Chapter Five: Bridges
Or Crack the Rock, Grasshopper
_ _ _ _ _
"So he was dressed like a priest huh? Freaky," Xander said as he and Buffy walked down the
street that led to Jason's warehouse. They were both dressed casually. Buffy nodded.
"Talked real calm-like too. His eyes were real empty looking. He kind of reminded me of that
priest in the Exorcist," Buffy said. She looked up and down the street.
"Except the one in the Exorcist didn't shoot people in the chest with shotguns," Xander said.
Buffy shrugged.
"He was creepy looking. I don't think he was all there," Buffy said. They both turned down the
alley that led to the entrance of the warehouse.
"What vampire is all there Buff?" Xander asked lightly. Buffy shook her head as she opened the
door and walked inside. Xander followed her, a playful grin on his face.
"Okay, so that was stating the obvious," she said. They both took a look around the building.
Chelle was sitting at the desk, dressed in her black wedding gown. She was hunched over the laptop
computer, a look of concentration on her face, her fingers rapidly manipulating the mouse pad and
keyboard. Of Jason there was no sign.
Chelle didn't look up as Buffy and Xander walked across the building, toward the desk. She didn't
even look up when both of them walked up behind her. Buffy and Xander looked at each other, and
Xander gave a little shrug. He leaned over Chelle's shoulder, looking at the computer screen.
"Oh, you're playing Starcraft," Xander said. Chelle jumped out of the chair and whirled around,
pointing a finger at Xander. Xander stepped back as she stood rapidly, and opened his mouth to say
something when he suddenly went flying through the air. He hit the bed and went rolling backwards over it,
landing face-first on the floor.
"Xander!" Buffy yelled. Chelle winced, and stood there with a sheepish grin on her face.
"Uhm, sorry about that. You surprised me," Chelle said. Xander stood up, rubbing his face softly.
"You usually send people flying across the room when they surprise you? Because if you do, I am
off your surprise birthday party committee," Xander said, rubbing his nose. Chelle blushed.
"Sorry," she said. "I tend to get rather focused when I'm playing games. You okay?" Xander
nodded. Buffy shook her head and turned to Chelle.
"Where's Jason?" she asked. Chelle pointed upwards.
"Last time I saw him was last night. He said he was going to sleep on the roof. Probably still up
there," she said. Buffy blinked.
"The roof?" she asked in surprise. Chelle grinned.
"He's a strange guy," she said.
"Well, how do I get up there?" Buffy asked. Chelle pointed toward a door near the back.
"There is a fire escape right outside that door," Chelle said. Buffy nodded, and turned toward the
door, walking outside. Xander and Chelle watched her go. Chelle then turned to Xander and walked over
to him.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked. He nodded.
"I'm used to having my face… and my pride… bruised," he said, then took a seat on the bed.
Chelle sighed, and sat down at the desk again. She reached over to the laptop and resumed her game.
Xander watched her for a moment, twiddling his thumbs.
"So, you've never told us your story," Xander said finally. Chelle shrugged, not looking up from
the computer.
"Not much to tell," Chelle said. "I'm a mage, I enjoy dressing like a Goth Queen, I hang out with
a bunch of other mages in San Francisco with similar tastes. Boring life, really." Xander laughed.
"I don't buy that. You can bend reality, according to Willow. That has to get interesting at times,"
Xander said. Chelle sighed and turned off the computer, turning around to look at Xander.
"Yeah, it does get interesting. It gets real dangerous too. I've seen friends die, and I've killed to
save my own life. I suppose though, there have been some bright moments along the way," Chelle said, her
tone serious.
"Like what?" Xander asked, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin in his hands.
"The first time I used my magick to fly," she said softly, a distant look in her eyes. Xander
blinked.
"You can fly?" he asked in wonder. Chelle nodded.
"Yes, just not very well. I've only done it the one time, and it turned out to be a big mistake," she
said, a hint of a laugh in her voice. "Still, it was fun for the first five minutes." Xander goggled at her for a
few minutes, then shook his head. Chelle giggled and stood up, walking over to the fridge. She pulled a
bottle of water out and walked back to the desk, sitting down again.
