Title: A Sheath For Every Sword -- A BTVS / Berserk Tale

Author: B.H. Ramsay

Email:

Disclaimer: Characters appearing here belong to either Kentaro Miura OR Mutant Enemy

Rating : R

Pairings(s) various

Spoilers: S2 for Buffy and season 1 of Berserk; I'll try and keep it to a minimum

Summary: A time-tossed Vampire Slayer thinks she knows despair, anguish, and hatred, then she meets Guts, The Black Swordsman

Dedication: The Shrine of Heroes, everyone at Xanderzone, Crossover Connection & Buffy Crossovers

A/N: For Berserk Manga fans this is set in between The Black Swordsman and Retribution arcs … liberties have been taken; please forgive me.

The First Day of the End of your life.

IN the years to come Buffy would describe the sensation of being transited through a portal as like being on a roller coaster when you were drunk and already sick. You know that puking is an option but you could never be sure when you were going to be allowed to do it. Then there was a shock of cold and wet. Liquid flooding into her mouth and lungs she coughed and pumped her arms. Shoving against the buoyant liquid, She was in water, cold water. She pushed toward the light and screamed as her head cut the surface.

Her senses started gathering info immediately. Young girl with bucket, obviously gathering water when Buffy crashed into the river.

Clean air, not a trace of industrial by-product, that meant she was far from Sunnydale, far from a lot of places since you could still smell pollution even in the deepest deserts around The California town. "Far from home, need to organize."

She swam to shore. The girl fearfully backed up and away from her. At this point, Buffy noticed that a star was dancing around the girl, forming a kind of barrier between her and Buffy.

No not a star the star had wings and seemed to be sporting an appearance not unlike a NC-17 version of Tinkerbell.

"Stay Back, Leave us alone." The Tink-Clone said in a surprisingly loud voice for being only about the size of her fist.

"I'd love to leave you alone. I'd even look into going back where I came from if I knew how that was going to work. "

"Huh?"

"I'm lost Sparky, out of touch and I suspect I will remain that way till the powers quit jerking my chain."

"Powers…"

The Powers that be."

"Never herd of them."

"Consider yourself lucky, I wish I had never heard of them." She paused for a moment but there was no wrenching sensation no rush, no movement. She was still here, wherever here was. "Crap, didn't think I'd get that lucky."

"Who are you?" asked the girl

"Buffy Summers let me help you with those. "

"I have to fetch water "

"Really, I'm in a place where they fetch water huh? Well time to whip a bit of twentieth century on the men-folk."

The girl was mystified and Buffy once again wondered how Xander did it. That effortless ability to make the one comment that would make people feel comfortable around him, even people who ultimately would be trying to kill him.

"Just that you shouldn't have to be out here all alone. There are things in the shadows believe me, I know."

The girl laughed "Oh Puck would protect me, wouldn't you Puck."

"No one's going to mess with you while I'm around." boasted the diminutive Fairy " Although she looks pretty harmless. Except for the whole crashing into the water from out of mid air."

"Puck the fairy huh and I guess that would make you a Water Spirit."

"No, I'm not vicious enough, I'm Chiana " she stuck out her hand Buffy reached past it for the heavy bucket in her other hand and the twin at her feet

"Let me help with that." She topped up both Buckets till they were sloshing with water she then settled both loads on her shoulders "Ok kid which way to camp." Buffy laughed at the shocked expression on the kid's face. "I'm stronger then I look -- a lot stronger. Now c'mon I don't want to be holding these all day."

The trio headed through the trees until Buffy could hear sounds of people milling about. She stepped into the clearing and saw a scene right out of a medieval fair. People in peasant dress. There were several campfires and off a ways, Buffy could make out Wagons of various sizes.

"Either you guys are heavy into the back to nature thing or I'm not just far from home but far from my time as well. "

"Where are you from." Puck asked

"Place called Sunnydale in Southern California." Blank stares greeted her revelation "In America " if is was possible the blanks stare got even blanker " The United States of…. Ah forget it "

"Sunnydale it sounds like a friendly place." Chiana said hesitantly, She and Puck then looked at the stranger who doubled In cruel Laughter for a long time.

