Quicksilver's Quill Offers
To Dance By Moonlight
standard disclaimers
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
AN: Again, rough draft till I get my spell-check back- should be within the week! This is dedicated to three people- my new imouto, SujaKino-yes-I-know-your-name-is-Kari, Sailor Opal, and Anon. Probably these three are my most reliable feedback artists.... Arigatou!
Quick Japanese Phrase Guide (not Really Nessessary, but it helps a little- Usagi will use these words to color her speech):
Machinasai : WAIT! Sailor Moon usually says this as she makes her appearence.
Nani: What
Hai: Yes
Part Three: Misunderstandings
"Machinasai!"
The graveyard went still, and then everyone, vampire and Slayerette alike, turned to see the newcomer.
An angel had descended to earth. That was the only thing Xander, usually not one of the world's most poetic people, could think. Sanding on top of a gravestone was a petite figure with long golden hair tied up in the most unusual buns- the Slayerettes had the feeling that it was familiar, but their minds drew a black when they tried to place it.
The girl had snowy white wings on her back and was wearing a skirt so short that it hardly deserved the name. Her outfit was bright and splashy, and the tall boots and long gloves should have served to make her look rediculous- but she didn't. She looked like salvation personified, and right now, they needed that.
"I am the beautiful sailor-suited soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! On behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!" the girl declared, striking some odd poses.
Cordelia was thoroughly not interested. Using the distraction that Sailor Moon had caused, she elbowed one of the vamps and stuck the cross on the other, causing his flesh to sizzle like a sausage. He howled in pain, and Cordelia squirmed free, racing to where Buffy was standing. "Ok, and I thought some of BUFFY'S lines were corny," Cordelia panted, grabbing a bottle of holy water that Buffy had dropped while fighting.
Buffy staked the vampire she was fighting and turned to yell at Sailor Moon. "Get out of here unless you want to be on a vampire's menu!" she said.
"No! I right wrongs and triumph over evil!" the girl said, then frowned. "That didn't come out right..." she said.
The vampire thugs were finally getting over their surprise. Three of them looked at Angelus for dirrection. He shrugged rather carefully. "Go ahead and eat her," he said after a moment of thought.
They didn't need to be told twice. All three lunged forward, almost stumbling over each other in their haste. The girl leapt upwards towards another gravestone, landing on top of it. After wobbling precariously for a second, she found a tentative balance. "That's not NICE!" she protested.
"Whoever said the bad guys were nice?" Angelus laughed at her. He swung his feet idly, looking like a child.
Sailor Moon shot him a glare, but was dstracted when the lackeys went after her again. Meanwhile the battle had resumed, and aside from shrinking the odds a little, nothing had changed.
"This is SO not fair!" Xander complained, trying to avoid a red-headed vampire who looked like Stan Kirsch.
"You're telling ME!" Willow said as she swung a cross at a forty-something female who had been a member of her synagogue until Angelus had gotten his fangs into her. "Everytime I swing one of these things, I'm promoting the Christian faith! I'm JEWISH!" she said.
"Fine," Cordelia said as she started splashing the holy water around. "How about you start throwing some Stars of David like shuriken and we'll see what happens? Just do it when I'm not around."
Willow muttered something that was quite impolite and would have made her parents' hair stand on its end if they would have heard it.
Buffy and Giles were standing back to back, cutting a swath through the enemies. She was fighting using her traditional stake, whiles Giles aimed his crossbow with deadly accuracy. "What is that girl doing?" Giles yelled, watching the oddly-dressed girl bounce around in a remarkable display of timed clumsiness. There were numerous times when the vamps should have caught her, but she always managed to tumble away just in time. It would have been almost comedic if the situation hadn't been so grim.
"Trying to get herself killed," Buffy responded as she pounded another vamp into dust.
"I am NOT!" the girl protested. "I just don't have any wands left! I broke my last one when I fought Galaxia!"
It made absolutely no sense to the Slayer. Unfortunately, that was just the time that Angelus decided that he was hungry.
The new thing was a blonde, and as he had stated before, Angelus had a fondness for blondes. After pausing less then a second for thought, he dropped off of his perch, hitting the ground wearing his game face. "It's supper time!" he said cheerfully.
"Forgive us if we don't watch you do the Snoopy dance!" Buffy snapped, trying to work her way towards Sailor Moon. The vampire henchmen would have none of that, and threw themselves at her with renewed ferver.
