FallenDruid
A/N: I'm struggling very, very hard with the urge to turn this into the darkfic to end all darkfics. I have, temporarily, won by compromising and deciding to write two versions. These versions will stay the same until shortly after a specific event.
Ph34r.
Disclaimer: Neither Sailor Moon or B:tVS belong to me. I just like to make with the hurting.
"I'm scared, Giles." Willow slowed as she approached the library's office.
That was Xander's voice. "Everyday, I have these weird thoughts,
impressions...hell, I walked into the girl's locker room on purpose...and not
to ogle the girls, either." She stopped outside the door, and pressed her ear
against it in an attempt to hear better.
"I'm not sure what more I can do for you, Xander. I have researched the spell that Ethan used, and the literature indicates that the implanted memories should fade over a period of time, not become stronger."
"Yeah well, that's exactly what's happening." Xander laughs a bit in a disturbing manner. "I looked at you this morning, and, and you'll never guess what the first thought through my head was." He stops and waits for Giles to speak.
"Don't have the foggiest, I'm afraid."
"And I quote, 'He's pretty hot for an old guy...'"
Giles clears his throat suddenly, and begins to polish his glasses. "Well,
uh, I will of course step up my resarch into what may be causing this, and any
ways to, uh, extricate these memories from your mind." He pauses a moment,
considering. "If I may be so bold, you said that you went dressed as a
japanese schoolgirl, correct?"
"Er, yes."
"Now, this character, was there anything odd about her, any, any magickal or psionic powers?"
"She was a Sailor Scout."
"And that is, precisely, what?"
"Uh..." Xander hesitates for a moment, trying to dredge the memory up. "A pretty, sailor suited warrior for love and justice? THey have magic powers that they get from the planets and they're always going on about the moon?"
Giles drops his glasses. "Oh dear lord."
"What? What is it?"
Visibly shaken, Giles bends down to pick up his glasses. "Uhm, I...I must,
uh, research something. Yes. Research. Excuse me." He stands, and shoves
his glasses back on his face as he makes for the office door.
"Hey!" Xander shouts. "Wait! I...I'm not gonna die, am I?"
Giles stops, his hand on the door knob. Willow darts away from the door, and
heads outside of the library, missing what Giles says next. ""No, Xander. I
do not believe that you are going to die." He pauses, considering.
"However...you may not be particularly happy at the manner of your not dying."
"That...doesn't sound good..." Xander mutters, looking down.
"No." Giles says, head bowed. "I very much imagine it does not sound good.
For what it's worth, however...I am sorry." He slips out the door, and heads
back into the stacks. Xander stays in the office, head bowed, for a long time.
Scene: A dew days later, nightly patrol
"I just...I dunno what's going on anymore." Xander says from his spot on a bench.
"Is it getting -oof! Good hit!" Buffy exclaims from where she's fighting a vampire. "Worse?"
"YES!" Xander shouts, standing. He paces around a bit. "I met Cordelia in a boutique yesterday."
Willow winces. "Harsh." She's sitting on the bench, as well, eating some kosher popcorn.
"No! See, that's the problem. She didn't recognize me from the back, and we spent a few minutes chatting about conditioners and skin lotions. No man should know that much about skin lotions!"
"Well..." Willow interjects meekly. "That doesn't sound too bad..."
"Stake!" Buffy cries. Xander tosses her one absently. A quiet poof later,
she saunters absently to the bench and sits next to Willow. "What's wrong with
knowing your skin lotions?"
Xander stops pacing and stares at the two of them. "I need some guy friends."
"Incoming, Buffy." Willow pops another handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"At one o'clock"
Buffy looks at Willow, startled, and then her face relaxes in comprehension.
"Ah...got them now. Wills, you're getting spooky at that, you know?"
"It's a gift." She shrugs nonchalantly.
As Buffy vaults to her feet, Xander slides into her vacated spot smoothly,
draping one arm around Willow. "Go get'em, Buff." He looks at Willow. "How
do you do that, anyways?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Willow swallows her popcorn. "It's kinda wird,
actually. It's like there's a light that's illuminating them, but that light
is darkness. I think it's a side effect of some of my, um, more esoteric
studies."
"How ya doin on those anyways?"
"It's really quite fascinating, actually, once you start separating each
'spell' into its quanta, intializing them seperately...I should start to get
some real results in another few months. Start defining the matrix equations
and-" She was abruptly cut off, as another creature came out from behind a
mausoleum, smashing her brutally on the back of her head. She fell forward,
stunned. A slow trickle of blood spread through her hair.
Xander watched it in stunned horror. Turning, he gazed upon the thing that had done /that/ to /his/ Willow. The monster chuckles darkly. "Her blood smells of power. I wonder how it tastes?"
"You'll never have the chance to find out." He stood, slipppping one hand behind his jacket and drawing a stake. The monster stood, staring at him.
"Pfagh. Human scum. Not even a breath of power." It stood, arrogantly
awaiting his attack. Xander dove, screaming, at it. Suddenly, the world
snapped into slow motion. The demon casually sidestepped the thrust, and then
almost languidly tapped him on his chest as he flew past. Time sped up again,
as he flew, propelled by the hit a good five meters, and crashed into a
gravestone.
"No!" Buffy yelled, and then almost casually finished the last vampire by the simple expedient of ripping its head from its shoulders. She charges at the demon.
Xander slowly drags himself upright, coughing. He hacked out some blood, and
then directed a burning stare at the monster. His hand went behind his back
again. "Hverr pora skada minn elska, vili deyja! Nefna tungl, rekkr Tiw"
There was a brief flash of light. When it ended, nothing would be the same
again.