Disclaimer is the same as in the prologue.
"Borrowed Time" - Chapter Five: Reasons
Buffy stormed through the front door of her home, glaring angrily at everyone and everything that might cross her path. The door stood open behind her and Spike followed carrying the near lifeless dog demon hero back from their disastrous battle. She had fought many monsters in her life, demons and humans alike but never had she seen so much blood. He was going to die and it was all her fault.
"What should I do with him?" Spike asked as Tetsuo came in behind him. The vampire thought the humane act would be to throw him into the sacred well. At least then he could die in his own world.
But Tetsuo had different ideas.
The monk looked to Buffy who refused to meet anyone's eyes. He tried to consider a place that might comfort the injured hanyou, something he would hesitate to destroy out of frustration. "Your sister's bed would be best," he advised.
"Fine, take him," the Slayer replied, biting off her words.
Spike carried the unconscious hanyou upstairs and Buffy watched him sullenly.
"You're angry," Tetsuo accused.
She turned on him with all the wrath that she had built up against herself. She needed a target and he was convenient. "You bet I'm angry," she said through clenched teeth. "You promised me help. You promised me someone powerful and he's going to bleed to death in my sister's bed."
Tetsuo furrowed his brow but seemed otherwise unfazed by her fury. "There are reasons to be concerned but Inuyasha's injuries should be the least of your worries," he said unflinchingly.
Buffy blinked and stared at him agape, astounded at his calm demeanor. "That demon punched her fist through that idiot's chest."
"As much of an idiot as he seemed to be, he put himself in harm's way to save your life," Tetsuo said. He saw the look of guilt flash across her face and just as quickly as it appeared, she hid it away. "You overestimate his risk," he told her as he gestured towards the stairs. "Please let me show you."
Willow stood watching over the injured hanyou, at the foot of Dawn's bed. She turned as Buffy and Tetsuo entered the room. "Buffy, he's so still," she said softly as if she feared she might wake him.
"That's my doing," the monk explained. He stepped forward and pulled on a fold of Inuyasha's robe. He revealed a small slip of paper with scribbled hastily in Japanese.
"A spell scroll?" Willow said with surprise.
Tetsuo smiled at his own cleverness. "He hates to sit idly, even with such extensive wounds. If not for my preparation, he might still be on the trail for your elusive enemy."
"How?" Buffy asked with a considerable amount of doubt.
Tetsuo pulled Inuyasha's robe open to fully reveal the extent of his injuries. He frowned as he did so, feeling a need to apologize for compromising the hanyou's privacy. He kept his discomfort to himself as he pointed carefully to the edge of the wound. "Look closely," he instructed the Slayer and the witch, "here and here."
The tension around Buffy's face began to ease as she saw what the monk wanted to show her. "It's already begun to close," she observed. She leaned closer seeing a spot near the wound where the skin seemed to pucker slightly. She pointed it out. "What's that?"
"A scar," Tetsuo replied. "He has suffered this injury more than once before. The scar formed because his healing was slowed from poison." He paused as he closed Inuyasha's robe hiding his scars, returning his dignity. "That is not the case today. Tomorrow he will be on his feet again."
Buffy shook her head softly. She had felt stupid and foolish for dropping her guard during their battle. If Inuyasha had not thrown himself in that demon's path . . . . Slayer strength or not, she would be dead. He had saved her and he would live to fight again. Hope lived in her still. "I'm sorry," she told the monk. "I guess I overreacted."
Tetsuo's face did not reflect the relief she felt. "You have reason for concern, just not with his injuries," he said gravely.
Buffy frowned again. "Then what?"
"His sword," he replied.
Willow looked to him with worry. "You said something about it not working right," she said recalling his fears during battle.
The monk sighed wearily. "I had hoped that his defending Buffy would be enough to trigger Tetsusaiga's transformation."
Buffy caught the meaning of his statement. The hanyou and his strength were only part of what he had wanted to bring to their cause. The sword and what he could do with it were where he had invested his hope. "What happens when it changes?" she asked.
"It becomes like nothing you have ever seen before," he said with a wonder only found in those who see legends. He had looked like that only once before, when he first saw Inuyasha. He seemed almost wistful. He had wanted so badly to see the mythical Tetsusaiga in all its power. He looked down at his sealed hand with regret as he thought of what could have been. "A source of power that would have made my intervention unnecessary."
As Tetsuo slipped out of Dawn's room, Willow followed quietly behind. When last she had seen the monk he had ordered her to leave the battle, shielding the potentials. He never said what she was to be shielding them from. He had let her assume that it was the Turok-han or Tona, but she knew now that wasn't true. She had paused in her escape. She had looked back at her friends and she saw and she knew.
She reached for him and caught him by his sealed hand. He turned and faced her with a look of alarm that he quickly suppressed when he met the warmth of her eyes. "I didn't know your magic could be so powerful," she stated, revealing her witness to his last great action in battle. With a stark innocence and gratitude she said, "You saved us all."