Sailor Moon stumbled backwards, trying to find her balance. Angelus smiled and advanced on her, and then the fighting shifted.
A rose struck between the two, and things stilled again after Cordelia staked the vampire who had been trying to feast on her. "Sailor Moon, call forth your tiara!"
"Nani?" the girl stuttered. "I don't wear it anymore!"
"Think of it!"the voice commanded, and then a dark figure plummeted to stand by the angelic girl's side.
"H-hai!" she stuttered, and then held out her hand. Concentrating intensely, she spun around on her toes, and above her hand, a small ring of golden light appeared. "Cool!" the girl exclaimed.
Buffy recognized magic when she saw it, and she had no clue whether this was going to help or hurt them. From what she had seen before, she was betting on hurt. No one EVERY came to the Hellmouth to help. She wasn't about to let the strange magic hurt her friends.
Buffy leapt to the top of the tombstone nearest to her, then leapt again, reaching for an overhanging treebranch. Her slender fingers getting a tight grip, she swung forwards and around, building up speed. Then with skill worth of an Olympic gymnast, she realeased at eaxtly the right moment, propelling herself at the blonde girl who was working magic.
Sailor Moon was just about to release her recovered tiara. "Moon Tiara-" she began to call, but stopped with an abrupt 'OMPH!' as someone deposited their feet in her stomach rather forcefully. "Aiiieeee!" Sailor Moon screamed as the Slayer landed on her, grabbing her by the Odango and slamming her forehead into marble angel that decorated one grave.
"Oh, no you don't!" Buffy snapped. "There's NO WAY I'm letting you get away with casting any spells!"
"OOMPH!" the girl exclaimed, trying to get her face out of the dirt.
"Buffy!" Giles yelled. "There's vampires to Slay!"
"Not for her," a grim voice said, and the sky seemed to go still. The man who had encouraged Sailor Moon to throw the rose stepped forward, and everyone saw that he was hearing a long cape lined with red satin. Underneath it he was wearing a formal outfit, complete with with gloves. Over his face he wore a white mask that covered his eyes.
The entire battle stalled yet again. This time, though, Angelus looked at the man in front of him, and his face shifted, becoming human in appearence again. "Come on," he said to the vampires who remained. "We're getting out of here," he continued, sounding thoroughly unsettled.
One second he was there, the next the ancient vampire was gone. The approximately twelve survivors of the thirty he had used to launch the original assault followed, but no one pursued. The battle wasn't going to be about vampires- it was going to be between the mysterious masked man and the Slayer.
"How dare you.... release her this instant," he said in a dangerously calm voice.
Buffy did so immediately, trying to tell herself that she was obeying because she would have to have both hands free to fight, not because he was telling her to. Sailor Moon lay on the ground, slightly dazed. Her pale was was smudged, and her white outfit was covered with dirt. Willow stepped towards her, but Xander grabbed her arm, holding her back, shaking his head negatively. Right now the only thing they should do was watch, his look told her.
"Who are you?" the Slayer demanded. "What do you want?"
The man glared at her, ignoring her question. "To think the line of Slayers has fallen to this," he said, his voice still even with suppressed rage. "Attacking one of those whom you are sworn to guard."
Buffy blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I keep demons and other magical disasters from getting free! That girl could have easily attacked one of my friends!"
The man gestured with an elegant hand. "Obviously the Slayer is not what she should be," he said. "How can ANYONE of pure heart attack the very avatar of love and justice herself? I suppose I have no choice but to rid the world of my mistake."
"Your MISTAKE?" Buffy said, not liking what he was saying. "What are you talking about?"
The man shook his head, denying her an answer. Shutting his eyes slightly, the raised his hands, and around him a storm of deep reep rose petals swirled, reforming his clothes into armor, taking away his hat and mask, unveiling a prince.
Buffy didn't know why she wanted to call him a prince, but her instincts told her he was one. Around her the other Slayerettes had fallen to their knees, unconciously swearing fealty without even being aware of doing so. She held to her feet stubbornly, though it went against all of her instincts.
"I am the one who created you," he said, his solemnly beautiful voice ringing through the clear night air, "and now it is my responsibility to unmake you," he said. Holding out his right hand, he pointed at her. "Come back to me, Guardian spirit. Return to thy Prince," he said firmly, crooking his index finger and gesturing.