"So what's the deal with you and Jason?" Xander blurted out. Chelle blinked, the bottle of water
halfway to her mouth.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Xander coughed once, as if clearing his throat.
"Are you two….?" He trailed off. Chelle looked at him silently for a few moments, then burst out
in laughter.
"Me? And Jason? You have got to be kidding," she said, still laughing. "He and I are just friends."
"Then why do you sleep in his bed?" Xander asked in confusion. Chelle just smiled, her laughing
trailing off.
"Jason sleeps in the back seat of his car most nights," she said. "And yes, sometimes we sleep in
the bed together, but there is no sex involved."
"Why do he sleep in the back seat of his car?" Xander asked. Chelle shrugged.
"I gave up trying to figure that out when I first met him seven years ago," she said.
_ _ _ _ _
Buffy climbed up the fire escape and stepped on to the roof. She stopped to brush some rust off
her pants, then looked around. The morning sun was bright as it shone down on the relatively flat roof. She
spotted a lump lying near the center of the roof that she guessed was Jason.
She headed over to him, looking him over when she got there. He was obviously asleep, his head
resting on a pillow. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and black sweat pants, with no shoes or socks. There
was a half-empty bottle of vodka resting next to his head, as well as an empty pack of cigarettes and his
silver-plated Zippo.
"Wake up sleepy head," Buffy said, nudging him with her toe. Jason shot up into a sitting position,
a sleep-addled and confused look on his face, and pulled a handgun from under his pillow quickly, pointing
it at Buffy. She shrieked and kicked the gun out of his hand out of instinct. The gun went skidding across
the roof.
"OW! You broke my wrist!" Jason screamed, cradling his shattered wrist against his chest.
"You pointed a gun at me!" Buffy screamed back. Jason blinked, then winced, a slight blush
creeping into his face.
"Oh. Sorry about that. You surprised me," he said sheepishly. Buffy looked at him for a moment,
then started laughing. Jason shook his head, then gestured to the section of roof next to him.
"Have a seat Buffy," he said. She sat down next to him, cross-legged. He picked up the cigarette
pack and shook it, frowning when he noticed it was empty.
"You don't need those any ways. They'll kill you," Buffy said.
"No they won't," Jason said grumpily. Buffy nodded, her smiled fading.
"Oh yeah. Still getting used to that," she said quietly. She looked off into the distance quietly.
Jason sat there silently as well, rubbing his temples.
"Headache?" Buffy asked. Jason nodded.
"Hung over," he said. Buffy raised an eyebrow. Jason sat up straight, then picked up the vodka
bottle and threw it, sending it sailing over the edge of the roof. There was a sound of shattering glass a few
moments later.
"How's your wrist?" Buffy asked. Jason held it up. There was no sign of the injury.
"Must be nice to heal that quickly," Buffy commented. Jason shrugged.
"It can be useful. Don't really think how I got it was worth it," Jason said, staring off into the
distance. Buffy watched him silently, hey eyes moving over the suddenly dark and brooding look on his
face.
"You didn't like telling that story last night, did you?" She asked. Jason laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, I like dredging up the memory of watching my parents and sister ritually disemboweled,"
he said in a sharp tone. "You know, my uncle wouldn't even let them pass out. He used his magic to keep
them awake until they died. Took about half-an-hour for each of them." Buffy winced, then reached out
and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly, then relaxed.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Jason shook his head, then turned and gave her a small smile.
"It's not your fault Buffy. You weren't responsible for what happened, and you had a right to
know the whole story," he said quietly. He stood up, and dusted himself off.
"Last night showed that Callista is getting nervous for some reason. So you and I are going to
step-up the training. Let's head inside," Jason said. He held his hand out to Buffy. She took it, and he
helped her to her feet. Jason winked at her and walked over to the fire escape, and climbed down. Buffy
stood there for a moment, watching him.
"Strange guy," she said, the walked over to the fire escape and climbed down it.
