Child of the Hellmouth
Tell Me My Future
calikocat
word count: 5632
XXX
The three of them sat together at a table in the cafeteria filling out the required paperwork for Snyder's newest circus attraction. Career week.
"Do I like shrubs?"
Xander glanced at Buffy after her odd question. He raised a brow at her. "That's between you and your god. Whoever he may be."
Willow bounced in her seat across from Buffy. "They're pretty, especially when they're animal shaped."
Buffy nodded in agreement. "Okay then, yay shrubs."
Xander peered over at her sheet. "You didn't check yay cooking did you?"
She looked up at him. "Yeah...why?"
He looked away quickly. "No reason."
She huffed. "Just because you learned to cook over the summer doesn't mean I'm not allowed to touch a stove." Willow giggled.
He sighed. "Buff...you nearly put Giles in the hospital."
She stuck out her lip in a pout. "Everyone's a critic. Fine I'll change it."
Willow tapped her pencil against the table top in thought as she watched them. "What's bothering you?"
Buffy kept her eyes on her paper as she changed her answer. "Nothing."
He looked at her skeptically. "Right. So you're gloomy Buffy why?"
"It's just...there's no point in me doing this. My destiny takes away my choice of possible future careers."
He frowned in thought at her words. "Not really, if you can slay when you're in school you can slay when you have a job."
She shook her head. "It's not that simple."
He smiled. "Buff, I patrol every night, and I don't plan on stopping after high school. I mean, we even have more people patrolling now. When we all get jobs we can take shifts that fit our schedules."
Willow nodded. "And we've got UC Sunnydale, so we can go to college and still take back the night."
"I just...don't want to be trapped on the hellmouth."
"I get it Buff, but there's always a lull in the summer. And if you need a vacation before then..." He shrugged. "We can handle things for a while."
A glimmer of hope finally entered her face. "I'll think about it."
"I aspire to help my fellow man," Cordelia's voice reached their ears and they turned to watch her walk by with her shadows. "As long as he doesn't drool or think grease is a fashion statement."
Buffy looked at Xander. "Do you think she checked the shrub box?"
"Yeah...no."
Willow giggled.
xxx
Discontentedly he paced the room, his stride was quick, agitated. However he kept an eye on Drusilla as he stalked about. She was at the opposite end of the table from Dalton, her attention on the cards she was reading. He took in her abnormally pale skin, the bruises on her arms that should have healed months ago stood out, marring her perfection. She just kept getting weaker. He strode up to Dalton and smacked the back of his head.
He spoke with a snarl. "What's taking so long? Even I can read Latin."
Dalton gulped. "Well...it's not Latin. At least not any version I've studied."
Spike sneered. "What good are you to me then?" He grabbed Dalton by his throat and lifted him from his chair.
"Wait love. He needs a key."
Spike glanced at his lady love. "Key? You mean the bloody book is in some kind of code?" She nodded and he smirked. "In du Lac's tomb then. I'll send brainiac and another to retrieve it." He shoved Dalton away from him. "Go on then, take some muscle with you." Dalton nodded and stumbled away.
Drusilla cooed at him. "Will you dance?"
"With you love? Always."
xxx
After dancing about the factory with Dru he'd been restless, so as soon as the sun was down he went out. It was his lucky night. The boy and his cat were out and about. It was an odd, if interesting sight. The cat was no ordinary creature, not the way it growled at him the first time he'd seen it. But to watch the two of them hunt...it was like they were really communicating. The cat would trip up the vampires and the boy would take them down. It was quite a show.
He watched as the boy paused and looked to his left, Spike followed with his own eyes and watched a blue haired woman and another teenaged boy, blond, approach Xander. They talked for a bit, but he was too far away to hear what they said, and when they left the cat went with them. Once they were out of sight Xander's eyes met his. The boy's eyes were a luscious brown, like melted chocolate. They held fire and intelligence, no trace of the insanity that plagued his dark princess. Spike flicked away the cigarette he'd been smoking and made his way to the boy.
