walked into the hallway and spotted Cid who was fixing wires in the wall. He looked up at Spike as he came up the slope.

“Hey, it’s my resident Yevonite.” Cid said, laughing. “What can I do for you?”

Spike looked back towards the control room. “Well, your son just tried to cut me into messes, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Cid wrinkled his nose in thought. “Never heard of ‘em. They anything like Guado?”

Spike thought about this. He remembered that the Guado were avid Yevon worshippers and ended up attacking Home, but they were the only way he could think of out of this one.

“Yeah, vampires are a bit like Guado, except we don’t worship Yevon.” He ran his hand awkwardly through platinum blonde hair.

“Us vampires need to drink…” Spike considered what he was doing but it was too late to back out now. Besides, now that he knew he was still a vampire, he needed blood and he couldn’t attack the Al Behd. Buffy… His eyes stung with tears over the thought of Buffy. He pursed his lips. He was in this now; he may as well continue. “Vampires need to drink blood to survive.”

Spike put on what he hoped was a horrified face. “Oh, no,” he said, wincing at how phony he sounded. “We only drink animal blood. It’s very bad to kill a human.”

Cid sniffed. “Alright then. When we finish up here, I can show you where the butchers are. We can get you some Ayishim blood down there.”

Spike was considering what an Ayishim might be when he heard a huge crash coming from the engine room. “Uh, thanks, got to go,” he turned and left.

Cid stood by the wall, a mess of wires in his hand. “Blood?” He pulled a face, then continued on with his work.

Spike stopped just inside the engine room. Brother was there clutching his head, an assortment of tools were spread all over the floor.

Brother rubbed his head, groaning, and muttered something Spike couldn’t decipher “Dra puq vamm eh dra crua bey.”

“Right,” Spike answered in English. “This would be easy without you, but as it is, I’d rather go a few with the slayer. A super strength slayer. While I’m wearing a bloody cross.”

“Bloody right, you’ll clean up,” Spike answered. A dismal look crossed Brother’s face , which reminded the vampire of Dawn. A pang of sorrow washed over him. Dawn and Buffy… the Watcher even. He missed bloody Sunnyhell. He never would have thought it, but there it was. “Hey, I’ll help you clean up, but then you get out of here and let me work, you hear?” Spike glared at him while Brother nodded.

Buffy stopped inside the entrance to Guadosalam. To her shock, she was suddenly two storeys above ground on a wide branch-like path which ran downwards, leading to several doors and eventually to the ground. Lulu took charge at this point.

She led them to an inn, similar to the one Buffy woke up in earlier. A few minutes later, she was relaxing in a hot bath. The door suddenly opened and a strange woman came into the room. She was obviously not human, though she was definitely female. She bowed to the shocked slayer as she came in, picked up Buffy’s clothes and walked out.

“Hey!” Buffy called. “Wait, I don’t have any other clothes! Wait! Come back!” She looked around the room, no longer enjoying the feeling of the warm water healing the bruises of the day.

The woman came walking back in, placing a thick towel and several items of clothing on the clothes peg before leaving again. Buffy sighed, leaning back in the tub. A few minutes later, cleaned and refreshed, Buffy pulled herself out of the tub, wringing water out of her golden blonde hair. She would have stayed longer but she could have sworn she heard a loud and pointed ‘hmmf’ outside the door.

She grabbed the towel off the hook and her eyes fell on the ‘clothes’. A long white skirt with a waist-high slit hung from a thick black belt. It wasn’t just a slit, Buffy realised, putting it on. It was a three-inch wide section that left her right leg exposed at the slightest movement. This was accompanied by a pair of tight black shorts. A tiny lavender halter neck midriff top came with a long white coat, with one button just above her stomach. The coat had some sort of thick grey fur around the neck and at the ends of the arms. Kirrel sat on a chair, scrubbing its face intently with tiny white paws.

Buffy laughed. “They can’t be that bad.” She put on the clothes, laughing at her reflection. The look wasn’t terrible and at least she fit right in now. She grimaced as every movement exposed a bare stretch of leg.

She tentatively stepped out of the bathroom, finding the other two girls dressed similarly, with Rikku in a much shorter skirt and Yuna in a flowing skirt with no slit at all. Lulu walked into the room wearing a long black off-the-shoulder dress. It was a surprise. Buffy had gotten used to the strange dress Lulu had been wearing. The entire front of her other dress, from just below the waist to the floor, was comprised entirely of belts, crisscrossing one another and not doing a good job of hiding her stockinged legs. The dress she now wore was made from cotton or something similar, whereas her other dress had been leather with floral patterns at the end of each large, open sleeve. Lulu sat at the small table, her hair still in its many braids pulled into a knot at the top and hanging down to around her knees. The knot was impaled with six different chopsticks.

The Guado that had stolen her clothes came walking out with a large platter of fruit, nuts and bread. Buffy’s stomach rumbled when she saw the food.

Buffy sank onto the bed. It represented something to her like a sanctuary; she could have normal Buffy sleep and Buffy dreams no matter where she was. She closed her eyes and the last thought that flashed through her mind was, I wonder how the Scoobies are?

“Oh Buffy, the Buffster of Buffland. I bid you hello,” a voice called out cheerfully, stepping through the front door.

“Dawn?” Xander looked surprised. “Shouldn’t you be going to school, the place of education and learning goodness?”

Dawn frowned. “I thought Buffy would wake me. I was out kinda late last night and I thought… I wonder why she didn’t. Buffy?” Dawn padded off into the kitchen, coming back out a moment later looking puzzled.

“Okay,” Dawn said meekly. Trust Xander to be calm in a situation like this. She’d seen from the look in his eyes that he totally understood why she’d been out late. She stepped into Buffy’s room, looking inside in shock. The bed was unused, the clothes Buffy had been wearing yesterday lay discarded near the door.

“You should ask Spike,” Anya said, matter-of-factly. “He can track her down.”

“Ahn, it’s full daylight. He would...” A thoughtful look came over Xanders face. “Oh, I like it. Let’s go ask him.”

“No!” Dawn waved her hands. Xander frowned curiously at her. “No, umm, Buffy and Riley aren’t really speaking at the moment. People think I don’t know this stuff but I know.” Dawn remembered the problem at hand. “So, we shouldn’t ask him now. Giles can find her though, right?”

Spike sat back in his chair. He had been provided with an apartment, given blood, and now he sat in his chair looking absently at the large blue screen showing rematches of the day’s blitzball games. He didn’t mind playing a bit of blitzball, although the two hundred or so games he was supposed to play was bloody ridiculous, but he had no interest in sitting around. He looked around. His room didn’t have anything of great interest in it: an information console sat in one corner, glowing with a blue light like everything else around Spira. He pursed his lips. He hated that he was here and not out looking for Buffy and Dawn. Sitting around in his little room was only making things worse. It was like he was truly trapped and as the minutes dragged by, the walls became closer and closer and Buffy and Dawn slipped further away.

Spike cursed to himself. “There’s not much point sitting around here, hey, Spike?” he said to himself, getting out of the chair. He grabbed his coat and stopped to push the button for the door. It opened upwards with a slight creaking and the vampire stepped out into one of the long halls of Home.

It was incredible where a vampire’s sense of smell could get you, Spike reflected, over his glass of some obscure alcoholic liquid. After only half hour of wandering, his nose had picked up the scent of liquor. Minutes later, he was handing over borrowed ‘Gil’- the currency throughout Spira- and downing glass after glass. He stared at the yellowish/brown liquid before sucking in his cheeks and swallowing it.

He managed to find his way back to his room where he lay down on the small bed and dreamed of Sunnydale.

Willow sat on the floor of the Summers house, surrounded by candles and a map in front of her. She sprinkled some powder on the map, chanting as she did.

Anya was talking. “I saw someone killed by an Iimah demon before. It wasn’t pretty.”

Giles was cleaning his glasses and looked up. “Yes, well, it would be preferable.”

“Umm, I… Well, it’s Buffy. She doesn’t... Well, the spell says she doesn’t exist.”

Xander raised his eyebrows. “Doesn’t exist as in...” A note of panic filled his voice.

“Not dead. She simply doesn’t exist. It’s like she--” she stopped, shaking her head.

“Will she be okay? I mean, she’s not... dead. We can get her back, can’t we?” Dawn looked on the verge of tears.

Tara looked at Willow, then back to Dawn. “Of course we can Dawnie. We’ll just have to work out where she went. Then we can get her back.”

“…and which spell was used. If you don’t use the same spell it won’t work,” Anya added, receiving a glare from Willow.

“So you see, we’ll get her back. It’s okay,” Tara reached to put a comforting hand on Dawn’ shoulder.

“I can’t... I can’t be here with all of you. Just leave me alone!” Dawn shrugged off Tara’s hand, running up the stairs and slamming the door. Tara looked apologetically at Willow, then the others.

“But who would have done it? Why? And, who has that much power? Temporal folds are powerful spells and hard to control,” Willow said, remembering a run-in she’d once had with her vampire self.

Ethan Rayne poured himself a cup of tea, looking over the spell books. He shrugged. The slayer was gone. It didn’t matter where. He just had to make sure she didn’t come back and since he was the only one who could, it wasn’t a problem. He grinned in satisfaction. With the slayer gone, Ripper wouldn’t be staying for long. With Ripper out of the way, Sunnydale would be his. He chuckled at the thought of the chaos he could wreak using the enormous seat of energy that Sunnydale was seated on. He sipped his tea, chuckling.

Chapter 6

Buffy yawned, stretching luxuriously. She could hear a faint thumping in the distance, like thunder.

“Dawn…,” she opened her eyes, disappointed to see the strange inn. “Hey, Kirrel, so much for this being a dream.” She walked over to the small mirror, staring at her hair. Bed hair and her with no brush.

The door opened and Lulu came in. “I thought you were still asleep,” she noticed Buffy’s problem. “Here, let me.”

With great expertise, she pulled Buffy’s hair into a high ponytail, something like Rikku’s, leaving the fringe out. Upon procuring another chopstick, seemingly from nowhere, she flicked the hair, sticking two chopsticks into it. Buffy looked in the mirror. Her hair was in a messy bun, two chopsticks coming out of it.

“Er, thanks.”

“It is no matter. Come, they are serving breakfast.”

Buffy came out to find Tidus, dressed and ready to go, shovelling food into his mouth. She wrinkled her nose. “Eww.”

“He is somewhat uncouth,” Lulu replied.

He stopped eating to cough for a minute before continuing on.

Buffy was given a bowl of cereal and dry fruit, along with bread, jams and herbal tea. Buffy was happy to eat the cerial and bread but she steered around the herbal tea. Yuna excused herself only to come back moments later in her normal clothing. Buffy pushed her chair back, headed to the bathroom. Her clothes, along with Lulu’s and Rikku’s were laid out, waiting. Gratefully, Buffy pulled on her clothes, folded the others and took them back out into the dining area.

Rikku came walking out, rubbing her eyes sleepily and yawning loudly. She saw Buffy and frowned, then proceeded to make some incomprehensible noises as she sat down at the table and began to pig out.

“Everyone, today we go to the Farplane,” Yuna announced.

Buffy frowned. Wasn’t that…?

“Hey, isn’t that where the dead go?” Tidus asked, looking as confused as she was.

“Yes. Here in Guadosalam, we can visit those who have been sent to the Farplane.”

“You mean, talking to the dead?” Buffy wasn’t sure about this. She talked to the dead too often as it was.

“Exactly,” Yuna nodded.

“Oh,” Buffy remembered the clothes. “Oh, who do I give these to?”

Yuna smiled. “Well, normally you would put them in your bag, but as we are going to be here for a while today, the Guado have offered to wash them for us.”

“Wait. You own these?”

Rikku nodded. “Yeah, like, every inn sells them. We bought yours yesterday, brand new!”

Buffy was taken aback. “Oh.”

Yuna’s eyes widened. “If you don’t like them we can give them back…”

“Oh, no. No, they’re great. Really. I just didn’t know...”

Auron came walking out into the room. “Are we going?”

“Don’t you eat?” Buffy asked, offering him a bowl of dried fruit.

“I woke up on time,” was his gruff answer.

…

“Hey, hand me the spanner. No, not that one, the spanner-shaped one.”

“Here you go,” Brother gave Spike the requested instrument and the vampire went back down the hatch.

“Okay,” Spike said. “Now try it.”

Brother sat at the control panel, pressing a group of buttons. The engine roared to life, the floor shaking beneath them.

“Ed fungc!” Brother proclaimed.

“Yes, it does,” Spike answered, his other problems momentarily forgotten and his face covered in a childlike enthusiasm. “What say we go for drinks?”

…

The walk to the Farplane took about fifteen minutes. Now, Buffy stood on the steps that led up to what looked like something from Stargate.

“Coming?” Lulu asked, walking up the stairs.

“Uh, yeah,” Buffy shook her head. She may as well. Kirrel stayed with Rikku and Auron, who had chosen to wait outside. She stepped through the strange door onto a round section of rock, about the size of her house. She walked to the edge to look over and was shocked by what she saw. Miles below ran fields of flowers. Everywhere she looked, the glowing orbs known as ‘pyreflies’ danced around. A gushing waterfall finished off the scenery, while a full moon glowed in the sky.

As Buffy watched, Wakka walked to the edge and a boy - identical to Tidus with short, red hair - appeared, wearing identical clothes to Wakka. Buffy frowned in thought, turning to see Kimahri standing guard.

“Why don’t you try calling someone?” Lulu asked, startling Buffy.

“Oh, I, I don’t know...”

“All you need to do is think of them and they will appear. Come,” Lulu led Buffy to the edge. “Try it.”

Buffy thought of who she would call. Maybe Kendra? She looked up, startled, to see Kendra appear before her, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“See?” Lulu said. “It’s easy.”

Thinking about Kendra led to thoughts of Drusilla and suddenly, Buffy found herself thinking of Spike. To her surprise, someone appeared in front of her. Dressed in Victorian-style clothing, with the look of a dreamer and golden curls covering his head, his eyes were a sparkling blue that went deeper than colour. It was as though, by looking into them, you would see the heart, the soul of everything and the poetry of life. Buffy found herself staring in wonder at this apparition. Then her eyes widened with a sudden realisation. Under the golden curls and soft smile was a face that Buffy recognised. High cheekbones gave way to hollow cheeks, stretched across with skin that was usually ivory white.

“Spike!” she exclamied. Strangely, she felt none of the emotions she had predicted she would in her daydreams of when she next saw him. Instead of bitter anger and loathing, instead of a lust for his death, a desperate need to see his ashes scattered on the wind, she felt a strong relief. Here was part of her normal, everyday life and she gratefully welcomed its presence.

The figure in front of her shifted uncomfortably. “Well,… Well, I suppose I am.”

“Huh?” Buffy had a blank look on her face.

“Oh, forgive me. My name is William. I am, in essence, he who you call Spike.”

“William? I don’t get it. Why are you here?”

“I wished to converse with you.”

“Uh, huh. Converse away,” Buffy waved her hand.

“You have been sent here against your will, have you not?”

“Well, yeah..”

“It is as I thought. Spike, too, has been. It is imperative that the two of you are reunited.”

“Wait! You’re saying Spike didn’t send me here?”

William shook his head. “No, no. He was sent here just as you were. He believes both you and Dawn to be imprisoned here as he is. In this he is mistaken. Dawn is safe with Mr Giles.”

Buffy was relieved and looked around at the scenery. ”You know, imprisoned is a strong word. It’s more like a compulsory holiday.”

“I see. Then what I have to tell you will carry no great weight.”

