Title: CONSEQUENCES

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own them (regrettably so). Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, UPN, and Mutant Enemy etc. Rurouni Kenshin (RK as it's known among anime fans) belongs to Watsuki Nubuhiro, Sony pictures etc.

Rating: R (for now)

Spoilers: up till "Damage" in Angel. Also, Anya didn't die at the end of "Chosen" in Buffy.

CH#6: Confrontation!

[W&H Lobby]

The young man glanced at the guard who was lounging about in his chair, seemingly asleep. He quickly made his way towards the elevator & was about to enter it when…

"Hey Mister. Where do you thing you're going? Don't you know that Office hours are over?" The guard had risen himself out of his stupor was making his way towards the young man.

The young man seemed to shake his head but turned around never the less. He looked at the guard & smiling asked, "Um… I wanted to see the CEO, Mr. Angel. Is he still in?"

The guard looked at the boy & said, "Well you should've asked before you decided to barge in. Mr. Angel is a very busy man. I don't believe he would be seeing anyone at this hour."

The young man smiled at the guard, "Oh it's alright. I think I'll go up to him. Maybe he'll want to see me." With that he turned around & was about to walk off when the guard spoke,

"Hey didn't you hear a word I said? I said you couldn't go upstairs." He moved towards the boy as if to stop him but the young man, who seemed to have grown bored, just said coldly, "Sleep" & with that he landed a lethal kick to the guard's face.

The guard flew off the ground, spun a couple of times & then crashed into his chair, his neck sticking out at an odd angle. His assailant looked at his body dispassionately & moved towards the elevator.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Cordelia looked at Wesley, "Um…Wes, We're rich now, right?"

Wesley, who was busy looking through an old tome, replied distractedly, "Quite. Why?"

"Oh…no reason. I was just wondering why is it that we are the ones doing the dog work? Don't we have employees or some such thing?" Cordelia said as she closed her 3rd book, sounding disgusted, "Useless!"

Fred & Wesley both looked at her but it was Fred who spoke, "Well… it is after hours. Most of the employees have gone home."

"In addition to that, Cordelia, the real reason why we are researching this & not some random employee is because of Eve" Wesley looked as if he'd eaten something distasteful.

"Eve? Who's she?"

"She is Lilah's successor & our liaison to the Senior Partners. We've kept your return a secret from her thus far. We don't trust her." Fred replied.

"Yes. You'll be meeting her soon enough." Wesley said as he opened a scroll, "Fred? Why don't you and Cordelia check our database for these Hitokiri?" Wesley suggested.

"Yeah. Good idea. 'Coz seriously, this reminds me of good ole Sunnyhell."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Riana was sick of lying in her bed. She had, in her opinion, spent far too much time lying on her back. Besides she could feel herself getting stronger as her slaying healing kicked in big time. So, pulling the various needles out of herself, she got out of her bed. After freshening up a bit, she began searching for her clothes but not finding them, decided to find someone who could get her some proper clothes. She found a nurse in the third room she searched and managed to get a pair of jeans & a shirt from her despite the nurse's protests that she shouldn't be out of bed. Riana asked the nurse where Mr. Angel's offices were situated & then made her way towards the lift.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Gunn stepped out of the White room with a scowl on his face. He had had absolutely zero luck with the Panther. Not only had the Panther ignored him but Gunn was sure that the Panther was hiding something. He had seen what he thought a satisfied look in the Cat's eyes. Ever since his operation & the establishment of his link with the Panther, he had been able to feel the cat's emotions sometimes. He was sure that this worked both ways. He was still a little bugged by this as he liked his privacy & wasn't too intent on sharing it with anybody. Still…. this connection did have its benefits.

He checked his watch & then decided to see whether the others had had some luck. Coming to this decision, he made his way towards Angel's office.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Wesley closed the book he was reading & placed it on near the pile of books he had already read. He seemed to have had some luck, but all the references he had found were vague. They were either incomplete or spoke in riddles. It would take some time to decipher them & he was sure that time was what they were lacking. He agreed with Angel to an extent. He wasn't too eager to mess with the Council, not because they couldn't take them on, but because he knew that this wouldn't help anybody. The Watcher's Council had been formidable before, he was pretty certain that it was lethal now when they had all their resources & an army of slayers with them.

Breaking this line of thought, he looked as Fred and Cordelia tried to search their database for any information. They didn't seem to succeeding, he noted dispassionately.

"Found anything?" He asked as he walked towards them.

"No!" Cordelia said frustration evident in her voice "See, that's what I meant when I said that this reminded me of Sunnydale. No clues."

"Ah yes. I was going to see Angel. I may have found something, but it's vague. Are you coming?" Wesley asked her.

"Sure. It's not like we're finding anything here." She said as she got up to follow him. "You coming Fred?"

"No. You guys go on ahead. I'll be there shortly." Fred said with her eyes glued onto the screen.

