Fic: Convergent Slayers (9/9) END

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Last Part of a First Attempt At BuffyFic.
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Anne-Lise sighed, "The end; But will anyone care?"

--

Kate stared at the photos on her desk.
"You take all the crazy cases, don't ya?" She looked up at the burly 
detective who seemed fascinated by the layout on her desk.
"I guess," she shrugged. "A lot of strange shit happens round here. 
I'm fed up with people just ignoring it."
"Some freaky shit," the detective agreed looking at the raked grid 
on the corpses' faces. "What're you gonna do, put out an APB on 
Freddy Krueger?"

*

Willow headed back to Giles with Kyoko, wigging slightly. It wasn't 
anything the strange young woman did, exactly, it was more what she 
didn't do. Like speak, smile, or make any noise when she walked. It 
was like strolling with a ghost. Albeit, a ghost with a big evil 
sword. She decided to try and break the ice.
"So," she quavered. "you still have your soul? How'd that happen."
Kyoko stared at Willow, looking her up and down. "Kanbanmusume," 
she muttered.
"O...kay." Willow became study-the-horizon girl. "Was that an 
insult?"
"Who is to say," Kyoko offered, "that I have a soul?"
"Because you're not making with the 'Grr'?" Willow suggested.
Kyoko chuckled, "I have no friends, child. Just enemies who're 
still living. As long as I have a use for you, you will live. Have no 
fear."
"Oh." Willow concentrated on putting one foot down after 
another. "You're really a cheerful person to talk to. Colour me 
comforted." Absently, she patted the pocket she kept her stake in. I 
need Buffy, she thought.

*

Buffy was already at Giles' place preparing a council of war. The 
only problem being that none of them knew where to hit. They'd lost 
their only lead when they'd stormed the factory.
"We'll just have to be prepared and wait for them to make a move," 
Buffy declared. "Faith'll go for the direct approach. She's dumb that 
way."
"Or you could head over to the Morton tomb. They're all holed up 
underneath making plans," Spike offered from the doorway. "You should 
lock this thing you know," he added.
Buffy agreed, "We were just waiting for Willow."
"Not to be dubious," Giles mused. "Well, actually I am dubious. 
Why're you here, Spike?"
"I like having you guys owe me," Spike said with uncharacteristic 
honesty. "But I don't think you're gonna thank me. Faith brought back 
some of her prison buddies and she's teamed up with the Chosen." He 
noticed Buffy's new apparel. "Nice look," he offered.

*

Willow and Kyoko caught up with the other scoobs outside Giles's. 
They watched as Xander finished loading the ice-cream truck with 
assorted weaponry.
"Its an unlikely attack vehicle," Giles smiled. "They probably won't 
see it coming."
"I like it," Kyoko offered. Willow sidled away from her and joined 
her lover. They shared a quick smoochie.
"Miss me?" Willow asked.
"Actually no, while you were gone I decided to give you up and move 
on to Cordelia... Are you kidding?" Buffy kissed Willow harder, 
passionately. They broke apart when they realised everyone was 
watching. "Later," Buffy said.
"You betcha!" Willow agreed.
Xander made promising eyebrows at Anya, while Cordelia looked with 
some concern at Angel. She headed over to him.
"You okay?" She asked. She'd spent a lot of time in Angel's company, 
and she'd lost a healthy dollop of the shallowness that marred her 
personality. "Only I don't want you getting all distracted and dead. 
I need my job!" Unfortunately, she still had oodles of shallowness 
remaining. Peel an onion, you simply get a smaller onion.
"I'm fine," Angel claimed, lying.

*

Try to imagine Sunnydale cemetery by the light of the moon. In 
front of a large gothic tomb, two groups of vampires and demons face 
each other, both equally distrusting. The atmosphere is charged, 
fighting could break out at any time. Then imagine the most unlikely 
battle cry imaginable, as an ice-cream truck tinkles its way along 
the dirt track between the graves. Keen observers notice a vampire 
dressed in black clinging to the roof, a cheerful schoolgirl behind 
the wheel, and some guy with a supremely cheesy grin hanging out of a 
side window with an automatic in his hand.

*

"I'll go for Faith, you and the gang try to keep the others off me." 
Buffy told Willow as they jumped out of the rear door.
Willow nodded. "Be careful!" she admonished.
"I'll second that," Giles called out after them.