Buffy wanted to scream. It felt like some fiber that had been woven into her soul was being wripped free, and it was beyond any pain she had ever imagined possible. With a slight shiver, she collapsed to the ground finally, watching as a glowing golden mist arose from her body to solidify into a small golden crystal, which floated over to the Prince's hand. He gave it a sad look, then waved a hand, and it was gone.
Buffy crouched on the ground, watching as the Prince made his way over to Sailor Moon. Reaching out a tender hand, he brushed Sailor Moon's pale blonde bangs back. "Wake up, Serenity," he said softly.
Her eyes fluttered a few times before opening all the way. "Endymion?" she asked, then sat up, grasping his hand eagerly.
Around her, her strange outfit turned into ribbons, giving Xander his best glimpse of feminine flesh he'd ever seen. The Ribbons danced tauntingly for a few seconds before resolving into a very pretty looking white gown that fell to her feet. Endymion helped her rise, then clutched her protectively before nodding once to Giles. "Tell the Watchers they are disbanded. Their time of service to the Crown has finally come to an end," he said.
Giles looked, then nodded. "Yes, Your Highness," he said, bowing on one knee.
Endymion glanced around once more, then a warm golden light engulfed the pair, and they were gone. Giles sat staring at the place where the couple had vanished from, unable to speak.
Willow, though, finally shook Xander's restraining arm off her own, and raced to her best friend. Buffy lay on the ground, staring up at the full moon. Her eyes were strangely blank, and Willow wondered what had been done to her.
"Buffy, are you ok?" she asked hesitantly.
The blonde girl lay still before finally whispering. "No, I'm not. I'll never be ok again."
"What's wrong?" Willow asked gently, picking up Buffy's tiny hand.
Buffy sat up slowly, as though she was trying to find her lost equilibrium. With tearfil eyes, she turned to face Willow, Xander and Cordelia, who had been silently listening. "I'm not the Slayer anymore."
END PART THREE
Feedback, ne?
Coming Next Time
Part Four: Loss
Buffy tries to cope with what has been done to her, while the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place for the rest of the Slayerette crew.
To Dance By Moonlight
standard disclaimers
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
AN: Again, rough draft till I get my spell-check back- should be within the week! This is dedicated to three people- my new imouto, SujaKino-yes-I-know-your-name-is-Kari, Sailor Opal, and Anon. Probably these three are my most reliable feedback artists.... Arigatou!
Quick Japanese Phrase Guide (not Really Nessessary, but it helps a little- Usagi will use these words to color her speech):
Machinasai : WAIT! Sailor Moon usually says this as she makes her appearence.
Nani: What
Hai: Yes
Part Three: Misunderstandings
"Machinasai!"
The graveyard went still, and then everyone, vampire and Slayerette alike, turned to see the newcomer.
An angel had descended to earth. That was the only thing Xander, usually not one of the world's most poetic people, could think. Sanding on top of a gravestone was a petite figure with long golden hair tied up in the most unusual buns- the Slayerettes had the feeling that it was familiar, but their minds drew a black when they tried to place it.
The girl had snowy white wings on her back and was wearing a skirt so short that it hardly deserved the name. Her outfit was bright and splashy, and the tall boots and long gloves should have served to make her look rediculous- but she didn't. She looked like salvation personified, and right now, they needed that.
"I am the beautiful sailor-suited soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! On behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!" the girl declared, striking some odd poses.
Cordelia was thoroughly not interested. Using the distraction that Sailor Moon had caused, she elbowed one of the vamps and stuck the cross on the other, causing his flesh to sizzle like a sausage. He howled in pain, and Cordelia squirmed free, racing to where Buffy was standing. "Ok, and I thought some of BUFFY'S lines were corny," Cordelia panted, grabbing a bottle of holy water that Buffy had dropped while fighting.
Buffy staked the vampire she was fighting and turned to yell at Sailor Moon. "Get out of here unless you want to be on a vampire's menu!" she said.
"No! I right wrongs and triumph over evil!" the girl said, then frowned. "That didn't come out right..." she said.
The vampire thugs were finally getting over their surprise. Three of them looked at Angelus for dirrection. He shrugged rather carefully. "Go ahead and eat her," he said after a moment of thought.