He looked away uncomfortably. "It isn't magic," he said sadly. "It's a curse."
Willow frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tetsuo turned to her with an expression of immeasurable tenderness. To her great surprise he took her face in his hands. She stood in his touch held motionless by the sudden turn of intense emotion. Finally the words spilled out of him like a confession. "I won't be here when you need me most, Willow Rosenberg."
"Where are you going?" she asked in a strained voice. She didn't understand. How could he leave them? Through the contact of his flesh upon hers, she felt the gentle touch of his mind. She returned that touch and through that delicate connection, she asked her question again.
He answered her with a flood of anguished images. Generation upon generation of his bloodline searching for an enemy they can never defeat. Fathers passing to their sons the accursed gift only for them to meet the same tragic end.
It would all end that night but not in the way any of them hoped it would.
Willow's tears flowed freely as they broke contact. "No," she whispered softly, "you can't." Her mind reeled for a solution but she knew she couldn't find one. All her magic and she couldn't stop it. She struggled for composure and found herself anchored by the monk's hold on her arms. "You have to tell Inuyasha."
"He already knows," Tetsuo sighed heavily. He relaxed the façade he had erected to hide the great strain he felt since he last revealed the abyss within him. Inuyasha knew. What went through the hanyou's mind when he screamed at him during the battle the monk could only wonder. He knew the sacrifice he had made, the cost to save them all. Why would the dog demon care enough to want to stop him? "That is why I had to bind him," he continued softly. "That is why he kept his distance. He could smell it on me, the fate that will one day meet his friend."
Willow stood in stunned silence, oblivious to the words Tetsuo tried to offer in comfort. All she knew was that he was going away and she couldn't stop it. He took her in his arms and in an almost fatherly fashion kissed her softly on her forehead, a kiss of farewell. She tried to force herself to speak but no words would come. She wanted to say something but everything that came to mind sounded too much like good-bye. She watched him walk away, down the stairs to the rest of the household that was oblivious to his fate.
When Kennedy found her minutes later, she had not moved. Willow met her lover's concern with grief-stricken eyes and collapsed into sobs in her embrace. Behind her emotional storm, in a calm within herself, a plan began to come together.
She could not stop Tetsuo's fate but there was one thing left she could do.
TBC
Chapter Six: "Not To Be Alone"- Tetsuo leaves but not before giving Giles something important.
"Borrowed Time" - Chapter Five: Reasons
Buffy stormed through the front door of her home, glaring angrily at everyone and everything that might cross her path. The door stood open behind her and Spike followed carrying the near lifeless dog demon hero back from their disastrous battle. She had fought many monsters in her life, demons and humans alike but never had she seen so much blood. He was going to die and it was all her fault.
"What should I do with him?" Spike asked as Tetsuo came in behind him. The vampire thought the humane act would be to throw him into the sacred well. At least then he could die in his own world.
But Tetsuo had different ideas.
The monk looked to Buffy who refused to meet anyone's eyes. He tried to consider a place that might comfort the injured hanyou, something he would hesitate to destroy out of frustration. "Your sister's bed would be best," he advised.
"Fine, take him," the Slayer replied, biting off her words.
Spike carried the unconscious hanyou upstairs and Buffy watched him sullenly.
"You're angry," Tetsuo accused.
She turned on him with all the wrath that she had built up against herself. She needed a target and he was convenient. "You bet I'm angry," she said through clenched teeth. "You promised me help. You promised me someone powerful and he's going to bleed to death in my sister's bed."
Tetsuo furrowed his brow but seemed otherwise unfazed by her fury. "There are reasons to be concerned but Inuyasha's injuries should be the least of your worries," he said unflinchingly.
Buffy blinked and stared at him agape, astounded at his calm demeanor. "That demon punched her fist through that idiot's chest."
"As much of an idiot as he seemed to be, he put himself in harm's way to save your life," Tetsuo said. He saw the look of guilt flash across her face and just as quickly as it appeared, she hid it away. "You overestimate his risk," he told her as he gestured towards the stairs. "Please let me show you."
Willow stood watching over the injured hanyou, at the foot of Dawn's bed. She turned as Buffy and Tetsuo entered the room. "Buffy, he's so still," she said softly as if she feared she might wake him.
"That's my doing," the monk explained. He stepped forward and pulled on a fold of Inuyasha's robe. He revealed a small slip of paper with scribbled hastily in Japanese.
"A spell scroll?" Willow said with surprise.
Tetsuo smiled at his own cleverness. "He hates to sit idly, even with such extensive wounds. If not for my preparation, he might still be on the trail for your elusive enemy."
"How?" Buffy asked with a considerable amount of doubt.