“Wait, you have something to tell me? About how to get home?” her eyes lit up.

“Not a means so much as a course. You cannot return home unless you are reunited with Spike.”

“Wow. So if I find Spike, I can get home?”

“You will be on your way home. With Spike by your side, you will be given the light to find the way, but only inside yourself will you find the path to follow.”

“Alright, so I find Spike and I can get home. Where is he? I haven’t exactly seen him around.”

“He is in a place called Bikanel,” William answered. “Though beyond that, I cannot help you.”

“I see. Well, thanks...”

“Yes, it would seem my time is running short.”

“Oh, okay. Well, see ya.”

William seemed to fade but suddenly blinking back to reality. “One more thing, if I may. Buffy, there are times when it is better to follow that which you know inside yourself to be true, logic notwithstanding, and regardless of that which those around you may deem to be untrue. To hold strong against those who mean the most to you requires more courage and strength than to stand against all the armies of hell.” With this he faded, leaving a surprised Buffy blinking into the air.

…

“So, you wanna take her for a test drive?” Spike asked Brother as they sat at the bar.

“I think we’re gonna have to,” an unfamiliar voice answered.

Spike turned around to see a warm and friendly face, head covered with yellow hair, standing behind him. Spike frowned.

“I’m Keyakku,” he said in answer to Spike‘s unspoken question.

Spike frowned. Keyakku. He knew that name but from where?

“Father says you helped fix the airship.”

“Yeah,” Spike said.

“So, do you want to come with us?”

“Where to?” Spike frowned.

“Macalania. Some summoner is going through there soon. We’re going to save her as well.”

“Macalania? Why not?” Spike answered.

Thanks to Nadine for her great Beta'ing

Chapter 7

Buffy met up with Auron and Rikku outside of the Farplane. Kirrel came running happily over to her, jumping onto her shoulder and rubbing affectionately against her.

“Are you ready?” Auron asked.

“Yes,” Yuna answered, bowing.

“Well, let’s go.”

They walked in silence out of the Farplane, towards the inn, each of them thinking about what they had just seen.

“Excuse me,” a wheezy old voice interrupted.

Auron ‘hmphed’ loudly.

“What is it?” Yuna asked.

“Maester Seymour requested to speak with you at once.”

Buffy frowned. Seymour? She’d heard that name somewhere recently, but where?

“Doesn’t the Maester know we are in a hurry?” Auron asked sternly. A little too sternly- Buffy thought- for concern over the pilgrimage.

“Yes, it will not take too long,” the old Guado answered. He led them into a large manor. Staircases led upwards to a balcony high above the floor. Large portraits lined the walls next to the stairs. Buffy frowned, looking at the pictures. Most of the were more Guado. They all looked the same to Buffy - and they all looked like something she would slay without thought back home. She walked halfway up the stairs to the right, where Lulu and Wakka were looking at the pictures. She frowned, suddenly noticing one she hadn’t seen before. He had pale white skin and blue hair that stuck out all over in weird shapes.

“Who-- who are they?” she asked.

“They are the past leaders of the Guado,” Lulu answered.

“Maester Seymour looks different though, ya?” Wakka turned to look at Buffy.

“Yeah, he looks kinda wonky,” Buffy answered, frowning.

“Don’t you know? Maester Jyscal wed a human woman. Maester Seymour is only half Guado.”

Buffy turned in time to see Tidus nearly get hit in the face with a door as it opened downstairs. The old Guado made a shuddering noise before he spoke, “This way please.”

Buffy followed Wakka through the door, Tidus coming through last. She found herself in a large room, a huge table of fruit in the middle of the room. In the ceiling were three, strange, blue orbs with a string hanging from them and swinging like a pendulum.

“I will go inform lord Seymour. Please wait here.”

Rikku, though she had eaten breakfast only a couple of hours beforehand, was shovelling in the fruit at an incredible speed. Lulu stood by the table, delicately picking at them while Wakka and Auron leant against the wall. Yuna stood by a table laid out with cheeses and breads, on one side of the room and Kimahri stood about a metre away, golden eyes scanning the room.

Kirrel made a strange, chirping noise when he - Buffy had decided to call it ‘he’ for now - saw the table and now sat on the table with a large peach in his tiny white paws, chewing madly. Tidus was walking agitatedly around the room. He came to Buffy and stopped in front of her as if expecting something.

“So, what do you think about all this?” he asked, clutching his big blue sword like a lifeboat.

“I don’t know,” Buffy said. “I’ve only been here nearly two days. I gotta say, I have major wigginess vibes coming from this place.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Tidus ran his hand through his hair.

“So, what’s your deal? You don’t seem like the others. You’re not from around here?”
Tidus looked sad, “I’m from Zanarkand.”

“Hey, that’s where we’re going, right?”

“Yeah, but… the Zanarkand I come from is, like, one thousand years in the past. I was brought here… by Sin.”

“By, Sin? The thing we’re going to fight? The thing Yuna’s father killed and yet, somehow, it’s still here? And where is Yuna’s father anyway? He killed it once, why can’t he kill it again?”

Tidus put his hands behind his head, “Yeah, Sin kinda… comes back. They kill it and bring the ‘calm’ and then it comes back, like, ten years later.”

“Oh.”

“And I don’t know what happened to Yuna’s old man. He killed Sin, I know that, but no-one talks about him after that. I know he’s dead, though. Yuna was talking to him on the Farplane.”

“Truly, it is good to have guests again,” Buffy was startled as the Guado re-entered the room. “Since Lord Jyscal passed away these halls have been too quiet.”

Yuna bowed, “The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira.”

“Lord Jyscal, that’s this ‘Seymour’ guy’s father, right?” Buffy asked, her head beginning to ache with all these names. If only Giles was here. He was more the name rememberer. He did the research, she did the killing and Willow… Willow would make this place a whole lot cheerier. She had the ability to make you feel alright no matter what. Plus, Buffy thought, Willow would just about kill to spend half hour with Lulu.
Lulu was into the dark arts big time, summoning anything from fire to lightning, pools of acid and spearing shards of ice. And Xander… Xander would love to be here for the sole purpose of making bad jokes about everyone and everything they came in contact with. Buffy’s thoughts were shattered by the Guado. He seemed to be halfway through saying something.

“…but now a new leader, lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together, but that is not all, I think. He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira.”

Buffy almost felt like applauding. This whole thing seemed to be a big setup, a show of power. Almost as though this ‘Seymour’ had set it up. Sure enough, a voice floated into the room, a silky voice, high pitched for a man. Buffy heard the voice and her ‘Spidey senses’ went crazy. Every part of her was saying that there was something wrong here - no good could come out of this.

“That is enough, Tromell,” the person belonging to the voice walked into the room, his
‘hair’ looked more like an elaborate headdress and his clothes were ridiculous, making Wakka’s attire look good. A long - well, Buffy could only describe it as a dress - covered most of him, although for some reason it was open at the front, revealing his unreasonably hairy stomach. The sleeves were long and puffy, the whole thing looked like it was made of a quilt. She noticed that one hand finished with blue claws, the other with fingernails. His mouth pulled into a Cheshire cat type smile, the lips thin and evil looking.

“Must I always endure such praise?” he walked into the room, standing under the three spheres. He bowed low, bringing his hands together in a ball shape in front of him, something Buffy had seen a lot of people do, but this guy seemed to almost make a mockery of it.

“Welcome,” he said.

“You... wanted to see me?” Yuna asked, looking concerned.

“Please make yourselves at home. There’s no rush.”

“Please keep this short. Yuna must rush.” For once, Buffy was grateful to have Auron there. His gruff answers aimed at this man were engineered to be forceful while worded politely.

“Pardon me,” Seymour said. “It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way.”

Buffy shook her head. Who was he to order Yuna around like a dog? She was the chosen one, and from what Buffy could pick up, Seymour was nothing but a priest, only there to guide Yuna.

Everyone stepped forwards, coming to stand with the strange man under the spheres. Buffy heard a singing and then a bright light flashed and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she seemed to be standing in a void. The singing was louder. Under her feet, something shimmered. A field of stars appeared all around her as though she were in space. Small, brightly coloured comets whirled past her face and she found herself making sounds of amazement like those around her. Her thoughts of the beauty of this place were cut of short when Seymour stepped forward, beside Yuna, reminding the Slayer of his presence.

“This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane.”

As he spoke, the scenery changed and they were standing above a city. It could have been New York except for the giant walls of water that seemed to be held in midair, somehow defying gravity. Tidus frowned, staring across the city as they flew over it. Much of the city was built into the ocean itself, buildings standing in the water and on boats. The scene shifted again, almost like a dream, and now they stood on a road, lights flashing everywhere, people hurrying by. Buffy felt almost at home, but Tidus…

“Zanarkand!” Tidus gasped. Buffy remembered him talking about Zanarkand. So this was it? No wonder he seemed nearly normal - in a really blonde way. This city was kinda like her world.

“Correct. Zanarkand, as it looked one thousand years ago.”

Buffy could hear a loudspeaker in the background. “The Blitzball stadium is experiencing difficulties, we advise that this area remain off limits until further notice.”

Seymour continued speaking, “She once lived in this metropolis.”

Buffy heard Auron ‘humph’ loudly.

Yuna turned to Seymour, “She who?”

Buffy blinked as they suddenly appeared in a room. Sitting on the bed was what appeared to be a naked woman, blue hair zigzagging in pieces like Seymour’s only with the strands falling down her back, not sitting over her head.

Yuna gasped, “Lady Yunalesca.”

Buffy realised that the woman in question was wearing a tiny bikini, suitable, Buffy thought, for a city with so much water.

Seymour nodded, “She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages and you have inherited her name.”

Buffy frowned. She could feel him leading them somewhere, though she couldn’t understand what showing them all this scantily clad summoner was going to do.

Yuna spoke softly, “It was my father who named me…”

“Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task. He wanted you to face Sin as Lady Yunalesca did.”

Buffy shook her head. What was with this guy? Just ‘cause her dad named her that didn’t mean anything. If her father had called her ‘Joan’ it wouldn’t mean he wanted her to lead an army and be burned at the stake.

“However,” Seymour continued, “Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone--”

A clashing noise was heard entering the room and as a man dressed in golden plate armour entered, Buffy worked out what Seymour wanted.

“To defeat the undefeatable Sin, it took an unbreakable bond of love, the kind that binds two hearts together for eternity.” He did the weird bowing thing again.

Buffy opened her mouth to say something when the flashy light thing happened again and they reappeared in the room, Seymour whispering in Yuna’s ear. Buffy shook her head. This wasn’t her business. Yuna suddenly gasped, making strange noises. She walked over to a table, grabbing a glass of water in both hands and gulping it down. She held her hand in front of her face and then ran over to where her guardians were standing.

Rikku looked at the distressed summoner, “Wow, your face is beet red.”

Buffy shook her head. “He didn’t, did he, ask you...?”

Yuna nodded at Buffy, grateful that she had worked it out.

At the confused looks on the others faces Yuna clarified, “He… he… asked me to marry him!”

Wakka looked shocked, “You serious?”

Auron frowned, obviously displeased. “You know what Yuna must do.”

“Of course,” the way he spoke so quickly gave Buffy the impression of a prepared speech. “Lady Yuna -- No. All summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira, but this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people.”

Buffy had a nagging feeling that the Maester was using a play on words, as though he were saying what Yuna wanted to hear yet at the same time, the truth lay somewhere in those twisted words.

“I proposed to Lady Yuna as a master of Yevon.”

Auron grunted. “Spira is no playhouse. A moment’s diversion may amuse an audience but it changes nothing.”

Seymour gave him a dirty look. “Even so, the actors must play their parts. There’s no need to answer right away. Please, think it over.”

Auron took over, seeming to wrap the party under protective wings. “We will do so then. We leave.”

Seymour kept his smiling face, though his eyes had a flame in them, showing his displeasure at Auron’s interference. He seemed smug at getting in the last word as they left the room. “Lady Yuna. I await your favourable reply.”

Buffy looked at Tidus, who seemed to want to say something, Auron gave him a ‘let’s go’ look and headed after all the others.

“Why are you still here, sir?”

Buffy spun around to stare at Seymour, all sense of a friendly host was gone. Malice sat openly on his face. He covered it a moment later, lowering his lashes. Buffy had the feeling that he’d just struck at Auron’s weak point.

“I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane.”

Tidus walked over and began sniffing Auron like some kind of dog.

“Tidus, cut it out,” Buffy said as Auron shoved him away.

The three of them left the room in silence, gathering around Yuna who sat on the ground outside, where Lulu spoke.

“Yuna, the high summoner’s daughter. Seymour, the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race… It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change.”

Wakka screwed up his nose, waving his hand in front of his face. “Sounds just like a passing daydream, like Auron says.”

Tidus shook his head, gesturing wildly with his arms. “Come on, let’s just get on with the pilgrimage. I mean… marriage?”

Rikku surprised Buffy, thumping Tidus on the shoulder. “Hmm, jealous?”

“What? No way! We gotta defeat Sin. Romance can wait.”

Wakka looked torn. “He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us.”

“Maybe it is a fine time.” Yuna suggested.

Tidus looked at Yuna as though she’d gone nuts. “You serious?”

“If my getting married would help Spira… If it would make people happy… If I can do that for people… Maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this, but I won’t answer till I know what's right.”

Buffy sat on the ground, taking Yuna’s hands in her own. The summoner looked up at her.

“Listen, Yuna. I know you respect Seymour, and I know Spira means a lot to you, but… those things Seymour said. He said them on purpose.”

Yuna looked confused.

“You are a summoner. You have been chosen to help Spira, right? He must know that as a summoner you would do anything to make people’s lives better, but not this, Yuna. Don’t do this. People get married for a bunch of reasons but unless you love him - I mean really love him… Marriage is too big. My parents got married but later, they didn’t love each other anymore and, yes, the wedding made people happy, but afterwards, when they left each other, it just made people sad again. As the chosen one, it is your duty to save lives. If you save the lives of all these people, they can get married. They can have their own little children and just think,… How happy would that make them? I know it’s hard, Seymour really struck at a weak point, but... God! You can’t just be dangled like a puppet for people. And Yuna, when you find someone you do love, you can marry them and just think how happy that would make everyone. Lu’ said that the overcoming of race and yada yada, but a happier story is you overcoming all odds and finding someone you really love. I know it would make me happier.”

Buffy looked up for the first time, away from Yuna’s green and blue eyes filled with emotion. She looked at those around her. Rikku looked entranced, absently scratching the side of her face. Tidus and Wakka looked relieved and Lulu just looked decided.

Yuna, suddenly looked up as well, directly at Buffy, “I remember, when I was only seven years old, in Bevelle that day. My father had just defeated Sin and the whole town was out on the streets. Everyone seemed so happy. If I defeat Sin, that will make people happy.” She looked at her friends. “I am a summoner I must fight and defeat Sin.”

Auron nodded, seeming to understand what she meant. “Like Braska before you?”

“Mm,” Yuna agreed. “Let us return to the Inn to collect our belongings. Then I will take my answer to Lord Seymour.”

Thanks to my Beta Nadine.

Chapter 8

“Lady Summoner, your clothes are ready,” the Guado said as they entered the inn. She handed them neatly folded piles of clothes which Wakka stashed in a surprisingly small bag and slung it over his back.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Yuna bowed.

“It was a small thing. I wish you luck on your journey,” the Guado bowed low.

“Thank you,” Yuna left. They headed back towards the manor when they ran into a green clad girl.

“Shelinda?” Yuna asked, bowing.

