Fic: Convergent Slayers (1/1)

["sochankitsune" <annelise@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Once, long ago, I wrote a winding story called 'Convergent Slayers'. 
It was my first Buffy fanfic, and it was gladly received by this 
fledgling community. Later, I made an abortive attempt at a sequel 
which I dubbed 'Aftermath'.
And now, two years further down the road I have written a proper 
sequel (Which I promised Dan I would post as one part!). I hope it 
will be as gladly received; although my writing style has, perhaps, 
changed substantially. It has a slow start, so please struggle 
through the first couple of chapters (or skip them) before writing it 
off.
Comments and constructive criticisms are, as always, extremely 
welcome.

Anne-Lise,
Poor Muse.
(Anne-Lise feeds Oreos to the Inspiration Moth, in vain hope that it 
will revive.)

--

This story begins, I guess, with an ending. Of Detective Constable 
Rhianne Plant of the Queensland Police Department. She doesn't know 
she's about to die, of course. Or maybe she wouldn't have approached 
the cab of the grime-ridden truck she'd just pulled over on this 
isolated stretch of freeway south of Byron Bay. Otherwise maybe she'd 
have decided to let this one go, thank you very much, and save 
herself the bother of the paperwork. But no, she was a dedicated 
copper without a shred of precognition; wanting only to stop the 
ready influx of drugs into local schools, and put away some scum for 
good measure.
There was nothing in particular exciting about this truck. It 
didn't contain kilos of heroin. It wasn't driven by a hardened 
criminal. It just had itself a flapper; one of its sixteen wheels had 
shredded, and had now become a danger to other vehicles and 
pedestrians alike. So Rhianne did what any other dutiful copper would 
have done. She pulled the truck over to let the driver know he'd 
better get his damn wheel fixed. Not really an auspicious footnote to 
a good copper's file, but sometimes that's how Fate's dices roll.
The Nissan was travelling well over the posted speed limit when it 
cannoned into her, shredding her clothes and rending her flesh in a 
ten-yard swathe of blood and intestines that lined the side of the 
truck in glistening claret. And soon after that, Rhianne Plant was 
gone, leaving behind an orphaned daughter and a vivid splash of 
colour to the logo of a Grace Brothers' delivery vehicle. 
Something may have later masqueraded around in her body, tortured 
her friends, and killed a whole bunch of other officers, but let's be 
clear about one thing; that wasn't Rhianne Plant.

*

Stifling heat and strict customs officials provided dubious welcome 
to Brisbane airport. Kyoko wearily made her way through the passport 
checkpoint, absently patting the head of a quarantine dog held on a 
small leash by a nervous handler. The handler was cute, in a Latin 
sort of way, so she flashed him a quick smile. It wasn't until much 
later that she realised who he reminded her of; Lou Diamond Phillips 
in his early days. As she wearily approached the baggage claim 
another official, this one resembling a New Zealand rugby player in 
features as well as stature, hurried over.
"Miss Tanaka?" he asked, although he'd obviously been given her 
flight number and profile to keep an eye out for, and most likely 
knew of her presence from the moment she'd entered the airport's CCTV 
coverage.
She nodded an affirmative.
"When you've collected your other baggage," he said, "your... other 
item will be available from that desk over there." He gestured 
towards the hideously orange Customer Information desk set into the 
wall behind him. A small asian woman with an obnoxious blue-tint to 
her hair raised her hand in a quick wave.
"Thank you," Kyoko replied as she swept past him, "But I have no 
other baggage." She made her way over to the ditzy asian. "Please, 
just give me my sword," she demanded. "I'm in a bit of a rush." She 
stared pointedly at the reddening rugby player. "I've got some 
vampires to kill."

*

"You must be hot," the taxi driver commented as he made his way into 
the city proper. "I mean, what with the heavy coat and all."
Kyoko smiled obligingly. The taxi driver was a little difficult to 
understand. More than a little. He made the word 'hot' sound 
like 'hut'.
"I don't feel the heat much," she replied, indulgently.
"I guess not." The driver glanced over and took quick appraisal of 
her; creamy skin unblemished by perspiration despite the baking 
Spring heat, ankle-length black leather coat. "Wow, you really don't. 
Hey, what's that?" He nodded towards the case she held between her 
legs. "Are you a musician?"
"Not really," Kyoko replied. "Its just... work-related."
The driver continued quietly for another six seconds. Kyoko 
counted. "So, what do you..."
"I'm into pest control," she stated. "I can't say more than that."
The driver glanced briefly at the thin case once more before giving 
her a slight shrug. "Soon be dawn," he said, looking out at the 
softening horizon. "You gonna go and do a little bit of sightseeing 
later?"
"Maybe. Look, can you speed it up a little, please? I want to be in 
my room before the sun comes up."
"Sure." The driver accelerated negligibly. "You're the boss. Say, 
you ever..."

