"Why are we here, anyway?" Dawn asked. "Could you just have Willow teleport us to Australia? Do we really have to fly and deal with a layover?"
Buffy shook her head. "We're checking around for Slayers, Dawn. They could be anywhere. And you're the only one of us who speaks Japanese. Aside from Andrew who would probably have his head explode if he came here. So if you want to get the chance of meeting cute Australian guys, you're going to have to help me around Japan. We have three days here," Buffy warned as she picked up their suitcases from the baggage carousel and deposited them on the luggage trolley.
"Ugh! I hate that you can boss me around like that."
"Just one of the many perks of being the big sister."
"You're not the big sister, you're the old sister, Buffy." Dawn teased, earning herself a death-glare from the Slayer.
"Which way, Dawn?"
"Umm, Buffy.. the signs are all written in English, too."
Buffy shrugged. "Not my job to read this weekend. It's yours. It's my job to supervise."
Dawn gave an exasperated sigh. "Rental cars are over there." she said.
With Dawn sorting everything out, it didn't take them long to get their car, pack their luggage inside, and get on the highway. Dawn was driving, rather than let Buffy do so and cause an international incident. They passed a school bus full of kids, who waved. Buffy was dozing, however, and didn't notice until Dawn slowed the car to a stop.
Buffy drowsily woke, rubbing her eyes. "Huh? Are we there already? Why are we stopping?" she asked as she looked around and saw they were still on the highway.
"Traffic jam," Dawn said, waving at the cute little schoolkids.
"Wha.. I'm awake, right?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah? Why..." Dawn looked up and saw two large slabs of the highway raise up and land on a bunch of cars, like the feet of a giant stomping down the roadway. Dawn screamed, and Buffy snapped to alertness as adrenaline flooded her system. Both of them quickly jumped out of the car.
The road itself cracked under the strain of the slabs landing on it, and the bus full of school children slipped off the edge of the fractured roadway. Suddenly, a girl appeared in front of them, and grabbed the tail end of the bus with one hand.
"I.. is she a slayer?" Dawn asked as her eyes widened in shock as the girl single-handedly pulled the bus back over the brink.
"She'd be the strongest one I've ever heard of," Buffy said, hopping over the hood of the car and running towards the girl. A moment later and significantly slower, Dawn followed.
Suddenly, other concerns went away, as one of the slabs blocked out the sun, aiming to land right on their heads. The kids scattered out of the bus and started to run. It looked like they'd all be doomed, except that the unknown girl, with her boyishly short brown hair, hopped up on top of the bus and caught the slab.
"She's like... Glory strong. Maybe stronger..." Dawn breathed.
The second slab landed on top of the first and started to crush the girl. Buffy jumped up to add her own considerable strength to the effort. Dawn watched and noticed the swirling circle of light around the girl's hands as Buffy's added help seemed to give her a moment to gather herself. There were a couple explosions on the other sides of the slabs of highway, and with a mighty push, the girl threw them off, and the slabs turned their attention away, giving them all a moment to breathe. "Ukiya-san... Ikusawa-san..." the girl said. Dawn followed the girl's eyes to a cute Japanese boy holding a wooden sword and a pretty girl standing next to him holding a bow. She didn't know which was which, but they were definitely what had drawn the attention of the monstrous slabs of highway.
She heard the boy yell out, "Kaoru-chan, you can leave now! This is our job, the job of the Gate Keepers..." Gate Keepers... Had she translated that right, Dawn wondered?
"Arigatou," the girl said to Buffy as she hopped down from the bus. Dawn ran over to her.
"Wait!" Dawn yelled in Japanese. "Kaoru, is it?"
Kaoru turned around. "Yes. But I have to go help them!" she said, pointing to the boy and girl who were leading the slabs away..
"I'll go with you!" Dawn said, waving Buffy along to follow. They all ran, Kaoru and Buffy racing ahead of Dawn.
"Typical. I get left alone by the people with the super powers. It's no great wonder I get kidnapped so often..." she grumbled.
When she caught up, Kaoru and the others were having a discussion about how to deal with the monstrous slabs. Dawn heard, "...it won't work. Even I couldn't deal with it," as Kaoru finished.
"Maybe you're right," the pretty girl with the bow said. "But despite his looks, Ukiya-kun can be very reliable."
