Manga Xander

DISCLAIMER: I don't own BTVS or High School DxD.

Author's Note: Many thanks to my beta reader Cassy.

Chapter One

Xander groaned and Buffy asked, "What's the what?"

Willow replied, "Whenever Snyder calls us to the auditorium on a holiday, it's a bad thing."

Xander nodded, "Last time he banned chocolate on Valentine's Day. Everyone who had brought some to school was given detention."

"Oh," said Buffy. "That sucks." She squared her shoulders and lifted her head, "Well let's go see what horror he has planned for Halloween."

At the front of the auditorium Snyder was grinning at the podium. The students were scared of him and confused. This, he thought, is what teenagers should be like all the time! Once they were all seated he brought out the speech he had written. The Mayor had called him to suggest an idea for this year's Halloween Child Guidance Program and he wanted to make sure the Mayor got what he wanted.

"The Halloween Child Guidance Program is mandatory for all Juniors and Seniors this year," Snyder started. Grinning at the disappointment and dismay on the faces in front of him. "The Mayor, in his infinite wisdom, has decided to trust you with the lives of little children. Anyone who does not show up for it tonight gets a week's suspension." He waited for that to sink in then added the next bit, "To ensure all costumes are up to a decent standard we are requiring you to get one from the most recent shop to open in town and request entrance into the Sunnydale Chamber of Commerce. It is called Ethan's and is on Main street. Due to a special agreement with the Mayor he will be offering free costumes to anyone showing a Sunnydale High School ID if they are in the theme the Mayor and he decided on. Have a nice day." Still grinning, Snyder left the auditorium. He would have liked to have made the little snots pay for their new costumes but apparently the new owner was on the bad side of somebody in city hall. He was still happy he got to ruin several days.

Buffy winced, "I see what you mean about announcements on Holidays."

At lunch they discuss it. "That was worse than last time," Willow said.

"I dunno Will," Xander said. "Free costumes and no punishment as long as we get here to escort the kids. That's better than last time where people got detention right then for having received chocolate."

"I already have a costume," Willow said. "I don't want to wear anything else."

"What's your costume Will?" Buffy asked.

"Ghost," Xander said. "It's always a ghost every year."

"It's the perfect costume," Willow replied. "It hides all of me and lets me see out."

"Might want to rethink that costume anyway," Buffy said. "Remember what happened to Marcie."

Willow pouted but nodded, "Okay, I guess it's time for a new costume. We can walk there together after class."

Once there Buffy walked up to the counter, "Excuse me, we're here from Sunnydale high. Do you have any free costumes left and do you know what the theme is supposed to be?"

Ethan smiled at her, "Hello, my name is Ethan. What's yours?" He was asking for a few reasons. One reason was to be polite. Just because the natives had no manners was no reason for him to forget his. The larger reason is because he knew the Slayer went to that school and he wanted to be sure to give her and anyone with her an extra special costume.

Buffy sighed mentally but made sure it didn't show. He sounds like Giles. I guess all these English guys are big on manners. She put a big smile on her face and stuck out her hand, "I'm Buffy, Ethan. How are you today? I'm sorry if I was abrupt before but we were only recently made aware of certain requirements from school so we rushed right to get costumes. I hope you can help us?" The older man smiled widely and she figured she had struck just the right note.

Ethan mentally congratulated himself and said, "Certainly! I would be happy to help such a polite young woman. The theme is Manga and I do indeed have costumes left. I will need to see a school ID from you and your two friends in order to give you a free costume though. The city is only paying for those picked up by verified students."

"Oh, sure," Buffy said. Showing school ID for a free costume sounded like a good deal to her.

All three of them showed their school IDs to Ethan who made a show of checking their names off a list provided by the Mayor. He didn't show them the list because they might have wondered why they had stars next to their names.

"Very good," he said. "Let me show you the free racks." He had them all together in a far corner of the main part of the store. "Here we are. Once you make your selections, come get me and I will take them into the back to remove them from inventory properly." He added silently, and to add a little extra enchantment. That should throw a few wrenches into Ripper's orderly life. It's just too bad I can't get him to wear one of these too. He chuckled as he walked back to the counter. Of course these days he probably would go as his father if he wore a costume at all.

Xander found costumes pretty quickly, "Hey guys! Come over here. I found three good costumes." He could wish for an Issei costume but if Willow recognized the name they would probably get mad at him.

"Saji, Sona, and Tsubaki from Highschool DxD," Xander said. "They were on the student council in the manga series."

"I don't remember that one," Willow said. "What were their powers?"

Xander said, "Sona has control over water. She can move it, form it into shapes, and can do ice as well. Tsubaki has the ability to reflect attacks and the damage doubles if successfully reflected onto an opponent. Saji has a power called Absorption Line. It is a black line that shoots from one hand and can both hold an opponent and drain them of energy."

"Sounds cool," Buffy said. "Well Xander's the male character obviously, but which one of the girls do you want Willow?"