_ _ _ _ _
Willow stared into her mirror, slowly running a brush through her hair. She finished, setting the
brush down and looked down to adjust the sundress she was wearing. Oz was taking her to an early lunch,
before he headed south to LA for a gig that weekend. She smiled, looking forward to her day.
She turned, looking for the hat she planned to wear, she picked the hat up off her bed, then turned
back to the mirror. She looked at her reflection, and gave a little shriek, dropping the hat. She looked at her
refection in the mirror, and there was something wrong.
It was definitely her reflection, but instead of being dressed in the dress she was wearing, her
reflection was dressed in the same white robe she had been wearing in the dream she had had the night
before. Her reflection's face seemed to be a few years older than it should have been, and had one hand
raised, pointing directly at Willow.
"Time is getting short. You have to wake up," the reflection mouthed silently. Willow stared at the
mirror in horrid fascination. She reached out slowly, to touch the surface of the mirror. She stared her
reflection in the eye, in wonder. He fingers finally touched the glass, and the mirror rippled as if she had
touched the surface of a pond. Willow shrieked and jumped back, falling onto her bed as the back of her
knees hit it.
Willow quickly scrambled to her feet, moving back over to the mirror. The reflection that came
back was as it should have been. Willow blinked, and touched the mirror again. It was solid.
"Okay. I know I'm not crazy. This is the Hellmouth. These things happen," she babbled to herself.
"When Oz gets here, I'll tell him about it, and we'll go see Buffy and the others. Yes, that's what we'll do."
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was suddenly cold.
At that moment, she heard a horn honk. She looked out the window and saw Oz's van sitting out
on the street. Willow smiled in relief and almost ran out of her room and down the stairs. She ran out the
front door, shouting a goodbye to her mother. She smiled and slowed down, walking toward the van. She
saw Oz sitting in the driver's seat. She waved at him, but he didn't even turn to look at her. She frowned,
and stopped.
"Oz? You all right?" she asked worriedly. Oz stiffened, and seemed to be shaking. He suddenly
turned his head to look at her.
"WILLOW! RUN!" Oz screamed at the top of his voice. Willow stepped back in surprise. At that
moment, the side door of the van opened, and a large, bone-encrusted claw reached out and grabbed
Willow by the front of her dress, dragging her inside the van before she could react.
Willow screamed as she was thrown against the far wall of the van. Standing over he was one of
the szlachta ghouls Buffy had fought the night before. Crouching behind Oz, pressing a silver dagger
against his back, was the priest vampire, Father Paul.
"Hello my child," Father Paul said serenely. "My mistress wishes to speak with you." He turned
his attention to Oz. "Drive boy, or my pet will rape your girl, then eat her." His voice remained calm and
serene.
Willow screamed as Oz set the van in drive. If anyone had been able to look at him, they would
have seen a tear run down Oz's face.
_ _ _ _ _
"All right," Jason said as he set a small wooden box on the mat between him and Buffy. "You
have gotten pretty good at accessing your Chi. Now you get to learn how to use it."
"I can't wait," Buffy said, before looking around. Xander and Chelle were leaning against the
mirrored wall, watching in interest. Buffy smiled at them, then turned back to Jason. He took a deep
breath, then started speaking.
"The Shih teach nine different paths of various ways to use Chi in combat or other situations,"
Jason began. "They are called Qiaos, which literally means Bridges. I have studied five of these paths over
the years, but have only managed to completely master two of those five. Needless they to say, they are
very difficult to master. They are, however, very, very powerful when you can use them correctly."
Jason reached forward and opened the wooden box. It was filed with thin strips of blank, white
parchment. Buffy looked on in interest.
"The first Qiao I am going to try and teach you is the Qiao of the I Shen, or Bridge of the Celestial
Gods," Jason went on. "It allows you to give your spiritual beliefs a physical form, which you can use as a
weapon against evil creatures. Observe."
With that, Jason lifted a parchment slip from the box and held it vertically between two fingers.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The parchment slip started glowing softly, and
a sting of Japanese writing slowly appeared on the paper in bright red.