"Why are you here?"
Spike smiled. "I like the scenery."
Xander rolled his eyes. "I meant in Sunnyhell."
He shrugged. "For Dru's sake."
"We don't have the only hellmouth. According to Giles there's another one in Cleveland."
"This one is stronger, the one in Cleveland is an infant." Xander seemed to shiver at his words. "Cold? I could warm you up." He stepped closer to Xander, who growled at him. Spike grinned and leaned down to place his mouth on Xander's. Xander growled again, low in his throat and Spike growled back, nipping at Xander's bottom lip, and finally sucking on it.
Xander opened his mouth and nipped back, Spike slipped his tongue inside and became lost in the sweet warmth as their tongues caressed and wrestled against each other. The boy was the first to pull back, but he leaned his forehead against Spike's to catch his breath. After a moment he stepped back and Spike pouted at him, which made Xander groan.
"Sorry. One member of my pack angsting over a vampire is enough."
"Oy! Don't compare me to that Irish bastard!"
Xander chuckled. "I'm not. You'd be an improvement. Seriously. He broods and is all around snotty and depressing. Trust me, Deadboy is not my fave vamp."
Spike grinned at him and it was coy. "And me?"
"If I had a fave vamp you'd be it." Xander turned to leave.
"Not going to fight me?"
Xander rose a brow at the question. "You're a Master Vampire that's killed two slayers. I'm not as fast or as strong as a slayer, close but no cigar, and I've only been seriously training for about six months. I'm not stupid. I'm not ready to fight you." Xander blew him a kiss. "Good night Spike." He walked away then and Spike tilted his head to watch his ass until the boy disappeared into the shadows. Something clicked in his mind then and he blinked in confusion. "Pack?"
xxx
The next morning Xander found the Fearsome Four at the bulletin board in the quad waiting on Cordelia to finish looking up her career week assignments. He joined them as she read them aloud.
"Personal Shopper or Motivational Speaker." Cordelia look pleased even as the four cackled.
Xander blinked. "Motivational Speaker? You? With your diamond tipped tongue?" He shook his head as she moved back and Heidi slipped up to the board. "What'd you get?"
"Huh. I got Law Enforcement or Interior Decorator."
Xander nodded. "Go for Interior Decorator." Heidi gave him a puzzled look and he shrugged. "You have a few authority issues." She pouted and went to him, slipping her arms around his waist.
"I listen to you Alpha."
He snorted back laughter and pet her hair fondly. "Most of the time."
Tor was at the board when he positioned Heidi at his side, she still had an arm around his waist. Cordelia watched them with an odd look.
"What's with all the group groping?"
Xander looked at her. "We all got possessed last spring during the Zoo trip by hyena spirits. There's a few leftover quirks."
"Like what?" They all looked at her and their eyes flashed green, she raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"
Rhonda blinked and stared at Cordelia. "Huh."
Heidi peered at her in much the same way and sniffed the air. "She doesn't smell like prey."
Kyle nodded approvingly. "She's strong."
Xander glanced at Kyle. "Well duh. She's Queen C. Queen C is no ones prey."
Heidi was still staring at the other girl. "Pack?"
"Yeah."
Tor's voice was dejected as he announced his career options. "I got Dog Walker or Landscaper."
Xander kept his own voice upbeat to hopefully cheer the other boy up. "Landscaping's not so bad." At Tor's disbelieving look he elaborated. "You'd make a fortune in Japan. I know a guy in Tokyo who makes his living designing rich people's personal gardens. It's kind of a big artsy thing over there."
Cordelia sneered at him. "Like you would really know."
"I spent my summer in Tokyo Cor. Suiichi Minamono, the gardener, is a friend of my brother's. What did I get Tor?"
"Prison Guard...and Translator."
Again Cordelia looked at him like she didn't believe him. "Translator? For what? Klingon?"