*

The room was everything she could hope for. It had thick, heavy 
curtains. It was quiet, and after a few minutes of checking, 
presumably bug-free. She lay back on the double bed with a contented 
sigh. So many times she'd had to spend the whole day in a bathroom 
protected only by the slim virtue of a Do Not Disturb sign. She 
dialled 7 for Room Service.
"Operator?" answered the reedy and barely-understandable male voice.
"Yes, this is Miss Tanaka. May I order in-room dining?"
A pause. "Yes, of course, Miss Tanaka. Room 1357? We have your 
dietary needs on file."
"Thank you." She hung up and lay back with her eyes closed as though 
asleep. Roughly fifteen minutes later she heard the pounding 
heartbeat of the waiter, a few moments before the waiter's pounding 
fist on her door announced his official presence. She swung her legs 
off the bed, arose, and loosed him in.
"Here's your steak," he announced, flourishing a pad for Kyoko to 
sign her name on. "Extra-rare!" He gave her a quick smile, as though 
he'd made some sort of joke, and took the pad back. "Please, enjoy 
your meal! And if you need anything else, then..."
"Of course," Kyoko flashed him a megawatt smile in return and 
ushered him out of the door. She stared at the singularly 
unappetising plate of bloody, lukewarm meat. "Yum."

*

Her handler arrived at her room in the Carlton Crest a couple of 
hours later, as she sat cross-legged on the queen-sized bed, 
polishing her katana.
"Hey," she greeted without looking up. "You're late."
Daniels came over and sat on the corner of her bed. "How'd you know 
it was me?" He asked. "It could have been, well, just anyone."
"I smelled you," Kyoko replied.
"Oh." He paused, then reached into his aluminium briefcase for a 
slim document which he passed over to her.
She scanned through the pages carefully. "Extraction?"
"Nothing specific," Daniels replied. "But if you need us to pull you 
out, just hit the big, round, orange button." He handed her a 
modified Nokia cell-phone. "We'll be monitoring, although our 
resources are fairly thin out here. Australia may grudgingly accept 
our credentials in these cases, but they can't publicly acknowledge 
us."
"Sounds familiar," Kyoko sighed.
Daniels struggled for a suitable response. "Well then, I... guess 
I'll be going then."
Kyoko simply nodded, and returned to her sword.

*

Magic is real. Demons are real. Things that go bump in the night... 
tend to growl a bit and shred kids for amusement. The US government, 
although an oxymoron, created an Initiative under the auspices of a 
Professor Walsh to look into the paranormal; what the FBI referred to 
(jokingly) as X-Files after a popular kids' TV show of the same name 
(I didn't say it was funny). And what they discovered chilled them. 
Experiments were authorised, studies were made. They also lost a fair 
number of good field agents in the process. The government then 
handed the whole affair over to the Central Intelligence Agency, 
another oxymoron.
The CIA, handlers for those remaining field agents drafted from the 
various military resources available to the Initiative, created a 
tactical resource centre to respond to the growing problem. 
Initiative Response's initial mandate was to keep to an 'acceptable 
level' the problems associated with the supernatural, and, if 
possible, prevent panic. A population that panics, the government 
reasoned (while themselves panicking), are less likely to be buying 
guns, cars, beef and whatever else it is that keeps the US economy 
rolling merrily along.
Initiative Response, headed up by an ex-member of the Initiative 
itself, Riley Finn, managed to keep things under control for quite 
awhile. At least until someone decided to reopen Sunnydale High. An 
influx of fresh meat to the Hellmouth brought a whole new set of 
problems. 
This time, the situation was more difficult to tackle. Supernatural 
deaths were on the increase on a global scale. And so, while the 
various proponents of good and evil faced each other over various 
battlegrounds, Riley Finn had the unenviable position of trying to 
keep balance in the grey areas; to help protect those innocents 
around the world caught in the fray.
Initiative Response opened its doors to increased numbers of agents 
and handlers, with field operations units in countries outside the 
borders and demesne of the United States. And it was to one such 
unit, stationed in Luxor, that Kyoko Tanaka happened to stumble into. 
(They tried to kill her, but that's another story.) Strangely, and in 
spite of Kyoko's nature, they eventually made her an agent of IR35, 
and so she got to save the world. A little. Those unimportant bits 
that exist outside of the United States.

*

At nine PM precisely, there came a knock on the door and Kyoko 
admitted a member of Australia's Defence Signals Directorate; another 
agent, and the only indigenous member of Initiative Response.
"Hi, I'm Martin Shaw," he introduced himself.
Kyoko ignored the proffered hand. "Is everything ready?"
"Does a koala shit in the Bush?"
Kyoko continued to stare.
"Let's go."

