AN: And I'm back, much sooner than I expected. I appreciate all the reviews, and yes, Tori does know how to fight. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to fighting so there really won't be any fight scenes like there are in the show, but there will be some playful sparring, and Tori will get to kick a little ass. But that's for later. J
Disclaimer: I'm lazy. See first chapter.
The Key Comes to Blue Bay Harbor
By Ravyn Jayne
Chapter 2
The next week went by fast. Somewhat awkwardly, but fast. Tori quickly fell into a schedule. Buffy or Giles dropped her off at school, where Blake, Dustin and Shane were waiting. They all went to classes, ate lunch together, walked to the Academies where Hunter and Cam met up with them in the library so Cam and Tori could start translating ancient scrolls, while they also helped the three youngest Rangers do their homework (which Tori always finished in study hall) while Hunter took up his usual place on Cam's right, silently watching the two 'geniuses' expertly divide their attention, with his usual smirk in place. By Friday night they were all comfortable enough with each other to go out to dinner together, though Tori had to prod Cam mightily to get him to go along. The weekends were more tricky as they all had activities they wanted to do, so they spent the morning learning to surf from Tori, and the afternoons at the bike and skate park, where the Rangers took much delight in showing off to their new friends. Tori once again dragged Cam along, but she allowed him to bring his palm pilot so he wouldn't go through withdrawal. Tori couldn't help noticing the only time Cam really put his toy down was to watch Hunter race. Then they all went back to the Academy to spar, where Cam surprised them all with his ability to fight.
"Not just a geek after all, huh?" Hunter asked, admiration in his tone. Cam shrugged.
"You don't spend your whole life in a Ninja Academy and not pick up a few things." he explained.
Slowly Tori started to learn more about the guys. Like Dustin's real name was Waldo (and Tori thought she showed amazing restraint in not making the obvious jokes about that), Shane was afraid of spiders, Cam's mother had died when he was a baby (a fact that bonded he and Tori closer), and Blake and Hunter were adopted. Though the others were almost always present, Tori found herself more aware of Blake's presence than she was the others. She had a brief moment of jealousy when she first saw Blake with Leanne Amano, Sensei Amano's daughter. The two were close, but obviously only friends. Besides, after meeting her, Tori decided she was too nice to hate, and it wasn't like Tori didn't have guy friends of her own. There was one girl however…
Jessica Moroni, a Thunder Academy student, had a quite obvious crush on Blake, which Tori could've handled if Jessica and her herd of head-nodders weren't always interrupting, whenever Tori and Blake had a moment alone. Blake rather obviously didn't like her back, if his cringing every time she called his name was any indication. Come to think of it none of the Rangers or Cam seemed to like her at all. Jessica's condescending attitude toward Tori and Cam only seemed to intensify their dislike. Jessica seemed to think Tori wasn't worth anyone's time, as she wasn't actually a student, and only there because her sister worked at the Academy. The same applied to Cam for much the same reasons, just exchange 'sister' with 'father' and there you go. Their loathing of Tori was never a surprise, as they made no attempt to hide it, but the attitude extending to Cam was a small shock, as Cam never thought anyone at the Academies gave him that much thought. In fact it was only discovered when one of the members of Jessica's clique tried hitting on Hunter, by 'commiserating' with him that he had to spend his time around 'that papa's boy of a computer geek'. Hunter's only response had been a strong glare, before he simply walked away.
Now it was Monday again, and they all sat at a table in the corner of the library, everyone but Hunter bent over a book. Hunter was talking about some guy at the track who had wanted to start a fight with him, after Hunter left him in the dust, Dustin and Blake occasionally looking up from their math homework to comment. Suddenly Cam, who usually remained silent unless directly spoken to, usually by Hunter, broke into the conversation.
"The Key has powers." he said still staring down at his book. The other five immediately quieted and looked at him.
"What do you mean the Key has powers?" Tori asked cautiously. "It's never shown any potential for powers before."
"Because it's dormant, sleeping. There's a spell here that will awaken it's powers." Cam explained.
"Wait, I thought the only way to use it's powers was 'to have the blood flow'?" Shane asked. "Besides who in their right mind would want to open a portal to a hell dimension?"
"First of all, the Key can open portals to more places than hell dimensions. Second, these are different powers." Cam answered.
"What kind of powers?" Hunter leaned over Cam's shoulder to look at the book, but it was all written in gibberish, at least to him. Cam's breath became shallow until Hunter moved away and even then it took a moment for Cam to regain his train of thought.
"It doesn't say. It just says the powers lay dormant until this spell is used to invoke them." Cam shook his head.
"Do you think we should do the spell?" Blake asked. "You know how to do spells, right Tor?"
"Well, yes. But I think we should talk to Buffy and Giles before we go messing around with the Key, and 'awakening' it, whatever that means." Tori said, thinking, 'The last thing I need is to use a spell that could make me implode or God knows what.'
"Tori's right. We should-" Cam was suddenly cut off by a shrill voice.
"Blake! Hunter!" Heads whipped around and there stood Jessica Moroni with two of her clique. Blake sighed and hung his head, while Hunter looked around him as if trying to find a hiding place. Jessica and her two friends approached them, putting on their best smiles. "What a surprise meeting you here."
"Not really." Hunter said in a bored sort of way. "We've been coming here everyday for a week now." Jessica didn't seem to have an answer to that so she just smiled some more.
"We," Jessica said gesturing to her two friends. "were going to go into town for dinner. Wanna come?"