"Are you sure? We could wait." Wesley said stopping by the door & then coming back behind her.

"Yeah. I'm gonna search some more. There's gotta be some link." Fred said as she looked at Wes "You go on ahead. Maybe Charles has found something. I'll see y'all in Angel's office."

"Alright. Don't be late. And Good luck." Wes said as he was leaving but then surprised both himself & Fred by kissing her lightly.

Cordelia looked at Wes with her mouth hanging open as he passed her on his way out, a smile on his face.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

After Wesley and Cordelia had left, Fred sat on her chair trying to wrap her mind around what had happened.

Wesley kissed me…publicly. Well…in front of Cordy, but still…in front of other people. WOW! I guess he must REALLY like me.

Smiling at that thought, she got back to her research. She soon became tired of her search as there seemed to be no record or any text about the Hitokiris. So, getting up she grabbed her coat & decided to join the others.

She was on her way towards the elevator, when she saw a teenaged boy walking towards her, "Hi. Um… can you tell me where I can find Mr. Angel?" The boy asked her.

"Um… didn't you ask the security at the reception?" Fred asked wondering who he was. Her confusion must have shown on her face, because the boy smiled sheepishly and said, "Um…they did. But it included lots of turns & corridors. I got lost. Oh….where're my manners? I'm Conner. I'm actually looking for my sister."

"Your sister…?"

"Yeah. Her name's Riana. She didn't come home last night. I called the 'Angel Investigations' but the answering machine told me that they had moved here." Conner said.

Of course, how could she have forgotten? People still called for Angel Investigations. With that thought, Fred smiled at the boy & told him to follow her as she was going to Angel's office right now.

Conner smiled as he fell in step beside her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Gunn was telling Angel, Wes & Cordy about his fruitless audience with the conduit when Riana entered the office. He abruptly stopped his report & asked her what she was doing out bed.

"I got bored. I only wanted to tell you guys that I'm fine now & thanx for your help and all, but I'm leaving." She replied coolly.

"But you were not medically cleared. Besides, you could be in danger out there." Angel said.

"Oh there's news. Like I'm not in danger each night. Don't sweat Vampire. I'll be okay." She said as she turned to go.

"Hey. What's with the attitude? Do all slayers have to have some bitchyness in them? He's right you know. You know that if it wasn't for Wes & Gunn here, you'd probably be dead." Cordelia said to her, anger apparent in her voice.

Riana was about to reply when the door opened & Fred walked in saying, "Here we are: Angel's office."

As Fred's companion entered the office, Riana, Wes, Gunn & Angel's faces drained of all color.

Angel couldn't believe his eyes. Was it Conner who was standing there? Yes…. He could smell him & it was most definitely Conner. What the hell was happening? Beside him, he heard Cordelia gasp & knew that she had recognized him as well. Suddenly he was very afraid. What if the others remembered him?

Riana watched speechlessly as she saw her mysterious attacker standing behind Fred. Wes & Gunn were dumbfounded, but this soon changed to alarm as they realized the danger that Fred was in. Wes opened his mouth to warn Fred when the boy suddenly grabbed her neck in his left hand & smiling said, "Thank you Fred. I believe I can take it from here."

The others looked on in alarm as he squeezed her neck & lifted her off her feet. "Well, well what have we hear?" He smiled as he entered the room completely.

"You know. I hadn't expected to find you all in one place at a time, but hey, makes my job easier." He said

"Put her down you bastard." Wesley ground out through his teeth. Angel & Cordelia who seemed to have trouble breathing, came out of their shocks & Angel said in a guarded tone, "What do you want?"

"To kill her." The boy said as he pointed towards Riana with his free hand.

"You know we can't let you do that." Angel said as he slowly made his way towards the boy.

"Really? Would you care to reconsider?" The boy asked as Fred's face contorted in pain, "& don't come any closer."

Angel halted in his tracks. He and the others watched helplessly as the boy moved further inside the room towards the wall where the weapons were hanging. "Ooh… nice collection." The boy remarked as he eyed the katana longingly.

"Why do you want to kill me? What have I done?" Riana asked as she stepped forward.

"Nothing. It's more a case of what someone else has done." The boy replied.

"You do realize that we won't let you harm anyone, right?" Gunn asked as he moved slightly to his left while the others seemed to spread out slightly without alarming the boy.

"Nope. Know what I think? I think there's not a thing you can do to stop me. Well…enough chit chat. Are you gonna give me the girl or do I have to resort to persuasion?" The boy's eyed them coldly.

"If you're so tough, why don't you let her go & take me on one on one?" Riana taunted as she prepared herself.

"Hmm….Ok." With that the boy flung Fred at Wes & Gunn & leaped towards Riana. However his leap was intercepted by Angel who tackled the boy & threw him against the wall. The boy kicked Angel off of him & got into a stance.