*

"Hey!"
Buffy stopped, and turned to see Willow Rosenberg, her wife and 
lover, chasing after her.
"Wait up!" Willow slowed to a walk as she joined Buffy, and they 
entered the Espresso Pump together.
"Mocha yearnings?" Buffy asked, as they approached the counter.
Willow shook her head. "Actually, I'm not really in a mocha mood. I 
was thinking more of a banana smoothie and a donut."
"You'll put on weight!" Buffy grinned as she considered ordering the 
same. "Ooh!" Her pager vibrated intimately, and she pulled it out to 
glance at the message. "Bleh. Work."
"But..." Willow's eyes grew downcast. "Do we still have time for 
smoothies?"
Buffy pulled Willow close and kissed her forehead. "Sure, if we 
grab them to go."
Willow turned her frown upside-down.

*

"Mmm," Willow lay back against the cushion as her legs pressed 
softly against her wife's thigh.
Buffy's fingers trailed along Willow's breast as the custom Boeing 
made its way south of Singapore. "I think we've become lifelong 
members of the mile-high club," she said, before sucking gently on 
Willow's lower lip.
"Like I'm complaining."
Buffy's answer was lost as Willow's questing fingers found purchase 
upon her clit, and her gasps of pleasure drew the attention, and then 
the discretion, of their personal stewardess.

*

"So who're our field contacts?" Kyoko asked as Shaw drove them on 
towards the small airfield outside of Ballina. Kyoko lay in calm 
repose in the back of a carefully modified Toyota land-cruiser. The 
rear of the vehicle had been designed with tinted, bullet-proof 
glass, useful for hiding away from burning sunlight (and the odd 
stray small-calibre machine-gun round).
Shaw glanced briefly into the side-view, a force of habit, checking 
for any hostiles following them. There was nothing unusual that he 
could see. "Americans," he answered. "IR1 operatives."
"Their names?" Kyoko asked, although she guessed she knew the answer 
already.
Shaw swallowed. "Elizabeth Summers and Willow Rosenberg."
"I see." Kyoko nodded. The Slayer and her wiccan sidekick. And they 
were supposed to work together? Her fingers caressed the case between 
her legs which contained her freshly oiled and sharpened katana 
blade. "Well, won't that be nice?"

*

"What're you doing?" Buffy asked, as she tried to get comfortable in 
one of the Cessna's tiny seats. They'd landed only a short while ago 
at Brisbane, where they'd been whisked to an IR hangar and bundled 
into this ultra-modern twin-propped nightmare.
Willow mentally marked her place and looked up. "I'm reading the 
mission report," she replied. "In case, you know, it might tell us 
something important. Like what we're supposed to be doing out here."
Buffy grinned. Same old Willow. "So what are we doing out here?" 
She stared out past the wing at the rippling ocean. "Too much to hope 
for that we're getting a vacation..."
"According to the report, we may have a possible nest."
This got Buffy's attention. "Possible? That's a bit vague, even for 
an IR report. How come don't we know more?"
"Um," Willow scanned the pages trying to read between the lines. "I 
guess its because we don't really have much of an IR presence here: 
just one guy. The government's not really as friendly as we could 
hope."
Buffy nodded. This wasn't unusual. Many times they'd had to sort 
out such problems without governmental approval, and, in some cases, 
with the local government's strict disapproval. Still, they'd managed 
to avoid getting embroiled in any international disputes... so far. 
But it'd been a close call sometimes, especially in some of the 
smaller African nations. "Who're our field contacts?" 
"Shaw, he's the incumbent local, and... Oh." Willow's voice trailed 
off.
Buffy turned her head and glanced at Willow's face. She looked like 
she'd tasted something disagreeable. "And who?"
"Kyoko Tanaka."
"Kyoko?" Buffy's hand unconsciously caressed the top of her Gucci 
hand-luggage, inside which Mr. Pointy lay, lacquered and ready for 
action. "Well, won't that be nice?"

*

"Why do you hate them so much?" Shaw asked. There was a heavy 
silence for awhile. Shaw knew better, trained as an investigator, 
than to push any further. He was surprised when an answer came.
"You do not understand; I don't hate them. There was a time when I 
could count on them as, well, as friends perhaps. Although 'friend' 
is a term too full of hidden meaning to be counted on as true. We've 
had a history together; I fought beside them. And, once, I had a 
choice: To end a smaller evil yet let a greater evil grow, or to 
bring an end to the greater evil."
Shaw frowned. "So you brought an end to this... greater evil?"
"No, I did not," Kyoko answered. "The choice was taken away from me 
by a warning from another. A woman; a seer with immaculate hair and 
nails, who came with a vision and forewarned the Slayer of the choice 
I would have to make."
"Why didn't the Slayer wish to help you?" Shaw queried, curious. "I 
mean, what with the 'great evil' and all."
Kyoko considered. "The choice I was given was to kill either Willow 
Rosenberg, or Willow's once lover. At the crucial moment I chose the 
vampire ex-lover."
"And this was all before Willow channelled the dark powers," Shaw 
nodded, understanding the difficulty of Kyoko's choice "I read the 
reports on that; Scary stuff. And Willow hasn't forgiven you for 
killing her vampire ex?"
"No, Willow I believe has found forgiveness." Kyoko said. "It is 
Buffy Summers who still holds malice within her heart. She knew my 
original intent was to sunder her wife's head from its shoulders and 
thus put an end to an evil reign, as foretold within the prophesies."
"Well, I can certainly see her point of view," Shaw admitted, then 
noticed the glint in Kyoko's eyes. "But let bygones be bygones, 
that's what I say," he hastily amended.
Kyoko sighed. "We avowed to destroy each other, or die in the 
attempt, if ever we were to meet once more. I fear that now the time 
for such draws near."
"Possibly," Shaw said, and gestured expansively. "That's their plane 
landing right now." He closed the central partition, sealing the rear 
of the cruiser in tinted twilight. Then he exited the cab to meet the 
other Slayers.