Xander grinned at her and started speaking in rapid Japanese, her mouth opened in surprise before she stomped off. He finished with a simple 'ja ne' before turning back to Tor. "Prison Guard? Really? Yuck."
Tor nodded. "Kyle got Politics and Education and Rhonda got Personal Trainer and Fashion Design."
Kyle grimaced. "Joy."
Xander nudged him. "It's not set in stone, and even if it was, stones can be broken. Check Buffy's and Willow's for me would you Tor?"
xxx
Xander wandered into the library in the middle of a heated conversation between Buffy and Giles. He watched them for a moment in confusion.
Giles was in full scolding mode. "You made no effort to find out what they took?"
"Have a cow Giles, I didn't think it was important. Vamps are always stealing stuff."
"What if it was important? You should have been more thorough-"
"If you don't like how I'm doing my job why don't you find somebody else? Wait that's right, there can only be one. I don't have to be the Slayer, I could be six feet under instead."
He looked from one to the other. "Are we playing Highlander now?"
Buffy continued to glare at Giles. "No. Just another episode of Buffy's the Chosen One."
Giles sighed. "All joking aside you need to take your-"
"Giles, she's not alone. If somethings up we can all look into it." He stared hard at the Watcher. "So...what now?"
Giles relented and took off his glasses as he thought. "We need to go to the tomb the vampires were breaking into."
Xander grinned and nearly bounced. "Yay! Fieldtrip!" They looked at him with twin looks of surprise, he shrugged. "Well it's better than going over riot procedure with the Warden. And my second seminar isn't until tomorrow."
Giles continued to look perplexed. "Warden?"
"Career week remember? I got Prison Guard."
Buffy smirked. "At least you'd be on the right side of the law."
He grinned back at her. "Says the girl who got Law Enforcement. Oh, and maintenance."
"Maintenance?"
"You chose the shrubs."
xxx
Spike smiled has he held the cross out for Dru. Her eyes were sort of glazed and her head was tilted as if she could hear something he couldn't. "This is it then?
"It sings, like a siren's song. Can you hear it?" She gazed at him and her eyes cleared, though her lids fluttered weakly. "No you only hear his song now. It hums in the back of your head. When it blooms it will be so sweet.
Spike leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You'll get your strength back soon love. And then we'll paint this town red, innards will hang from every lamp post."
She smiled. "Pretty garlands for my party."
Dalton shifted behind them. "What about the Slayer? She almost got me! She'll already be onto our plan by now."
Spike grinned. "No worries. I've hired out some help. The big guns should already be in town."
Dalton blinked. "Big guns?"
"The Order of Taraka."
The bespectacled vampire gasped. "The bounty hunters?"
Dru hummed. "Three of them will come to my party."
"But isn't that too much? A bit overkill?"
Spike snorted. "No such thing."
Drusilla looked at him. "The Prince will be cross with us."
Spike took her hand and kissed it. "He'll get over it."
"It will take more than kisses." She pouted at him. "I want his kisses. But he won't share."
Spike smiled down at her.
xxx
Willow wandered through the halls until she saw Kyle and waved him over.
He walked beside her. "You're not on the lists."
"I know, but there's nothing else to do. Where's Xander and Buffy?"
"Field trip with Giles."
She gave him wide eyes. "But...if Buffy's not here Snyder's gonna-"
Kyle put a hand on her shoulder. "Kinda scary that Summers and Heidi both ended up with Law Enforcement." He flicked his gaze behind her in warning.
She blinked but caught on. "That is weird. What about Xander?"
"Prison Guard."
"Huh."
Snyder stepped behind them. "Where is she?"
Willow turned to face him and leaned against Kyle's chest, he wrapped an arm around her protectively. She blinked at Snyder. "Who?"
Snyder sneered at her. "You know who. Summers. Where is she?"
Kyle shrugged. "I saw her with Harris last, they probably met up with Heidi."
Willow nodded. "They ended up with Law Enforcement and Prison Guard."
"They're probably comparing retirement plans."
