Title: Awaken the Inu
Author: DhampyrX2
Genre: Crossover
Rating: PG-13
Timeframe: prologues are btw seasons 3 and 4. The rest starts season seven.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Poverty is my constant friend. Please don't sue. I make no money from this.
Note: Evil plot bunnies have invaded my brain again, and the demons of writer's block are spreading. Instead of Starting with a Buffy or Star Wars sequel, or adding to 'The One Who Sees", I feel compelled to work on this. Sorry. Blame the bunnies. Anya's right, they're EVIL. I also changed this from a season five idea, to a season seven idea. Just because I hate Caleb, and want Xander to have a bigger role in the proceedings.
Summary: Xander's father is not who he thought. His real father has decided to inform him of his heritage, leaving Xander with some tough choices.
*****
Xander was whistling a jaunty tune as he walked back toward his car, proud of his accomplishments. Caleb was dead, Buffy was willing to see reason, and nobody on his side had tried to kill him. Put it all together, and it almost made up for Jaken puking three ponds worth of flies in his car on the way into town.
He was close enough to see his car when he heard, "Hey, bro. Looking...hairy."
Xander didn't pause for a second at the sound. To anyone watching it looked like he went from calmly walking, so finishing a swipe behind him with the transformed Tetsusaiga.
"Dude! What's the matter with you? You trying to kill me again? God, it's only been seven years, Xander. You could at least say hi or something.", the specter of Jesse said, annoyed.
"Hi, Mr. First Evil wearing the face of my oldest friend beside Willow. Or should it be miss from the way our dead hillbilly talked?", Xander said sarcastically as he tried swiping through the First with his claws. Like his sword, they passed through with no effect.
Xander tried several different combinations of attacks, each as ineffective as the last, until the false Jesse let out an annoyed sigh and asked, "Is that supposed to do something? Because from where I'm, standing, not working, bro."
The hanyou finally gave up, and sheathed the weapon in annoyance. "Nobody's attacked your intangible ass with the Tetsusaiga or, youki charged claws yet. Figured I'd give it a shot?", Xander replied with a shrug.
"Wasn't enough for you to stake me, buddy?", the FEJesse asked with a hurt look.
"I killed a vampire. Jesse was dead.", Xander responded flatly.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Half demon.", The First replied glibly, strolling around Xander, who had now folded his arms in his irritation. "Well, look at you. All big and powerful. Too bad you didn't have all that before, huh? Maybe I might have lived."
"Is this the best you could come up with?", Xander asked in a bored voice. You raised Naraku from the dead, for heaven's sake. You have to be better than /this/ at getting to people. I mean, he should at least be trying to give you pointers. Although, I must admit, I'm flattered. I guess I count as worthy to bother, now.", Xander said, tuning back toward his car, and walking to it.
"You can't run from me, Xander." the not-Jesse called appearing in front of him. You can't run from /us/." the First added, morphing first into the mummy girl, then Teresa, then Ms. Calendar, then Buffy, then Tara, and finally Jesse again. "You let us die Xander. You ready for some more?" the first asked.
"Wow, a slide show of people I cared for that all died at the hands of someone else. How moving." the hanyou said in a deadpan, walking through the first to his car, and getting in.
the first was not done, however. As Xander drove back to the Summers home, he appeared as Jesse again in the passenger's seat. "I really am all of them, you know. Ask Faith. That's how it works.", it said, before it turned into Buffy again, "Lucky for me I had you to bring me back. I hope you realize this is all your fault, Xander, and nothing will make up for it. You freed me, creating the second slayer line, and the imbalance that let me loose. Every death here is your fault. No matter how many you save, that won't change."
Xander snorted as he replied, "Right. I guess you really /can't/ see though Dad's wards at the estate. You were alive, and killing my family members when I was still a baby, intangible lad. Go sell your crap elsewhere. I'm not buying it.", his voice growing angry toward the end.
The first changed again, this time into an Hanyou that looked similar to Xander. He was slightly shorter, and he was wearing a red fire rat haori, but his hair and eyes were a spot on match for the White Knight. "Feh, you are stubborn, I'll give you that. So, you enjoying taking my sword, and trying to live my life, brat? Are you going to track down and screw Kagome for me after you bed that bitch Kagura?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.
Xander just glanced at the first and said, "Huh. Shippo was right. Dad and I do look alot like him."