"Oh cool," Xander said in wonder. Chelle just rolled her eyes. Buffy watched in interest.
"You used one of those on Callista the night we met you," Buffy said. Jason nodded, and set the
slip to the side.
"Yes, I know how to create two types of these, the Celestial Punishment, which causes pain to evil
creatures and some minor damage, and the Divine Bindings, which will trap a creature in a series of straps
and bindings, causing pain as well. The one I used against Callista was of the first type," Jason said.
"I can see how these things could be useful," Buffy said. Jason nodded. He gestured to the box of
paper.
"Take one," he said. Buffy nodded, and picked up one of the paper slips up, holding it much like
Jason had. Jason smiled.
"Alright, close your eyes and listen to my voice," Jason said. Buffy closed her eyes and Jason
went on. "Focus on your Chi, and bring it to the surface. Force some of your Chi into the arm holding the
parchment. No think of something that symbolizes good, something that evil will hide from. Try to shape
your Chi into that symbol."
Buffy's jaw tightened as she concentrated. The parchment started to glow slightly, not at brightly
as the one Jason had made, but still noticeable. She took a deep breath and exhaled, the glow brightening
slightly. Everyone watched as a shape began forming on the slip, in black. It came clear, a familiar looking
drawing, a wing motif.
Buffy opened her eyes and looked at the parchment. She didn't move, but the parchment slipped
from her fingers. Jason blinked.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked in confusion. "You did well." Buffy sighed.
"Someone rather close to me has that drawing tattooed on his back. It just surprised me, that's all,"
Buffy said quietly. Jason raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
At that moment, the door slammed open and Giles ran inside. He had a frantic look on his face, he
looked around and ran over to the training area.
"Giles, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, standing up quickly. Giles stopped in front of her, and took
a deep breath.
"I just got a phone call, f-from Callista. She has W-w-willow," Giles stammered out. Buffy stared
at Giles, a look of horror on her face. Xander stood still, then slid down the wall, sitting down on the
ground, hard.
"Fuck," Jason said quietly.
End of Chapter Five
Or Crack the Rock, Grasshopper
_ _ _ _ _
"So he was dressed like a priest huh? Freaky," Xander said as he and Buffy walked down the
street that led to Jason's warehouse. They were both dressed casually. Buffy nodded.
"Talked real calm-like too. His eyes were real empty looking. He kind of reminded me of that
priest in the Exorcist," Buffy said. She looked up and down the street.
"Except the one in the Exorcist didn't shoot people in the chest with shotguns," Xander said.
Buffy shrugged.
"He was creepy looking. I don't think he was all there," Buffy said. They both turned down the
alley that led to the entrance of the warehouse.
"What vampire is all there Buff?" Xander asked lightly. Buffy shook her head as she opened the
door and walked inside. Xander followed her, a playful grin on his face.
"Okay, so that was stating the obvious," she said. They both took a look around the building.
Chelle was sitting at the desk, dressed in her black wedding gown. She was hunched over the laptop
computer, a look of concentration on her face, her fingers rapidly manipulating the mouse pad and
keyboard. Of Jason there was no sign.
Chelle didn't look up as Buffy and Xander walked across the building, toward the desk. She didn't
even look up when both of them walked up behind her. Buffy and Xander looked at each other, and
Xander gave a little shrug. He leaned over Chelle's shoulder, looking at the computer screen.
"Oh, you're playing Starcraft," Xander said. Chelle jumped out of the chair and whirled around,
pointing a finger at Xander. Xander stepped back as she stood rapidly, and opened his mouth to say
something when he suddenly went flying through the air. He hit the bed and went rolling backwards over it,
landing face-first on the floor.
"Xander!" Buffy yelled. Chelle winced, and stood there with a sheepish grin on her face.
"Uhm, sorry about that. You surprised me," Chelle said. Xander stood up, rubbing his face softly.
"You usually send people flying across the room when they surprise you? Because if you do, I am
off your surprise birthday party committee," Xander said, rubbing his nose. Chelle blushed.