Snyder blinked at them. "You two are full of it." Willow pouted and Kyle looked at him blankly. "Well go on, get to your seminars." He turned and stalked off.
Willow looked up at Kyle. "Could you sense him?"
"No, saw him. Why?"
"Xander can sense him, he said Snyder feels kinda like a predator sometimes and he moves really quiet for a troll." She smiled at him. "You'd better get to your seminar."
He nodded. "I'll have the others spread the cover story."
"Thanks." She hugged him and they parted. When he was out of sight someone approached her.
"Willow Rosenburg?"
She turned to see two men in suits. "What? I mean yes?"
"Come with us."
xxx
Xander and Buffy clambered out of Giles' car and nearly tangled themselves in the process. He glared at Giles.
"When are you gonna get a real car? I feel like an accordion every time I climb out of this thing."
"You didn't have to come Xander."
"Someones gotta make sure you two play nice." Buffy smacked his arm. "Ow!" He smacked her back.
"Hey!"
"Children please, try to act your age."
They looked at one another, then grinned at Giles. "We are."
Giles sighed and looked up at the sky as if praying. "Wonderful. Now, which way?"
Buffy led them into the cemetery. As they walked along she glanced at Xander. "What was your other career option?"
"Translator."
"Lucky. I can't believe I got Police and Maintenance."
He nodded. "Yeah, that second one is weird. Tor got Landscaping."
She blinked. "How'd he get that and I got stuck with Maintenance?"
"No idea. I didn't go for the shrub or any kind of decorative stuff."
"Huh." She stopped a little ways from a tomb. "That's it."
"Oh good. Shall we?" Giles entered first and Buffy handed him a flash light. As they followed him in Xander spoke.
"Here's a question. If the council pays you, why can't they pay Buffy? I mean they're this uber big organization that's been around forever so they've got to be loaded. And Buffy is the one doing the leg work."
Buffy shook her head. "You help, Willow and the others too."
"Yeah. We should all get an allowance, or at least compensation for ripped and bloodied clothing...and weapon maintenance."
Buffy looked thoughtful. "I'd rather get a pay check."
"Point."
Giles hmm'd as he looked through a smashed opening in the wall. "Traditionally a Slayer lives with her Watcher and he provides for her on his council stipend. However Buffy was not identified as a potential until after she was called."
They blinked, looked at one another, and then Buffy spoke. "Wait..."
Xander cleared his throat. "So girls who could be Slayers are trained before they're called?"
"Yes. It's not a practice I approve of but yes, potentials are taken from they're families and raised by Watchers and prepared, trained for the calling."
Buffy bit her lip. "How many potentials?"
"Oh, hundreds."
She continued to worry at her bottom lip and Xander nudged her. "You're worth more than all of those other girls put together." She smiled.
"Oh dear."
Buffy and Xander sighed and she looked at him. "I hate when he does that."
Xander nodded. "What's the what Giles?"
"This tomb belonged to du Lac. He was part of a religious sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century." They shared a look at Giles' words.
Buffy folded her arms and leaned against a wall. "Excommunicated?"
Xander shuddered. "And sent to the hellmouth? That's a bit vicious."
"Do you remember the book stolen from the library a few weeks ago?" Giles asked them.
A sad look entered Buffy's eyes. "The one stolen by that vamp that Ford helped?"
"Yes. It was written by du Lac."
Xander sidled up to Buffy and linked arms with her. "Which means it wasn't a random thing. Spike is up to something."
"So it would seem. The book was said to contain rituals and spells that could bring about unspeakable evil."
"Fun, du Lac was a real party animal." Xander ignored the glare Giles aimed at him.
"However it was written in archaic Latin so that no one but the sect members could understand it."
Buffy leaned against Xander. "Then why did you go 'Oh dear'? There's none of them left...right?"
"No...but it's not good that the book written by du Lac and something from his tomb were both stolen by Spike's minions."
Xander felt a chill go through him, evil vampires with their distracting kisses. "You think they've found a way to translate it?"