Tetsuo pulled Inuyasha's robe open to fully reveal the extent of his injuries. He frowned as he did so, feeling a need to apologize for compromising the hanyou's privacy. He kept his discomfort to himself as he pointed carefully to the edge of the wound. "Look closely," he instructed the Slayer and the witch, "here and here."
The tension around Buffy's face began to ease as she saw what the monk wanted to show her. "It's already begun to close," she observed. She leaned closer seeing a spot near the wound where the skin seemed to pucker slightly. She pointed it out. "What's that?"
"A scar," Tetsuo replied. "He has suffered this injury more than once before. The scar formed because his healing was slowed from poison." He paused as he closed Inuyasha's robe hiding his scars, returning his dignity. "That is not the case today. Tomorrow he will be on his feet again."
Buffy shook her head softly. She had felt stupid and foolish for dropping her guard during their battle. If Inuyasha had not thrown himself in that demon's path . . . . Slayer strength or not, she would be dead. He had saved her and he would live to fight again. Hope lived in her still. "I'm sorry," she told the monk. "I guess I overreacted."
Tetsuo's face did not reflect the relief she felt. "You have reason for concern, just not with his injuries," he said gravely.
Buffy frowned again. "Then what?"
"His sword," he replied.
Willow looked to him with worry. "You said something about it not working right," she said recalling his fears during battle.
The monk sighed wearily. "I had hoped that his defending Buffy would be enough to trigger Tetsusaiga's transformation."
Buffy caught the meaning of his statement. The hanyou and his strength were only part of what he had wanted to bring to their cause. The sword and what he could do with it were where he had invested his hope. "What happens when it changes?" she asked.
"It becomes like nothing you have ever seen before," he said with a wonder only found in those who see legends. He had looked like that only once before, when he first saw Inuyasha. He seemed almost wistful. He had wanted so badly to see the mythical Tetsusaiga in all its power. He looked down at his sealed hand with regret as he thought of what could have been. "A source of power that would have made my intervention unnecessary."
As Tetsuo slipped out of Dawn's room, Willow followed quietly behind. When last she had seen the monk he had ordered her to leave the battle, shielding the potentials. He never said what she was to be shielding them from. He had let her assume that it was the Turok-han or Tona, but she knew now that wasn't true. She had paused in her escape. She had looked back at her friends and she saw and she knew.
She reached for him and caught him by his sealed hand. He turned and faced her with a look of alarm that he quickly suppressed when he met the warmth of her eyes. "I didn't know your magic could be so powerful," she stated, revealing her witness to his last great action in battle. With a stark innocence and gratitude she said, "You saved us all."
He looked away uncomfortably. "It isn't magic," he said sadly. "It's a curse."
Willow frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tetsuo turned to her with an expression of immeasurable tenderness. To her great surprise he took her face in his hands. She stood in his touch held motionless by the sudden turn of intense emotion. Finally the words spilled out of him like a confession. "I won't be here when you need me most, Willow Rosenberg."
"Where are you going?" she asked in a strained voice. She didn't understand. How could he leave them? Through the contact of his flesh upon hers, she felt the gentle touch of his mind. She returned that touch and through that delicate connection, she asked her question again.
He answered her with a flood of anguished images. Generation upon generation of his bloodline searching for an enemy they can never defeat. Fathers passing to their sons the accursed gift only for them to meet the same tragic end.
It would all end that night but not in the way any of them hoped it would.
Willow's tears flowed freely as they broke contact. "No," she whispered softly, "you can't." Her mind reeled for a solution but she knew she couldn't find one. All her magic and she couldn't stop it. She struggled for composure and found herself anchored by the monk's hold on her arms. "You have to tell Inuyasha."
"He already knows," Tetsuo sighed heavily. He relaxed the façade he had erected to hide the great strain he felt since he last revealed the abyss within him. Inuyasha knew. What went through the hanyou's mind when he screamed at him during the battle the monk could only wonder. He knew the sacrifice he had made, the cost to save them all. Why would the dog demon care enough to want to stop him? "That is why I had to bind him," he continued softly. "That is why he kept his distance. He could smell it on me, the fate that will one day meet his friend."
Willow stood in stunned silence, oblivious to the words Tetsuo tried to offer in comfort. All she knew was that he was going away and she couldn't stop it. He took her in his arms and in an almost fatherly fashion kissed her softly on her forehead, a kiss of farewell. She tried to force herself to speak but no words would come. She wanted to say something but everything that came to mind sounded too much like good-bye. She watched him walk away, down the stairs to the rest of the household that was oblivious to his fate.
When Kennedy found her minutes later, she had not moved. Willow met her lover's concern with grief-stricken eyes and collapsed into sobs in her embrace. Behind her emotional storm, in a calm within herself, a plan began to come together.
She could not stop Tetsuo's fate but there was one thing left she could do.
TBC
Chapter Six: "Not To Be Alone"- Tetsuo leaves but not before giving Giles something important.