Meanwhile Wes & Gunn had extracted themselves from beneath Fred. Cordelia, who had made her way towards them, crouched down beside Fred & checked up on her while Wes & Gunn joined Angel & Riana.

"I suggest that you surrender." Wesley said as he pulled out his guns.

The boy smirked & then seemed to disappear. He suddenly appeared in front of Wesley & round-housed him into the wall. He then moved swiftly towards Riana & jumping in the air, aimed a kick at her temple. Riana blocked the kick & was about to grab his foot to throw him into the wall when he jumped behind her & kicked her in the side towards Gunn. Angel meanwhile had gotten up & he placed himself between them & the boy.

How can he move so fast? I have rarely seen anyone move so swiftly. Conner was never this quick. How'd he learn this trick? More importantly, how does he remember all his skills? & how in the hell is he linked with all these killings? He seemed so happy.

These thoughts raced through Angel's mind as he waited for Conner to attack. Conner waited for a moment before launching himself at Angel. He tried a backhand at Angel which he dodged but Conner quickly followed with a leg sweep. Unable to dodge, Angel fell into a heap. Conner jumped over him & backhanded Gunn who had stepped up as Angel's replacement. Gunn however caught his hand & used his own motion against him as he threw into Angel's desk. Conner bounced off the desk & twisting his body into the air landed a spin kick to Gunn's head. Gunn collapsed in a heap as Angel again got up & landed two quick jabs before picking him up & slamming him into the wall. Conner hit the wall with great force cracking it. He got up to his feet shakily but took up his stance non-the-less.

He's getting into a stance. Conner never did so.

Wesley, Gunn & Riana joined Angel as Conner glared at them. He reached for his left leg & took out a dagger from under his Jeans. He got into a crouched position & spread his legs slightly apart.

Wesley gasped. He recognized that stance. The Battou stance. A nearly forgotten memory raised it's head in his mind.

**

"Remember Wesley, the Battou Stance is the most formidable of all killing techniques. In a stance form and waiting for an opponent with the correct timing, a powerful swing with the twist of waist. It is the skill to attack by drawing the sword. Very few master it completely. Always remember that if u encounter such a stance from your opponent, always try to dodge it. Never charge it. If you charge then you're dead. U may try leaping over it but considering your ah…proficiency, I don't think u should take that risk.

**

Wesley cleared his mind of all thought & then spoke quietly to the others, not caring that the boy may hear him too, "Don't charge. Just dodge this attack. He doesn't have the proper weapon for this attack. It's only a dagger." The others all nodded their heads in agreement. Conner smiled & then instead of charging he jumped into the air & Twisting his body, he flew towards Riana. Angel seeing what Conner was trying to do, placed his body in between Conner & Riana's. the next instant he felt the dagger cut into his chest in a spheroidal manner & blood pour out of his chest as an anguished scream erupted from his mouth.

Conner immediately jumped in the air & was about to impale the dagger into the head of a stunned slayer when out of nowhere, a chair slammed into him & he crashed to the floor. The others looked at where the chair had come from and saw a vamped out Spike glaring at Conner. Spike snarled & threw himself at Conner & punched him thrice on the face before Conner grabbed his throat & threw Spike off himself. Gunn grabbed a broken chair leg & threw it at Conner's head. Conner dodged it & was about to throw his dagger at Gunn when Riana charged Conner & caught him in a flurry of kicks & punches. Conner finally blocked her & seeing an opportunity, stabbed her in her injured shoulder & then spinning on his heels kicked her in the stomach causing her to slam into Cordelia.

Everyone was looking haggard now. Angel was down, bleeding profusely. Spike had a cut on his head, as did Gunn. Riana was in a bad shape while Wesley kept shaking his head as if trying to clear it from cobwebs. Conner himself was bleeding from his nose, lip & forehead. His entire face was covered in blood & he was looking extremely wild.

He wiped the blood from his eyes & eyed the people opposing him. He was surprised that they had lasted this long. Still, they seemed to be tiring & he could wait a little longer. He was about to charge again when he felt a prick in his left knee. Looking down he saw a pin sticking in his jeans. He moved his hand to remove it when another one pricked him, this time on his wrist. He looked up & saw that the woman 'Fred' was holding what seemed to be a blowpipe in her mouth. He moved towards her but before he could take more than a couple of steps, he staggered & felt Spike slam into him.

He tried to defend himself but somehow his whole body seemed to be shutting down. The last thing he saw before his mind blanked out was a fist coming towards his face.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

AN: Phew! This chapter was tough on me. What with all my assignments & tests coming up, it was hard to find the time to write it. I know it doesn't explain much. But we'll get to that part soon. I promise! The next part will include Buffy & the others & hopefully some new (as well as old) characters.

Tell me what u think. Ur reviews definitely mean a lot to me & inspire me to write. If u want something specific, ask for it.

Finally….shout outs go to ALL of my reviewers. U guys ROCK!!!! . This chapter is dedicated to u guys!