"Sorry," she said. "I tend to get rather focused when I'm playing games. You okay?" Xander
nodded. Buffy shook her head and turned to Chelle.
"Where's Jason?" she asked. Chelle pointed upwards.
"Last time I saw him was last night. He said he was going to sleep on the roof. Probably still up
there," she said. Buffy blinked.
"The roof?" she asked in surprise. Chelle grinned.
"He's a strange guy," she said.
"Well, how do I get up there?" Buffy asked. Chelle pointed toward a door near the back.
"There is a fire escape right outside that door," Chelle said. Buffy nodded, and turned toward the
door, walking outside. Xander and Chelle watched her go. Chelle then turned to Xander and walked over
to him.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked. He nodded.
"I'm used to having my face… and my pride… bruised," he said, then took a seat on the bed.
Chelle sighed, and sat down at the desk again. She reached over to the laptop and resumed her game.
Xander watched her for a moment, twiddling his thumbs.
"So, you've never told us your story," Xander said finally. Chelle shrugged, not looking up from
the computer.
"Not much to tell," Chelle said. "I'm a mage, I enjoy dressing like a Goth Queen, I hang out with
a bunch of other mages in San Francisco with similar tastes. Boring life, really." Xander laughed.
"I don't buy that. You can bend reality, according to Willow. That has to get interesting at times,"
Xander said. Chelle sighed and turned off the computer, turning around to look at Xander.
"Yeah, it does get interesting. It gets real dangerous too. I've seen friends die, and I've killed to
save my own life. I suppose though, there have been some bright moments along the way," Chelle said, her
tone serious.
"Like what?" Xander asked, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin in his hands.
"The first time I used my magick to fly," she said softly, a distant look in her eyes. Xander
blinked.
"You can fly?" he asked in wonder. Chelle nodded.
"Yes, just not very well. I've only done it the one time, and it turned out to be a big mistake," she
said, a hint of a laugh in her voice. "Still, it was fun for the first five minutes." Xander goggled at her for a
few minutes, then shook his head. Chelle giggled and stood up, walking over to the fridge. She pulled a
bottle of water out and walked back to the desk, sitting down again.
"So what's the deal with you and Jason?" Xander blurted out. Chelle blinked, the bottle of water
halfway to her mouth.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Xander coughed once, as if clearing his throat.
"Are you two….?" He trailed off. Chelle looked at him silently for a few moments, then burst out
in laughter.
"Me? And Jason? You have got to be kidding," she said, still laughing. "He and I are just friends."
"Then why do you sleep in his bed?" Xander asked in confusion. Chelle just smiled, her laughing
trailing off.
"Jason sleeps in the back seat of his car most nights," she said. "And yes, sometimes we sleep in
the bed together, but there is no sex involved."
"Why do he sleep in the back seat of his car?" Xander asked. Chelle shrugged.
"I gave up trying to figure that out when I first met him seven years ago," she said.
_ _ _ _ _
Buffy climbed up the fire escape and stepped on to the roof. She stopped to brush some rust off
her pants, then looked around. The morning sun was bright as it shone down on the relatively flat roof. She
spotted a lump lying near the center of the roof that she guessed was Jason.
She headed over to him, looking him over when she got there. He was obviously asleep, his head
resting on a pillow. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and black sweat pants, with no shoes or socks. There
was a half-empty bottle of vodka resting next to his head, as well as an empty pack of cigarettes and his
silver-plated Zippo.
"Wake up sleepy head," Buffy said, nudging him with her toe. Jason shot up into a sitting position,
a sleep-addled and confused look on his face, and pulled a handgun from under his pillow quickly, pointing
it at Buffy. She shrieked and kicked the gun out of his hand out of instinct. The gun went skidding across
the roof.
"OW! You broke my wrist!" Jason screamed, cradling his shattered wrist against his chest.
"You pointed a gun at me!" Buffy screamed back. Jason blinked, then winced, a slight blush
creeping into his face.
"Oh. Sorry about that. You surprised me," he said sheepishly. Buffy looked at him for a moment,
then started laughing. Jason shook his head, then gestured to the section of roof next to him.