*

The Toyota pulled into the underground garage of the safe-house in 
Lennox Head, north of Ballina. A quiet whirring signified the closing 
of the doors behind them, and then they were plunged into artificial 
darkness. Neon strip-lights flickered and stabilised and the group 
slowly climbed out; Shaw, Buffy and Willow extracted themselves 
painfully from the cramped confines of the front, and Kyoko emerged 
from the reinforced luxurious darkness of the rear. They stood, the 
living massaging wrists and joints as Kyoko watched, coolly and 
carefully. The atmosphere was thick with expectation and hesitation 
but was broken by Willow's enthusiastic greeting.
"Hiya!" She waved in greeting, then peered about the neon 
gloom. "Which way's the toilets? I so need to go!"
Both Buffy and Kyoko grinned.

*

"I like the decor," Willow offered as they stared in abject misery 
at the stark interior of their assigned room. The room contained a 
single pine wardrobe, a fairly inoffensive painting of an unclothed 
woman in water-coloured vagueness, and a double-bed.
Buffy shrugged. "We've been in worse. At least we have a bed!"
"Yeah!" Willow sighed nostalgically, then giggled as a sudden memory 
surfaced. "Remember that time in Rome?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Who could forget. I think I still have a 
splinter in my ass."
"Let me see!" Willow exclaimed in exaggerated concern. "Is it 
poisoned? I could try and suck it out..."
The married lovers fell on the bed together, laughing and kissing, 
smiling and carefree.

*

"It does the soul good to see such happiness found amongst such 
misery and despair," Shaw unexpectedly pontificated as he and Kyoko 
passed the door to Buffy and Willow's room. The laughter had stopped, 
and was now replaced by moans of pleasure and fulfilment.
"I would not know," Kyoko replied, a trace of sadness colouring her 
voice. "Once, perhaps, I knew happiness. In the arms of my sister now 
lost, I knew of it. But she is gone, and I know not where."
Shaw frowned. "I didn't know you had a sister. It wasn't mentioned 
in the dossier I was given. What happened to her?"
"It is a story I do not wish to recount tonight." Kyoko whispered, 
softly. "Be satisfied that she is no longer amongst the living or 
dead, but not as I. And if we were ever to meet... It would be her 
undoing."
Shaw nodded his understanding. "Please, wait here a moment." He 
left Kyoko standing in the corridor between their rooms, and he 
hurried to fetch a small cloth-covered wooden stake.
Kyoko backed away a step as he approached, curious yet 
concerned. "Why have you brought me such? Or what do you intend to do 
with it?" Her katana, she realised, was still in the exterior of the 
Land Cruiser, and the only weapons she had at hand were her vampiric 
teeth, and her martial training.
"Hey! Its not for you," Shaw said, and immediately Kyoko felt she 
could relax her taut stance. "Its for me. Its all I had lying around 
that I could bite on."
Kyoko frowned. "I do not understand?"
"Tonight, you're gonna need your strength. And lukewarm pigs' 
blood's just not gonna cut it. Consider it a gift from me; for you to 
drain enough to undertake tonight's tasks."
Kyoko's eyes widened. "You would do this for me?"
"For you?" Shaw closed the gap between them and they shared a kiss 
to which Kyoko willingly yielded. "Yes, for you I would do anything."

*

Willow awoke to the insistent beeping of the small alarm clock 
she'd set on the floor beside their bed. Buffy simply groaned, 
signifying that she was awake yet needed a little more incentive (or 
stimulation) to leave the sheets. Willow smiled. She'd done this so 
many times now that it was becoming something of a ritual between 
them. She snuggled closer to Buffy's back under the sheet's, and 
caressed a breast with her right hand. She planted a soft kiss on the 
rear of Buffy's neck.
"If you get up now," Willow whispered, "we can go shower together."
Buffy opened one eye and considered. "Can't we shower together 
later?" She asked, a hint of fake petulance shading her sleepy voice.
"Fine!" Willow got out of bed and made for the door. "I'll just have 
to have a shower on my own." She reached for the doorknob and counted 
to two.
"I'm coming!" Buffy exclaimed, and jumped out of bed.
Willow grinned.

