Joss and the WB own all that you know and love. I merely created a plot and playmate for them.
Author's Note: Happens after Becoming. Between my stories, Evening In Los Angeles and Not Too Late.
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Part Seven
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Buffy and Giles ran through the sewer tunnels, their flashlights shining wildly before them. When they reached a connecting corridor, they stopped. There were three connecting tunnels to the junction. Buffy, breathing heavily, looked at the entrances. Giles, out of breath, leaned against the sewer wall heavily.
"Is this it?"he panted. Buffy looked at him, and then took out the directions from her back pocket.
"I dunno. I think this is the junction that we're supposed to go to. But which one are we supposed to take? Here, you read this scribble that Xander wrote,"Buffy said as she handed the piece of paper to Giles. He squinted at it through the darkness, trying to make sense of it.
"It seems, that this is the place, but I'm not really sure. Maybe we should surface and see exactly where we are,"Giles said as he tried to study the map harder. Buffy looked at her Watcher, frustrated.
"Giles, we so don't have time! My mom is somewhere here in these tunnels, and we have to find her quick!"Buffy said tersely. She looked at the sewer connections again and growled with frustration."My mom is somewhere in these three tunnels, and unconcious. We have to get to her, Giles. We have too."
Giles looked at his Slayer sharply."Do you sense something, Buffy? Have you had a dream? Or a vision again?" Buffy looked at Giles, and shook her head slowly.
"No. But my gut is telling me that we have to hurry. We have *got* to find my mom,"Buffy whispered as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She looked at Giles forlornly, her eyes huge and scared."Giles, where's my mom? I want my mom."
"And you shall get her, Slayer,"rang out a voice into the tunnels. Startled, Giles slipped on a rock, and fell on his butt. Buffy, with her quick reflexes, took up a fighting stance. A figure stepped out of the far tunnel entrance. The dim lights revealed that he was from Asian descent, and he was dressed as Buffy and Giles were. High boots, loose jacket, jeans. He had a back pack on and was carrying a rod of some type in his right hand. And he was armed. Buffy noticed the glint of a revolver in his jacket. He looked at the Watcher and the Slayer before he stepped over the debris that littered the junction of tunnel floor.
He was not a tall man, and certainly old. But not as old as Giles or her mom. Buffy thought."Who the hell are you?"Buffy asked defiantly."Don't you know that these tunnels aren't safe? There was an earthquake, you know."
The man looked amused."Indeed there was, Slayer. And what a mess that this earthquake has done. It will take the city at least several months to fix all the damage that has been done to the waterfront. But that is not the least of our concerns, is it Slayer?"
"Who are you?"Buffy demanded."What are you doing here?"
The man looked at Buffy, then bowed from the waist. "I am Gabriel Yamada."
He looked at Giles and did the same."The grandson of Genjiko Yamada."
Giles returned the bow, though it was not as low as the younger man's. He looked at Gabriel Yamada."Genjiko Yamada's grandson? I was not aware that she had moved to San Francisco."
The younger man shook his head."She has not. She is still in Seattle. I am...I was here to visit my fiancee when this earthquake hit."
Giles nodded. Buffy looked at both men in frustration. She waved her hand slightly, as if in a class room."Hello? I'm here too. Still needing introductions. Who are you?"
Giles looked at her."This is Genjiko Yamada's grandson. Gabriel."
"I gathered that. But who is he, Giles?"
"His grandmother is a very well known Watcher. She had specialized in translations of obscure texts. Particularly those of Asian translations. I must say, this is a very odd place to meet you. What are you doing down here in the tunnels?"
"Hunting a water demon,"Gabriel said flatly. He looked at the Watcher and his Slayer."Something that you should be doing, Slayer."
Buffy bristled at the rebuke. Giles held her back with a hand."We are looking for a demon, but we are also looking for her mother. She was last heard at the waterfront, when the earthquake happened. She will defeat the demon when she meets it. Now why are you searching for the water demon?"
The younger man had the grace to look ashamed. He looked at the dark tunnels absently."I am sorry, Watcher. Slayer. But I have...not gotten much sleep lately...I am here to kill the demon, for personal reasons.It has killed far too many people. It must be stopped."
"Who did it kill?"Buffy asked softly. Giles looked at her, puzzled."Who did the demon kill?"
Gabriel looked away."Suzi.My fiancee. She was the demon's last victim before the earhquake hit."
"I'm sorry,"Giles whispered. Gabriel looked at Giles sharply."I would be honored if you would allow me to accompany you to destroy this demon."
Buffy nodded, then warned the younger man."Sure. But, let me tell you, I'm mainly here to look for my mom, and not this demon."
Gabriel was about to protest, when Giles cut in."What do you know about this demon?"
"It has a taste for blood. And that it enjoys drowning its victims before taking its...meal,"Gabriel said with distaste."What do you know?"
"That it is probably a water demon from Asia,"Buffy said as she poised her flashlight on the sewer ceiling. Gabriel looked at her sharply."How was this determined?"
"Well, Willow said that these killings hadn't occurred with great frequency until the Amaru Pier decided to create an underground stream and garden. So we guessed that the demon was around, but not killing too much."Buffy shrugged."And that the killings mostly occurred at night, and like you said, the victims were first drowned and then sucked dry. What's with the shocked look?"