“Lady Yuna,” the girl bowed back. “Where are you going?”

“We are going to speak with Lord Seymour,” Yuna answered.

“Oh,” Shelinda looked concerned, “but Maester Seymour just left to go to Macalania Temple.”

“Oh!” Yuna held her hand in front of her mouth. “Are you sure?”

“Why, yes. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no. We shall have to go to Macalania Temple.”

“He sure left in a hurry,” Wakka observed.

“Perhaps he did not expect Yuna’s answer so soon,” Lulu said.

“Well,” Shelinda answered, “I will be going to Macalania myself, shortly.”

Lulu pointed. “It is this way.”

She led them through a tunnel and they came out on a huge, wide plain. Buffy stared, green eyes wide with wonder and fear. She had never seen anything so scary, never even conceived it as possible - well, finding out about what her mother and Giles did under the influence of those chocolates, that kinda came close. Thunder sounded and lightning arced down towards the black, rocky plain. Rain sliced through the air at random intervals and a permanent smell of ozone filled the air. As lightning struck again, Rikku squealed, falling to her knees.

“Uh, I think I left something back in Guadosalam.”

“Nice knowing you,” Auron answered.

“Alright, fine. I’ll go.” A peal of thunder shot through the air and she squealed again.

“Let’s go,” Auron said.

The journey across the thunder plains was nerve wracking. The entire plain was dotted with lightning rod towers designed to draw the lightning towards them. They had to stay close to the towers without getting close enough to be affected by the lightning that hit the towers. Every time an arc of lightning came out of the blackened sky, Rikku would scream, which only made things worse. Finally, half way across the thunder plains, Rikku stopped, a strange, haunted sounding laugh coming from her.

“Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.”

Everyone turned around as Rikku fell to her knees.
“Eh heh heh eh eh heh.”

“Heh heh heh heh?” Tidus asked. “You’re freaking me out!”

Buffy knelt down, staring into Rikku’s eyes and noticing, for the first time, the way a black spiral ran through them, from the outside to the centre.
“Well,” Buffy said, “she’s either scared crazy or doing it for attention. My sister does it all the time.”

Thoughts of Dawn flooded her, worry coming back in truckloads. She knew Dawn was ‘safe’ but probably worried sick not knowing where Buffy was. She stood up and to her surprise, Rikku crawled across the ground, latching onto Tidus’s leg.

“I wanna go home. I hate lightning. I hate thunder. Let’s go rest over there. Please?”

Buffy frowned. “Rikku, get up.”

The other girl made a whimpering noise.

Auron stepped forward. “This storm never stops. Better to cross quickly.”

Buffy, too, was anxious every time the lightning arced out of the sky, but as Auron said, the sooner they crossed it the sooner they were out.

“I know but... just for a little while?”

Auron turned and left, the others following him. Buffy put a comforting arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Come on Da-- Rikku. The sooner we get out of here the sooner you never have to worry about lightning again.”

“Oooh.”

They approached the building, a lightning rod tower with an inn at the base. Rikku broke free of Buffy, standing in the doorway.

“Pretty please, just a few minutes?”

“Ignore her,” Auron said, continuing to walk.

“I’m scared of lightning. Let’s rest, please. Pretty please?”

“I swear, she acts just like my sister.”

“How old is your sister?” Lulu asked.

“Fourteen. My Mom’s away for the week so I’m supposed to be watching her. Somehow, I ended up here.”

“I’m too young to die,” Rikku wailed as they continued to walk.

“It is evident that you are a warrior,” Auron observed. “Where do you come from?”

“It’s not exactly where I come from. It’s who I am. I am the Slayer, the ‘chosen one’, a bit like Yuna. I have to save the world and protect the innocent. It’s a whole big thing, but mostly, I just kill demons, vampires and zombies.”

The faces of those around were blank.

“You know- dead stuff,” She frowned, looking at Auron. “I mean, not all dead things. Some dead people are perfectly nice. I had a boyfriend once, a vampire. Well, he used to be nice and now - there’s Spike. Well, he’s mostly nice. A bit annoying but perfectly harmless…”

Her talking was interrupted as Rikku called out in one last attempt.

“You’re mean, cruel. Your moms would be ashamed of you… Are you having fun doing this to me?”

Auron sighed. “Fine, we rest. She’s worse than the storm.”

Buffy raised her eyebrows. Auron giving in to a fifteen year old girl? She grinned.

An hour later, they escorted an apprehensive Rikku back outside and continued on. In almost no time, they reached the edge of the thunder plains as it gave way to a huge dense forest, thick with giant trees and crystals.

Buffy looked in wonder as they entered the forest, Rikku breathed a sigh of relief. The forest was comprised of long paths which gave way to thick branches and roots as wide as the roads, these branches they often had to walk up. Their path snaked through the trees, up and down. They were often attacked by fiends breathing frosty air or summoning small blizzards. These were soon dealt with and they continued on their way. Soon, they reached the edge of the forest. Icy air blew out at them. Buffy was glad for her jacket and watched in horror as Rikku walked out across the snow in her shorts.

“Rikku!” Buffy ran up to her as she began to shiver.

“Here, wear this,” she fished her white coat out of Wakka’s bag, putting it on Rikku. It covered her arms and provided some shelter around her legs.

Yuna stood there, teeth chattering, as she cast a spell over each person. The spell, she told them, was actually designed to prevent them from being hurt by fire magic, but it created a small whirlwind of flame around each of them which warmed them slightly.

“This way,” Auron pointed.

Yuna ran on ahead, looking at the icy landscape. She stepped onto a wide sheet of ice, perfect - Buffy thought - for skating on.

As she was thinking this, Rikku gasped. “Oh no!”

Buffy ran to the edge of the ice to see men in what looked like scuba gear, wearing goggles like the ones Rikku wore on her head. They were dressed mostly in yellow and either drove snowmobiles or ran along the ice carrying guns.

“I thought you said there were no guns in this world?” Buffy asked as they ran to surround Yuna.

“The Al Behd!” Wakka spat.

Someone stood on a ledge high above, his chest bare but for a large blue tattoo.

“Rikku!” He called out. “Tuhd ehdanvana un oui kad drec.”

Rikku shook her head. Buffy spun around. The Al Behd were surrounding her as it began to snow. Through the snow she could see that not all the Al Behd wore yellow. Some were dressed in blue, some in green, red and even purple, and one of them was completely dressed in black.

“Ouin bnaleuic magic yht Aeons yna icamacc.”

As he said this, a huge machine-like tank drove over the snow. Something zipped around through the air like a wasp.

Tidus turned to rikku, “Translation?”

“He's going to use an anti magic field on us,” Rikku answered, distressed.

The machine came rolling towards them.

“Where do I aim?” Wakka called.

“Aim for the flying thing,” Rikku answered. “If you knock it down, Yuna can summon.”

“Okay.” He hurled a large blue and white ball at the wasp thing. The ball smacked into it, damaging a propeller and causing it to list slightly.

“I can get it,” Buffy said, confidently. She ran at the machine, using it to jump off. She leapt into the air and delivered her best knock out slayer kick to the device, shattering it and knocking off its propellor. She landed like a cat, the machine falling out of the sky with her.

“Yuna! Summon,” she called.

Yuna nodded, holding her staff before her as a circle of light appeared underneath her. She flicked the staff sideways, pointing it into the air as lightning shot from it. Buffy watched as a mirror appeared in midair. She stared at it as it shattered, a horse diving through the glass and landing on the ground. Lightning sparkled off its fur and Buffy realised it had a huge horn on its head.

“A unicorn?”

The creature shot towards the machine, digging its horn into it as the machine shot round after round of bullets at it. One lot imbedded deep into the unicorns side and blood began to drip onto the snow, disappearing with a sparkle as it hit the icy surface. The unicorn suddenly neighed, rearing up and shooting a blast of lightning at the machine, disabling its wiring and leaving it a useless lump on the snow. Almost without thinking, Buffy leaped on the machine, ripping off the hatch and pulling a terrified looking ‘Al Behd’ out and holding him up by the throat.

“It works like this,” she said calmly. “Either you leave Yuna, me and all my friends alone or I snap this guy’s neck.”

The bare chested one made hand signals and all the Al Behd ran off Where, Buffy had no idea, but as long as they were gone… Buffy dropped the one she was holding off the vehicle. He fell to the snow, scrambled to his feet and ran off.

“Rikku E femm damm vydran!” the now angry looking tattooed man roared.

“E ys dra guardian uv yuna, oui caa, Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran, cra ec cyva!” Rikku answered, waving her hands.

“Oui tu drec ymuha cecdan.”

“I told him I was a guardian. I guess I had to, really.”

“How come you speak Al Behd?” Wakka asked. “Why?”

Buffy shook her head. “Where I come from, the answer to this question would be ‘duh’.”

Rikku lowered her head. “Because I’m Al Behd and that was my brother.”

Wakka stared at everyone else. “You knew?”

Everyone nodded. Buffy put her hand up. “I didn’t know. I worked it out.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We knew you’d be upset,” Lulu answered.

Wakka groaned. “This is great. I can’t believe I’ve been travelling with an Al Behd. A heathen.”

Rikku shook her head emphatically. “You’re wrong. We have nothing against Yevon.”

“God!” Buffy announced. “That’s what this is about? She’s a different race and religion to you? Can I say ‘get over it’ enough? I can’t believe I’m travelling with a racist prick!” Buffy folded her arms in front of her chest.

“But... the Al Behd use the forbidden machina. You know what that means. Sin was born because people used machina.”

“I don’t know why your Sin was born, but we have ‘machina’ in our world and there’s no Sin. Do you know what most people use it for? In hospitals, to help sick people get better. We have cars to get us from one place to another. This walking business really sucks. Of course, I can’t drive but that’s what friends are for. Oh, and entertainment. Seymour wouldn’t have been able to pull off that ‘it’ll make people happy’ crap if you had television or computer games. Even the vampires have computer games. Spike--” Buffy frowned, her mind going into overdrive.

“Hey, just leave it.” Spike said. “I’m about to beat the snot out of Seymour.”
“Uh huh,” Buffy sounded skeptical. “What, you can’t be violent in real life so you have to play video games?”

Buffy stared at Wakka, a look of horror on her face. She shook her head, top lip beginning to curl upwards. “No way. It’s impossible...” She stared at the people around her. “I can’t believe it.”

Wakka looked incredibly sorry. He thought the look on Buffy’s face was attributed to his reaction to the Al Behd. “Hey, I’m sorry. You’re right. I was a big jerk. I just… I can’t stand the fact that the Al Behd defy Yevon like dat.”

Auron called out, “Rikku.”

The girl ran over to where he was playing with one of the snowmobiles. “Will this move?”

Yuna walked over to Buffy, looking concerned. “Are you… are you alright?”

Buffy bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, I… I’m fine.”

“Kimahri think not,” the Ronso said, frowning at Buffy. “Slayer sad?”

“No, really, I’ll be fine.”

“Kimahri hopes.”

Wakka looked upset. “W-we’re not using that are we? Wait-- Sir Auron isn’t Al Behd too, is he?”

Tidus waved his hands. “Come on, Wakka. You just said you were sorry.”

“Okay, alright. I just hope Yevon will forgive us.”

“Let’s go!” Tidus said, pumping his fist in the air.

Thanks to Nadine for her beta work!

Chapter 9

Spike boarded the airship. He grinned to himself, thinking that by the time he found Buffy, he’d be able to add ‘saving damsels in distress’ to his resume. Of course, he knew whichever summoner he was ‘rescuing’ probably wouldn’t appreciate his efforts, but she’d be safer for it.

“Ready to go,” Brother said, flicking controls.

“Ready,” Keyakku added.

“Everything’s good down here,” said Spike, pulling himself out of the engine hatch and lighting up a cigarette with an oversized lighter.

The airship took off, hanging precariously in the air. It then began to move, sliding freely through the sky and taking on a grace like a swan on water. The Al Behd back in Home waved as they flew over. The flight to Macalania took very little time. They landed a little ways off so they could catch her unawares. Snowmobiles were brought out of the airship and Spike was glad for his coat as Brother, who had no shirt on, began to shiver. They didn’t need to wait long before the summoner came into view and when she did, Spike had to bite his lip to stop himself from groaning, it was Yuna.

He knew this part of the game too well. Tromell would come to take her to Seymour, the Al Behd would attack while Tromell took Yuna off and Yuna would break free and beat the snot out of the Al Behd. Spike didn’t want to be around when that happened. He looked up as the snow began to fall.

Just then, Yuna came walking out onto the ice. Spike frowned when Tromell didn’t arrive.

“What’s taking so bloody long?” he whispered to himself.

Keyakku looked at him, surprised. “We have to wait for her to come further out.”

The snow wasn‘t so heavy that Spike couldn’t make out the shapes of her guardians. Keyakku could see her guardians too. “Seven guardians?” he asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Spike said. “This is gonna be fun.”

He began to think, remembering her guardians. There was Lulu - he remembered her easily enough - Tidus, Wakka and Auron. Rikku, who was probably the weakest of the lot, and there was Kimahri. Spike frowned, thinking them over. Lulu, Tidus, Wakka, Auron, Rikku and Kimahri. That was six; he didn’t think he was forgetting anyone. “Keyakku, she only has six guardians.”

“No, she definitely has seven.”

”Spike, I think there’s a leak in the coolant,” a voice called from behind him

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

He stared out across the snow one last time before he remembered Oaka, the salesman, who followed them from place to place. He was probably with them. He did come out of Macalania woods with them.
…

“Whoa!”

“I’ll see your ‘whoa’ and raise you a holy cow!” Buffy exclaimed to Tidus.

As they walked along a narrow ledge made completely of ice, the Macalania Temple loomed up before them and it didn’t just go upwards. Looking over the edge, Buffy could see where the base of the temple went down into the ice far below them. It resembled some sort of palace more than a temple.

The icy path led into a wide door. The building itself was enormous and lavishly decorated, going higher in the air than Buffy cared to look whilst walking along a narrow piece of ice suspended in midair. She and Tidus stopped to admire the place. Buffy had never seen anything like it. Well, she’d seen the palace in Disneyland and she’d seen giant palaces at ice shows made of coloured ice, but none of these things compared to the feeling this place gave off. It was more than size and looks; it was a feeling. This place seemed as though it existed before time and would continue long after, the same way it went through the ice and high into the sky, but it didn’t look crumbly. It was… perfect.

As they approached the door, they saw a priest standing in front of it. When Tidus and Buffy arrived, the others began to walk into the temple. Rikku ran in first, but the priest held up his hand.

“Halt, the likes of her are not permitted in this hallowed place.”

Auron kept his voice level. “She is a guardian,” he said.

The priest looked outraged under his very high collar. Buffy sniffed. Auron pulled off that look way better. “An Al Behd? A guardian? Preposterous!”

Buffy wanted to yell. Some things about this world were perfect, but other things? Like this constant racism. Rikku, however, remained calm.

“I’ve decided to be Yuna’s guardian now and that is all I want.”

Auron began to walk up the stairs. “And that’s all one needs to become a guardian.”

The priest shook his head. “Very well.”

Everyone ran into the temple. Buffy came second to last, followed by Tidus. As they entered the temple, they were stopped by Tromell. He gave them a long and slow speech about his thanks and gratitude and hopes for the future, yada yada, boredom, boredom. She was surprised that Yuna took this all the time; Buffy would have ordered them to leave her alone. She looked past the guardians, looking for Yuna, but she wasn’t there. Buffy’s eyes widened in panic.

“Another Guado took her away the moment we arrived,” Lulu told her.