Giles look perplexed. "I don't know. I certainly hope not."
xxx
Willow nervously tapped a pencil against the top of the table the three of them were sitting at, she looked at Giles who stood next to the stairs. "So you guys are sure there's a connection?"
Buffy shrugged. "Giles says yeah."
Xander locked eyes with Willow. "He did that thing we hate."
The redhead's face fell. "Oh...bad things are coming again."
The library doors opened and The Four glided in, and grinned when they saw the rest of their pack at the table. They crossed the room and joined them. Kyle headed straight for Xander and settled in his lap, making himself comfortable, Xander merely rolled his eyes. Tor pulled a chair up alongside Willow, while Heidi sat beside Buffy. Rhonda headed for Giles, touching his shoulder as she moved past him to stand in front of the low shelves.
Xander stroked Kyle's back. "How'd it go?
Kyle leaned into the touch. "We ran interference."
Rhonda chuckled. "Heidi kind of looks like Buffy from the back."
Heidi grinned. "All Snyder ever saw of me was blond hair going around a corner, and the Police Lady will be here again tomorrow, you didn't miss much though."
Buffy made a face. "Yay."
Tor shifted beside Willow, taking the pencil from her hands where she was still tapping it. "So what did you guys do?"
"Cemetery field trip." Xander answered. "We went to the tomb of some guy that was kicked out of the church for writing evil books."
Kyle looked down at him. "They had porn then?"
"Do semi-nude engravings count as porn?" Willow wondered out loud.
Giles slipped his glasses back on. "Are you lot done?" All seven of them looked sheepish for a moment. "Right. Now, du Lac was both a Theologian and a Mathematician." He picked up a book and flipped through it. "This article describes an invention of his called the du Lac cross."
Rhonda frowned. "Kind of a lame name."
Xander nodded. "I'd have gone with the cross of Maddock." Giles glared at them.
Rhonda looked down. "Sorry."
Xander looked less apologetic. "We're done now."
Giles continued. "It was more than a mere symbol. It was used to understand certain mystical texts, to decipher hidden meanings."
Buffy held up her hand. "Wait...they stole a decoder ring?"
Willow blinked. "Kind of like the Rosetta Stone?"
Giles nodded. "Yes, exactly."
Several sets of eyes looked at Willow and she made a face at them. "Ancient Egyptian decoder ring, only it was a stone, not a ring." They all nodded.
Buffy pointed at the book in Giles' hand. "What's the article say?"
"Hmm? Oh. Just that du Lac destroyed every cross, except the one buried with him."
The slayer frowned. "Why would he destroy them after making them?"
Giles closed the book. "Perhaps he feared what might happen if his creation fell into the wrong hands."
Xander wrinkled his nose and frowned. "Then why the heck did he make them in the first place, not to mention the bad magick book?"
Buffy nodded. "I mean, you said he got excommunicated from the church, so obviously he wasn't much with the caring."
"I don't know. There are no records of his reasons, for creating or destroying his inventions...nor his writings."
Kyle leaned against Xander's chest. "He probably didn't want anyone to use his stuff, like if there was going to be unspeakable evil, he wanted in on it."
They all looked thoughtful and Willow shook her head. "Huh...sharing issues."
Kyle shrugged. "Not everyone likes to share power."
Xander poked him gently in the side. "Should I be worried that you can get inside dead du Lac's head?"
"No, I gave up my control to you, remember?"
Xander smirked. "Yeah."
Rhonda snickered before settling beside Xander. "So what do we do about this?"
Giles placed the book on the table. "We need to preempt their plans."
Tor looked up from stroking Willow's hair. "How?"
Willow nodded. "What he said."
Giles gave a weary sigh. "By finding out what is in the book before Spike does. Which means we have a long night ahead of us."
Willow immediately perked up. "Goody! Research party!"
The rest of them looked at her oddly. Heidi shuttered. "That was kind of scary."
Rhonda nodded. "We need to get her out more."
