[Hey everyone, nothing here to say except that its my turn to work the mojo
on this fic, also, great work iluvanimals772003]

Chapter Five

by buffyfan32578

Dawn opened her eyes groggily, realizing, as she pulled her head up that
her face was stuck to the page.Yawning she pulled her face and stared,
uncomprehending at the open book, her eyes slightly
unfocused. 'Skinasia, Connor, demon, cute boy, Keilinish, cute boy' scrambled
thoughts rushed through her over-researched mind, finally focusing on the
very cute boy next to her, his face still stuck in one of the books Giles
had set them to researching in. Last night had ended, finally, when Wesley
was able to translate the foreign language that the demon spoke, ending up
with the demon giving up a name, Zinikila. They had been researching it
since.
"Whattimezit?" Dawn rubbed sleep from her eyes, almost falling out of the
chair when she tried to stand.
"Whaz it what?" Connor looked across the room at her, finally placing the
book down and coming to sit by her, leaning back in the stiff chair.
"Find anything on the Zinikila dude?" Dawn stretched her arms, looking over
to Connor, who looked more sleep deprived than Buffy ever had.
"Not one."

" 'Lo? We're back! Got nothing but a big old green horny demon, which we
sent to you, as I can see..." Xander stopped in the doorway, glancing
nervously at the green demon, who was, scary as it might be, sitting on the
couch drinking tea with Wesley. The two were talking (if that's what one would
call the clicking noises being traded between Watcher and demon.) and the
demon seemed quite at home, nodding thoughtfully once or twice. When they
heard Xanders remark, they turned to him, tea in hand.
"Ah, Xander. Willow, Tara, Anya. I believe we've had a little break through
with our friend, Skinasia. It appears he was more frightened of us than we
were of him. He, erm, says he knew a demon, who knew a demon who knew a demon who is trying to ... oh no, already has raised 'he who will be the
destruction of the world as we know it'." he recited from a yellowing
parchment. He scoffed, shaking his head. "Well, when have we not heard that
one before, I ask you?" He shook his head again setting the paper on the
table, along with his tea.
By now the others had filed in, still eyeing the Watcher having tea with
the demon as if it happened all the time.
"The British and their tea," Xander muttered as Wesley poured himself and
Skinisia more tea.

Gunn glanced between the love triangle that walked in front of him now, as
they traversed through the maze of sewers, occasionally stopping to make
sure they were on the right track.
The sun had long since set when Spike stopped at an exit, holding a hand
up to caution the others. Quietly and stealthily, the vampire hoisted himself
out of the sewer, Buffy, Angel, and lastly Gunn following him. Buffy
recognized the place as an old warehouse where that cracked down on a pack of
vamps a few weeks ago, she thought the place had been deserted for a while now,
but judging by the smell, it wasn't. The smell of rotting corpses was
exceptionally strong were they were, still cloaked in shadows.
"God what is that smell?" Buffy hissed under her breath, but she really
didn't want to hear the answer. Spike led the way, creeping through the
shadows to the main part of the warehouse.
What they saw was disturbing, in the most strict sense. A ring of bodies,
some even children, were laid out before a throne that seemed to have been
melden by an array of bones and skin, demon and human. On the throne was an
even more disturbing sight. It was a demon, that was sure, for what else could it
be? It's skin was stretched over its skull so tight, Buffy could almost see
the muscles in its jaw working as he chewed a piece of human skin (ewww!).
The face was covered in rigged bumps, niched and pockmarked from battles. His
green eyes, which were flecked with gold, bulged from their sockets. His mouth
extended a few inches, silver fangs protruding from his upper and lower
jaw. The rest of his body was huge, but cloaked in a black robe.
Buffy was happy to note that she recognized at least one thing in the
room. Vampires. They formed a half-circle around their 'Master', all clothed
in identical black robes and sporting half moon carvings on both cheeks and
a triangle with an open and closed eye. Buffy withdrew a stake from her
waistband and moved silently next to Spike, but he shook his head and pushed
her back a few steps. She glared at him, but stood back anyway, which was
thankfully the same time the huge demon spoke, his voice like nails on a
chalkboard.
"Kinting!" He called out, drawing out the 'g'. "Bring the sacrifice!"
Forward stepped a vampire, carrying a baby swathed in a filthy blanket. The
vampire set the baby inside the circle of dead people, more vampires coming
forth to light candles around the child. The child had begun a loud wail that
did disturb the vampires, in fact, some had begun to run their lips over the
tips of their fangs. Buffy wiggled from Spikes grasp, tried to move forward
to save the baby, but Angel grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to his
chest.
The hideous demon stepped froward from his human throne, raisng his clawed
hands to the sky.
"My lord, accept this sacrifice, a human child, born to be a Slayer of
demons who we have sought out to please you .Give me strength, strength you
posses but cannot use, so that I may demolish the human race and those who
oppose you. Help me to defeat the ones strong united, who will undoubtedly
stand against me. My Lord, accept this sacrifice!" The child's wails rose
higher... and died.
Buffy buried her face in Angels shirt, averting her gaze from the smoking
baby bones laid out in the circle of dead, and also of the demon, crackling
with newly posessed power.

Giles looked over the text Dawn and Connor had brought to him on the demon
Zinikila, his brow furrowed in concentration. There were two illustrations,
one of a hideous demon, a skull perched on a mass of demon bulk, and of the
same demon after a sacrifice.
The sacrifice, it seemed, of a child destined to become a Slayer.
The sound of a door being shut from the front of the house. Setting the
book down, he motioned for Illyria to follow him. In the living room, he was
happy to note that everyone had returned safely from their excursion with no
apparent injuries. Buffy, however, was blank, her face unreadable as she took
a seat on the couch, hardly noting the horned green demon who was still
conversingwith Wesley.
'Hello, erm, Buffy. Find anything, um, important?" He asked hopefully. Gunn
spoke up.
"Yeah, some demon dude, scary lookin fella', sacrificing babies to some lord
of his, askin for power to end the word." Shaking his head, he turned to
Wesley," Why are these world domination demons so ego eccentric?"

Buffy hugged the pillow, the nights events still reeling through her over
loaded brain, so focused on herself that she didn't even hear Angel enter
with his nightly blood. He set the mug on the table before settling on the
couch beside her. She could never had denied that when he put his arm around
her shoulders and pulled her close to him that she felt that she was really
part of something bigger, that it wasn't jut her life that mattered, but
that everyone's did. That she didn't save the world so that there would be a
mall to shop at tomorrow, but for everyone else. And it was especially now
that she felt the most loved girl in the world, when he planted a kiss on
her forehead and stroked her hair till she fell asleep.

Hesitantly, Dawn knocked on Connors bedroom door. He was sitting on his bed
playing what looked suspiciously like a gameboy, but he hid it when she
entered.
"Yeah?" Connor smiled at her as she sat on the bed next to him. She just
smiled at him, taking his hand.
"You know, this was such a great day. Research, tea with a demon, hearing
all about that sacrifice..." She shuddered and he wrapped an arm around her.
"Wasn't it?"
Dawn held her breath as Connor leant forward, his lips brushing hers
before pulling away with a smile. Dawn let out her breath, smiling so much,
she could never had explained how she felt at that moment.
"Yeah, it was a great day."