Buffy frowned. “I should have been keeping a closer eye. I really suck at this. First Dawn, now Yuna.”

“It is okay. You will learn, given time.” Buffy didn’t know whether to feel insulted or uplifted.

“…And so I thank you again and ask that you make yourselves comfortable.”

Buffy watched as he did the funny bow. It looked even more ridiculous on him because Guado’s arms were hugely long. Tidus went to look at the group of musicians playing in the temple while Buffy, more out of curiosity than anything, tried out the weird bowing thing. She laughed at the thought of the look on Giles’ face if she acted Spiran. When she got back, she silently vowed to try it to see what happened.

“It goes like this…” Lulu said.

“Huh?”

“Watch,” Lulu slowly stepped back with one foot, holding her arms to the side. She made cups with her hands and brought them together, elbows still out to the side, in front of her chest so that they made a shape like a ball. Buffy watched and nodded, executing a neat bow.

“It’s called the ‘prayer’,” Lulu explained.

“Oh, thank you. I didn’t need to know it, I was just...”

“You do not have to know it, that’s true; however, learning to fit in would not be a terrible thing. You have a unique personality and some situations require a little more tact.”

“Oh, Lady Yuna’s guardians,” a voice came from behind them.

Lulu turned.

“Forgive me,” Shelinda said to Buffy. “I do not believe we have met.”

“Oh,” Buffy shot a worried glance at Lulu, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. Buffy turned back to the girl, doing the ‘prayer’ back.

“My name is Buffy,” she said, in what she hoped sounded like the same way Yuna talked.

“It is an honour to meet you Lady Buffy,” Shelinda answered. “I... I wish you luck in your pilgrimage.”

“Where is Yuna?” Lulu asked.

“Oh, I believe she went to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour.”

“Thank you,” Lulu inclined her head.

As Shelinda left, Buffy turned back to Lulu. “See? That was uber embarrassing.”

“I thought you did it very nicely. Come, let us go to the Cloister of Trials.”

Kimahri heard her and began to head up the stairs, Auron and the others following suit, but the priest blocked their way. Suddenly a voice was heard from downstairs.

“Lord Jyscal!” a girl came running out of a room. “I was cleaning and I found a sphere under some cushions.”
Auron walked in the room first as they all crowded in. Out of a small, blue sphere came the figure of a Guado.

“Listen carefully. What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth about my son, Seymour. His heart is closed, even to me, a Maester of Yevon, but I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado and even the summoners. If he is not stopped he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira .I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son, but I do not fault him; because I was not wise enough he has suffered and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and Its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds but whoever is watching this... I implore you to stop Seymour. Stop my son.

Auron grunted. “Wonderful.”

Rikku frowned. “Will Yuna be alright?”

“Without us, no.”

“Let’s go kick his ass,” Buffy said, happily. Now that she no longer wanted to slay Spike, she required some violence to keep her going.

“Perhaps,” Lulu said. “Though possibly with a little more discretion, hmm?”

“Where you all goin?” Wakka asked in a panic.

“Come on, Wakka, the guy’s evil,” Buffy pointed out.

“He’s bad news,” Tidus added.

“But... but, he’s a Maester.”

Lulu intervened. “Let’s at least hear him out.”

“This can’t be happenin’. Ohhh…” Wakka groaned.

Buffy ran out into the main room as the priest tried to block the way. Kimahri’s answer to this was to pick him up bodily and toss him down the stairs like a beany baby. As Buffy walked past, the priest grabbed her leg.

“That Ronso… he... Bevelle will hear about this.”

“Could I care less?” Buffy kicked his hand, continuing up the stairs.

They ran through an icy tunnel, coming out into a round room with stairs at one end.

“Seymour!” Tidus yelled, running into the room.

“Please be silent. Lady Yuna prays to the fayth.”

“Make me,” was Tidus’ answer.

“You’re heading for a hell of a fight,” Buffy added, clutching her sword. “By the way, what’s with the clothes? And the hair? I mean, talk about ‘individual’. You look like you’ve thrown on every item in your grandmother‘s closet. And can you say ‘wax’? If you’re gonna walk around with your stomach hanging out -- never a good look, I might add -- at least apply some wax so the rest of the world doesn’t want to hurl every time they see you. And really, what’s with the bow? It’s cute on Yuna, but on you? Well, I don’t wanna go there but I know what my frien... what Spike would call you and it’s not friendly,” Buffy felt pleased with herself. She thought she had successfully channelled Cordelia.

Seymour headed down the stairs, giving them the death stare. Suddenly, the door at the top opened and Yuna stumbled out.

“Yuna!” Tidus yelled.

Yuna noticed her guardians looking like they were going to kill Seymour. “But why...?”

“We saw a sphere Jyscal had, a recording.”

Auron put the full force of his disapproving gaze on Seymour. “You killed him.”

“What of it?” Seymour answered. Yuna gasped, her hand in front of her face. As Buffy watched, her face hardened and Yuna looked like an avenging angel. A slight wind came through, blowing Yuna’s hair out and ruffling her skirt and arm things.

“You…” Yuna stared.

“Yes?” Seymour asked.

“I...I shall have to stop you!”

Seymour turned. “I see. You’re going to punish me, then?”

“Eww,” Buffy said. “Talk about wording something badly. That’s wrong on every level.”

Seymour stared at her strangely before turning his eyes back to Yuna. He held out his hand to her. She stared at it for a second, stepping back..

“What a pity.”

Murder was in Seymour‘s eyes. Buffy pulled Yuna behind her as Auron and Tidus stepped in front.

“Ah, of course. ‘Protect the summoner even at the cost of one’s life’. The code of the guardian. How admirable.”

He stuck his arm into the air and the two Guado either side of him stepped forward.

“Well, if you’re offering your lives, I will have to take them.”

“Maester Seymour, these people may be my guardians but they are also my friends. I will not stand by and watch them be hurt.” Yuna held her staff up. “I will fight you too.”

“All right!” Tidus exclaimed.

Buffy pulled her sword out of its sheath, slashing at Seymour. To her surprise, one of the Guado stepped in the way, causing her to lose her balance and taking the blow on its armoured arm. At this time, Tidus slashed at the other Guado, ripping a gaping hole from its chest to its hip. Instead of dying, it simply healed itself magically.

In seconds, the room was full of flying fireballs, electricity and ice. Buffy gasped as a shard of ice erupted from the ground beneath her feet. Using reflexes and strength that only a slayer had, she leapt from the ground, spinning through the air and delivering a kick to the Guado’s head. Obviously unused to this form of combat, the Guado fell unconscious to the ground and she rammed her sword deep into its chest. At this moment Tidus, Kimahri and Auron slashed at the other Guado simultaneously. It too didn’t get up.

“Seymour!” Tidus called. “You coward, you can’t hide behind them any more. Watcha gonna do?”

Seymour smiled unpleasantly, raising his arm as a dark mist seemed to fill the room and a dark pattern appeared on the floor as the room shook.

“Tidus!” Buffy called.

The room groaned and a creature appeared. It was the most disgusting creature she had ever seen, chained and bound with only one eye exposed and wearing what appreared to be a straighjacket. It let out a moan of torment beyond Buffy’s imagining.

Yuna stepped forwards, staff in hand. She stood before the massive creature, staff clasped in front of her chest. Suddenly, she held the staff towards the ground as red symbols began to glow, spinning around and shooting upwards. Where they joined, a shape appeared, flying downwards and taking the form of a giant bird. It spread its wings as it approached the ground, landing beside Yuna and purring as it nuzzled her hand. It was obviously a supernatural creature. Back home, Buffy would have slain it the minute she saw it, but now... It was beautiful and gave off an air of peace.

Buffy began to think, In Spira it was almost, like, it didn’t matter what kind of creature you were. You could be a priest and still be evil or a giant demon bird and be good. She shook her head. It couldn’t be this way everywhere, certainly not back in Sunnydale, could it?

As she watched, the bird flapped into the air, dodging what appeared to be a laser beam shooting from the eye of the giant creature. The bird then swooped down, digging claws into its flesh, raking a large chunk from it.

The beast that Seymour gloatingly called Anima writhed in pain, roaring and shooting another laser beam which grazed the bird‘s wing, causing it to fly awkwardly. Yuna’s Aeon flew upwards, staring down Anima. It made a circular motion with its head and a circle of light appearing before it. Light seemed to come from its beak, intensified by the circle in front of it. The light then shot in four beams towards Anima, greatly weakening it. Even as it struggled to remain upright, it shot a laser beam straight through the bird‘s chest and it fell to the ground, dissolving into pyreflies as it hit the ground.

Yuna gasped, seeming to deflate. Almost without thinking Buffy jumped in front of Yuna as Anima shot a laser towards her.

“Buffy!” Yuna called, half stepping forwards. Buffy didn’t hear anything. The pain in her side where a large chunk of her was missing was nothing compared to the pressure that seemed to be trying to escape from her, it was almost...

Tidus, Lulu and Kimahri seemed to sink into the ground as Buffy seemed to grow. She remembered this feeling. When she’d fought Adam, her friends had mixed their power with hers, essentially turning her into a super slayer. This was what was happening now. Her eyes glowed and, as Anima shot at her with another laser, Buffy waved her hand, waving his attack away. She leapt into the air and placed a kick into his chest. It seemed as if where her foot met flesh, ice seemed to sprout like a weed, weaving its way into his body and causing him to roar in pain. His writhing caused him to break free of his straightjacket. Buffy ignored his flailing arms, jumping almost weightlessly from the ground and landing on his giant shoulder, almost two storeys from the ground. She grabbed his head from behind, twisting sharply. His neck snapped and he slumped forward as Buffy jumped lightly back to the ground.

He dissolved the way the bird did and Buffy suddenly collapsed on the ground, all the extra power gone from her body and her side hurting once again. Rikku pulled her towards her, casting a spell much like the one the Guado were casting before. Her side began to heal, flesh knitting back together quickly, and she found she could stand without pain. She turned to see Tidus, Lulu and Yuna standing in front of Seymour as he called out through the room.

“That power that defeated Anima, it will be mine!”

Bull, Buffy thought. She stepped forward to help but Auron placed a hand on her shoulder. “Your part of this is done. Yuna must do this.”
“Why?” Buffy asked.

“Your power is diminished,” Auron answered, “and this is Yuna’s story.”

As Tidus attacked Seymour, the Maester cast a spell. Deflecting this new attack, he glared at Lulu as she threw a ball of fire at him. Buffy watched all of this in silence. It wasn’t until Yuna summoned again that she gasped.

Ice flew out of the sky in chunks, imbedding in the ground, and something floated from the sky amidst sparkling lights. As it reached the ground it threw its arm out, smashing the ice and that’s when Buffy gasped.

“Can’t you tell I’m busy?”

Buffy looked past him. “Uh huh, because god knows naked blue women are of the important.”

She placed her hands on her hips.

“Wait a minute, she’s not naked.” He held his hands up. “That’s not... it’s a computer game.”

In front of her stood the woman from Spike‘s television, down to the last icicle. Long, blue dreadlocked hair, pale blue skin, a tiny little bikini with a string hanging down from the back like a tail. Buffy shook her head. Her suspicions were true. It was like she’d been sucked into a computer game -- which made her sound like a science fiction nut or a character out of one of Xander’s comic books.

She suddenly felt angry. If Spike knew where they were, why wasn’t he looking for her? She glared at the ground, looking up sharply when she heard gasps of shock. Seymour collapsed to the ground, talking even to his last breath. Buffy stood up, pulling away from her thoughts -- she had known she was in another world and now she knew which one. She walked over to where the others were standing. Seymour lay on the ground, motionless.

“Yuna, send him,” Auron said, gruffly.

“Okay,” Yuna answered.

“Um,” Buffy said. “Send him?”

Lulu turned to her. “She is going to guide his soul to the Farplane.”

“Oh,” Buffy frowned, watching as Yuna stepped back, clutching her staff. Just then, a large group of Guado burst into the room.
“Get away from him,” Tromell groaned.

“But he needs to be sent,” Yuna answered.

“You are traitors, infidels,” Tromell said. “Seize them!”

“Yuna, come,” Auron pushed Yuna back into the icy tunnel they came in. They raced along, coming out into the temple where they all ran out through the door and along the icy ledge. Buffy couldn’t look behind her as they ran for fear of falling off the narrow, slippery ledge. She was amazed that the others could run along it, It was taking all of her slayer agility and years as a cheerleader to remain on the thin piece of ice.

They came out on the ice where they had been attacked by the Al Behd. Buffy’s breath was coming in short gasps and icy mist hung around her face as she breathed. She turned around and saw two Guado running out after them. Buffy pushed her hanging fringe back, angrily. Usually, she was against the killing of anything with a soul, but these guys were really starting to piss her off. They held their hands out and something jumped from the ice. Buffy rolled her eyes. It stood about twice the height of a man, covered in thick, coarse fur. It had an ape-like face and grunted as it approached.

“Great, the abominable snowman,” Buffy groaned.

Lulu stepped forward, summoning a pool of fire that erupted like lava under the creature. It grunted, stepping back but then ran forward, ramming its fists into Auron and throwing him through the air. Buffy ran towards it, sword in front of her. She rammed the sword into its throat, causing bright red blood to gush all over the ice. It roared, stomping its feet and making a funny, cracking noise. Buffy frowned. Cracking noise? Just then, the ice gave way beneath her feet and she fell through the air for what felt like forever.

Chapter 10

“Oww,” Buffy anounced, pushing herself to her feet. She was standing knee deep in freezing water in what appeared to be ancient ruins. She washed the blood off her sword, sheathing it and began to look around. She could hear singing, the same as the song she had heard back in Guadosalam. She walked through a pile of rubble, finding herself face to face with Rikku.

“Oh, do you think Yuna’ll be okay?” Rikku asked.

Buffy looked in the direction Rikku was looking. Yuna lay on a piece of timber, the remnants of some old building. Her usually ivory white skin was bluish in colour. Buffy looked around, remembering that Wakka had all their spare clothes in his bag. She ran over to him. He was shaking his head and moaning. Buffy snatched the bag off him as Tidus approached.

“I have to help Yuna. Can you deal with him?” Buffy asked.
“Yuna’s hurt?” Tidus’ eyes were full of concern.

“She’ll be fine just. Wakka,” she turned and ran back to where Yuna lay.

She pulled Aurons long black coat from the bag, laying it over Yuna as she lay on the platform.

“Come on,” Buffy said. The blue tinge slowly faded away and Yuna’s eyes fluttered open.

“Yuna!” Tidus called, running over.

Buffy looked at the summoner as she sat up, pulling Auron’s coat over what she was wearing. Auron came walking over. Buffy realised that the black coat was identical to the one he wore during the day with long, open sleeves and a piece of material around the middle to hold it on.

Buffy listened to the singing in the background. It was repetitive and slow. Lulu spoke.

“We are under the ice, aren’t we? That’s the base of the temple over there.”

Buffy looked in the direction Lulu pointed. The base of the temple was there and the singing seemed to be coming from it.

“What’s that singing?” Buffy asked.

“That is the hymn of the Fayth. It is Yevon‘s gift to us. The Fayth sings and it lifts the hearts of the faithful.”

As Buffy listened the singing stopped, no one else seemed to have noticed. The ground suddenly shook and Rikku called out.

“The singing, it stopped.”

“What’s that?” Wakka yelled as the ground shook harder.

“Sin!” Tidus yelled.

“Watch out, the toxin!” Lulu said warningly.

Huh? Buffy thought. Toxin?

The ground gave another heave and Buffy blacked out.