"I agree." Buffy smiled. "First chance we get I'm thinking girls night out." Heidi and Rhonda grinned.
Willow pouted. "What's wrong with a research party? Xander?"
"We definitely need to get you out more Wills. There's more out there than research." Giles gave him mild glare. "But tonight our life revolves around the books."
Buffy stood up. "Speaking of books, I gotta bail."
Xander blinked. "But...research!"
She smiled at him. "I promise to be here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning and ready to kill monsters."
"This is rather dire Buffy."
She pouted at her Watcher. "I know, but I'm not really book gal. I'm more Slay Gal. I'd only be in the way."
Willow nodded. "If somethings gonna happen she should get ready, gather her strength."
"I suppose."
Xander narrowed his eyes at her, she was up to something. "You going to patrol tonight?"
She shook her head. "Not till late."
Kyle looked at Giles. "What about us? What do we do?"
"Oh, well..."
Xander grinned. "We go through the weapons cabinet, you guys need to start learning how to use them. Two of you can practice while the other two help research. Then we'll switch."
Giles looked more than relieved at the simple solution. "Good idea."
Buffy nodded. "Good luck then, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She grabbed her bag and practically skipped out of the library. Xander looked at Willow and raised a brow in question. She gave him an innocent look and he rolled his eyes.
xxx
They left the library in mass to get their things before the 'research party' started. Once they were in the hall Xander confronted Willow. "Where is she going?"
Willow smiled and it was a bit wistful. "Ice skating with Angel."
He snorted. "She picked a heck of a time for a date."
Heidi leaned against Willow. "Who's Angel?"
He cleared his throat. "Buffy's beau."
"He's a vampire." Willow added helpfully.
All four of them blinked. Tor looked at Xander. "Why?"
Kyle folded his arms and glared at their alpha. "I thought we could kill them."
Willow waved her arms in a slight panic. "We can, it's just there was this whole big thing about a hundred years ago and he got cursed with his soul, so now he's got a conscience and is helping us fight the good fight." Xander snorted again and Willow pouted at him. "Xander!"
"I don't like him and I never will."
"I know." She moved from Heidi and gave him a hug. "And I understand. I'm not always comfortable around him myself." She let him go. "I'll see you guys later okay?" The others nodded and touched her arms or hair as she walked by them. Heidi and Rhonda flanked her, acting as silent body guards.
Kyle caught Xander's eye. "What was that about?"
Xander shook his head. "I have reasons for not liking Deadboy. But he makes Buffy happy...usually."
Tor tilted his head. "If he didn't?"
Xander felt his face shut down, and his mind went to a cold and dark place for a moment. His eyes hardened, the sharp gaze made Kyle and Tor shiver and huddle closer to him. He sighed and let go of the dark feeling. "Relax." He moved to stroke their backs and push the cold feeling away. "I'll see you back here later." They nodded and he stepped back and walked away.
He barely managed to turn a corner when Larry blocked his path. "Hey Harris."
Xander blinked and looked up at the other boy. "Larry?"
Larry shifted and wouldn't quite meet his eyes. "What's going on with you and those four? I mean, they bully everyone more than all the football players combined, or they used to."
Xander shrugged. "It's complicated."
"Are you...with them?"
"Sort of, but not like you think." Larry finally met his eyes with a confused look. "They're sort of my responsibility, I can't really explain it."
"Oh." A determined look crossed his face and he stepped closer, leaned down and pressed his lips to Xander's.
Xander's eyes widened and he simply stood there, too shocked to do much else. Larry pulled back, his face a bright red and he turned and walked away as fast as he could. Xander frowned.
"What is it with guys spontaneously kissing me?"
xxx
Xander burst into the library, Rhonda at his heels. Tor was already there with Willow, Giles was hovering over something small in his hands and Buffy was sitting on the stairs with an ice bag on her knee. Xander went to her and knelt in front of her.
"You okay?"
"I'll live. Just a little banged up."