*

Kyoko listened to the horse-play from the bedroom, and then the 
bathroom, as the two young lovers prepared unprofessionally for the 
mission ahead. On the other hand, she considered, she herself had 
indulged in a little unprofessional behaviour too. She caressed 
Shaw's hair softly, trailing slender fingers through the sun-bleached 
strands. He stirred, awoke, and stirred again.
"Oh, you are a horny boy!" Kyoko smiled and caressed much lower.
Shaw stretched, unable to help himself. He touched his hand 
tentatively to Kyoko's sex and grinned. "That's a bit of the old pot 
calling the kettle black!"
Kyoko digested his words, seeking the hidden meaning behind them. 
Not being a native English speaker, she often struggled with the more 
colourful metaphors. "You're saying that I am a hypocrite?" she 
asked, a pout playing upon her blood-crimson lips.
"Yep," Shaw's response contained only a suggestion of apology.
Kyoko's hand tightened around Shaw's hardened shaft. "Oh, well, 
that's okay then." She giggled.
Shaw gasped in pleasure as Kyoko brought him to rapid climax with 
the expert precision of a geisha.
"I think I'm in love with you," he said, panting and perspiring 
heavily.
Kyoko's kiss brought warmth, and her perfume and touch overpowered 
any further rational thoughts Shaw may have had. 

*

"Did you sleep well?" Willow asked as Kyoko left her room to use the 
bathroom. Willow saw Shaw's still (and spent) form lying recumbent 
upon the bed. "Oh! Very well, I see!"
Kyoko grinned, and willow saw a trace of blood upon Kyoko's lips. 
Her Slayer senses, screaming since she'd first entered the land-
cruiser, now thundered in her ears. "What have you done?" She cried, 
and pushed past Kyoko into the room where Shaw now lay, two small 
puncture wounds on his neck.
Willow whirled, and made ready to fight Kyoko. Although confused at 
first, Kyoko realised now what Willow may have been thinking and 
stumbled backwards.
"Its not what you think!" She claimed, and cast her eyes about for a 
weapon, or a chair, or anything else she could use to defend herself 
without hurting the other Slayer. The commotion brought Buffy running 
and she too misunderstood the scene. Seeing only her wife and lover 
ready to fight the vampire she still distrusted, but whom she'd 
agreed to befriend only because Willow had asked her to (in her 
inimitable way), she pulled Mr. Pointy from her belt and made ready 
to join the affray.
"Wait!" Shaw's voice rang out, and Willow turned to see Shaw get up 
off the bed. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Stop it!"
"You're okay?" And Willow turned back to see Buffy holding her 
prized stake threateningly at Kyoko, yet poised and paused until 
Willow's command.
"Of course!" Shaw came unsteadily over, and placed his hand gently, 
but insistently, on Buffy's arm. "Yes, I shared my blood with her. 
But it was with my consent, and not enough to danger my life!"
Willow gazed at Kyoko with an apology in her eyes, but Kyoko didn't 
stop to hear it.
"We have work to do," she said, and pushed past them.
Shaw's furious gaze swept over Buffy and Willow. Buffy shrugged, as 
if to say she didn't care, but Willow's eyes dropped to the floor in 
guilt and sadness.
"Whatever," Buffy muttered, and secured her stake back into her 
belt. She hugged Willow tightly, until the diminutive wiccan stopped 
shaking, and her tears dried.