Buffy didn't know what anybody was saying because they were all speaking Japanese. Dawn was the one who asked, "What's that thing with the swirly lights in your eyes?"
"We are Gate Keepers." Kaoru said.
"I thought that's what I heard... what does that mean?"
"In my case it means I'm super-strong and super-fast..." Kaoru said happily. Ruriko was glaring at her. "I'm Kaoru. Who are you?" the tomboyish girl asked Dawn.
"I'm Dawn Summers. This is Buffy." she said. "She's strong and fast, too.. just not as strong or fast as you." Dawn turned to the other girl. "And what's your name?" she asked cheerfully. Meeting people who could kick Buffy's ass, but weren't trying to kill her, was SO a cool experience.
"I'm Ruriko Ikusawa. That," she pointed over to where the boy with his wooden sword seemed to be shooting some kind of energy at the slabs, "Is Shun Ukiya."
"Cool!" Dawn replied. "Can you shoot blowy-up-stuff too, Kaoru?"
"No," Kaoru told the girl. "Each of us has a different Gate. Shun's is the Gate of Gales. Mine is the Gate of Close Combat, and Ruriko has the Gate of Life."
"Cool... so... Shun's blowing air at them?" Dawn asked, confused.
"Something like that." she said.
"Uh-oh," Ruriko sounded worried.
"What is it?" Kaoru piped up.
Ruriko pointed to the slabs, which had just crushed the baby grand piano that was for some reason sitting in the middle of the highway. The pretty girl standing in front of it holding up her sheet music hadn't noticed it, but clearly this turn of events bothered Ruriko. "There goes Plan A," the girl said. "Come on, Kaoru, we need to go help Shun and Reiko!"
Kaoru nodded, and then her eyes got these strange swirly lights in them. For some reason, it made Dawn a little queasy to watch. Then all of a sudden, she took off at amazing speed. Buffy stubbornly ran after her, easily outpacing Ruriko, who started to follow. Dawn sighed, and kept pace with Ruriko.
Ruriko reached under her skirt to something strapped to her thigh. A slender shaft popped out and in a moment, Dawn saw that it was an arrow of some sort. Cool.
When they caught up with Shun, he was telling Ruriko that he had found the Invader's weak point. "... I just have to use my Vacuum Missile to..." he trailed off as he aimed his bokken at the Invader to realize that most of it was missing; the Invader's last attack had ripped it to bits leaving him holding just a handle. Dawn got a look at Shun for the first time. He was kind of cute, she thought. Suddenly he looked up at her, and smiled. Not cute, a total hottie, when he wasn't being a dweeb. He looked all of a sudden very intense at her. "You have a Gate Keeper's eyes..." he told her.
"Huh?" she exclaimed, but there was no explanation forthcoming since Ruriko had already herded Shun towards the enemy again. "I hate running after everybody..." she muttered.
Shun was jumping around, leading the Invader slab around but not really able to effect it. Ruriko was worried for him. "It's no use! Let's retreat!"
"No!" Shun shouted. "Look at Kaoru! She can use her Gate power fully without needing any tools!" he reasoned. "If she can... I can do it too!" He leaped out in front of the slabs, and they obliged his challenge by melding together to form one big slab. It began to fall from the sky as Shun closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
"Get away!" Ruriko yelled. Buffy joined them at this time, seeing what was happening, and ran toward Shun... but before she could get there, the slab crashed down, destroying part of the highway with Shun under it.
"Where'd Kaoru go?" Dawn asked Reiko, who shrugged.
Kaoru had moved faster than any of them could see, and was now holding up the giant slab, eyes glowing brightly with switly blue-white lights. She was clearly straining, but encouraged herself out loud. "I won't run away... I want to try harder..."
Shun smiled, and as she held the Invader up, he marshaled his will and called upon his power. "Gate OPEN!" he cried, throwing forward a hand to focus the awesome power of his Gate of Gales. A bright light launched into the air, falling after a moment onto the edge of the slab, right at its weak spot... and tore it to shreds.
Dawn fell over, unconscious, and Buffy ran to her. "Dawn!"
The others were oblivious to her plight, "You worked hard, Kaoru-chan!" Shun praised the cute tomboy. He started to continue but the look in her eyes stopped him. "What is it?"
"It's the first time... that somebody has ever praised my hard work," Kaoru said.
