All Buffy related things are owned by Joss Whedon, etc, etc. All things related to Final Fantasy are owned by SquareSoft, etc, etc. In short, I own nothing except the idea for this story.
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One Month Later…
Jenny couldn't help but feel proud at the progress everyone had been making. It had been a month since Morgan le Fay appeared in the library to set everyone on their paths, and since that time, there has been nothing but constant growth.
It was strange thinking about how much everyone had changed, and yet had stayed the same. There were so many new qualities being brought to the front in the youngsters, even Rupert, but the old qualities, the ones that had appealed to all of them in the beginning, still shone as bright as ever.
Each of the five warriors had spent the last month training vigorously for the upcoming battle, learning all they could, becoming familiar with their new abilities. Not to mention the fact that school was finally coming to a close as well. To be more precise, it was exactly a month and a half until graduation. Assuming, of course, that the six of them made it that far.
No one still had any idea what the upcoming battle would entail. For all the insight Jenny had been blessed with, some things were still hazy for her. She did know, however, that the time for the battle was approaching. And she had done all she could, taught as well as she could.
Rupert, who had been set upon the path of the Black Wizard and Caller, had perfectly mastered his abilities, but then again, there was never any doubt that he would. He had gone on difficult spiritual missions to gain alliances with such Guardians as Bahamut, Ifrit, Shiva, Indra, and Leviatan, all of whom were ready to be called in the time of battle, as they had been 2500 years ago, when the previous Warriors had fought the Evil.
Aside from developing his magical abilities, Rupert perfected his fighting techniques with weapons such as rods, staffs, daggers, and even bows and arrows. The weapons of modern man, as they were disappointed to discover, had no effect on the Ancient Evils. They were immune.
It was, however, Xander that had surprised her the most. He was truly a formidable fighter when he put his mind to it. And the constant jokes he makes in the guise of a fool would inevitably serve in his favor by throwing his opponent off. Who would expect a fool to be able to fight? But Xander was certainly no fool. He had mastered the path of Ninja almost with perfection. A few areas were still difficult for him to grasp, but he was still, in most ways, a child, as were the others.
Xander's assortments of weapons were none other than the traditional Ninja weapons: the short, middle, and longs swords, and as of recently, the two legendary swords, the Murasame and the Masamune, both gifts from the Guardians. He had learned to use all of them well, along with the basic Ninja magicks, most of which were mere illusions.
Then there was the Slayer, Buffy. She had progressed well, though with no magical abilities. The Dragoon needed no Magick to battle the Evil. Her weapon was her own power and strength, physical as well as mental, and she used the air as her companion. She carried with her a spear, along with the Slayer's tools of stakes, crossbows and the like, though she would not need them for this battle.
Buffy had truly changed this past month. She was always social and friendly, but there was always inside of her a feeling of loneliness, a wild and desperate need to belong, to be normal. She clutched to the dream of one day being normal almost as a lifeline, but in the past month, Jenny had noticed that she had released her grip, to float freely in the deep ocean that was Life. She no longer had within her the ache of loneliness, but Jenny couldn't explain where it had gone. She only thanked the Goddess that it had gone.
Willow. Her and Rupert's protégé. The White Wizard. Willow had within her a true power few people would ever witness, and Morgan had been right: she would grow to become even more powerful, both in ability, and in spirit. She had trained hard this past month, as weaponry had never been her specialty. But the healing ability, that was as natural to her as breathing. She mastered that in only a few days.
Though Willow still had much to learn in the art of fighting, she had come a long way, and there was no doubt she could hold her own when the time for battle came. She had trained hard with the bow and arrow, and became an excellent markswoman. She never missed her target. She also trained with Rupert, learning to fight with the rod and staff, and had become proficient in those areas as well. But again, there was never any doubt.
Then there was Angel, the Paladin. Warrior of the Light. He had, without a doubt, the most difficult path to follow, as he was expected to never waver from it, and yet it was gray as mist. There were times when his path baffled even herself, but Jenny was determined to direct him as best she could. He had done well. The fight with Angelus a month ago had done him well. He was finally able to put that part of his life behind him and move forward. Move forward into a possibly non-existent future. But Jenny didn't want to dwell on that.
Angel had proven himself an expert with the sword, and Excalibur never left his side. He also studied with Willow to learn a few of the basic healing spells, as those were things a Paladin must know, if the time ever came.
Jenny had also noticed, in the times she had spent with the two of them, that a bond other than friendship had developed, though she doubted that either of them had admitted their feelings. Angel and Willow were both, in many ways, too fragile and afraid to take the chance of being rejected. Though they deserved the chance to be together, Jenny knew that their top priority was to be prepared for the battle, and it killed her to think about the fact that they may never get the chance to tell each other how they feel, if things didn't go well.
Again, Jenny shrugged the doubt aside. They would succeed. They had to. There was no other choice. They would do what they had to do. And now she would do what she had to do. Jenny could feel the evil energy gathering, and knew that Zemus was awakening. Her role was now finished. She had done all she could do, and now she could only hope that things went well. It was time to step aside and let the Warriors complete their mission.
Rising to her feet and calling the attention of everyone in the room, Jenny spoke the scariest words she had ever known in her entire life, "It is time."
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