*

"So, what's the sitch?" Buffy asked, as she strolled into the 
apartment's kitchen where Kyoko and Shaw were staring at photographs 
and reports laid out on a counter. Willow followed her in.
Shaw looked up and nodded a curt greeting; Kyoko continued to stare 
at the reports but answered in a cool voice, "Nice of you to join us."
"Come on girls," Shaw sighed, drawing glares from all three. Two of 
which hadn't considered themselves 'girls' for quite some time, and 
the other was probably older than he, but who could tell? "Play nice."
"I'm sorry, Kyoko." Willow offered. "Really, I am."
Buffy chewed her lip. "Yeah, me too." She added insincerely, but 
what-the-hell.
Kyoko looked up and nodded, the closest she would give to an 
acknowledgement. She walked over to a whiteboard and pointed to the 
figures she'd laid out there before Buffy and Willow had entered.
"The official population of Lennox," she began, "is approximately 
two thousand, four hundred. Yet this is a beach resort with 
backpackers and holidaymakers, so that number can fluctuate by as 
much as five hundred above and below, of people resident in the area 
at any given time. We believe," and here she bit her lip 
uncertainly, "that the current population is about nineteen hundred 
still living."
"So what you're saying," Willow interjected, "is that we have a 
possible undead population of maybe just a few hostiles, but it could 
be as many as a thousand?" her voice stretched from strained to 
incredulous.
Shaw nodded. "More likely somewhere in-between," he said. "Our plan 
is to send Kyoko in undercover, as it were, and if it turns out the 
problem isn't that great, we'll all go in and clean it out."
Buffy frowned. "And if it turns out that we're looking at a 
thousand hostiles, increasing by the night?"
"Then we're in serious trouble; there's no way we can take them all 
out by ourselves, and the Aussie government isn't gonna sanction more 
IR agents. There's no way they could hide what's going on out here. 
This isn't some dumb carefree population, like California. Residents 
around here actually want to know what's going on. National news even 
carries reports on car wrecks, for Chrissakes!"
"Wait a minute," Willow chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Even though 
Kyoko's technically a vampire, she's still also a Slayer. Won't they 
feel that about her? And if they guess who she is, I mean, this isn't 
like house-martin's rejecting their young! We're talking big with the 
fangs, and major 'grr'!"
"That's where you come in," Shaw agreed. "We need you to try and 
mask her Slayer signature, if you can. With those powers of yours."
"You don't have to," Buffy whispered, looking to Willow, bringing 
shocked glances from Shaw and Kyoko. "They don't know what it does to 
you." She stepped in front of Willow and glared at Shaw. "You don't 
know that every time she uses her magic gifts, her life and soul 
become threatened by the darkness."
Willow laid a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Its okay, Buffy. No, 
really it is. This needs to be done."
Buffy turned, and she held her Willow, tears on her cheeks. She 
said nothing more, ignored the glances Shaw and Kyoko shared, for who 
better than she could understood the true meaning of duty?

*

"How're you feeling?" Shaw asked. "Can you hear me okay?"
Kyoko stalked the midnight streets of Lennox, alone, accompanied 
only by the words of Martin Shaw as they rang clear within her ear-
piece.
"Anata wa baka desu," Kyoko replied in Japanese. You're an idiot.
"Hai, watashi wa," Shaw answered, fluently. Yes, I am.
Kyoko rolled her eyes and grinned inanely. Yes, perhaps she was 
falling in love with this strange Australian; an enigmatic agent with 
an accent she couldn't quite place. "How're our backup team?" She 
asked, simply for something to say.
"They went back to bed," Shaw admitted. "But from the squeaking of 
the head-board, I think sleep's the last thing on their mind."
"They're incorrigible," Kyoko smiled. "Just like the Americans to be 
thinking of sex when there's work to be done."
"Speaking of which," Shaw replied, "last night was fantastic."
A pregnant pause.
"Didn't you think so?" he queried.
Kyoko's voice, free of static, arrived as a whisper. "Hai." Yes.

*

"You know, I think we've treated Kyoko badly." Willow cradled 
Buffy's head in her lap and stroked her hair, feeling the warmth of 
Buffy's ear on the sensitive flesh above her sex.
"She tried to kill you," Buffy pointed out, as if that statement 
could brook no rebuttal. "But yes, I know. You're right. She was 
trying to do the Right Thing, and that should count for something."
Willow stared down at Buffy. "I think she just needs some friends."
Buffy turned her head to look up at Willow, who shivered slightly 
as the warmth of Buffy's ear was replaced by the luxurious caress of 
Buffy's tresses against her sex and downy pubic hair.
"You know just how to tease me," Willow sighed, and a giggle escaped 
her lips at Buffy's raised eyebrow. But then her eyes grew 
serious. "I think Kyoko is lonely; She's unique, in that she's both a 
vampire and a Slayer, and as such, has kept her morality despite the 
calling of the blood. She can't be accepted by the living, nor by her 
own kind."
Buffy thought about it. "I've never looked at it that way. I always 
thought of her as just another vampire on a crusade. Like Angel."
Willow shook her head. "Not like Angel. She's not torn within, or 
conflicted. She's just caught between worlds and so very alone."
Buffy smiled up at her educated wife. "Hey," she said. "I've been 
there!"
Willow nodded, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "Yes, my love." How 
many times had she held her beloved in her arms as the memories 
stalked her dreams as nightmares? "I know you have."

*

Shaw looked up as Buffy, now reclothed, joined him at the makeshift 
listening post. "How're things going?" she asked.
"Its been a bit more tedious than what you pair were up to," Shaw 
replied with a grin.
Buffy blinked. "What? We were just chatting."
"Oh?" Shaw raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Anyway, you've arrived 
just as its about to get more interesting. The unit's on receive-only 
because Kyoko's met up with a small group of hostiles. Any noise we 
might make, well, they could possibly hear."
Buffy nodded. "I'd better go fetch Willow."
"How is she?" Shaw asked, a trace of concern in his eyes for the 
first time that evening.
Buffy gestured back towards their bedroom. "She's been sitting on 
the bed ever since Kyoko left. The spell draws power from her 
continuously. But she's fine. That's why we've been talking, so that 
I could help her break the spell if I thought she was in any danger."
"Maybe we should just let her lie, then." Shaw suggested.
Buffy shook her head. "Oh god, no. If she falls asleep, and the 
spell really is taxing her, then she could become drained beyond her 
physical resources, and then her life would be in danger. Also, it 
needs a little of her concentration for it to work properly. She'd be 
better off in here, with us."
"Okay. You're the experts."