Buffy turned in her sleep. A faint buzzing noise could be heard in the background. She rolled over and reached for her pillow but it wasn’t there. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around. She appeared to be in the desert, though how she got there she didn’t know. She was asleep at the base of some sand dunes. She stood up, rubbing her eyes. Off in the distance, she could hear a faint buzzing, almost like machina. She shook her head. Why would there be machina in the desert? She decided to look for the others. Walking between the dunes, she looked around. There didn’t appear to be any life or water either. She came around a corner to see Kimahri trying to walk up a sand dune. He kept slipping down and trying again.

“Kimahri!” she called, running over to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Kimahri lose Yuna,” he answered dismally.

Buffy shook her head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

After walking around for ten minutes, they located Lulu, Tidus, Wakka and Auron. Rikku and Yuna were nowhere to be seen. They continued walking between the sand dunes, seeing a pile of rubble in the distance. Kimahri sniffed.

“Rikku, this way.”

They walked over to the rubble and found Rikku. She was examining a blue monitor.

“Rikku!” Tidus called. She looked up, waving.

“I think I know where we are,” she explained as they approached.

“Where?” Buffy asked.

“Well…,” Rikku stubbed the toe of her boot into the sand, “it’s kinda a secret and, well, I need you all to promise not to tell anyone.”

Buffy looked at Wakka’s face. A look flitted across it, one she had seen so many times before on Xander’s. Wakka was a lot like Xander, not that either of them were bad people, just very set in their ideas, often making them seem pigheaded. She knew, as she would have with Xander, that he was going to argue the point to death. She glanced at the sky. If they stood around much longer they were going to bake and the longer they stood around, the less chance they had of finding Yuna again.

“Wakka,” Buffy said, glaring at him.

Wakka took one look at Buffy’s face and his arguments slipped away. He held his hands out defensively. “I promise, ya.”

“Okay, we’re on an island owned by the Al Behd. Our Home is here. It isn’t far and I can lead you all there.”

“We need to find Yuna,” Auron pointed out.

“Well, if the Al Behd found her, that’s where she’ll be,” Rikku said.

“Take us there,” Auron answered.

After walking for over half hour, Rikku pointed to a sand dune. “Right over there.”

Rikku reached the top of the sand dune and stopped short, holding her head in her hands.

“Aahhh!” she cried.

Buffy ran up the hill as Tidus yelled “What?” Stopping short at the sight before her, a giant city sprung out of the ground, the buildings at strange angles resembling a tussock of grass, but the strange architecture of the city wasn’t the problem. The giant bird creatures were flying around the city. Fire sprung out of the walls and people were running everywhere, calling in a strange language.

Rikku raced down the slope and Buffy ran after her. As they reached the bottom, they saw fiends running everywhere. Rikku stared in shock. How could this be happening? She stared in fright as a fiend jumped out of nowhere, attacking her brother, Keyakku. She couldn’t get to him through the chaos.

“Keyakku!” she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Keyakku!”

She watched in horror as the fiend knocked him to the ground, ready to finish him off. At that moment a black clad leg swung through the air, connecting with the side of the fiends head. An Al Behd that Rikku had never met helped Keyakku to his feet. Rikku waved her hand at them and Keyakku waved back.

Rikku looked around. Buffy was battling fiends away from some children as they huddled in the corner. Rikku raced through the mess to where her brother was.

“Keyakku, what happened?” the Al Behd that had helped her brother frowned. Rikku stared at him as he seemed to sniff her.

“Hey...”

“The Guado,” Keyakku cut him off. “They attacked Home, everything is chaotic.”

“Hey, Rikku, can you believe the Guado?”

“Vydran!” Rikku gasped as her father, Cid, came out of nowhere, looking furious.

“Everyone here has to get to the airship. Come on, Keyakku. Spike, let’s go.”

Buffy stabbed with her sword one last time, the fiend dissolving into pyreflies. She pulled the frightened children to their feet, spinning as she felt the ‘danger’ tingle at the back of her neck. The area, however, was clear of fiends. She frowned, herding the children towards where Rikku was waving her over.

“Hey, where’re the others?”

“Right behind you Buffy,” Tidus called cheerfully, running up.

“We must decide on a course of action,” Auron said.

“The summoners sanctum,” Rikku said, drawing blank looks from everyone.

“The what?” Buffy asked, blinking.

“This way,” Rikku headed off at a jog into the burning building. As Buffy ran through the place she looked around. The place was huge and carefully put together. They came out on a set of stairs and looked around. Wakka shook his head.

“This place done for?”

Rikku hung her head, tears welling in her eyes. “You’re right, you're right. Wakka, we Al Behd weren’t always like this. Our island was destroyed by Sin. We al Behd were scattered, spread to all corners of the earth until my father united us. He brought all the Al Behd together again. He told us if we put our minds to it and work together we can make a new Home for ourselves. We worked hard, we had our Home again.”

Wakka shook his head. “Damn the Guado. What are they thinking?”

Buffy ducked as an explosion sounded. “We’d better go.”

Rikku nodded. “This way.”

“Rikku,” Tidus called, stopping to catch his breath.

“No time, we have to get going.”

“What is the summoners sanctum?”

“The summoners sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there.”

“You kidnapped them!” Wakka said, more a statement than a question.

“I know it’s against the teachings and all that --” Rikku started.

“I get why you did it, but...”

“Well, I sure don’t get it, Wakka. They might get hurt on their pilgrimage, so you kidnap them? I mean, if the summoners don’t do their job, then who will beat Sin?”

Buffy gasped to herself. The whole time, a curtain of sadness had been in the air. Everywhere they went, they acted happy but... the looks Yuna got… Buffy remembered when she found out she was going to die fighting the Master. She knew what it felt like. She realised that Yuna wasn’t going to defeat Sin and eat cake. Puppies and bunnies weren’t in her future. Somehow, Yuna knew she was going to die.

“Tidus, shut up.” Buffy said.

Tidus turned to her. “Don’t you see, Buffy? We all want to protect Yuna. The Al Behd want to protect Summoners, I know, but Guardians are there for that. If guardians do their job well, summoners will be safe!”

An explosion sounded behind them, filling the room with a bright flash of light and a smell like burning rubber.

“Right. Right!?”

Another explosion sounded, as if emphasising Tidus’ desperate tone. Buffy shook her head, as Tidus tried not to believe what his every instinct was screaming at him and for some reason, in that moment, Buffy thought about Spike. She didn’t know why. It was completely crazy but recently, when she had finished a fight with Riley, she would sometimes go patrolling with Spike to calm her nerves. It was at these times that she saw in the vampire the qualities that she seemed to be missing in Riley. She told herself that it was the stress. She had even reasoned that some part of Spike must be good and it was her mind’s way of searching, in futile, for his good properties, but the look on Tidus’ face now was one she had seen, flickering across the blonde vampire’s features recently, a look she hadn’t been able to place until now. It was sorrow mixed with something that made the slayer sick but yet strangely comforted… love. In some crazy way, she realised that something had changed in Spike, something good. Granted, it was unendingly disturbing and never EVER going to happen, but the fact that Spike could feel it, that it etched its way across his face the way it was on Tidus’ now, it told Buffy that he was something more than the beast she knew him for. Her mind snapped back to the present, to the look of sorrow on Lulu’s face, the worry she had seen so often on Wakka’s, the gut wrenching pain she saw in Tidus’ deep blue eyes and the tears Rikku tried to blink back.

Kimahri stepped forward, long determined steps showing his emotion where his lion-like face seemed blank. “It’s quiet. Kimahri goes now.”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, we should find Yuna. Maybe... maybe if we can find her we can help her... maybe.”

The look on Lulu’s face told Buffy that this wasn’t likely but with a purpose matching that of the Ronso, Buffy turned and headed down the stairs, the purple scarf blowing in the hot breeze.

“Yuna, please be here!” Rikku called as they walked into the huge room.

“Hello again.” a woman said, walking over to them. Buffy frowned. She’d seen some strange clothes on Spira, some she didn’t mind, some she hated, but these... Up until now, she hadn’t seen anything truly skanky.

“Dona,” Tidus said in the same tone of voice one would say ‘plague.’

“Wait there until we have performed the sending,” she said, walking away. The room was littered with the bodies of dead Al Behd

“They died protecting us. It’s not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending,” a young man said as he walked over.

Buffy frowned. “They’re both summoners?”

Tidus nodded as a little kid came running over.

“What’s sacrificed? The Al Behd said summoners were being sacrificed, that they shouldn’t have to do the pilgrimage.”

Tidus shook his head, and Buffy wondered why. Surely by now he knew.

“Why couldn’t the Al Behd trust the guardians to protect the summoners? The Al Behd had no right stopping the pilgrimage.”

“The pilgrimages have to stop!” Rikku called, desperation in her voice. “If they don’t and they get to Zanarkand, they might defeat Sin. Yunie could but then she’d... Yunie’ll die, you know? You know, don’t you?”

Tidus shook his head, he didn’t want to know, he couldn’t know.

“Summoners journey to get the final Aeon. Yuna told you didn’t she? With the final Aeon, she could defeat Sin, but then… but then… It will kill Yunie too. Even if it kills Sin, it’ll kill her too.”

Tidus’ eyes widened with shock. Fiends he could have faced, for Yuna he would find a way around anything, but the final Aeon, the one thing that could defeat Sin. He shook his head. They really were sending Yuna to die. He remembered on the way to Macalania temple, he had been riding with Rikku and she’d said that Yuna was sacrificing herself. He didn’t understand at the time. He had thought- no, he had known -that as long as he and the others were protecting her nothing could happen.

“Was I the only one that didn’t know?” he looked at them all reproachfully, turning to grab Rikku by the shoulders. “Tell me why. Why were you hiding it?”

Buffy grabbed him, pulling him away from the other girl before he broke her. He tried to push out of Buffy’s grip, as she held his arm behind his back, but she was too strong. A sob escaped his throat.

“Why didn’t I know?” he almost whispered.

“We weren’t hiding it...” Wakka began.

“It was just... too hard to say,” Lulu finished.

“Lulu! How could you? How could you? Isn’t she like a sister to you? I thought you were family! Why didn’t you do something, Wakka!?”

“Don’t you think we tried to stop her? She follows... her heart” Lulu’s red eyes filled with emotion, sorrow and pride making a strange combination across her face.

“Yuna knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner, to face Sin, ya? Yuna knew.”

“But Wakka that’s just totally wrong!” Rikku called. “Summoners shouldn’t have to sacrifice themselves just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?”

She turned to Buffy. Buffy frowned, thinking of what she would do to protect the people she loved.

“Rikku, I... I fight evil every day, okay? And I... I would do anything if it meant that the people I loved, my friends, my family, were safe. I would die for them. I have died for them once.”

Isaaru, the male summoner nodded in agreement. “But that is our choice. We all live in fear of Sin. You know that a world without Sin, well, that is the dream of all Yevon’s children and we will use that power even if it means our lives.”

As he spoke, Aeons filled the room, coming to rest on the ash covered floor.

Tidus groaned, turning to Valefor, the giant bird that had helped Buffy defeat Anima.

“And I’ve been telling Yuna, ‘lets go to Zanarkand, let’s defeat Sin.’ I told her all the things we could… we… could and the whole time, she’d just smile,” he stopped beating his fists on the muscle bound chest of the Aeon, sinking to his knees on the ground. In a gesture so heartbreaking that Buffy’s breath caught in her throat, Valefor placed his large wings around the distraught boy, rubbing his softly feathered cheek on him and purring gently.

Tidus rose to his feet. “I can’t let her die. I’ll find her!”

Valefor looked pleased with himself as Tidus found his feet again. Flapping into the air, he disappeared. The other Aeons all disappeared in much the same way and the two summoners followed the group as Rikku led them out of the room and across a huge bridge, following the direction the children had gone in. They stopped outside of what appeared to be some sort of spaceship. Rikku looked around as though she were saying goodbye, then they ran through the door.

Cid stood at the control sphere as they ran into the ship. “Hu desa! Ku ku ku!”

Buffy blinked, not understanding a word he said.

“Draa sehidac mawd,” the guy from Macalania with the big tattoo called.

Cid called to the Al Behd, “Rinno rinno, oui ryja uha sehida”

“Where’s Yuna?” Tidus yelled at him. Buffy blinked in surprise. The guy was fairly big, built much more strongly than Tidus.

“Ajanouha un puynt?” Cid called in the strange language.

“Ajanouha ymeja,” someone else called back.

“I said where is she! Answer me, answer me, damn you!” Tidus yelled.

“What’ll you do when you find her, eh?” Cid asked, suddenly speaking English.

“I... I didn’t know anything about what a summoner is supposed to do, and I told her all those things without even knowing. I’ve gotta tell her. I’ve got to tell her I’m sorry!”

“That’s it? You’re gonna tell her you’re sorry?” Cid’s voice was heavy with sarcasm and bitterness. “And then you just drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin? You’re all the same, let the summoner die so we can live in peace!”

Buffy stared as Cid hurled Tidus over his shoulder.

“I’m not gonna let Yuna die!” Tidus jumped to his feet, dusting himself off.

“Hah. Words. Show me action.”

Buffy realised with a start that Cid was testing Tidus.

“I’m telling you she won’t die!” Tidus yelled at the bald man.

“Boy, don’t forget those words, cos if you do… I’m, gonna make you regret it.”

“I won’t,” Tidus said.

“Uhla fa kad dra ahkeha nabund fa lyh ku,” one of the Al Behd said.

“Huh?” Buffy asked Rikku, tired of not understanding what was being said.

“Once we get the engine report we can go,” the blonde girl answered.

“Ymm naydo du ku,” a voice stated, coming out of a hatch. Buffy turned to see the Al Behd who had spoken, as he stood up and turned to look at the group waiting on the bridge.

They both seemed to freeze in time. Spike looked - and Buffy laughed at the possibility - but he looked as though he would cry. She stared at him, her face completely white.

“Spike.”

“Buffy?”

They both spoke at the same time. The thoughts rolled round and round in Spike’s head. She was here, he had found her, she was here and alive and Buffy. He lost everything in that moment. Nothing was important and he collapsed to his knees, heedless of anything but the beautiful fierce goddess, the golden warrior whose light outshone the sun of any world.

Chapter 11

“Spike!” Buffy called, alarmed. For no good reason the vampire had collapsed to the ground.

Spike returned to the present, every part of his being sang with the knowledge that Buffy was alive and well and right here before him.

“Buffy, where’s Dawn? Have you seen her?”

“Dawn’s fine. Well, she’s safe. She’s back at home, in Sunnydale.”

At this point Auron re-entered the room and began arguing with Cid. Buffy turned to cast an anxious glance at the two of them.

“Don’t worry,” Spike reassured her, standing up. “They’ll be fine.”

Buffy turned around back to Spike and put the full force of her gaze on him. “You would know, wouldn’t you? It is your game, right? The one I saw back in your crypt?”

Spike nodded. “Seems to be.”

“Okay, I’m only going to ask you this once. Did you put me here?”

Spike looked as though he’d been slapped. “No. Buffy, I didn’t.”

“Okay, Spike, I’ll believe you.”

Spike frowned. That was funny. Usually, she’d just punch him in the nose and ask again. And when she’d seen him, when she said ‘Spike’, it wasn’t in a voice full of fury, disgust or any of the other emotions that she usually said his name in. It was as though she was relieved to see him.

He shook his head. It was crazy. He was still holding on to a thread of hope, a tiny chance that one day she might see past what he was and give a damn about who he was.

“Okay, we need to find Yuna. Do you know where she is?”