"No thanks. We were kinda in the middle of important business." Blake turned her down, polite even to people he didn't like. He and the others stood up, Cam picking up the book with the spell.
"We can wait." Jessica offered as they all started walking away.
"No thanks." Hunter said, not even looking back as they all walked out the door. Jessica and her two friends stood in shock for a moment.
"Did they just like, totally blow us off?" one of the girls asked.
"Totally." the other affirmed.
"It's that new girl, the Slayer's sister, and that bookworm of a head sensei's son." Jessica said. "They're being forced to hang out with her because she has the key, and she takes the geek with her where ever she goes. No worries though. I know how to take little sister down a few pegs."
"How?" the second girl asked. Jessica gave a sinister smile.
"You ever seen her writing in her journal…?"
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Giles said to the people in the room. The four Rangers, Cam, and Tori had sought out Buffy, who took them to where Sensei Wantanabe, Sensei Amano, the Bradley's, and Giles were discussing the integration of the Slayers into the rest of the student body. "We don't know what kind of powers the Key could exhibit."
"Mr. Giles is right." Sensei Wantanabe agreed. "But these powers could also be used to help in the protection of the Key."
"Would these powers be dangerous to the Key, though?" Buffy asked, looking straight at Giles, since only he and Tori really understood her concern. "Could allowing these powers to be awakened harm the Key?"
"How would the powers harm it?" Dustin asked confused. "I mean, it's a stone. How would anything harm it? Speaking of which, it's blood has to flow to open a portal, but, it's a stone! How does it's blood flow? It has no blood."
"That's not important." Giles quickly dismissed Dustin's babbling, afraid he would stumble upon the truth. "The powers shouldn't have an adverse effect on the Key. They do after all belong to it. But there is still so much unknown about the Key, it could be dangerous-"
"I think we should do it." Tori interrupted, speaking for the first time since they left the library. Everyone looked at her, but she just looked at Buffy and Giles. Firmly she repeated, "I think we should do it."
The three engaged in a staring contest for a few moments, confusing the hell out of the other occupants of the room. Finally Buffy sighed, recognizing the stubborn streak the Summers women were known for. There was no fighting with them when they got that look on their face, Buffy knew, she had used it often. Besides, this was essentially Tori's decision as she was the Key. Buffy looked at Giles and nodded, and he heaved a sigh of his own.
"Alright." he said and Tori started to smile. "But we do this responsibly. I will cast the spell, and we'll keep an extra close eye on Tori and the Key, since their energies are connected."
"You mean cause she's worn it for so long?" Dustin asked. Giles, Buffy, and Tori froze.
"Right." they said as one.
"Wait. If this could have a bad effect on Tori-" Blake piped up from his seat next to Tori, concerned.
"It won't." Tori told him with a warm smile. She reached over and softly squeezed his hand. Blake smiled back, and took a firm hold of Tori's hand, and not letting go. Tori's smile grew wider, then she looked uncertain for a moment and glanced back at Giles. "Right Giles?"
"If I thought this was at all dangerous to you, I wouldn't even consider doing it." Giles assured her. "Trust me Dawn." Tori smiled at Giles and nodded her head, knowing Giles would never place her in harm's way. Giles picked up the book and faced the others. "Alright, shall we get this over with?"
Tori nodded as did Buffy and the two Senseis. Giles faced Tori and started reading the spell in a language Tori couldn't recognize without study. As Giles finished, a white light surrounded Tori, brightening until it blinded the others, then slowly fading away. Nobody spoke for a full minute afterward.
"Is that it?" Tori asked finally.
"Why did Tor light up? Wasn't the spell for the Key?" Shane asked.
"Technically, yes, but as I said before Tori and the Key's energies are connected. They've 'bonded' for lack of a better word. My guess is the Key's powers will exert themselves through Dawn." Giles explained as best he could without revealing the whole truth.
"I don't feel any different." Tori said, looking down at her left hand, the right still connected with Blake's left.
"The powers will probably take a while to awaken fully." Giles told her.
"Until then, I think we should take Tori home. No point in chancing anything." Buffy said.
"Wise idea." Sensei Wantanabe agreed. "Let us know if anything happens." Buffy, Giles, and Tori moved to leave, but Blake held Tori back, by their linked hands.
"Call me if anything bad happens, alright?" He asked looking at her from under his lashes.
"I promise." Tori said. Cam started to open his mouth, but Tori cut him off. "I'll call you too. Don't worry guys."
"You're our friend." Cam reasoned. "We're allowed to worry about you."
Tori smiled. Friends. She had friends.
The next morning Tori came down to breakfast to find Buffy and Giles silently eating their food.
"I'm going to develop telekinesis." Tori announced. Buffy and Giles froze.
"And you know this how?" Giles inquired calmly.
"I had a vision about it last night. In my sleep." Tori replied just as calmly.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" Buffy asked.
"I'm sure." Tori said, casually raising her right hand. A pouch of Pop-Tarts flew out of the box in the pantry and flew into her hand. Tori opened the package, sat down at the table and started eating. "See?"
"Okay. So telekinesis and visions. That's kinda cool." Buffy said slowly, uncertainly. At a loss for anything else to say she simply went to an old fall back. "Hurry up with your breakfast. You don't wanna be late for school."
End Chapter 2
AN: And that's it for now. I'll try to get the next part out in an expedient manner, but I am writing two other stories along with this one. Though to be honest this one is writing itself better than the other two. Once again I appreciate the reviews, it really helps knowing people like my work. Tori is still gonna develop one more power cause in magic things come in threes. Later.
Ravyn Jayne