They didn't need to be told twice. All three lunged forward, almost stumbling over each other in their haste. The girl leapt upwards towards another gravestone, landing on top of it. After wobbling precariously for a second, she found a tentative balance. "That's not NICE!" she protested.
"Whoever said the bad guys were nice?" Angelus laughed at her. He swung his feet idly, looking like a child.
Sailor Moon shot him a glare, but was dstracted when the lackeys went after her again. Meanwhile the battle had resumed, and aside from shrinking the odds a little, nothing had changed.
"This is SO not fair!" Xander complained, trying to avoid a red-headed vampire who looked like Stan Kirsch.
"You're telling ME!" Willow said as she swung a cross at a forty-something female who had been a member of her synagogue until Angelus had gotten his fangs into her. "Everytime I swing one of these things, I'm promoting the Christian faith! I'm JEWISH!" she said.
"Fine," Cordelia said as she started splashing the holy water around. "How about you start throwing some Stars of David like shuriken and we'll see what happens? Just do it when I'm not around."
Willow muttered something that was quite impolite and would have made her parents' hair stand on its end if they would have heard it.
Buffy and Giles were standing back to back, cutting a swath through the enemies. She was fighting using her traditional stake, whiles Giles aimed his crossbow with deadly accuracy. "What is that girl doing?" Giles yelled, watching the oddly-dressed girl bounce around in a remarkable display of timed clumsiness. There were numerous times when the vamps should have caught her, but she always managed to tumble away just in time. It would have been almost comedic if the situation hadn't been so grim.
"Trying to get herself killed," Buffy responded as she pounded another vamp into dust.
"I am NOT!" the girl protested. "I just don't have any wands left! I broke my last one when I fought Galaxia!"
It made absolutely no sense to the Slayer. Unfortunately, that was just the time that Angelus decided that he was hungry.
The new thing was a blonde, and as he had stated before, Angelus had a fondness for blondes. After pausing less then a second for thought, he dropped off of his perch, hitting the ground wearing his game face. "It's supper time!" he said cheerfully.
"Forgive us if we don't watch you do the Snoopy dance!" Buffy snapped, trying to work her way towards Sailor Moon. The vampire henchmen would have none of that, and threw themselves at her with renewed ferver.
Sailor Moon stumbled backwards, trying to find her balance. Angelus smiled and advanced on her, and then the fighting shifted.
A rose struck between the two, and things stilled again after Cordelia staked the vampire who had been trying to feast on her. "Sailor Moon, call forth your tiara!"
"Nani?" the girl stuttered. "I don't wear it anymore!"
"Think of it!"the voice commanded, and then a dark figure plummeted to stand by the angelic girl's side.
"H-hai!" she stuttered, and then held out her hand. Concentrating intensely, she spun around on her toes, and above her hand, a small ring of golden light appeared. "Cool!" the girl exclaimed.
Buffy recognized magic when she saw it, and she had no clue whether this was going to help or hurt them. From what she had seen before, she was betting on hurt. No one EVERY came to the Hellmouth to help. She wasn't about to let the strange magic hurt her friends.
Buffy leapt to the top of the tombstone nearest to her, then leapt again, reaching for an overhanging treebranch. Her slender fingers getting a tight grip, she swung forwards and around, building up speed. Then with skill worth of an Olympic gymnast, she realeased at eaxtly the right moment, propelling herself at the blonde girl who was working magic.
Sailor Moon was just about to release her recovered tiara. "Moon Tiara-" she began to call, but stopped with an abrupt 'OMPH!' as someone deposited their feet in her stomach rather forcefully. "Aiiieeee!" Sailor Moon screamed as the Slayer landed on her, grabbing her by the Odango and slamming her forehead into marble angel that decorated one grave.
"Oh, no you don't!" Buffy snapped. "There's NO WAY I'm letting you get away with casting any spells!"
"OOMPH!" the girl exclaimed, trying to get her face out of the dirt.
"Buffy!" Giles yelled. "There's vampires to Slay!"
"Not for her," a grim voice said, and the sky seemed to go still. The man who had encouraged Sailor Moon to throw the rose stepped forward, and everyone saw that he was hearing a long cape lined with red satin. Underneath it he was wearing a formal outfit, complete with with gloves. Over his face he wore a white mask that covered his eyes.