“Uh, let me think for a sec. I only just worked out when in the game we are. Yuna...” he sucked in his cheeks in concentration. Buffy looked away, not because he was a vampire, not because he was a fiend, but because a brief thought had flashed across her mind in that moment. Wow, look how blue his eyes are.

“Oh!” Spike said, interrupting Buffy’s attempts to squish her thoughts. “Bevelle, the Guado, they stole Yuna and took her to Bevelle where she was forced to marry Seymour!”

Buffy frowned. “But... Seymour’s dead?”

“Yeah...” he looked as though he was about to explain but she shook her head. She killed plenty of things that were dead. They’d killed Seymour, they could kill him again.

She shook her head. “We’re wasting time, so... Yuna’s in Beville?”

“Bevelle.”

“I have to tell the others.”

“Whoa,” Spike grabbed her arm. “What, are you a guardian now?”

She raised burning green eyes to his blue ones. “Yes, I am, and I need to help Yuna.”

Spike was taken aback. His slayer, a guardian? It was a funny thought and somehow it all fit. She went to tell Rikku and he stopped her again.

“Wait, Slayer, you can’t just tell them you know where she is. They’ll think you’re in league with those bleedin’ Guado.”

Buffy chewed her lip. “But...”

“I’m not gonna let any Yevon laws or harebrained teachings send my little niece to her death!” Cid announced. Up until now Buffy had been ignoring the argument but she turned as he said this.

“What? Niece?” Buffy frowned. That explained a lot.

Spike nodded. “Yuna’s mother was Cid’s sister.”

“Oh, well... I have to tell them.”

“Vydran, e vuiht ran!”

“Huh?”

“They found her,” Spike said.

“Yuna?” Buffy ran over to the sphere. She saw Yuna, her hair pulled up a lot like Buffy’s and Rikku’s. She was dressed in a backless white dress with small white wings on her back and feathers lining the bottom part of her dress as it parted in the centre, just above her knees, trailing on the ground like a cloak as she walked. She was covered in a shimmering, see-through veil and Buffy glared as a blue-haired being she had come to hate came into view. The scene disappeared leaving a room full of shocked faces.

“Where was that!?” Tidus asked, hotly.

“The Palace of St Bevelle, heart of Yevon.”

Spike snorted in contempt as Lulu said this. Yevon? He shook his head and began searching his clothes for smokes. He knew all about Yevon.

Tidus pumped his fist in the air. “Gramps, let’s move.”

“Easy, kiddo,” Cid said. “Bevelle’s defences are top notch.

“Oh, we can kick all their asses,” Buffy said, coming to stand beside him.

“Yeah, Yuna’s there, so we go get her, and that’s all,” Tidus added.

Cid looked like he was about to agree when Rikku stepped forward, shaking her head. “What’s Seymour doing alive? Didn’t we take care of him in Macalania?”

“He’s dead,” Auron answered, shifting his weight. “His attachment to this world has kept him here.”

Buffy had an urge to ask him, ‘Like you?’ She didn’t, though, and contented herself with giving Auron a knowing look.

“Okay, full speed ahead!” Cid called.

“So,” Buffy turned to Spike. “What have you been doing since we got here?”

“See this ship?” Spike asked, waving his hands around. “Getting it ready to go.”

“Okay, how come you know how to speak Al Behd?”

“I know how to speak lots of languages,” he frowned. “Damn, I left them at Home.”

“Left what?”

“Nothing. Well, languages... I can speak all sorts. French, Latin, Ancient Sumerian, several demon dialects. Oh, and I can speak English, which is more than I can say for you bloody Americans.”

Buffy looked shocked. Spike let out a soft chuckle.

“Whoa!” Brother called.

“What?” Buffy answered.

“Look,” Wakka pointed.

Buffy looked out of the window. Something large was flying beside them with a lizard-shaped body and translucent wings. It was obviously a dragon.

“The great Wyrm Evrae, guardian of Bevelle,” Lulu explained.

“That’s it? All they have to guard the place is a worm?” Buffy stared out of the window.

Auron stepped forward. “It is not the dragon king. Still, do not underestimate its power.”

“Get up on deck. We’re gonna fight that thing,” Cid called.

“Buffy, c’mon,” Rikku called, stopping in the doorway and waving.

Buffy turned to Spike, half bowing as she left, at loss for anything to say.

“Wait, Buffy, I’m coming!” Spike called.

“Hold your chocobos, son,” Cid called to Spike.

“I have no time,” Buffy answered, turning before she left.

“What?” Spike turned to Cid, annoyance clearly showing in his sapphire eyes.

Cid looked fierce as he stared at Spike, then his face visibly softened. “You look after my girls. Look after yourself as well. I’m proud to call you an Al Behd, and, uh…” he cleared his throat, “if you ever decide you want to stay, I’d be glad to call you my son as well.”

Spike didn’t know what to say. A few months back, before he got this sodding chip, he would have ripped Cids throat out as soon as talk to him. At that moment, he realised something. Everything had changed, forever. He was never going to be the same again, nothing was. It wasn’t the chip, it wasn’t Buffy, it wasn’t his sudden trip to Spira that no-one could have predicted. It went deeper than any one thing. It was a culmination of everything that had happened, the roller coaster of events and emotions that he’d been travelling for months, and now he had gotten off the roller coaster to find he was nowhere near where he had started and he never wanted to be there again.

“Watcha standin’ around for? Get on up there and fight that worm!” Cid roared.

Spike stepped sedately out of the door into the hall and suddenly, he found himself running towards so much. Tunning towards the battle, running towards Buffy, running towards the future.

“Hey!” he called as the hatch opened and everyone piled onto the lift. He raced, jumping up onto it.

“Wait! Spike, it’s sunlight up there!”

“Don’t worry, luv.”

“But, Spike --”

“The sun here is the nice non-lethal type. You’ll see.”

“Hey,” Cid called through the loudspeaker as they arrived on deck, wind buffeting their faces, blowing their clothes around and whipping their hair over their faces.

“This is the quickest thing in the air, so if you want me to move it just gimme a yell and I’m right on it.”

Spike ran over to the edge of the deck as the giant creature noticed them and flew over to where they were standing. It arched its long muscled neck over the deck, its noxious breath and sharp teeth hanging over the lot of them. Buffy and Auron jumped towards its head from either side, both stabbing towards its neck. Buffy felt a feeling of satisfaction as her sword plunged into its flesh, claws and tail flailing.

As she pulled back, however, she realised that it was an Aeon. The blood that fell from its neck wounds shimmered as it hit the deck, disappearing into twinkly light. The dragon began to writhe around, lashing out with its long claws and breathing poisonous breath all over them. As Buffy swept her sword at its side, it lashed out with a claw, slashing Lulu open completely.

“Lulu!” Buffy screamed, racing over to where the black mage lay, motionless on the deck. She was stopped as Evrae swept its tail towards her, nearly knocking her off her feet. “Lulu!”

She jumped to her feet but Kimahri got there first. He reached into his pocket, pulling out what appeared to be a shimmering feather. She frowned as he dropped the feather over Lulu. It floated down and she was suddenly engulfed in a blinding white light. Evrae chose this moment to try to bite Buffy’s head off. She ducked, plunging upwards with her sword.

“Buffy, get down!”

After fighting demons with Spike, Buffy knew better than to question him when he said this. She hit the deck as a spray of bullets shot over her head, filling the great Wyrm with lead. Buffy jumped up, looking at Spike. Up until this moment he’d been delivering kicks and punches to it. She was distracted as she saw Lulu stepping forward to deliver the finishing stroke, a shard of ice that severed its head from its body.

“Lulu... But how?” Buffy stared at her as she casually dusted herself off, everything about her - even her dress - intact.

“But...”

“Pheonix down,” Spike told her, staring at the pyrelfies as they filled the sky. “You haven’t had to use it yet? What about potions?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” Buffy thought about the shining, healing light that they occasionally created. “Maybe... So ‘pheonix down’ brings people...”

“Back from the dead? Yeah.”

“So, why don’t they use it on everyone in Spira?”

Auron stepped forward. “Pheonix down only works on those who have just died, and only if they were killed fighting for a just cause.”

“So, why didn’t someone use one on you? I mean, I assume you were fighting for a just cause?”

Auron was quite visibly taken aback. He stared at the Slayer as though she had grown horns. This reaction very quickly vanished and he took her arm, leading her away from the others, though Spike followed.

“You knew?”

“Oh, come on. ‘Why are you still here, Sir’? Seymour speaks shit a lot of the time but… obvious much? If Tidus wasn’t so blonde he’d know too.”

“I would...” Auron cleared his throat, “I would prefer if this remained confidential.”

“Yeah, I know, no biggie. You’re not the only dead guy around here.”

Buffy looked past him at Spike. The sun shone through the clouds playing on his white blonde curls, his blue eyes exposed his soul to the world. Thoughts, Buffy mentally corrected herself, it exposed his thoughts. She felt a wave of sadness as she thought this. She had forgotten that he had no soul, but as she watched, a look played across his face and she recognised it. She’d last seen this look in Guadosalam on the Farplane. It was the look of a poet, a dreamer, a man in love and any of the other many things that made up William.

Chapter 12

“Buffy?” Spike looked at her, concerned.

“Spike,” Buffy shook her head. She couldn’t -- wouldn’t think anything like that about Spike, even if he wasn’t a vampire. She worked with him. There would be all kinds of weird and bad in that situation. She tried to shut off her thoughts. It was almost impossible.

“Bevelle’s in sight!” Cid announced. “We can’t land so we’re gonna have to try for something a little more fun.”

Moments later Buffy was holding a thick piece of cable. She stared at it. “Fun?”

“In the game, they had to slide down on their feet,” Spike said, trying to offer some comfort. Buffy only groaned more.

She felt a shudder through the ship as Cid shot two six-inch thick cables towards the bridge far below. Buffy watched as Auron jumped from the edge of the ship.

“It’s alright for him,” Buffy pouted.

“C’mon, slayer, you’re not scared?” Spike said, a mocking look on his face.

She groaned again, walking over to the edge.

“If I die I’m haunting you,” she said, jumping off. As she fell towards the cable below she flipped her own piece of cable over it, hanging on as she slid downwards. Half way down it became fun. She leapt off as she approached the ground. She turned to run up the stairs to where Yuna stood, only to find fifteen guns pointed at her face.

“Uh, great.”

They battled their way towards the top of the stairs where a fat guy in a yellow dress waved his arms, yelling. “This has gone far enough.”

Yuna pulled a staff from behind her dress, holding it in front of her.

“You would play at marriage for the chance to send me. Your resolve is admirable. Perfect to make you my lovely wife.”

Yuna glared at him, beginning the sending.

“Stop,” an old, withered looking man hobbled over to them. “Do you not value your friend’s lives? Your actions determine their fate. Protect them or throw them away. The choice is yours.”

Buffy would have yelled at her just to send him but guns were pointed at her from all angles and they were all reaching the point of exhaustion. Yuna dropped her staff. It clattered down the steps to land at Tidus’ feet. Seymour stepped forward, placing both hands on Yuna’s shoulders. He leant down, kissing her. Buffy looked around. Tidus was glaring at the Maester while Rikku was waving her hands around and making squeaking noises. Buffy watched as Yuna’s hands tightened into fists. Seymour stood up, pulling Yuna towards him, with a sneer on his already ugly face he spoke. “Kill them.”

Yuna gasped, breaking free of his grip. “Stop!”

Everyone looked up at her. “Let them go, or else.”

She stepped backwards towards the edge of the building. Seymour waved his hands and the guns were taken off them. They raced up the stairs.

Yuna stepped back again. “Leave now, please. Don’t worry, go.”

Seymour stepped forward. “This is foolish, if you fall you’ll die.”

Yuna looked past the ugly Guado-man, straight at Tidus. “Don’t worry, I can fly. Believe.”

She then turned and jumped off the building. Everyone stared over the edge. She was surrounded by symbols and light. She lifted her arms and out of the sky a shape shot towards her. She landed softly on the upturned stomach of Valefor as feathers floated through the air.

Rikku suddenly yelled. “Cover your eyes!”

Buffy and the others did and Rikku threw something onto the ground. As all the guards and guests moaned, they raced down the stairs.

“What was that?” Wakka asked.

“An Al Behd flashbomb,” Rikku answered.

Tidus growled in Kimahri’s grip. “Lemme go. I have to go help Yuna.”

“Yuna said go. We go,” Kimahri growled back.

“Where’d Yunie go?” Rikku asked.

“I think she flew away,” Buffy said, searching the sky for any sign of the summoner.

“Bevelle palace temple. Yuna go to one place only,” Kimahri said.

“The chamber of the Fayth,” Tidus said.

“Bloody brilliant bunch, the lot of them,” Spike commented sarcastically about the guardians- excepting Kimahri.

‘Ieyui nobomeno
Renimiri yojuyogo
Hasate kanae
Kutamae’

They could hear the singing as they entered the chamber of the fayth. Tidus ran over to the heavy stone door shaped like an inverted teardrop, trying to lift it from the bottom. Buffy looked at Kimahri. Something passed between them and they grabbed the door from either side, lifting it with relative ease. As they stepped inside, crystal fans pulled away, allowing them through into the chamber.

Tidus and Buffy stared at the strange, translucent boy as he floated above what appeared to be a large, amber floor.

“What is that?” Tidus asked.

“That is the fayth,” Auron came through behind them as Kimahri waited outside.

“Imprisoned in stone long ago by Yevon rites. The dead should be allowed to rest.”

As they watched, the boy flew fowards, dissapearing inside her. She collapsed to the ground.

“Yuna!” Tidus ran over to her, cradling her in his arms. “Yuna.”

He picked her up, the white tail of her dress hanging down to the ground.

“Don’t come out here!” Rikku called as they stepped through the door.

“It’s a little late now, don’t you think?” Buffy asked.

The room was full of people with guns. Maester Kinoc, the man in the flowy dress smiled smugly.

“You are to stand trial,” he announced.

Auron let out a small, dry laugh. “I expect it will be a fair trial?”

“Of course it will,” Kinoc said with a smile as sweet as arsenic.

They were herded off into a huge courtroom. Seymour stood high up on a balcony to one side, Kinoc on another. A large Ronso stood before them. Seymour seemed to look directly at Buffy, an unpleasant smile playing across his face.

“The high court of Yevon is now in session. The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth in Yevon’s name. To those on trial, believe in Yevon and speak only the truth.”

Lulu turned to Tidus and Buffy. “Maester Kelk Ronso.”

The Ronso kept talking. “Summoner Yuna. You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?”

Yuna stood by herself on a tiny platform in the centre of the room. “Yes.”

“Then, consider: You have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado…”

Buffy couldn’t suppress an Auron-like ‘hmph’ at this. The Ronso either didn’t hear her or ignored her.

“...conspired with the Al Behd and joined in their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence.”

“Your Grace… The real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!”

Kelk looked like he had actually been hit. He stepped back. “What is this!”

Seymour offered him a sugary smile then and with a sickly sweetness he answered, “Hmm? Hadn’t you heard?”

Buffy was shocked. He didn’t even protest his innocence.

Yuna continued. “Not only that… Maester Seymour is already dead!”

Lulu held her hands out. “It is a summoner’s sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane! Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!”

“Grand Maester Mika… Please, send Seymour now!” Yuna pleaded.

Mika stepped forward as Kelk stood back. “Send the unsent to where they belong?”

“Yes.”

Mika let out an unpleasant laugh and Buffy had a sinking feeling.

“Maester?” Yuna asked.