"How dare you ignore me you stupid pup! Your new power won't help you, brat! It sure as hell didn't save me.", the FE scolded.
"Uncle Inuyasha was human when he was killed, jackass. My releasing the seal is the exact opposite of what you used against him.", Xander replied, annoyed. "And come up with some new material at least. This turning up as dead people is getting lame. What are you going to try next, Willow's old fish Angelus killed? Oooh. Scary. Not."
"This isn't over pup.", the first replied, transforming into Inuyasha's red eyed full youkai form. "You and your friends will die, and I will rule this world."
"Yeah yeah. I'll get you my pretty, and your little do too...oh. Wait. I am the little dog. And you haven't managed to get to me. Must suck to be you.", Xander said, rolling his eyes.
The first, angered but unable to directly affect Xander, just faded from view, an angry scowl on it demonic Inuyasha face.
"You could at least have the decency to say 'screw you guys, I'm going home!', Xander yelled out loud. "It might of thrown me off balance to see you with an actual personality! Baka.", he added, snorted the last part to himself.
*****
As Xander was frustrating an entity older than time with his supreme powers of common sense, Buffy and Angel had gone from hellos, to thank you smoochies, to Angel crying out in disbelief that she would touch, as Angel himself called him, 'Peroxide Boy'.
They had just finished the one day to be infamous cookie dough argument when they decided to discuss the amulet again.
"So, what do you think we should do about the medal do-hickey the evil lawyers left for you?", Buffy asked.
Angel brooded over that for a second (what a shock) before he replied, "Xander made a good point. A couple of them, actually. Even if W&H did give me the LA branch as a thank you, it's too easy for them to have had what we need, with me being the go to guy. Something isn't adding up."
"Yeah. He does that. He sees things we miss. That's what Caleb said as he was poking out his eye the first time we faced him.", Buffy said, her face darkening.
"What happened?", Angel asked gently, trying to be her sounding board, as he once was.
"We, no _I_ led us into the Vineyard priest boy and his minions were holed up in. Caleb tossed our whole group, including me, Faith, Spike, and a dozen potentials around like rag dolls. He killed tow of the girls, and would have killed at least two more, if not for Xander. He shot Caleb in the arm with a bow the first time, the helped get Kennedy away from him as we were retreating. Caleb put his thumb through his eye for his trouble, and Spike had to save Xander, or we'd have lost him, too.", Buffy said, hugging herself against the sudden chill she felt at the memory.
Angel put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, then, and she turned to him, grabbing him at the waist, and sobbing into his shirt as he murmured whatever soothing things he could, holding her close.
"It was all my fault, Angel. We keep dying, and Xander had to go and change himself, and things are all screwed up, and it's all my fault. I keep trying to do right, and I'm hurting everybody.", she wailed as she sobbed.
"Shhh. It'll be all right, Buffy. It's the First's fault. And you'll handle it because you're _not_ alone in this, and the others _won't_ let you down. When you, Giles, Willow, and, god help me for admitting it, Xander, work together there's nothing you can't stop. You just need to sit back and work with them. They won't make you face this alone.", Angel said a she continued to cry out her pain in his embrace.
Once she finally settled down and let go, she stepped back, still sniffling a little, but looking alot more like herself, especially in her eyes. They had a spark that had been missing for some time. "Thanks Angel.", she said, a little embarrassed at her outburst, but feeling better for it.
"Anytime.", the vampire responded with a small smile, wiping away an errant tear. "You ready to head back and plan this out with the others?", he asked.
Buffy was about to tell him no, that he should stay in LA in case they failed, and the needed a next line of defense, but she held her piece. Instead she thought about what Angel had said He had forgotten to include himself when he mentioned the original Scoobies. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was he should at least be there for the planning. If they were going down, they'd go down fighting, and they'd be together. "Sure. I'm sure you want to hear Xander's explanation, anyway.", she said with a small smile.
Angel returned her smile with one of his own as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, and fell into step beside her. "I might ne nice.", he said.
"Although, I have to admit, I'm almost as eager to see this two foot toad man in in a bathrobe as I am to hear what Xan has to say.", she said her voice growing fainter a they made their way to Slayer Central.
From where he was watching upwind in the shadows, Spike scowled. The First appeared next to him in the shape of Buffy, scowling as well. "That Bitch.", the FEBuffy sneered.
*****
END CHAPTER 11