"Have a seat Buffy," he said. She sat down next to him, cross-legged. He picked up the cigarette
pack and shook it, frowning when he noticed it was empty.
"You don't need those any ways. They'll kill you," Buffy said.
"No they won't," Jason said grumpily. Buffy nodded, her smiled fading.
"Oh yeah. Still getting used to that," she said quietly. She looked off into the distance quietly.
Jason sat there silently as well, rubbing his temples.
"Headache?" Buffy asked. Jason nodded.
"Hung over," he said. Buffy raised an eyebrow. Jason sat up straight, then picked up the vodka
bottle and threw it, sending it sailing over the edge of the roof. There was a sound of shattering glass a few
moments later.
"How's your wrist?" Buffy asked. Jason held it up. There was no sign of the injury.
"Must be nice to heal that quickly," Buffy commented. Jason shrugged.
"It can be useful. Don't really think how I got it was worth it," Jason said, staring off into the
distance. Buffy watched him silently, hey eyes moving over the suddenly dark and brooding look on his
face.
"You didn't like telling that story last night, did you?" She asked. Jason laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, I like dredging up the memory of watching my parents and sister ritually disemboweled,"
he said in a sharp tone. "You know, my uncle wouldn't even let them pass out. He used his magic to keep
them awake until they died. Took about half-an-hour for each of them." Buffy winced, then reached out
and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly, then relaxed.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Jason shook his head, then turned and gave her a small smile.
"It's not your fault Buffy. You weren't responsible for what happened, and you had a right to
know the whole story," he said quietly. He stood up, and dusted himself off.
"Last night showed that Callista is getting nervous for some reason. So you and I are going to
step-up the training. Let's head inside," Jason said. He held his hand out to Buffy. She took it, and he
helped her to her feet. Jason winked at her and walked over to the fire escape, and climbed down. Buffy
stood there for a moment, watching him.
"Strange guy," she said, the walked over to the fire escape and climbed down it.
_ _ _ _ _
Willow stared into her mirror, slowly running a brush through her hair. She finished, setting the
brush down and looked down to adjust the sundress she was wearing. Oz was taking her to an early lunch,
before he headed south to LA for a gig that weekend. She smiled, looking forward to her day.
She turned, looking for the hat she planned to wear, she picked the hat up off her bed, then turned
back to the mirror. She looked at her reflection, and gave a little shriek, dropping the hat. She looked at her
refection in the mirror, and there was something wrong.
It was definitely her reflection, but instead of being dressed in the dress she was wearing, her
reflection was dressed in the same white robe she had been wearing in the dream she had had the night
before. Her reflection's face seemed to be a few years older than it should have been, and had one hand
raised, pointing directly at Willow.
"Time is getting short. You have to wake up," the reflection mouthed silently. Willow stared at the
mirror in horrid fascination. She reached out slowly, to touch the surface of the mirror. She stared her
reflection in the eye, in wonder. He fingers finally touched the glass, and the mirror rippled as if she had
touched the surface of a pond. Willow shrieked and jumped back, falling onto her bed as the back of her
knees hit it.
Willow quickly scrambled to her feet, moving back over to the mirror. The reflection that came
back was as it should have been. Willow blinked, and touched the mirror again. It was solid.
"Okay. I know I'm not crazy. This is the Hellmouth. These things happen," she babbled to herself.
"When Oz gets here, I'll tell him about it, and we'll go see Buffy and the others. Yes, that's what we'll do."
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was suddenly cold.
At that moment, she heard a horn honk. She looked out the window and saw Oz's van sitting out
on the street. Willow smiled in relief and almost ran out of her room and down the stairs. She ran out the
front door, shouting a goodbye to her mother. She smiled and slowed down, walking toward the van. She
saw Oz sitting in the driver's seat. She waved at him, but he didn't even turn to look at her. She frowned,
and stopped.
"Oz? You all right?" she asked worriedly. Oz stiffened, and seemed to be shaking. He suddenly
turned his head to look at her.