“Send the dead, hmm? You would have to send me, too.”

Wakka blanched. “What?!”

Seymour turned to them. “Grand Maester Mika is an invaluable leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira.”

“Enlightened rule by the dead is favourable to the misguided failures of the living,” Kinoc added. Buffy frowned. Was there anyone left in Spira with a pulse?

“Life is but a passing dream but the death that follows is eternal,” Seymour said.

“Men die. Beasts Die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands in Spira. Resisting its power is futile,” Mika said in a croaking voice.

“But what of Sin? I am a summoner, my lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you… Are you telling me that too is futile? Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin… Their battles, their sacrifices—were they all in vain?”

“Not in vain. No matter how many summoners give their lives Sin cannot be truly defeated. The rebirth cannot be stopped. Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a summoner,” Mika spoke as though this little speech was rehearsed.

Auron shifted his weight. “Never futile, but neverending.”

“Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon.”

“Lord Mika!” Yuna said, shocked.

Mika ignored her, droning on. “Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner.”

“No, that can’t be right!”

“Those who question these truths-- they are traitors!”

“Lord Mika!” She repeated as they were suddenly seized.

…

Buffy was bored. She was swinging alone in a large cage, suspended by chain from the ceiling. Yuna was also in a cage by herself. Kimahri and Spike were locked in together as were Rikku and Tidus. Wakka was locked alone while Auron and Lulu sat in silence. Tidus let out a ridiculously long groaning noise, his voice echoing around the room. Buffy felt acute sympathy for those with greater-than-human hearing, both of whom were suspended metres away from her a little further down.

“Buffy?” Spike called up.

“Spike, I’m gonna kill that Seymour again and I really hope he comes back ‘cause I wanna kill him a third time as well.” Buffy smashed her fist into the side of the cage.

“It’s alright, pet, they’re going to drop us into a big hallway full of fiends. I think we’re supposed to wither up and die or somethin’.”

“But...”

“Don’t worry,” Spike reassured her.

“Get me outta here! I want out now, you hear me?” Tidus’ voice was really getting irritating.

Auron spoke from a nearby cage. “You waste your breath.”

Tidus sank to the ground, his voice quieter, though Auron could still hear him. “Man, I hope Yuna’s okay.”

“She’s strong, she’ll make it.”

“She’ll make it? What, so she can die?” his voice rose so that Buffy once again could hear him. “Why is it everything in Spira seems to revolve around people dying?”

“Ahh, the spiral of death,” Auron answered.

Buffy thought this was a stupid answer and the two of them continued talking so that Buffy couldn’t hear them. She sat by the side of the cage nearest Spike. To her surprise the vampire spoke.

“So, what do you reckon your watcher would do?”

“Huh?”

“Now. Here in Bevelle. What do you think he would have done? Or... Oh, Red, what would she have done?”

“Oh, she problaby would have turned them all into newts or something. She’s getting pretty good with the magicks, you know. She’s pretty close to getting Amy fixed up.”

“Amy?”

“Oh, Amy the rat. She used to be kind of a friend of ours. She turned herself into a rat when Will, me and her were being burnt at the stake by Hansel and Gretel.”

Spikes eyebrows shot up and Buffy grinned. Spike shook his head.

“Sunnydale. You never can guess what the bloody Hellmouth’s gonna spit out at you next.”

“Hey, it’s like a slogan. We can do an advertisy thing on T.V and that can be our slogan.”

Footsteps interrupted them. They turned to the bridge below as Kinoc walked in front of the cages and stopped.

“Come out, your sentences have been decided.”

“Sentence? Don’t you mean execution?” Auron asked.

Buffy’s eyes widened. “Execution?”

“Really, now, what person would execute a dear friend?”

Very levelly and without any hesitation Auron answered. “You would.”

Kinoc chuckled, waving his hands as people began hauling the cages to the bridge and unloading the occupants at gunpoint. Buffy stared as everyone was unloaded and the men with guns began to herd them off.

“Buffy,” Spike called, trying to break free. “Buffy!!”

“Relax, Al Behd. Seymour has spared her alone. It was decided that she was led astray under the influence of Sin’s toxin.”

“NO! Buffy!”

He turned, ramming his fist into one of their noses, waiting for the sharp stab of pain in his head. Nothing. He grinned, kneeing the guard in the stomach. The other guards turned and took aim. They shot one bullet straight through his right ribcage and one into his stomach. He doubled over in pain and they shot him with a tazer to be sure. They then dragged him along the bridge, out of Buffy’s sight.

Buffy slammed her fists against the side of the cage. “Let me out, let me out! Spike!”

Spike was dropped into a long, dark tunnel. He stared off through the hallways, each identical and unending and smelling strongly of off fish. He ran his hand through his hair. What was going on? Why had Seymour kept Buffy? Spike knew that it couldn’t be for any reason that was good. He winced thinking about the things Seymour could be wanting her for. He shook his head. As soon as he got out of here he would rescue her.

As he walked, he left a long trail of blood on the ground behind him. He often found himself at the entrance to the damper part of the Via Purifico but he preferred to stay dry. Fiends kept making the mistake of jumping out at him until they became quite comical - they jumped, he snapped their necks or ripped them open, glad for their presence, for the release of tension.

“Oh, hello.”

He turned around and saw Lulu stood in a small alcove, waiting for Yuna to turn up.

He frowned. “You know, if you went looking you’d be more likely to find her.”

“Perhaps, but she is here now so we no longer have to bother ourselves with that.”

Spike turned and Yuna walked into the room.

“Lulu...”

Lulu placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“Oh, Spike. I am sorry about Buffy. Maybe we can go back for her, after we escape. I could not... I could not continue my pilgrimage until I knew she was safe.”

Spike was relieved. It obviously showed on his face. “And, you will be joining me too, yes? As my guardian. Cid sent you, didn’t he?”

“He cares about you a lot, pet. And I wanted to come, to protect Buffy.”

“You love her, don’t you?” Yuna asked. “She cares about you as well.”

Lulu nodded. “After she saw your brother in Guadosalam, she’s been desperate to find you.”

”My brother?” Spike frowned. He didn’t have a sodding brother, unless.. “My... brother William?”

“Yes, that was he. Let us go find the others,” Lulu said.

Spike sniffed the air. “This way.”

Having found Kimahri and Auron, they wandered around. Eventually the soft blue lights gave way to harsher red ones.

“Lady Yuna, so it is you,” Isaaru stepped out of the shadows as they entered a small room.

“Why are you here?” Yuna asked.

“We rode the airship to the Calm Lands, then came to Bevelle. Maester Kinoc summoned us and ordered us to ‘deal with the traitors’.”

“You will fight us?” Auron asked.

“The temples orders are law. Even if you are Lord Braksa’s flesh and blood… You’re a traitor!”

“His guardians... I don’t see them,” Lulu stated.

“Maroda and Pacce are not here. I will do this unhappy deed myself. Forgive me, Lady Yuna.”

Isaaru summoned his Aeons one by one. Ifrit, Valefor and finally the newest Aeon, the one Yuna herself had only just received, the dragon king, Bahamut. Yuna had very firmly told her guardians ‘no’ when they asked to help. She summoned Shiva, the icy blue goddess, who dodged and struck, defeating Isaaru’s Aeons and knocking the summoner himself to the ground.

“Stay away!” Isaaru shouted as Yuna approached

“Yuna, let’s go,” Lulu said, stepping forward.

“There’s a way to the surface, up ahead,” Isaaru said.

Yuna bowed deeply.

“Come on, pet, no need to bow to the backstabbing poofter. Let’s get out of here and save Buffy. Who knows what Seymour’s doing to her?”

“He is correct. We should hurry,” Auron said.

As Spike left the room, he heard Auron walk over to Isaaru and clearly say, “your pilgrimage is over.”

He smirked. Stupid treacherous ponce of a summoner.

“Yunie!” Rikku called as she pulled herself out of the water near the exit. “You’re alright? We were so worried. It’s good to have you back. Oh, Spike, you’re still here.”

“Oh, Spike will be staying with us to Zanarkand.” Yuna said.

“Great to have you on board,” Rikku announced jubilantly.

Tidus was in the middle of working up to say something when they heard the footsteps. They turned as Seymour, Kinoc and several Guado guards approached. When they were fairly close, they stopped. Kinoc’s body slumped to the floor as the guard holding it let go.

“Kinoc!” Auron said.

“Why you --”

Spike frowned. Didn’t they all hate him? Ah, well.

“What have you done with Buffy?” he yelled.

“Ahh, Buffy. That is her name? She is quite safe.”

“You... You killed Kinoc,” Lulu was almost disbelieving.

“I have saved him,” Seymour answered cryptically. Spike vaguely recalled what came next. “He was a man who craved power. And great power he had, but he feared losing it. Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes. Chased by his fears, never knowing rest. You see, now he has no worries. He has been granted sleep eternal. Death is a sweet slumber. All the pain of life is gently swept away. Ahh, yes. So you see, if all life in Spira were to end all suffering would end, don’t you see?”

“You stupid, spineless, blue haired ponce. Do you actually listen to what you say?” Spike was mad for more reasons than one. “You open your mouth, crap falls out and you expect everyone to lap it up. ‘Death is a sweet slumber.’ I’m not bloody sleeping, how about you? You’re worse than my bloody grandsire.”

“You do not understand,” Seymour answered Spike. “You are naught but a boy with his toys. You would never understand eternity. Pay no heed to him, Yuna, come with me to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. With death by our sides we can save Spira once and for all and for that... I will take your strength from you, Yuna, your life, and become the next Sin. Together we will destroy Spira, we will save it.”

“I’m with Spike,” Tidus announced. “You’re totally nuts!”

Kimahri ran forward, plunging his long lance into Seymour’s chest. Seymour looked down at him.

“Unpleasant. Very well. I will give you your death since you seem to want it so.”

He raised his hand and the guards surrounding him as well as Maester Kinoc dissolved into pyreflies, filling Seymour’s body and making a big flash of light. When the light cleared, Seymour had changed. He had become what seemed to be a great big, silver fairy. His dress had become blue, his hair had grown really long and turned into big stone wings on either side of his body while some of it still hung like hair down past his ankles which floated above the ground.

Kimahri turned and yelled. “Run, protect Yuna.”

“Bloody hell I will,” Spike announced, running over to Kimahri’s side.

“Go,” Auron said to the others.

“No way, I’m fighting,” Tidus yelled. Auron’s answer was to pull out his large and pointy sword, placing it at Tidus’ neck..

“I said go,” Auron almost growled.

Spike suddenly heard a shout behind him. “Hey, Kimahri, leave some for us!” He turned to see Yuna and Tidus running towards them. Wakka soon followed, then Rikku. Auron and Lulu appeared to confer for a moment, but Lulu was soon running after them with Auron eventually following.

Seymour floated in the air, a gloating look on his face. A small creature floated before him. Without waiting for the others, Spike leapt forwards, planting on the creature a kick strong enough to crush a ribcage or knock a man’s head completely from his body. It writhed around, then it dug it’ long tail into Seymour and seemed to suck his energy, healing itself. Lulu shot a spear of ice towards Seymour, impaling him through the chest. He grunted.

“Do you think that is enough to stop me?”

“We’re gonna kill you, Seymour!”

“How about you fight more and talk less, boy,” Spike said, sick of Tidus’ constant noise.

They lashed at Seymour, Kimahri swinging his scythe with deadly accuracy, Auron hacking with his sword, Spike kicking, Yuna whacking him with her staff and Rikkku throwing the occasional grenade at him in between slashes of her ninja claws.

“Hey, watch out!” Wakka called, hurling a large spiked ball at Seymour’s face. His answer to this was to hurl a lightning bolt at Lulu. Lulu cried out, growing suddenly silent as a dark purple mist seemed to surround her and a wind blew her braids around. Small crackles of electricity shot from her and her red eyes seemed to shoot sparks. Spike stared at her for a second, then back to Seymour.

A wave of fire seemed to fall on the Guado and his little parasite, rolling and hissing until they were completely obscured. It raged for nearly a minute, fading away and leaving Lulu looking spent. Seymour collapsed downwards, his feet nearly touching the ground. He raised his white marble head and glared at the black mage.

Just as it seemed he was about to gloat, his small parasitic friend reached up from the charcoal black ground, stabbing into Seymour with its tail. Seymour shuddered, falling to the ground.

“Run!” Auron announced.

“Come on! We will rescue Buffy after we escape,” Lulu told Spike.

“Hey, if we hide in the city, we can sneak back into the castle,” Rikku offered.

“It is a good idea, though impractical,” Lulu motioned to the city, far below the bridge.

“It would undoubtedly be a fatal fall.”

“No problem,” Rikku answered, pulling out a small machina from the pouch on her belt.

“Come on,” she quickly wrapped a hook around the balcony, jumping from the edge. “Grab it and hold on!” she yelled up as she began to fall.

Auron jumped over, grabbing the cable. They each leapt over. Spike went last and they fell towards the brightly lit city, red in the light of the setting sun.

Chapter 13

Seymour rose shakily to his feet, straightening his robe and fixing his hair. He stared across the bridge. They had escaped into Macalania by now. He would catch up with them later, after he regained his strength and claimed his new Aeon.

…

From deep within the temple, a constant metallic banging noise sounded. The source of which was locked in a small metal room, her foot repetitively swinging into the metal wall. A large dint had been worn in it already. She didn’t stop as the door opened and Seymour stepped in.

“Please stop this noise, my dear. Your attempts are futile. The walls are far too thick, you will only hurt yourself.”

“I’ve never been the self-harm type. First time for everything, though,” Buffy answered, her foot still swinging.

“My dear...” Seymour took one step too many towards her. She spun around, her foot lashing out and pinning him against the wall by his throat.

“I don’t know what world you think you’re in but I would never be your ‘dear.’ My God ,could you be more disgusting? You are nothing but a thing. I’ve worked something out, thanks to you. Alive or dead, souled or otherwise, it doesn’t matter. What matters is who you are, and you are a disgusting, slimy, self centred thing.”

Seymour waved his hands. “I see. It is a pity. I thought you would be amiable after I spared you.”

Buffy removed her leg from his throat, planting a solid kick in his stomach before he left, still talking away to himself.

…

“You allowed them to escape?” Mika droned.

“Allowed was little part of it. They escaped by themselves.”

“What do you plan to do now?”

“With my new Aeon I shall seize the Summoner Yuna at Mt Gagazet, take her to Zanarkand and defeat Sin.”

“As for the Fayth, is everything prepared?” Mika asked.

“The ceremony will begin at midnight,” Seymour smiled.

…

“He must be keeping her in the palace,” Spike ranted as they wandered through the streets. “We just need to find out where.”

“And then what? The High Bridge is the only way out for us,” Lulu pointed out.

“Whoa,” Wakka stopped.

“What is it?” Auron asked.

“That wasn’t here last time I was in Bevelle,” Wakka pointed to a large dome, newly built and shining in the lights of the city.

“It would appear to be a ‘chamber of the fayth’, though why, I cannot understand,” Lulu said

Spike stared at the dome as though it were a giant cross, bearing down on him. “We have to get up there, ” he said.

“You don’t think... He wouldn’t try to make Buffy... a fayth?” Yuna asked.

“Seymour do anything, worse it is - more likely he do.”

“You are probably correct,” Lulu said, “but how do we get up there?”

“More importantly, how do we get off there? Unless we sprout sodding wings we can’t get from there to the High Bridge anyway,” Spike stared at the bridge.

“Oh!” Yuna held her hand in front of her mouth.

“What’s that, pet?”
“Wings, to fly? I can... I could see... Maybe I could do it.”

