Going Home:
Back to the Hellmouth
Willow frowned as Taitsu-kun slowly decended the staircase in front of them, moving into the light. She tried not to harbor resentment to the person who had put her through the trial that almost killed her.
Everyone watched as finally the figure stopped, and looked up at them. "Welcome to my home."
Willow gaped there stood a man in a green and white robe, made of tweed no less. A large pink piece of cloth floated around him, forming circles around his arms and trailing behind him. He absentmindly swiped at it, making some comment about how "bloody irritating" it was. A strange crown was perched on his head, but it kept sliding to one side or another as he looked about. Willow slowly felt the giggles build up inside her, but it wasn't until she heard Hotohori start laughing that she finally let it out.
"GILES?"
"What?" The man looked up from the pink ribbon, which he had succeeded in getting tangled around his waist.
Nuriko looked from his emperor to his Miko, then back to the person who stood in front of him. "Ano...I thought you were Taitsu-kun."
"I am...um, Giles is just a name my friends use sometimes. Um...right." Giles turned to Hotohori, who had started to cry from the laughter. "Can I help you heika-sama?"
"I'm sorry, I just. For some odd reason I find you to be one of the funniest sites I've ever seen, and I can't figure out why...You're so...silly looking!" Hotohori suddenly stopped laughing as Giles smacked him in the back of the head.
Willow stared. "That's not like you. But then again neither is tricking me into killing myself." She felt the anger edge into her voice, but she couldn't help but feel betrayed.
"Well, that didn't exactly go as planned. Besides, I...well, have a part to follow and...oh, why don't I just explain it later?" The look of exasperation was the same one Willow had seen often, and it softened her anger slightly. He looked up sheepishly, "Come on, you're bleeding. Besides, if you think I look funny..."
***
Buffy tried to stop laughing as she looked at the illustration, but the stoic librarian dressed as a ancient Eastern diety was a little much for her.
***
"Really, it's a nice place here. If you aren't one of the "chosen" then you can't even see it. It's a wonderful technique, I'm trying to figure out how it works. I've got a few of the old woman's memories and skills that I can access. Of course...there's another perk." He swatted at the pink cloth again. "We'll get you all fixed up after that fight." He grinned mischeviously, "Oh, NYAN-NYAN!"
Suddenly, three or four bubbles floated into the room and burst. Small girls with blue pigtails and frilly pink dresses fell to the ground in front of Taitsu-Kun. Willow looked at them, unable to help the grin that spread across her face. They started chanted, "Heal, heal, fix, fix!" and ran to the Seishi. Then another bubble floated in reluctantly, if a bubble can be said to do so. It burst and a larger figure dropped out.
"Yes yes, healing, fixing. Quite right." The newest Nyan-Nyan stood, and Willow burst into giggles again, wincing at the pain it caused. The tallest healer stood, adjusting the pink suit he wore, and fixing his wire rimmed glasses.
"Westley, you've never looked so...pink."
"All in a day's work." He grimaced, and walked over to Nuriko as more Nyan-Nyan's arrived to attend to Willow. They dragged her to a corner, and started to swarm around her, still chanting. She could practically feel herself healing. She looked over, still smirking at Westley. He had seemed so pompous when he was reading the book to them. "Well," she said quietly, "He got his."
Westley moved from Seishi to Seishi, overseeing the healing process. He walked over to Nuriko, and looked him over. "I'll heal you myself I suppose."
"But, I'm not hurt." Nuriko looked around, puzzled. He was quite confused by the way the two strangers spoke and dressed.
"I can heal your perversion." Westley went to adjust his glasses again as Nuriko slammed a fist into his chin, sending him spinning through the ceiling of the building.
Giles just looked on with amusement.
***
Buffy just sat in the library, tears streaming down her face, her entire body taken over by silent laughter. She wasn't sure how more of this mental image she could take.
***
Giles walked over to Willow, who was grinning happily as the Nyan-Nyans left them alone. "I'm not sure if it's the wisest decision for you to go back."
Willow's smile faded. "Then what am I supposed to do? Stay here?"
"Well, I'm not sure. From what I've discovered, the Universe of the Four Gods that our friend Westley so brazenly read is indeed an incantation. It isn't an unknown phenomenon..."
"Morlock."
"Exactly. Only this incantation was meant to bring a young girl to Ancient China in order to summon an animal god. Apparently it has happened twice already, but I can't access much information."