"Dawn!" Ruriko cried, seeing the fallen girl, she rushed over. Green swirly lights filled her eyes, and a green glow settled over Dawn as she laid her hand down on the unconscious girl's head. She sat up instantly. "That was faster than I'm used to it working," Ruriko said.
Dawn's eyes opened, her eyes swirling the same greenish color as the Japanese girl's.
"Wha.. what is this?" Dawn asked.. "It feels so warm, and good, and peaceful..."
Ruriko's eyes widened. "Can you also use the Gate of Life?" she asked.
"I... I don't know... is that what this is?"
"Yes!" the other girl beamed. "Another Gate Keeper! Shun was right!"
Kaoru and Shun returned about then.
Buffy was standing by, looking impatient, and then looked up, and screamed. "Enough talking without me being able to understand a word you say! Dawn, tell me what is going on here!"
Dawn looked sheepish, and Ruriko did, as well. Dawn didn't know what to say. "They say I'm a Gate Keeper, too."
"And what exactly is a Gate Keeper?" Buffy demanded.
"Um..."
"A Gate Keeper is someone who can open dimensional 'gates' of a paranormal energy that gives them superpowers. The effects are generally different for everybody, but Dawn and I can both access the Gate of Life, which can be used for healing or combat," Ruriko supplied in grammatically perfect but somewhat accented English.
"I have superpowers?" Dawn asked, bewildered. "Does it always make you queasy when Shun and Kaoru do their things?"
Ruriko looked a bit surprised by this question. "No, I've never been queasy before."
"Why do you ask, Dawn?" Buffy bit her lip, fearing the answer a little.
"I could feel it when Shun opened his Gate. There was so much.. raw, surging, chaotic... power." she winced at the memory of his last attack. "It overwhelmed me, that's why I blacked out."
Ruriko looked at Shun. "What?" the Japanese boy asked, slightly annoyed now to be left out of the English conversation.
"She says she could feel the chaos and power surging when you opened your gate."
"It's always like that," Shun replied, not seeing what significance it could have.
"But I can't feel it," Ruriko said. "Kaoru can't, Reiko can't... but this girl can."
"Let's test that theory," Kaoru said. She opened her gate, her eyes becoming all swirly again. Dawn's demeanor changed slightly.
"I can feel that too," she said. "How do you do it?" she asked.
"Umm... I don't really know... I just... sort of.. do." Kaoru replied helpfully. "I can do it again, slower..." she offered, doing so immediately.
Dawn tried to follow along with what she felt, and suddenly she felt an incredible rush of health, vitality, and power surge through her. She moved over to a nearby crushed car, and put a hand under the front bumper, lifting it gently off the ground. As if she hadn't expected the result, she dropped it like it was venomous, resulting in a loud crash a moment later.
"It was so easy!" she exclaimed.
"So... Dawn can do whatever other people can do?" Buffy asked, finally cottoning on.
"It looks like it." Ruriko confirmed. "Try with Shun."
Dawn nodded, and Ruriko quickly repeated it in Japanese for the boy. He slowly opened his Gate, and Dawn followed along, opening her own exact duplicate Gate. The whole party was buffeted by strong winds for a few moments and the unfocused, uncontrolled power spilled out of the Gates.
"That was awesome..." Dawn smiled.
"So she has like a Gate of Copying?" Buffy asked.
"Perhaps you should come with us back to A.E.G.I.S. and we can learn more," Ruriko suggested.
"A.E.G.I.S.?"
"The Alien Exterminating Global Intercept System." She replied. "It's a multinational government agency which handles repelling the Invaders. We have Gate Keepers all over the world, but whenever another one is discovered, they are offered membership. The Invaders outnumber us badly, and there are never enough Gate Keepers to end the threat of them completely. Even just repelling them gets harder and harder as their numbers spread. If you come with us, we can devote some resources to studying and developing your powers..."
"Sounds like the Slayer gig, but for aliens," Dawn said. Instantly, she regretted it, because Buffy went all overprotective.
"Hold on!" Buffy cried. "My sister is NOT going to be used as some kind of weapon for some Government agency, or some kind of lab rat either."
"We all have autonomy, Buffy-san. We are free to leave at any time. We stay because we want to do the work, to defend the world against the threat posed by the Invaders, who care about nothing but multiplying and have no respect for life, human or otherwise."
