Chapter 2: Winds
((A Note: Thanks to all of you for the reviews, they really made my day :- ) ))
The next few nights had moved by in a kind of blur; training in the morning, work all day, training in the evening, work all night, and all the time, always waiting.
Buffy's head was starting to pound; she rubbed her eyes with her palms, trying to find some center of calm. It would figure, that as soon as she decided to hunt this thing, it would run off into hiding, biding its time knowing they would go lax. As all humans do, eventually.
It didn't help matters that she knew she was doing just that, going lax. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night's sparring match with Spike. How they moved together, the look he got in those cobalt eyes when he thought he had gained advantage, the look he got when he knew he hadn't. She couldn't help smiling for a moment. *God why do I let him get to me. Even now, after everything. Still, he gets to me.* She thought to herself. *Because I let him.*
"Damn it!" She huffed out, searching the kitchen for the Tylenol she knew she had, but for some reason had gone into hiding as well. "Dawn! Did you take the rest of the Aspirin?" She called up to her sister, but only got a muffled response. She started up the stairs, calling Dawn again, when she ran smack into Andrew, sending him onto the floor. "Andrew, what, what are you doing? I thought I told you to stay downstairs?" She placed her hands on her hips in annoyance.
"Uh, I, I was. . ." Coughing nervously, he lifted up his hand, the AWOL Tylenol in his palm.
"Oh, uh, thanks." A look of utter confusion on her face, as she took the bottle from his hand, and headed back down the stairs, glancing back, and thinking for a moment that Andrew had been coming from Dawnie's room. She just shook it off, *weird.*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------
Buffy was standing on the edge of a precipice, the dark colors of night swirling around her, mingling with the wind, pulling her hair in all directions. The crashing of waves pulled her gaze downward, past the flowing white cotton dress that was draped around her, her bare feet moving ever so slightly, pushing bits of dirt over the edge, into the dark fathoms below. The temperature of the air around her warmed ever so slightly making her feel as if she had been enveloped in loving arms. She crossed her arms holding herself close, her tired eyes closing, and listening to the sounds of the wind.
That's when the voices began, like a thousand tiny pinpricks all over her skin, making her flesh quiver at the touch. Slowly, at first, the noises licked at her causing an unconscious shudder to flow through her body. Moaning softly, her head tilted backward, the wind plying at her, fingering the skin of her neck, making her gasp. A hot bit of breath reached her ears, "It will consume you."
In a cacophony the voices rose, unintelligible mostly, but always with the same feeling of dread, of impending doom. The air grew hotter as the earlier winds turned into maelstroms, her body being assaulted from every direction. She grasped at her head, the pounding inside unbearable as the wind and the voices battered her from all sides like a doll.
Then again soft as the whisper of her once lover, "It will consume you, all of you, and then. . ."
Nothing.
The world around Buffy exploded violently.
"NO!"
-----------
Buffy shut up from the kitchen counter, her body shaking in fright. Somewhere in the distance, no, no just by her side, could be heard the sound of Willow's voice, "Buffy? Buffy wake up, you're having a nightmare." The redhead looked at her friend, her hand resting on her shoulder, concern flooding her eyes.
Buffy just looked at her comprehension setting in,
"What the. . ."
((A Note: Thanks to all of you for the reviews, they really made my day :- ) ))
The next few nights had moved by in a kind of blur; training in the morning, work all day, training in the evening, work all night, and all the time, always waiting.
Buffy's head was starting to pound; she rubbed her eyes with her palms, trying to find some center of calm. It would figure, that as soon as she decided to hunt this thing, it would run off into hiding, biding its time knowing they would go lax. As all humans do, eventually.
It didn't help matters that she knew she was doing just that, going lax. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night's sparring match with Spike. How they moved together, the look he got in those cobalt eyes when he thought he had gained advantage, the look he got when he knew he hadn't. She couldn't help smiling for a moment. *God why do I let him get to me. Even now, after everything. Still, he gets to me.* She thought to herself. *Because I let him.*
"Damn it!" She huffed out, searching the kitchen for the Tylenol she knew she had, but for some reason had gone into hiding as well. "Dawn! Did you take the rest of the Aspirin?" She called up to her sister, but only got a muffled response. She started up the stairs, calling Dawn again, when she ran smack into Andrew, sending him onto the floor. "Andrew, what, what are you doing? I thought I told you to stay downstairs?" She placed her hands on her hips in annoyance.
"Uh, I, I was. . ." Coughing nervously, he lifted up his hand, the AWOL Tylenol in his palm.
"Oh, uh, thanks." A look of utter confusion on her face, as she took the bottle from his hand, and headed back down the stairs, glancing back, and thinking for a moment that Andrew had been coming from Dawnie's room. She just shook it off, *weird.*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------
Buffy was standing on the edge of a precipice, the dark colors of night swirling around her, mingling with the wind, pulling her hair in all directions. The crashing of waves pulled her gaze downward, past the flowing white cotton dress that was draped around her, her bare feet moving ever so slightly, pushing bits of dirt over the edge, into the dark fathoms below. The temperature of the air around her warmed ever so slightly making her feel as if she had been enveloped in loving arms. She crossed her arms holding herself close, her tired eyes closing, and listening to the sounds of the wind.
That's when the voices began, like a thousand tiny pinpricks all over her skin, making her flesh quiver at the touch. Slowly, at first, the noises licked at her causing an unconscious shudder to flow through her body. Moaning softly, her head tilted backward, the wind plying at her, fingering the skin of her neck, making her gasp. A hot bit of breath reached her ears, "It will consume you."
In a cacophony the voices rose, unintelligible mostly, but always with the same feeling of dread, of impending doom. The air grew hotter as the earlier winds turned into maelstroms, her body being assaulted from every direction. She grasped at her head, the pounding inside unbearable as the wind and the voices battered her from all sides like a doll.
Then again soft as the whisper of her once lover, "It will consume you, all of you, and then. . ."
Nothing.
The world around Buffy exploded violently.
"NO!"
-----------
Buffy shut up from the kitchen counter, her body shaking in fright. Somewhere in the distance, no, no just by her side, could be heard the sound of Willow's voice, "Buffy? Buffy wake up, you're having a nightmare." The redhead looked at her friend, her hand resting on her shoulder, concern flooding her eyes.
Buffy just looked at her comprehension setting in,
"What the. . ."