*

Kyoko crouched slightly, tensing her thighs and loosening her arms 
as she touched lightly upon the Wing Chun lessons Sensei Kobo, her 
Watcher, had once practised with her so many years ago.
"Hey boys!" The ringleader of the trio of vampires who were now 
circling her, wolves to the lamb, spoke out. "We got ourselves a live 
one!"
The lamb proved to be a tiger. Kyoko's face transformed into a 
vampiric snarl, and she growled loudly causing the trio to back away 
a step. "I haven't been alive in a long time, boys!" she exclaimed, 
disdain colouring her voice. "What're fledglings like you doing in my 
town? These feeding grounds are mine!" She nicked her tongue 
slightly, then bared her vampire teeth, letting the other vampires 
see her snarl tainted by human blood; blood she'd earlier drawn from 
Martin Shaw. An old trick but one that always bought quiet respect 
from fledgling vampires.
"We... We didn't know there were other old ones here!" the 
ringleader gasped. "But, you look just like her!"
"Who?" Kyoko demanded, the sneer still evident in her voice, 
authoritative and commanding.
The vampire gulped. "Our Mistress and leader; Megumi." He replied.

*

"Oh shit," Shaw gulped. "We're in trouble."
"Why so?" Buffy was puzzled. "Do we have a dossier on this Megumi?"
Willow nodded. "Its in the confidential files," she replied. "She's 
Kyoko's sister."
"Oh." Buffy chewed her lip. "Well, this is a twist. What do we do?"
Shaw spoke up. "Its Kyoko's call," he stated flatly. "So we let her 
decide."

*

"Where are you leading me?" Kyoko asked, as she followed Oais 
through the back door of a Chinese restaurant.
Oais, despite his strange Australian name and grovelling demeanour, 
was quite intelligent for a vampire. He told the elder vampire (with 
the sharp sword) what she wanted to know. "It was the Mistress's 
idea," he replied, proud and smug. "She said that nesting within a 
Chinese restaurant would mask the smells of our feeding. The place 
already reeked of fetid meat and simmering blood!"
"And the screams?" Kyoko prompted.
Oais shrugged. "There's a karaoke bar next door," he said. "You'd 
be surprised how much noise you can mask with drunken Japanese 
singing."
Kyoko nodded. She knew this to be true.

*

"Pack your gear," Shaw ordered. "We're going in."
"But," Buffy frowned. "Suicide check! I thought we were gonna wait 
until we knew what sort of numbers we were dealing with?"
Shaw nodded. "We were. But the playing field just changed on us. 
This Megumi knows who, and what, Kyoko is. She's probably going to 
get slaughtered in there if we don't assist. But," and with this he 
leaned in close, "if it turns out that there's enough of them for us 
to handle, I intend to be waiting outside in the cruiser ready to go 
in and help. We can take the transceiver unit with us!"
"Good call," Buffy agreed. "Let's move."
Willow threw a small rucksack to Buffy. "I already packed what 
we'll need," she said.
Shaw nodded his approval. "Come on then," he exclaimed. "Kyoko 
needs our help!"

*

"Sister!" Megumi's face went through a rapid series of emotions. 
Shock, joy, suspicion and anger. "What are you doing here? You can't 
be here. Unless...?"
"I didn't know you were here," Kyoko admitted. "I was just passing 
through."
Megumi's eyes, shrouded by the epicanthic folds of her oriental 
origins, narrowed further. "You're here to kill me?" She asked, half 
in question, half in demand.
"Believe what you will," Kyoko replied. Then, her voice hardened and 
she added, "But yes, now I know that you are here, I will kill you 
and lay my sister's soul to rest at last!" She drew her katana blade 
with a chime of steel. "Watashi wa sodoshi desu!"
The other vampires, who up until this point were uncertain about 
events, suddenly were galvanised and began circling. Static squawked 
unexpectedly in Kyoko's ear and Shaw's welcome voice 
demanded, "Kyoko, how many hostiles are in there with you?"
Kyoko glanced about, warily, her sword dipping and turning as she 
took stock. "Fifteen," she replied.
"She has friends!" Megumi shrieked. "Attack! Attack, before they 
arrive!"