"Buffy, you can't stop me. I'm old enough to make my own decisions!" Legally, she was 18. Practically, she would always be Buffy's kid sister who needs coddling and protecting.
Stupid Monks.
Monks.
Key.
She smacked herself in the forehead.
"Duh!"
"What, Dawn?" Buffy asked. Dawn pulled Buffy over into private.
"Gates... Key? I can open any Gate because I'm the Key." she whispered.
Buffy looked flabbergasted. "Stupid monks..."
"That's what I thought!" Dawn said, although she couldn't exactly tell Buffy why she'd really thought that.
"Will you come with us to A.E.G.I.S. and meet our other Gate Keepers?" Ruriko asked.
"Sure!" Dawn said, before Buffy could shoot down the offer. Buffy death-glared at her anyway.
"Great!" Ruriko said. She excused herself to radio for pickup.
When they all arrived back at Tategami high school and ended up in the Japanese A.E.G.I.S. headquarters, they were a little awed. Buffy found herself looking at all the shinies and wishing the Scooby Council had their budget.
The Commander looked at Dawn. Why were so many Gate Keepers beautiful young women? This place was starved for Testosterone, even if Bancho did have enough for any two other guys. He addressed the two new girls in English. "Hello, Misses Summers. I am Commander Tokiwatari, head of the Far East branch of A.E.G.I.S."
"He... hello Commander Sir." Dawn replied. Buffy looked unimpressed, and said nothing.
"Sir or Commander will do, Miss Summers. I don't need both." he smiled at her.
"Yes sir."
"I understand that you have some sort of Gate of Copying."
"Er, no sir. I mean, yes, sir, but it's not what you think. It's more like a Gate of Keys."
"Dawn..." Buffy warned.
"Explain please?" the Commander requested.
"Apparently, I can open any Gate I know about. And I can feel other peoples' Gates when they use them... so that after that, I know how to find them, and can use them too."
The Commander looked flabbergasted. "That's... that's quite an ability, young lady."
Dawn shrugged.
"I would like to extend the invitation for you to join A.E.G.I.S.", the Commander said simply. "I would love to have you here, as this is a hotspot for Invader activity right now, and we could use somebody with your talents. Or, if you prefer, there are other branches of A.E.G.I.S. as well."
Dawn's eyes lit up. A place where she could belong, and be real help, instead of just Buffy's bratty little sister who needed saving all the time..
"You would attend Tategami High School with the other young Gate Keepers, and work missions for us as it becomes necessary. You would have the full authority of A.E.G.I.S. behind you. We have resources, and agents, everywhere, and as a Gate Keeper you would be placed among the highest ranks of the organization, just under myself, outside the regular chain of command."
"Hold on, mister." Buffy glared. "Nobody's army is recruiting my little sister. End of discussion. Come on, Dawn. Let's go."
"But Buffy..."
"I said, 'Let's go', Dawn."
Dawn adopted a defiant glare much like Willow's Resolve Face. "No." She said quietly.
"What?"
Dawn gathered her courage, and said in a stronger voice. "I want to stay." She turned to the Commander. "I have a chance to do real good here. To really contribute. To save the world, instead of always being the savee." She shot a glare at Buffy, who had the wit to look a little ashamed. "I accept your offer, Commander."
The Commander smiled. "I'll have Ruriko get you settled in."
"Thanks," Dawn beamed.
"Are you sure, Dawn?" Buffy asked, trying a different tack. "It's going to be dangerous, and a lot of work..."
"What else is new? Just being me is dangerous, Buffy. At least here I can make my own difference."
"But are you..."
"I need this, Buffy," Dawn pleaded. "Please, just let me do this."
Buffy had never seen Dawn so determined before. Frankly, she was impressed.
"Alright," she relented finally, "But you have to call me every night."
"Every month."
"Every week."
"Deal." Dawn agreed.
"I'm going to miss you" Buffy said.
"I'll miss you too."
Buffy stayed in Japan three more days before moving on to Australia. By that time, she'd gotten Dawn settled into her new place with A.E.G.I.S.. She was upset to leave, but she knew her duty and Dawn's lay in different directions. Dawn had met the other gatekeepers and was making friends and learning new things about herself. Buffy thought she'd do well for herself, here.
Watching Dawn work with her new friends and teammates so easily so soon, she couldn't help feeling justified in her prediction. "Yep... she'll be just fine." Buffy smiled.