The entire battle stalled yet again. This time, though, Angelus looked at the man in front of him, and his face shifted, becoming human in appearence again. "Come on," he said to the vampires who remained. "We're getting out of here," he continued, sounding thoroughly unsettled.
One second he was there, the next the ancient vampire was gone. The approximately twelve survivors of the thirty he had used to launch the original assault followed, but no one pursued. The battle wasn't going to be about vampires- it was going to be between the mysterious masked man and the Slayer.
"How dare you.... release her this instant," he said in a dangerously calm voice.
Buffy did so immediately, trying to tell herself that she was obeying because she would have to have both hands free to fight, not because he was telling her to. Sailor Moon lay on the ground, slightly dazed. Her pale was was smudged, and her white outfit was covered with dirt. Willow stepped towards her, but Xander grabbed her arm, holding her back, shaking his head negatively. Right now the only thing they should do was watch, his look told her.
"Who are you?" the Slayer demanded. "What do you want?"
The man glared at her, ignoring her question. "To think the line of Slayers has fallen to this," he said, his voice still even with suppressed rage. "Attacking one of those whom you are sworn to guard."
Buffy blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I keep demons and other magical disasters from getting free! That girl could have easily attacked one of my friends!"
The man gestured with an elegant hand. "Obviously the Slayer is not what she should be," he said. "How can ANYONE of pure heart attack the very avatar of love and justice herself? I suppose I have no choice but to rid the world of my mistake."
"Your MISTAKE?" Buffy said, not liking what he was saying. "What are you talking about?"
The man shook his head, denying her an answer. Shutting his eyes slightly, the raised his hands, and around him a storm of deep reep rose petals swirled, reforming his clothes into armor, taking away his hat and mask, unveiling a prince.
Buffy didn't know why she wanted to call him a prince, but her instincts told her he was one. Around her the other Slayerettes had fallen to their knees, unconciously swearing fealty without even being aware of doing so. She held to her feet stubbornly, though it went against all of her instincts.
"I am the one who created you," he said, his solemnly beautiful voice ringing through the clear night air, "and now it is my responsibility to unmake you," he said. Holding out his right hand, he pointed at her. "Come back to me, Guardian spirit. Return to thy Prince," he said firmly, crooking his index finger and gesturing.
Buffy wanted to scream. It felt like some fiber that had been woven into her soul was being wripped free, and it was beyond any pain she had ever imagined possible. With a slight shiver, she collapsed to the ground finally, watching as a glowing golden mist arose from her body to solidify into a small golden crystal, which floated over to the Prince's hand. He gave it a sad look, then waved a hand, and it was gone.
Buffy crouched on the ground, watching as the Prince made his way over to Sailor Moon. Reaching out a tender hand, he brushed Sailor Moon's pale blonde bangs back. "Wake up, Serenity," he said softly.
Her eyes fluttered a few times before opening all the way. "Endymion?" she asked, then sat up, grasping his hand eagerly.
Around her, her strange outfit turned into ribbons, giving Xander his best glimpse of feminine flesh he'd ever seen. The Ribbons danced tauntingly for a few seconds before resolving into a very pretty looking white gown that fell to her feet. Endymion helped her rise, then clutched her protectively before nodding once to Giles. "Tell the Watchers they are disbanded. Their time of service to the Crown has finally come to an end," he said.
Giles looked, then nodded. "Yes, Your Highness," he said, bowing on one knee.
Endymion glanced around once more, then a warm golden light engulfed the pair, and they were gone. Giles sat staring at the place where the couple had vanished from, unable to speak.
Willow, though, finally shook Xander's restraining arm off her own, and raced to her best friend. Buffy lay on the ground, staring up at the full moon. Her eyes were strangely blank, and Willow wondered what had been done to her.
"Buffy, are you ok?" she asked hesitantly.
The blonde girl lay still before finally whispering. "No, I'm not. I'll never be ok again."
"What's wrong?" Willow asked gently, picking up Buffy's tiny hand.
Buffy sat up slowly, as though she was trying to find her lost equilibrium. With tearfil eyes, she turned to face Willow, Xander and Cordelia, who had been silently listening. "I'm not the Slayer anymore."
END PART THREE
Feedback, ne?
Coming Next Time
Part Four: Loss
Buffy tries to cope with what has been done to her, while the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place for the rest of the Slayerette crew.