"If I get to pick," Willow started. 'Well then I guess I'll pick Sona. Water powers sound cool."

Buffy smiled, they were good friends but they were both such geeks, "Okay, then I'll take Tsubaki." She grabbed all three costumes and headed off to the counter to tell Ethan they had made their decisions.

Sona Sitri looked around and frowned. She had been transported without her knowledge and had not even noticed the gate. This was bad. She looked around at all the chaos around her. There seemed to be a small war going on. She used water jets to blast away three attackers then took a closer look at her surroundings. Looking more closely showed her that, aside from humans, there was a large number of different creatures and very few of them were cooperating with each other but most of them were attacking the humans. A few of the humans were fighting back rather effectively but most were running, panicked and screaming.

She heard her name and turned to see Tsubaki, "You're here too?"

"Yes," Tsubaki said. "I guess this is an attack on your peerage. I was wondering if it was just a mage who had cast a summoning spell that went very wrong but if we're both here then it's not likely a coincidence."

A creature with red scales, horns, and fangs headed towards them to suddenly stop short when a black tentacle wrapped around its neck. Then they heard Saji's voice commanding his absorption line to drain the thing. Sona was about to call his name when the creature turned into a teenager. The boy slumped to the ground even as Saji released his line.

Saji waved and ran over, "Sona! We've been kidnapped to some place where people have been turned into monsters. Draining the monster ends the spell and reverts them but leaves them vulnerable so I have been trying not to do it often. Do you have any orders for me?"

"Stay with us," Sona replied. "Only drain those I tell you from now on. I think we should find a safe location until we know more about where we are and what is going on. Please pick a suitable looking domicile and break in. Tsubaki can block an entrance with one of her mirrors without leaving innocents lying outside unconscious. If anything gets past that we will take it out anyway possible."

"Yes, president," Saji said and went to the nearest house. Harnessing the power he had absorbed let him kick the door in easily.

Once they were all inside Tsubaki called on her powers and filled the doorway with what looked like a mirror. It would reflect any attacks weaker than her. A stronger attack would break the mirror which would be loud enough to serve as a warning.

Giles wasn't able to stop the spell because he was caught up in it. Jenny Calendar had bought him a costume from Ethan's for a party at her apartment. Fortunately the spell broke naturally at dawn. Buffy went home then called Giles from her house and told him briefly what had happened.

"Let us all meet at the library," Giles said. "We can discuss what happened and we can research any complications that have arisen."

"Okay," Buffy said. "I'll grab the others and come by."

When Buffy arrived with Xander and Willow she found Jenny and Cordelia along with Giles.

"They retained part of their costumed personas from last night as well so I asked them to meet us here," Giles said.

Jenny said, "Ethan was given a list with five starred names, our names and asked to make our night extra special by a messenger from city hall. So at least some of the staff there know about the supernatural and are opposed to the Slayer and anyone who helps her."

"How did you find out?" Xander asked.

"I hosted a party last night and both Giles and I went as characters from Babylon 5," she replied. "Specifically telepaths of Psi Corps. I was reading his mind as the spell ended. I didn't get as much information as I would like but hopefully we can find out more now that we know to look at City Hall."

Giles nodded, "The man who brought the list could have been enthralled by a vamp to add the stars or even a deliberate red herring to throw us off but I think we should investigate City Hall anyway. If we clear them then at least that narrows things down." He smiled, "So, now let's hear about what happened to you four."

"I always knew hanging out with you guys would come back to haunt me and it did," Cordelia said. She made a gesture and suddenly she was holding a sword, then just as suddenly her clothes were replaced with form fitting armor, "I grabbed a costume from the same rack as you guys apparently. I went as Rossweisse and I can still call my sword and armor and still tell that you three are devils."

"Devils, you say?" Giles asked worriedly.

"It's what they call them in the manga," she explained. "But it doesn't mean they're demonic, or evil."

"Oh, that's a relief," Giles said and Jenny nodded.

"However, they might be more impulsive now," she said with a smirk. The smirk widened into a grin when Giles groaned, "But they will also be stronger and tougher than any normal human and will have powers."

"Powers?" Jenny asked.

Buffy nodded, "I remember how to do magic and I have an ability to reflect incoming energy or magic back at an attacker. It hits for double damage if I do it right."

"I can control water and ice as well as do magic," Willow said. She created a globe of water over one hand. Then froze it and elongated it into a spike. Then made it vanish.

"I have a shard of the essence of the black dragon Vritza," Xander said. "So I can use some of its power." He showed the gauntlet that appeared on his hand and briefly sent out the black tentacle, "It's called the Absorption Line and it allows me to catch hold of opponents and drain them of power and magic." He gestured to Cordelia, "She has also become tougher and stronger than any normal human."

"Then I imagine whomever planned this will regret it," Giles said. "You will all be much more effective at defending Sunnydale and its innocent civilians now."

"Well don't call me unless it's necessary," Cordelia said. "I'm not one of Buffy's team. I have my own group to manage. I will help if you need it though since I live here too."