He nodded and gave her cheek a gentle pat before moving to sit beside her. Rhonda followed him and settled on the floor by their legs. Xander looked at Giles. "So what exactly is going on?"
Buffy shrugged. "No clue. But Angel freaked when he saw the ring our attacker was wearing."
Giles moved towards them and handed the ring to Xander. "He had good reason to...freak. This ring is only worn by members of the Order of Taraka."
Xander turned the ring over in his hand, noting the gold crest. "Taraka?"
"Yes, it's an order of deadly assassins."
Tor made an odd face. "Sounds more like some weird latin dance." He ducked his head when Giles glared at him.
Buffy shifted her ice pack and glanced at the ring Xander still held. "But why are they after me?"
"Cause you're Slay Gal?" Willow asked. "Scourge of the Nasties?"
Buffy shook her head. "I haven't been so much on the Scourge lately."
Giles cleared his throat. "I think the best thing we can do at this point is to keep you in a secure location."
Xander handed the ring back to him. "The wards Kagome put on our homes are still up. So she should be okay at home Giles."
"Not all of the members are demons Xander."
"Wait, you want me to hide? Giles, I'm the Slayer!"
"And the Order of Taraka is unlike anything you have ever faced before. The only desire they have is to collect their bounty. When one fails another is sent until their target is dead. So please, just go home."
xxx
Tor handed him the slip of paper and Xander rested his other hand against Tor's cheek. "Thanks Tor. I hate to put you in this position."
"It's okay. She left the communicator on the kitchen table. It wasn't hard to get the code."
"Still. Thanks for this."
Tor smiled and licked Xander's palm before heading back into the Library. Xander smirked and pulled out his own communicator and punched in the new code. He hoped the right person answered.
A moment later he sighed in relief when Hiei appeared on the screen. "Xander? What do you want? And how did you get my code?"
"That's a secret, and I need some information."
"Why would I give you information for free?"
"Why did you let it slip to everyone over there that I had an orgy?"
Hiei smirked. "Kurama wants you. I was hoping he'd do more than choke on his tea, amusing as it was. Although your brother's reaction was a close second."
"Huh?"
"He was cooking at the time, his spatula flew across the room, food and all."
"Right, see, I've already provided you with lots of amusement and fun. So now I need info."
"Clever. Fine what do you need to know?"
"Anything and everything you can tell me about the Order of Taraka would be great."
Hiei's red eyes blinked slowly. "Are you their target?"
"No."
"The Slayer?"
"Yep."
"They are relentless, the only thing that will stop them, is the death of their mark, or if the contract is called off. Anyone who stands between them and their mark is expendable, no matter who it is. They will have researched the girl, they'll know where she lives, goes to school and will track her movements easily. I would tell you to stay out of their way but I know you won't."
"No kidding."
"Then I suggest that you wear the ring your brother gave you at all times. It may save your life."
"I thought you said anyone in the way would be expendable."
"Idiot. The ring you wear bears Raizen's crest. Even the assassins will pause if they recognize the mark. No one wants a Mazoku pissed at them."
"I'd wondered about that."
"What?"
"Two demons we've come across shied away from me when they saw my ring."
Hiei peered at him curiously. "What demons?"
"Some snake demon that was worshiped by a bunch of Frat guys, they called him Makita. And the other could only survive in this realm by possessing people or corpses, his name was Eyeghon."
Hiei snorted. "No wonder, weaklings like that would never instigate a quarrel with any Makai demon."
"Weaklings?" Xander shuddered. "Wonderful pep-talk Hiei. You're full of the warm fuzzies." Hiei smirked. "Thanks for the insight, don't tell Yusuke about this conversation. In fact it never happened. Now...can you do me a favor and not spread any more of my private information to the general public, or to Kurama or my brother."
"I can't guarantee anything."
"Great."
"If it makes you feel better Kazuma scolded me afterward."
"Really?"
"After he was through laughing at Kurama and your brother."
Xander huffed and closed the communicator.
XXX