"I thought Taitsu-kun was the creator. Shouldn't you be able even more knowledgable than before?" Willow frowned, rubbing the ache in her chest.
"Normaly. Indeed, if the incantation had worked properly, then I believe you would have been chosen to come to this world to summon Suzaku." Giles paused, and chose to leave out his premonition of the red light surrounding Willow.
"But it didn't work properly..."
"No, the Hellmouth's powers seemed to intensify the power of the book, and there's no way to tell how many people got pulled into the book. I've been able to follow you because apparently it was my role to test you as the miko. And I had to make sure you were really Willow. Look at Xander, he isn't really himself, but Xander is inside there somewhere. Joined with him somehow."
Willow looked over, Hotohori had an uncharacteristic grin on his face, and she recognized it instantly. She looked over at Tamahome, who watched with silent amusement as the Nyan Nyans repaired the tears in his clothing. "And Oz..."
"Is Tamahome, and Oz. For some reason, because of Taitsu-kun's power, we were not completely melded. I've still retained a sense of self, but she's an...interesting roommate. I can't get her to agree to help us."
Willow raised an eyebrow, "You talk to her?"
Giles stared for a second, unable to figure out what was so strange. "Oh, well, yes. Sort of. It's not really talking, it's just..."
"It's okay Giles, I'll take your word for it. So that still doesn't tell us what to do."
"Well, as far as I've discovered, you play out the end of the story and you get to go home."
"So I need to gather the seishi?" Willow sighed, "Wouldn't it be a good idea for me to go back and see if I can find more information there? Buffy is the only one left it seems..."
"Buffy stayed?" Giles took off his glasses and pinched his nose. "I had simply assumed she was here somewhere."
"No, she was but then she dissapeared. She made it back somehow." Willow rubbed her wound again. "I think I should go back."
Giles put his glasses back on, "Well, Taitsu-kun agrees with you. And I believe I do to. You and Buffy should be able to find out something, and if you have the book, then you can come back."
Willow nodded and followed Giles back to the center of the large room. He instructed the seishi to sit in a trianglular formation with Willow in the center. "Focus you chi, and try empty your mind. Reach a meditative state."
He turned to Willow, "She says you're connected with the other world somehow, something identical with someone there."
Willow thought, trying to picture what he may be talking about, then suddenly, she got a mental image of Buffy in the library. She was wearing a simple tank top, but tied around her waist was the standard issue Sunnydale High gym sweatshirt. The same sweatshirt Willow was wearing at that moment.
***
Buffy looked down at the old sweatshirt around her waist. She had tied it there for convience, it made a hand rag for dusting off the cartons when they were moving books. She had never imagined it being so important.
"Hey, Wills! Good thing Sunnydale High has such practical fashion sense!"
***
Willow smiled as Buffy's words reached her ears, and the connection between the two worlds closed. "And the flattering maroon color is so you!" She smiled, closing her eyes and concentrating on home.
Slowly, she felt the warmth spreading through the room again, she opened her eyes and saw the red fog enveloping her again, and heard the same cry. This time, she saw Suzaku fly before her as she felt pulled from Konan. She smiled at Giles as he faded from view, promising in her mind to come back and help everbody find there way out of this mess. She was more aware of her surroundings, watching as a starfield swirled around her. A blue streak flashed past and then suddenly she was in the library again, sitting on top of the Universe of the Four Gods.
She stood quickly, dusting herself off. "Buffy!" She grinned, "It's time to research! Buffy?"
"You know, you shouldn't yell in a library." Cordelia's voice drifted in from the doorway.
"Hey, Cordy! Wow, I wonder how that happened. Have you seen Buffy? We need to find her!" Willow's eyes flashed with determination and purpose as she started to explain everything to Cordelia.
Notes for Chapter Seven:
"Ano..." is a way of say "But..." or "Um..."
And well, if you do like Westley, apologies for that one to, but come on, it's funny!
Many thanks to Anne-Marie for providing the pictures that we're using for this chapter! She was a real life saver!
Coming soon:
Willow searches in vain for Buffy as Cordelia tries to convince her to give up this foolish notion of the Universe of the Four Gods. Willow tries, but her promise to Giles and her feelings for Oz keep getting in the way.
Chapter Eight:
Breif Parting
Go back:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
The Introduction