"Yeah I guess it does SOUND like a friendly place."

"You laugh like a Friend of mine." Puck was hesitant as if that was not a good thing.

"I've seen too much Blood shed in too much mud as they say where I come from./ maybe I can meet your friend later. I think I'm going to be here awhile "

"How did you get here? "

Buffy sighed " Someone I trusted opened a portal to hell and I was pulled through it even as I managed to close it. "

"Maybe your friend will find a way to bring you back." Puck helpfully suggested

Buffy winced, she felt again the sensation of plunging a sword in Angel's body. The tensing of muscle as he felt the cruel violation of metal in undead flesh. "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, if ever."

Chiana smiled "Maybe you could make a wish."

The Slayer grimaced painfully. " Not a good idea, Where I come from words have power and wishes can come true in the worst possible way."

"If I could make my wishes come true we would be able to stop wandering and find a home." the youthful moppet said.

Strangely enough, Puck was on Buffy's side in this. "Always be careful what you wish for. You never know when the Gods are listening and they can be cruel in their humor." The Fairy looked toward the wagon that Chiana was making for "I sometimes think Guts was their cruel answer to my pleas for rescue."

As the trio stopped outside the wagon, A man came around the Wagon broad with booming voice. "Girl you'd best hurry with that water the dark is almost upon us." He stopped and gaped at the sight of the slight and willowy looking Buffy who was setting both buckets on the ground.

"Father we made a friend she was …wandering in the forest I thought she could shelter with us tonight just in case, you're always saying that the roads are dangerous at night."

Aye I think the wee beasties would be having more to fear from thee if twas thee what carried those buckets back from River like that."

"Yeah Gramps, what up with the girl carrying a load like that."

The Old man held up his hands "Twas how I was taught, with no sons to carry my trade forward It falls to the wee lass. Best to start building her in body if she is to be of use at the forge."

"You're a blacksmith "

"Aye lass and a good one if I do say. Though the wee fellow's one-armed friend is a fair challenge. The smith what made that arm fer him is a master and a half, I'd happily have ye travel with us for a as long as it took me to learn all its secrets."

"I could use the respite, I don't know about Guts though, it was hard enough to convince him to travel with you, I think he only said yes cause he wanted help with his arm."

The Smith nodded, "Truth told I've done as much as I can fer now. The jointing need to be replaced and oiled "

"Who is this guy Guts is he in charge?" Buffy asked tiredly

"No lass, according to the wee sprite he is the Black Swordsman, I would believe it. That's no pig sticker he carries with him, Tall as a man and heavy too. Nay, if it's shelter you need then Jeryan is the man to speak to, he'll not say no though, especially to ye.

"Yeah and why would that be. " the Slayer asked cautiously

"Well not to be offending yer delicate ears but Jeryan's got his ways and there's naught a gal I haven't seen him not want to bed. You are quite fair if tis my place to say."

Chiana headed toward a large Wagon obviously this was Jeryan's.

Buffy felt a watching presence. She turned to see Puck exiting the Smith's wagon. The diminutive sprite was tossing a comment over his shoulder as he flew out to rejoin the group. "Well fine if that's the way you want to be, but don't say I didn't ask?"

"What was that about? " Buffy asked when Puck had caught up to them.

"Guts can be…unfriendly, dark and hateful. All Fairies can feel emotions so being around him…it's hard sometimes."

"Sounds like a jerk but I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Oh i know he has his reasons but, sometimes the power of his feelings they overwhelm me."

Buffy looked at the pixie with sympathy.

They group headed to Jeryan's trailer he was a fat distasteful looking man. He peevishly snorted as the group approached "Bilbus are you determined to bring any passing stray to our cook fires."

Bilbus , apparently that was the Smith's name waved off the comment. "Jeryan , the countryside is not fit for man or beast. The more hands we have to our defense the better our chances of making it though alive."

"And thus you bring me a little slip of a maiden. to stand with our men in defense?"