*

"We're going in!" Shaw shouted, throwing open the cruiser's door, 
and bolted for the rear of the restaurant. Buffy ran right behind 
him, Willow a short distance beyond as she carried the rucksack Buffy 
had left behind in her haste.
Shaw halted as he entered the dimly-lit room, where Kyoko was 
defending herself against overwhelming numbers by creating a web of 
steel with her gleaming katana. A dim whistle filled the air such as 
wind might make as it passed through Autumnal trees. Kyoko's form and 
stances melded together like moonlight in motion, and she felt the 
blood-craving thunder in her ears. 
Three vampires were dusted in that initial exchange but the 
advantage of numbers were on Megumi's side, and Kyoko would have been 
overwhelmed if not for Buffy and Shaw's timely entrance. Mr. Pointy 
made his debut and accounted quickly for two of the number who hadn't 
noticed their sudden appearance, and Shaw's shotgun accounted for yet 
another. Unfortunately, the blast alerted all to the presence of 
intruders, but at the same time had the effect of distracting the 
circling vampires from Kyoko's blade. She made good use of the 
distraction, and two more vampires quickly became as dust.
The six fledglings, who before had been circling Kyoko, drew back 
to protect their Mistress from the newcomers.
"You will let us leave," Megumi stated with a confidence that 
bewildered Kyoko.
"I cannot let you leave to cause further mischief," Kyoko 
replied. "It will never happen!"
Megumi smiled, and in that smile Kyoko saw nothing but evil intent 
and mockery. "Oh, but you will. For we have a hostage to ensure thus! 
Don't we!" Her voice, which had started soft, crescendoed loudly and 
was answered from without by a scream of pain and frustration.
"Willow!" Buffy shrieked, and span to face the doorway.
A heavyset vampire, female, and wearing a police uniform stood 
within the doorway. She held Willow by the neck, limp, her feet 
barely touching the floor.
"Let her go," Buffy demanded.
Megumi shook her head. "I don't think so." 
The six fledglings, uneasy, began to fan out a little more, 
considering their chances at making a break for the door.
Shaw pumped his shotgun, and took careful aim at the closest 
fledgling. "Whoo, what a predicament!" he sighed.
Buffy, whose eyes had never left Willow's face, saw something that 
brought joy to her heart. Willow's eyes had opened. Further, they had 
become as ebony pools of hatred. Seeing this, Buffy whirled and threw 
Mr. Pointy as hard as she dared. Her aim was true, and Megumi's 
scream of rage ended in an explosion of dust, just as Willow's scream 
of enraged power stripped Rhianne Plant's heavyset vampiric body of 
flesh.
Shaw fired his shotgun, dispatching the closest vamp, and pumped it 
for another shot which went wild. Kyoko slashed in a fury beyond 
reason at the other fledglings who were trapped between her steel, 
and the flurries of kicks and punches Buffy unleashed at them.
Finally, the four IR agents stood alone. Yet two, though physically 
unharmed, were sorely wounded.

*

"Will she be alright?" Shaw asked softly as Buffy entered the 
kitchen to get something to drink.
Buffy sighed. "I think so. She's channelled worse, and for less 
honourable reasons than this. Which, I assume, you already knew. You 
read our dossiers. But yes, I think she'll be okay. How's Kyoko?"
"I don't know," Shaw replied. "I went in to check on her a few 
minutes ago, and she just sat there; mute. She hasn't spoken since 
you dusted her sister."
A tear coursed down Buffy's cheek. "I'd better go see how she is 
and how things are between us. I..."
She turned, her sentence left unsaid, and she slowly walked over to 
Kyoko's room. Her shout brought Shaw running.
"What is it?" he asked, as he burst into the doorway. His eyes 
surveyed the scene. Kyoko's katana lay askew on the floor, 
unblemished. Of Kyoko there was no sign.
"She can't have left," Shaw said. "Its daylight outside." He stared 
down at the sword. "And she... wouldn't have left her sword behind, 
or if she had, she wouldn't have left it like this on the floor. It'd 
be disrespectful."
The tears in Buffy's eyes reinforced the message. "I can't feel her 
anymore," Buffy said. "My Slayer senses aren't warning me of danger."
Shaw stood there for a moment, emotions warring on his face, before 
he turned and silently left the room.

*

"I see," Jason Daniels hung up the phone. Shaw's report had left him 
devastated; He'd never lost an agent before, and he was handling it 
quite badly. His hands shook as he lifted the receiver once more, and 
dialled IR35 to report his loss.

*

Every Australian house is designed and artificed the same way; They 
stand on stilts, and often the stilts have boards around them, or 
vented bricks, to allow the air to circulate and to mask the ugliness 
of the building's foundations. 
If a vampire wished to hide there, beneath the building, and was 
careful, it would be possible to avoid the sun's rays that shone 
through slats like beams of fire that could burn vampiric flesh.
And then as darkness came, and twilight's red herald dimmed upon 
the horizon, she would be free to walk the moonlit beaches her sister 
had, perhaps, once loved.
At least, for awhile.
Or until she hit the big, round, orange button.

*

The End.