“You mean, summon?” Wakka asked.

“Yes.”

“Let’s do it,” Tidus said, pumping his fist into the air.

“It may work,” Lulu said.

“We’ll have to split into two groups. One on the High Bridge and one on the dome,” Rikku said.

“We can climb the cable back onto the High Bridge,” Wakka said.

“Yes, so, Yunie, Spike and I will climb to the top of the dome while you climb onto the bridge.” Rikku grinned with excitement. “Can you do it?”

“No problem!” Tidus said, jubilantly.

“Let’s get moving,” Auron said.

…

Buffy stared at the floor. She was sooo bored. She almost wished she was at college, listening to one of Professor Walsh’s dead boring lectures. Suddenly, she sat down, ashamed as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was the Slayer. She was Yuna’s guardian. She wouldn’t cry. Her mind began to go off on tangents and for once, she didn’t stop it. When she killed Seymour... She bit her bottom lip. Execution? Auron had mentioned execution. That meant they might be... She shook her head. They couldn’t be dead, Spike said they would be fine.

Spike. She tried to shove away this feeling she was having, that she needed Spike there. Why? His strength, his humour. He was the last link she had to her home. None of it fit, it went deeper than that. She needed Spike there. Because I love him.

This thought popped into her head, surprising her and throwing her off guard, but she didn’t question it. She knew, whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, she loved Spike and this revelation gave her strength. It gave her hope. She would see Spike again, and with him Yuna, Kimahri, Lulu and all the others.

…

“I have contacted the Watcher’s council, several covens, some demons… I even tried to find Spike, but it would appear that he, too, is missing.”

“He probably got sick of Sunnydale. Every time he pops up his no good, ugly, silicon-chipped head he gets it kicked in by the Slayer. He probably packed himself up and moved,” Xander said.

“Well, Spike’s whereabouts notwithstanding, we do still have the problem of Buffy missing.”

The phone rang. “I’ll get it,” Dawn said, picking up the phone.

“Summers house. Who? Really? What…? No, no that’s not true, you... you…” Dawn tried to slam the phone back onto the receiver but she missed, running up the stairs.

Willow picked up the phone. “Um, who is this?”

“You’re kidding. Maybe they made a mistake, or maybe Faith...”

“Faith is fine,” Giles said, tiredly.

“Another slayer. Like, a whole new slayer. Doesn’t that mean...?” Tara looked searchingly at Willow.

“Well, it’s a mistake. Will said she wasn’t dead, right, Will?”

Willows face perked up. “That’s right. I’ve done a worldwide ‘dead Buffy’ search and came up with nothing.”

“Well, the most likely possibility is still the other world theory,” Giles said.

“I told you,” Anya said, between mouthfuls of cookies that she’d found in the pantry.

“That still leaves us with the problem of ‘which one’,” Willow said dismally.

…

Buffy looked up as the door creaked open. Several warrior monks filed into the room. She stood up as Seymour walked in.

“You will come with us now,” Seymour said.

“Thanks, but...”

As she spoke ,they threw a handful of dust at her. She coughed, trying to stand up straight, but she felt so sleepy.

…

She opened her eyes, life coming back to her foggy brain. She was lying in a shallow dish, about twice her height in diameter, on a pile of satin sheets surrounded by ornate swords. She reached out to touch one and realised they were embedded in the stone floor. She looked up as the fuzzy image of Seymour stepped into view.

“How long to go?”

“Not long, my Lord,” a whiney voice answered.

…

“Have you got it?” Rikku asked.

“Hold on,” Spike answered, lifting one of the panels of stone from the domed roof, placing it next to him. He looked inside. Just as he had thought. Buffy lay motionless in what appeared to be the area a fayth was encased in. He poked his head into the hole, trying to wake her, though he figured no-one could hear him over the chanting.

“Buffy!” Spike yelled.

“Spike?” Buffy said weakly, looking up into the ceiling of the chamber. One of the panels had been pulled aside and Spike stared down at her. He leapt down into the shallow bowl beside Buffy. The four guards rushed towards him, bayonets raised. Spike ducked a blow, snapping the offending man’s neck in two. He then turned to another, tearing his throat out. Grabbing the bayonet from the floor, he impaled the other two, one after the other, through the heart.

“Leave this holy place, dark creature,” Mika intoned, waving a symbol of Yevon at Spike.

“I haven’t been called that in a good few days,” Spike commented, planting his foot in Seymour’s chin as he tried to drag the now unconscious Buffy out of the room.

“Yna oui lusehk?” Rikku called down.

“Wicd y cal,” Spike called back.

“He’ll be here in a second,” Rikku translated for Yuna who was waiting on the domed roof, shivering in the cool night air.

Spike planted another kick into Seymour’s chest. The Maester stumbled backwards, falling over. Spike pulled a small grenade from his pocket.

“Good night,” Spike commented, throwing it at Seymour and scooping Buffy up in his arms. He jumped through the opening in the roof, twelve feet from the floor.

“Whoa,” Rikku grabbed his arm as his balance wavered slightly.

“Are… are you okay?” Yuna asked as Spike appeared.

“I’m fine, let’s go.”

He knew that as soon as the sleeping gas cleared the guards would be swarming all over the place like ants on a carcass. Yuna clasped her hands together, a light shining around her. As Spike watched, the clouds high above parted and an enormous dark shape shot out of them. The great dragon swooped past them as they stood there.

“Bahamut, king of Dragons, hear my prayer,” Yuna intoned.

“It’s coming back!” Rikku announced.

The dragon came to a stop in front of them the massive beats of its powerful wings keeping it in the air. Yuna held a hand out to its massive head and something passed between them.

“Come along,” Yuna said, climbing onto his broad shoulders. Rikku leapt onto him, followed by Spike.

A massive disk spun over their heads, seemingly a part of him. He swept through the air, coming to land on the High Bridge where they had fought Seymour. Once they were all standing safely on the bridge, Bahamut leapt into the air again, shooting back up through the clouds and out of sight. As they raced along the bridge towards Macalania Woods Buffy opened her eyes.

“Spike?”
“I’m here, pet. I’m always here.”

Buffy pulled herself closer to his chest, burying her head against him. “Spike... I love you.”

Something pulled inside Spike, a sharp pain of longing and joy. Tears stung his eyes and he was full of words, full of so many things he wanted to say, to tell her forever. The poet within him sang with joy and the song reached through every part of his body. All these words inside him struggled with one another, desperate to be said first. He leaned down, placing a kiss on the top of Buffy’s head and contented himself with a few small words.

“I love you too.”

Chapter 14

“Spike,” Auron beckoned him over. “Do you know where Yuna’s gone?”

Spike sniffed the air. “That way.” He pointed.

Auron walked over to where Tidus was standing. He said something to him and then pushed him towards the exit to their campsite.

“Spike,” Buffy sat on the leafy forest floor. She had finished her dinner and was redoing her hair.

“What’s wrong, luv?” Spike asked.

“Oh, nothing, it’s just… can we walk?”

“Sure, I think I know a place we can go.”

He led her out of the campsite, turning right. The path was well lit with light from the moon and the stars shining on the crystal that littered the forest. They walked right past the exit from the woods to High Bridge. A guard had been posted there and was sleeping under a tree. Scattered throughout the place were large, glowing orange orbs, like giant flowers, emitting a pulsing light.

The soft, blue glow of the forest took away the harshness that existed throughout the day and everything painful and confusing melted away, giving the place a dreamlike quality. Buffy held onto Spike’s arm with both hands, her head leaning on him as she walked.
They came out on a ledge above the forest floor where the strange pathway wound up from the ledge. Buffy looked past the branch and stifled a gasp. A different kind of pathway shimmered in midair, reaching down to the ledge. It looked as though it had been woven from starlight. It flowed and sparkled. However, when they stepped on it, it was perfectly solid.

They followed the path up through the trees. Often it crossed directly above or below the other path, but it had no fiends on it. This high in the air, the trees seemed to be made of crystal, the giant flower/orbs were larger and surrounded by delicate-looking crystals. They followed the path high into the air as it came out over a wide, open part of the forest. The ground was a long way down and the view was spectacular.

“Just a little further, pet,” Spike assured her as she stopped to admire the landscape. They came to another giant flower and the shimmering path turned sharply downhill. They walked through the trees and Spike stopped in front of some branches. He ducked underneath them with Buffy following and led her into the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Spike stepped onto what had looked like a pool interlaced with roots. However, it was as solid as the ground. She walked over several more of these, coming out into a wide open area. It was dotted with small crystals and a large crystal tree wove its way up from the back. Behind it, a small shimmering waterfall fell towards the solid surface which seemed to flow like water beneath the surface.

Buffy sat down on a low branch. Spike came to sit beside her, shivering slightly.

“You’re cold?” she asked, incredulous.

“It’s nothing,” Spike answered, seeking her lips with his. She was happy with this change of topic, but she pulled away a moment later.

“Spike, what is it?”

He sighed, toying with her hair. “Back in Home, I was feeding off animal blood but since I left... something’s changed, Buffy. I can’t... I can’t just feed off humans anymore. I know you’d hate it if I did.”

“Oh.” Buffy had all but forgotten that Spike was a vampire. “Spike, you’re stupid.”

Spike was taken aback and he looked slightly hurt.

“You should have said something…” her face creased into a frown as she searched for a solution. There must be something they could do. All she knew was this vampire, this man, meant the world to her. She would do anything for him if she could. Then she realised she was pretty stupid too. Of course there was something she could do.

“You can feed off me,” she offered.

Spike was startled, blue eyes widened and he actually stood up.

“Buffy…” his voice was filled with emotion. “I couldn’t, not that. I love you, Buffy, and I never want to hurt you.”

“Oh, how much could it hurt? I’ve been hacked, slashed and shot at with a big gun, not to mention crispy fried by an Anima laser.” Her slight joking tone diminished, her voice became serious. “Spike, you need to do this. A vampire without blood is like… a thing without... another thing that the first thing needs or it won’t be a thing...” she shook her head, impatient with herself. “Oh, you know!”

She stood up, turning her face up to his. “Spike, do this. For me.”

He battled within himself. More than anything he wanted to bite her, to feed off of her, to feel her become truly part of him. His entire being ached with a longing to be closer to her. An inch away was too much and when they touched, it was as though he was pouring himself into her, as though he would fade away to nothing becoming only Buffy, as though she was drinking him dry and he wanted her too. More than that, he needed her to.

“Buffy…” He realised he was sitting back on the branch.

“Spike, no more arguments, okay?”

He felt his face change, sharp fangs touching his bottom lip. As he leaned towards her, she seemed to ache. She realised that she wanted him to bite her. More than anything she wanted it, to feel his lips pressed against her neck, to feel herself falling into him. Her heart pounded as though it was trying to escape.

His fingers gently brushed her exposed throat. He could smell her, more intoxicating than any alcohol, more addictive than any drug. He could hear her heart speed up, see the tiny movement of her neck, feel her love for him, speaking louder than any words as it poured from her, consuming him. He gently brushed his fingers across her neck, dipping his head and gently biting. His teeth parted flesh and every sense he owned seemed to reach towards her. Sight, scents, he was deaf to anything that was not Buffy. As he pulled his fangs from her neck he latched on, lips pressed lightly onto her delicate flesh, tongue massaging gently.

She could have remained in that moment forever. She wanted to. Everything she had ever known slipped away; she was no longer the Slayer from Sunnydale, brought to Spira and protecting a summoner. She was Buffy and she was Spike’s and the world dropped out from under them, leaving them suspended in a place without time that needed no reason. It just needed to go on.

“Buffy?” A noise broke through into her world. She looked up into Spike’s blue eyes, burning with emotion.

“Are you okay, luv?”

“I’m fine. I’m more than fine, I’m... Spike, never ever leave me. Ever, okay?”

“I never want to leave you, pet.” He pulled the chopsticks from her hair, allowing it to fall freely down her shoulders. He ran his hands through her hair.

“Spike, I never want to go. I want to stay here always.”

“Right here?”

“I can’t get back. I know that and... it’s good. I’ve been the Slayer longer than anyone else has. There is nothing for me back home and I just want to be here with you. We could... If you wanted... Could we... build a house on the bank of the Moonflow? It’s really… pretty.”

“I know, Buffy. We can, I will. We can do it.”

Buffy suppressed a nervous giggle. “I almost don’t want to finish the pilgrimage in case something happens.”

“Hush, luv, nothing will happen. I promise. You’ll get your house on the Moonflow, you’ll get anything you want.”

Buffy smiled, running her fingers down his cheeks. “Right now, I just want you, Spike.”

…

“Oh,” Yuna walked back into camp, hand in hand with Tidus. “Where are Buffy and Spike?”

“They... went for a walk,” Lulu said.

“Should we look for them? Perhaps something happened.”

“I think we should give them some time alone,” Lulu answered, fixing Yuna with a pointed look as the summoner let go of Tidus’ hand. “If they are not back by morning we will search for them then.”

As Spike and Buffy walked past the Bevelle entrance, the guard was waking up. The sun was beginning to lighten the sky and Buffy could hear a strange chirping noise in the trees. As they neared the campsite, they heard the sounds of people waking up. Auron, of course, was awake. Surprisingly, he didn’t give them a disapproving look as they walked in. Rikku was asleep in a tree high above and Tidus and Yuna were sleeping next to each other near a tree stump.

Buffy looked around. The chirping noise was here too. At this moment, Lulu walked into the campsite, clothed and ready to go. It didn’t take everyone else much longer to awaken and get ready. In surprisingly little time, they were nearing the end of the forest, which led to a place known as the ‘Calm Lands’.

Buffy frowned, finally stopping.

“Is anything wrong?” Lulu asked.

“I keep hearing this chirping noise. It almost sounds like...” Buffy shook her head. She’d lost Kirrel when they fell through the ice. It couldn’t be him.

“Almost sounds like what, pet?” Spike asked.

“Oh, it kinda sounds like this creature I picked up near the Moonflow. I named him Kirrel but I lost him on the lake..”

At the sound of his name Kirrel chirped again, poking his little white nose out of the bushes. He gave a questioning chirp. Buffy stared, surprised.

“Kirrel?”

He tentatively walked towards her, stopping to sniff her leg.

“I think it’s him,” Buffy said.

As Spike watched, it finished sniffing her and raced up onto her shoulder.

“Can we go yet?” an impatient voice asked. Buffy looked up, startled. She realised they were waiting for her.

“It is a good sign,” Lulu said.

They reached a narrow, rocky ledge leading up to a hill surrounded by rocks on both sides. They walked up the hill and as they came to the top they looked around. A huge, green plain stretched out on both sides. The sea was visible off in the distance and rocks and cliffs jutted out into the sea.

“The calm lands,” Lulu explained. “Long ago, the high summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here. Beyond, there are no towns, no villages… only these plains.”

“Many summoners stray from their path and lose their way here,” Auron added.

To Buffy’s surprise, Yuna collapsed backwards onto the grass, her long, flowy arm things spread out beside her. She stared up at the sky, breathing deeply.

“I’ve always known where to go.”

Tidus walked over to her, offering his hand to help her up. “I... won’t let you die. I’ll find a way, somehow.”

She sat up, staring into his eyes. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. They stared out across the plains, stretching for miles below them. Buffy realised that countless numbers of summoners must have walked these plains, must have stood here on this hill and looked down, realising that this was it. This is where it began and ended for them. Silently, she swore that she too would put an end to it for good.

tbc

HUGE thanx to Nadine for the incredible beta work… gotta be a record 5 chaps in one day!!!!