Her face was the last thing he looked at and Buffy suspected that was only because she spoke first. "So Jeryan, I hear you're the man to talk to about a place by the fire."

"Our possessions are meager but we share …all that we can. If you have something to err…Trade for what you consume." He looked lustfully at her and Buffy felt an overwhelming urge to punch a hole through his head.

A cry pulled out of her rage. A man was running toward them when he was cut down from behind. Spear sprouted from his back as though it had grown there.

Beyond him, things shuffled forward, Zombies. clothes and flesh hanging in tatters. Clutched in undead fingers were an assortment of weapons. Axes, swords and more spears.

"Get into your wagons and secure them." Buffy shouted slipping into Slayer mode. Turning to Jeryan, "you want me to earn my keep you are about to find out what I do very well."

Doing That Thing You Do
Darting forward, she intercepted a fiend, as it was about to gut one of the fleeing campers. She punched at the thing shattering its skull with a single blow, grabbing its spear as the body fell. She swirled the staff around her and stuck out at more of the vile things cracking open skulls and snapping off joints with lethal thrusts and parries with her spear.

Her senses picked up that the army was heading toward a specific part of the camp and she darted in that direction.

Buffy darted through the camp taking out corpses as she ran

Arriving at Bilbus's wagon, she saw him. Standing over six feet tall, dressed in dark leathers, his dark hair clipped short in military style. He was covered in scars and some of them looked fresh but the thing that stood about him the most was the sword.

Several feet long, it looked as long as she was tall and more like a slab of metal then a sword. Yet the man wielded the thing swirling it around himself clearing a swath of lethal destruction.

As anything approached him, he would lash out. Sometimes smashing zombies to bits with the flat of the blade, more often cleaving them in two with the wickedly sharp edge.

His face was a study in madness. A twisted smile curled his lips…his teeth gritted in maniacal concentration. He was enjoying himself, on some bizarre level he was truly enjoying himself.

This could only be Guts, The Black Swordsman

A group of the zombies moved on him in a determined thrust. Guts seemed to dart forward bounding over top of them landing and slashing backward cleaving the trio apart as he landed.

Chiana darted from the safety of the trees toward the wagon. An undead figure rose up in front of her. a Sword poised to hack away the child's life in a single strike. Buffy put on a burst of speed trying to reach her before it was too late.

Then throwing blades appeared in its skull as if by magic the sheer force of the throw drove the thing backward. Buffy hurled her spear burying it in the thing's chest. It fell backward allowing Chiana to continue running unmolested. Buffy ran after her grabbing the spear back as she ran snatching it out of the ground.

She looked to find the source of the blades but saw only Guts still hewing and slashing with orgasmic glee. No wait, he was wearing a belt of throwing knives that looked exactly like the ones now occupying the skull of the fiend that had been about to kill the child.

Far from being lost in rage and death Guts was aware of everything that was going on around him including Buffy. "Get your ass inside the wagon, woman." He snarled and swung around to smash a few more zombies.

She darted after the child, lashing out and protecting her as best she could. With her eye on the enemy and on the child, she took her eyes off the terrain. Her foot slipped in a patch of mud sending her sprawling.

A zombie gibbered with glee raising its Axe over its head preparing to strike Buffy down if it could.

A swiftly moving shadow and the clang of metal striking metal was the only warning Guts gave of his silent approach.

The Axe glanced off the metal that was Guts' left arm. In one swing he took two zombies as though the move was planned, Buffy felt the breeze of the gigantic blade passing within mere inches of her.

"Hey be careful with that thing." She snapped at him

"Typical, woman, you startle too easily" Guts sneered

Sensing more then seeing movement behind him Buffy snatched her spear from where it had fallen and thrust it over Guts' shoulder to smash in the skull of the zombie that had being coming in from behind him.

As he cursed at her sudden move, Buffy sneered in response. "Typical man, too busy waving your weapon around to use it properly."

He startled at her words but she was off the ground and moving to engage the enemy before he could respond.

The two of them finished the ghoulish army of zombies.