"WILLOW! RUN!" Oz screamed at the top of his voice. Willow stepped back in surprise. At that
moment, the side door of the van opened, and a large, bone-encrusted claw reached out and grabbed
Willow by the front of her dress, dragging her inside the van before she could react.
Willow screamed as she was thrown against the far wall of the van. Standing over he was one of
the szlachta ghouls Buffy had fought the night before. Crouching behind Oz, pressing a silver dagger
against his back, was the priest vampire, Father Paul.
"Hello my child," Father Paul said serenely. "My mistress wishes to speak with you." He turned
his attention to Oz. "Drive boy, or my pet will rape your girl, then eat her." His voice remained calm and
serene.
Willow screamed as Oz set the van in drive. If anyone had been able to look at him, they would
have seen a tear run down Oz's face.
_ _ _ _ _
"All right," Jason said as he set a small wooden box on the mat between him and Buffy. "You
have gotten pretty good at accessing your Chi. Now you get to learn how to use it."
"I can't wait," Buffy said, before looking around. Xander and Chelle were leaning against the
mirrored wall, watching in interest. Buffy smiled at them, then turned back to Jason. He took a deep
breath, then started speaking.
"The Shih teach nine different paths of various ways to use Chi in combat or other situations,"
Jason began. "They are called Qiaos, which literally means Bridges. I have studied five of these paths over
the years, but have only managed to completely master two of those five. Needless they to say, they are
very difficult to master. They are, however, very, very powerful when you can use them correctly."
Jason reached forward and opened the wooden box. It was filed with thin strips of blank, white
parchment. Buffy looked on in interest.
"The first Qiao I am going to try and teach you is the Qiao of the I Shen, or Bridge of the Celestial
Gods," Jason went on. "It allows you to give your spiritual beliefs a physical form, which you can use as a
weapon against evil creatures. Observe."
With that, Jason lifted a parchment slip from the box and held it vertically between two fingers.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The parchment slip started glowing softly, and
a sting of Japanese writing slowly appeared on the paper in bright red.
"Oh cool," Xander said in wonder. Chelle just rolled her eyes. Buffy watched in interest.
"You used one of those on Callista the night we met you," Buffy said. Jason nodded, and set the
slip to the side.
"Yes, I know how to create two types of these, the Celestial Punishment, which causes pain to evil
creatures and some minor damage, and the Divine Bindings, which will trap a creature in a series of straps
and bindings, causing pain as well. The one I used against Callista was of the first type," Jason said.
"I can see how these things could be useful," Buffy said. Jason nodded. He gestured to the box of
paper.
"Take one," he said. Buffy nodded, and picked up one of the paper slips up, holding it much like
Jason had. Jason smiled.
"Alright, close your eyes and listen to my voice," Jason said. Buffy closed her eyes and Jason
went on. "Focus on your Chi, and bring it to the surface. Force some of your Chi into the arm holding the
parchment. No think of something that symbolizes good, something that evil will hide from. Try to shape
your Chi into that symbol."
Buffy's jaw tightened as she concentrated. The parchment started to glow slightly, not at brightly
as the one Jason had made, but still noticeable. She took a deep breath and exhaled, the glow brightening
slightly. Everyone watched as a shape began forming on the slip, in black. It came clear, a familiar looking
drawing, a wing motif.
Buffy opened her eyes and looked at the parchment. She didn't move, but the parchment slipped
from her fingers. Jason blinked.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked in confusion. "You did well." Buffy sighed.
"Someone rather close to me has that drawing tattooed on his back. It just surprised me, that's all,"
Buffy said quietly. Jason raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
At that moment, the door slammed open and Giles ran inside. He had a frantic look on his face, he
looked around and ran over to the training area.
"Giles, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, standing up quickly. Giles stopped in front of her, and took
a deep breath.
"I just got a phone call, f-from Callista. She has W-w-willow," Giles stammered out. Buffy stared
at Giles, a look of horror on her face. Xander stood still, then slid down the wall, sitting down on the
ground, hard.
"Fuck," Jason said quietly.
End of Chapter Five