*

"You know," Buffy addressed Faith, "I nearly came to respect you. I 
thought you'd finally gotten a clue, given up the bad."
Faith snorted. "I was born bad!" Without further preamble, she let 
loose a volley of kicks and punches that Buffy had difficulty 
defending against.
"Stay out of this!" Buffy shouted to Angel, who'd been creeping up 
on Faith. "She's mine."
Faith laughed. "Remember when I said slaying made me horny and 
hungry?" Her face changed to its vampiric form. "Now I just get 
hungry!" She leapt at Buffy, fangs wide, and Buffy knocked her away 
with a devastating roundhouse punch.
"Is that all you got?" Buffy screamed. "Is this all you amount to?" 
Buffy let rage take over, and what she lost in grace she made up for 
in pure power and focus.
"Punish me!" Faith screamed.
"Issues much?" Buffy asked, her feet describing a vicious arc that 
caught Faith under the chin. Faith dropped to the floor, dazed. Buffy 
stamped hard on Faith's neck, hearing a gratifying crack. "Now who's 
the bad?" she asked, and shoved Mr. Pointy into Faith's heart. 
Whatever Faith's answer was, or would have been, it was lost in an 
explosion of dust.
Angel blinked. "Are you okay?" He looked down, nervously, at the 
settling dust.
Buffy shrugged. "That's what you get for pissing off the dark side 
of the force." She turned and headed over to help the other scoobs 
finish off the lesser vamps.

*

Light footfalls echoed between the tombs as the master and the 
Chosen fled the scene. As soon as the accursed Slayers had shown, the 
master had used the opportunity to get away.
"Psychotic bitches," he fumed as they reached safe distance, or at 
least when he assumed they'd reached safe distance.
"Something's coming," a demon warned.
"Watashi wa sodoshi desu!" Kyoko withdrew her sword, and flew into 
the horde without slowing.
"Yobitomeru!" The master called. "Stop!"
Kyoko killed the demon she was fighting and glanced at the young 
master, who held a stake to another vampire's heart. A young vampire, 
a female vampire...
"Megumi!" Kyoko screamed.
"Let us go," the childlike vampire offered, and I'll give you your 
sister. Wordlessly, Kyoko resheathed her sword, but kept one hand on 
the hilt in warning. The master thrust Megumi towards Kyoko, then 
turned and ran. Two of his acolytes stayed a little longer, to stall 
if necessary, then followed directly after him. Kyoko let them go.
"Megumi... Oneechan..." Kyoko held her sister, tears falling from 
her eyes.

*

"Its over?" Willow asked, uncertain. Angel frowned.
"Seems so," he agreed. "But that felt just a little too easy."
Giles cleaned his glasses. "Be grateful for small mercies." He 
winced as his fingers pressed against a soreness.
"You wanna be more careful!" Buffy told her Watcher cheerfully as 
she noticed his burgeoning black eye. She couldn't help teasing him a 
little. "I could train you if you like?"
"That... won't be necessary. Nothing a good cup of tea won't cure."
Cordelia joined them, assorted weaponry bundled in her arms. "I 
think I got everything," she said. "What happened to that other girl, 
the one with too much makeup?"
Giles blinked. "Kyoko?" He looked around. "I guess she left."
"Master of observation," Xander clapped. "But she does do that a 
lot."
Buffy agreed. "Let's get out of here."

*

Later, alone and together, two Slayers shared an intimate moment. 
Events had finally caught up with Buffy, and she was allowing herself 
to finally mourn her mother.
"Sometimes," Buffy whispered, "I hate my life."
"You still have me," Willow reminded her. "I think the world owes us 
a small break. We could take a honeymoon?"
Buffy looked up into Willow's eyes. "Are you proposing to me?"
Willow smiled and kissed her lover. "I guess I am!"

*

Kobo sat in front of the window as the sun blazoned across the sky, 
heralding the dawn and the absence of his Slayer. That, he knew, 
could mean only one outcome.
"I failed you," he whispered. "Forgive me, Kyoko-chan." He withdrew 
the ceremonial wakizashi from its rack, and made amends for his 
failure in the manner tradition dictated.

*

1 And there shall come from amongst those 
that reside over the mouth of the inferno 
a convergence; And to face those present 
will arise the anointed. And the Slayer 
5 will not know her, will not stop her, 
and she will lead the Slayer into Hell.
Thus will end the beginning and announce 
an ending. And in this time the Balance 
will be felt. Demons of darkness will 
10 celebrate easy victory, and the Chosen 
will forge a peace that brings forth 
the Emperor of Night. The Slayer's pain 
will be eternal and complete; Her soul, 
in grief, will rent the very walls of 
15 Heaven. Yet the burden will fall to 
another to provide the torch of hope 
that lights eternal darkness. And she 
will show the way by her deeds.
Of these stalwart warriors I dream 
20 splendid dreams, for grim fate averts 
from she who bears the blade that drinks 
of old revenge. Rejoice the aftermath!

- From the Prophesies of Matsuo Basho, 2nd Revision.
As translated by Takami Kobo, Watcher.

*

End.