Hikari: The wheels on the bus go round and round-
Kayo: Honey, please stop that. You've been singing children's songs for
the past hour.
Hikari: Um... NO! Besides, would you rather that I bounced around the
room, setting all of your clothes on fire?
Kayo: F NO! I...Uh- never mind. Just get on with the story. The nice
audience people are waiting.
Hikari: Ahh! Audience! YAY! Time to REEEEEEEAD!
Kayo: Um...yeah, about that... I wrote the disclaimer for you, so just
read from it, and don't get pouty.
Hikari: Okay...
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, or any of the
characters that were created by Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon, or any of the
directors/writers on both shows. If I did, not only would I not be
writing this, I would be living on the moon or underwater. How fun!
Kayo: Hey! That last part wasn't on there!
Hikari: I know! But it was soooooo boooring. Do you thing the moon is
as pretty as underwater!
Kayo:twitchsure.
Hikari: And now to make the nice audience people vewy vewy happy!
Another Key Doth This Way Come:
Part I: Restoration
Chapter 1
It was cold, up there on the mountain. But the tall, robed band of men
from Greece were quite prepared for that. They had more than enough
supplies for all the men there. Of course, they were only four miles
from Bareges, a fairly good-sized town just by the base of the Pic du
Midi de Bigorre, the oversized hill they were on in the south of
France.
One man, clearly defined from the others by his lighter robe, the back
of which was embroidered with an eye and the symbol of Omega, was
setting out a smooth, flat stone on the cold ground. He placed a blue
orb upon it, smiling at the way it glowed softly. The sphere rolled
toward his hand, basically nuzzling it, if an inanimate object can do
such a thing. The man smiled a little bit more, shaking his head as he
gently scooted the ball back to the center of the flat stone.
"You need not comfort me, dear one, we will meet again. It is time for
the ceremony now, so please rest yourself." (A/N: This is said in Greek,
but for the sake of sanity, I made it into English)
The other men gathered around, forming a circle around the man, with
the stone and the sapphire orb at the direct center. They all began
chanting in ancient Greek.
The man in the center said aloud, "Where one opens doors, she will open
hearts. When one is hurt, she will heal her. For the sake of the world,
the universe, and the dimensions, we recreate our child, our dear one,
to protect her from the evils that may seek her. We bestow upon her a
name, and the powers of her namesake. We place her in the safety of the
Chosen one and her companions. We give her the blood of the mystical
one, so she may be set right be our child's presence. Athena, give her
thought and wit. Hestia, give her peaceful shelter. Hera, give her
gentle mother. Iris and Hermes, give her safe passage. Hephaistos, give
her form. Aphrodite, give her compassion. Artemis, grant her your
protection. Ares, give her quick thinking in battle. Zeus, give her
strength. To you we pray, and to you we release our dear one. From
Alpha to Omega, we trust in you." At this, he scooped up the orb and
threw it into the wind. But it was no longer a glowing sphere. It was a
dove, flying into the sky.
The man stood, smiling wistfully. They had been successful. He scanned
the circle, seeing all of the other Disciples of the Seer. They all
seemed partly drained, partly sad. All had their heads hung, waiting
for instructions.
A whisper, on the wind. The man heard it. Someone was infiltrating his
circle. Someone had already broken in. He whipped his head around
again, looking over every robed person there.
One...two...three, four, five... all clean there...six, seven,
eight...no, they weren't spies... what about number nine? The man
doubled back. There were only supposed to be eight men in his circle.
He went back and looked at the ninth one.
A sharp athame sliced through cloth, staining white fabric with red.
The man fell to the ground, and the eight other robed followers were
dead before they could gasp.
The lone figure, holding a bloody blade, tipped down its hood,
revealing withered red skin. It was smiling, a grotesque sight for any,
considering its teeth were thin and razor sharp. Its nose was
apparently nonexistent, but the nostrils were long and vertical. The
eyes were a poisonous green, unlidded, ever unblinking.
The demon kneeled and plunged the athame into the cold ground, then
began chanting. A few moments later, a small ring of fire, maybe two
inches in diameter, appeared in front of the demon.
"Do you know where it has gone, minion?" The fire was not actually
speaking, but the words came from the air around it, in a series of
pitched hisses and pops.
"Aye, master, their 'dear one'" There was a snicker following that. "Is
off to live with the Slayer. 'She' will be easy to find, my liege.
Possibly even easier to take control of."
"Then find it, track it by any means necessary. I will be arisen. Use
the slayer to find it. Those impotent fools probably warned her of it's
arrival."
"Yes, my liege," The demon replied, bowing it's head. The fire puffed
out into a wisp of dark smoke.
The demon left the massacre and the athame to start down the hill.