Gabriel shook his head."Nothing, please go on."
"Well,"Giles continued."Since the deaths have been around the Amaru Pier, it was concluded that the demon was probably from Japan, though we have no idea how it had gotten here. Traditionally water demons stay near their streams, rivers, and such. I have never heard on one traveling across, anywhere, particularly the ocean to a new hunting ground. But now, the attacks are getting worse. There drained bodies with gnawed on necks all over the sewer system. It seems to be travelling all over."
"Which demon have you thought it is?"Gabriel demanded. Buffy looked at the man strangely. She did not care for his attitude.
"Think it's a kappas demon. It was the only one that matched the decription,"Buffy shrugged."Damn these walls are slimy. I'm going to need a real hot bath to feel clean again,"Buffy grumbled.
"You know what it looks like?"
Giles looked at the younger man impaitently."She had a dream. Her mother was being fought over by two people? things? The only one that she could see was a small demon with a saucer shaped head that had seaweed instead of hair."
"And it was really gross looking too,"Buffy added with a face."Bulging eyes, clawed hands, twisted nose and sharp chin. Kinda like the look you get when you eat a *really* sour lemon."
"It's a Kappas,"Gabriel whispered. He looked at Giles and Buffy."The demon was most likely brought here by the same idiots that decided to create the underground stream and garden. Rachel told me that the Amaru Pier decided to import an authentic stone idol from Japan to here. It was small, but buried deep near a wooded stream. So it had to be brought here piece by piece."
"Until, all the pieces were together, and the demon revived,"Giles finished."Any ideas on how to destroy the demon?"
Gabriel shook his head."Water demons are notoriously hard to destroy? How do you stop a demon whose source of power comes from a stream? This demon will be particularly hard to destroy."
"Why? What's so different abot this demon?"Buffy demanded. Giles looked at her paitently.
"Because, water is everywhere here, Buffy. We are in the sewer, and obviously, the demon regards this place as its domain. That's why the killings have been spread out. The demon regards the whole sewer system as its playground, and to destroy it, we must destroy the sewer system."
"Oh, boy,"Buffy said."So this demon could be anywhere, and would have power as long as he is near the source of his water."
"Essentially, that's it,"Giles said gently. Buffy looked at the walls of the junction again, lost in thought. All three were startled when Giles's walkie-talkinie sqwaked.
"Giles? You there?"Willow's voice echoed through the sewer."Buffy?"
Giles pressed a button."We're here, Willow. What have you got?"
"Well, we found that the demon? Is definitely a kappas. One from Japansese legend. It matches the description that Buffy gave us from her dream. Hey-"
"And it looks really, really gross,"said Cordelia's voice in disgust."I mean. Ew. Really ew. It also says here that it there are some that like to rape its female victims to like, multiply. And there are some like vamps that like the taste of blood. And-"
"Enough, Cordy,"Xander's voice said with exaggerated paitentce."Giles, this thing has a saucer head that can hold water. For some kappas, the water is a source of power. Make the water spill, and most will be rendered powerless. But the way, by losing it's water does that mean you have to make itv yak? I mean, hey!"
"Willow, here Giles,"said the walkie-talkie impaitently."Anyway, the demon could be rendered powerless if you knock the water out of its saucer head, but it won't kill it. You gotta destroy the source of it's power totally or else it'll come back. Or take it to someplace really dry. Anyway, that's all that we got so far."
"Thank you,Willow,"said Giles."Now-what?"
"Ask her to look up the history of that stone idol that was imported here, into the underground garden,"Gabriel whispered."There may be a clue there."
Giles nodded, and procedded to tell Willow exactly that. Buffy looked at Gabriel."The stone idol may be the key. So we have to find that idol."
Gabriel nodded."Any idea where we are?"
Buffy pointed to the three entrances."We have three choices. And there are three of us."
"Well, Willow is looking for the information,"Giles said as he stood with Buffy and Gabriel."Now what?"
"We split up while they look for the info we need. We've got to look for my mom and that stone idol. I don't want to have babysit little demons for my senior year,"Buffy grimaced."That's going a bit beyond a Slayer's or daughter's duty if you ask me. Ew."
Giles nodded."Sounds good. Gabriel?"
"I'm fine with that, Watcher,"he answered."What is your frequency on the walkie-talkie?"
Giles gave him the numbers, and after it was set, Gabriel looked at the older Watcher oddly."I was never informed that the Slayer was allowed to have people other than the Watcher to help her. Especially ones so...young. Is this what I have to look forward to when I am a Watcher?"
Giles looked at the younger man and sighed."Mine is a most unusual Slayer, Gabriel. She even had a vampire boyfriend."
"Uh guys? Time's wasting while you talk about my lack of a life here,"Buffy said shortly. She indicated to the tunnels."Shall we go? Now?"
Giles sighed audibly."Remind me to tell you of it one day. Shall we go?"
Gabriel nodded."Let's meet at the stone idol. Any trouble, and all should head to the surface. Agreed?"
Buffy and Giles nodded as they disappeared into their chosen tunnels. Gabriel looked at his tunnel and said a quick prayer before he entered."May I be the one to destroy you demon, just as you have destroyed my life."
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