Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire slayer, Noir, or Naruto. All rights belong to their creators and producers so please do not sue.
Author Note 1: This is my second attempt at a BTVS fanfic and my first attempt at a crossover of this magnitude so make sure to give me feedback.
Author note 2: To those who know my work no I have not given up on "Mazoku" I do intend to finish it but this story will not die in my head and demands to be written.
Author note 3: I am in the market for a beta reader please let me know in the review if you would like the job as I am quite desperate.
Author note 4: I have never attempted a story like this and anyone who truly knows the world of "Noir" that might help me out after this chapter I would greatly appreciate it.
Summary: Memories- they are like grains of sand that can slip away or be forced into a compacted space. Who is he really? What is the path he must take? He has forgotten those times to be left waiting for the call. Yet on all hallows eve a mistake shall awaken what he has lost. Given the mind of a genius murderer and the return of what he never knew he lost. The legacy of the third will be written in blood.
Now on with the Show
Alexander
Chapter Ten: Revelations in Shadow part two
England was just as Xander expected it to be, cold and yet beautiful in its own way. He'd arrived just as promised a week before Christmas and was instantly introduced to the Giles estate. That had been a shock really to know Giles was from a wealthy maybe even a noble British family, though it explained why he never got in trouble for his Ripper days. The family was all gone now leaving only Rupert Giles and Xander Giles with a rather large house and piece of land around it.
'This place is almost the equal of the manor and with all this space; I can train without a care.' Xander thought happily as he stared out over the area from his room.
"This place, it kind of looks like Mist country in the winter." He said remembering some of the places from Itachi's world.
Faith and Lindsey were due to come over Christmas day for presents exchange and dinner, and then on New Years Eve, he and Faith were going to see what was on the disk. Picking up the item in question, he turned it over and over in his hand; he wondered how something so simple could cause such worry and curiosity in him.
'What secrets do you hold? Why am I afraid to learn them? Isn't this what I've wanted since Halloween? I seem to be clinging to my past like a lifeline and pouring all my self worth into it. Why does it seem like some pieces are missing though? Like my memories aren't complete? I really need to figure this all out before I go insane from switching outlooks on life. Soldats, what did you do to me? Altena, what are you hiding from me? What is the big conspiracy? I'll know whether I want to or not soon.
Giles Estate
Christmas had come and gone with pleasantness felt by all. Xander had given Faith a custom made dagger, it was curved hilt and blade with a second blade running just above the hilt. Giles and Lindsey had been given rare books that he had been able to locate along with a sweater from Faith and bauble from Giles to Lindsey. Faith had gotten Giles a leather coat and Lindsey had bought him of all things a pipe. Faith had received a gift from Lindsey she refused to speak of and an outfit from Giles. Xander had been given a new katana from Giles, which now had a permanent place in his arsenal, when he had seen what the sword was capable of. A cashmere sweater from Lindsey and a kunai set from Faith.
Now though New Years Eve had come and the Watchers were out attending a party, which both slayer and assassin had declined going to. A pair of chairs had been moved in front of the big Plasma screen TV, Giles denied purchasing saying it belonged to his late father. The laptop was connected via AV cables and both teenagers were waiting for the popcorn from the stove to finish before putting the disk in.
"Do we need sodas? We probably need sodas; I should run right out and get sodas. I can catch a plane and be back from America in a week." Xander said, stalling as Faith plopped down with the finished popcorn.
"Boytoy, stop panicking, you look like Red. Now take a deep breath, and just put the thing in, it might just be porn or something."
"Thank you for the delightful visual, Faithie. Why would porn be helpful to my search for truth?"
"Maybe you were a stud in a past life." She replied with a shrug.
Shaking his head with a laugh, Xander slid the disk into the appropriate drive, and waited for it to load. When the password was asked for, he brought his fingers to the key typing the correct code.
'Twinkie'
The screen dissolved into darkness but restarted a second later, codes running from several boxes, before it settled into the brown background of the database. A window that opened before was covering the screen, and a media player started showing man with dark brown hair wearing sunglasses was seen dressed in a white lab coat.
"It has become clear after the incident in January and the loss of Noir as a viable assassination team that Soldats must develop a new weapon to compliment the next generation. Noir has too long been the best and last option for the organization, sadly it took losing control of our own sword to realize this, and even if there is to be a new Noir, we shall have something better in waiting." The man spoke in a clinical voice and then was replaced with an image of a dark haired woman with her hair cut short dressed in a similar uniform.
"The technology and processes we have decided to use and barely a theory in the scientific community, and we will rely heavily on the mystical element being brought in to insure success. What follows is the detailed account of the project to its completion and any further notes that needed to be made."
Three separate file banks appeared and each one was password protected. Reaching forward, he typed in the only codes that would make sense to use.
'Alexander'
'Noir'
'Truth'
The banks opened and once more, the screen was filled by a window.
Project Alexander.
"Project Alexander is an experimental undertaking by all of Soldats to realize one of our oldest prophecies. Our goal is to create life and build the ultimate weapon from birth. He shall carry the deadliest bloodlines of the world, insuring the proper breeding for our weapon. The father part of his genetics is made up of the finest assassins and ninja combined that we could find, or acquire the bones of. Conversely, the bodies of our fallen Noir will become the mother parts of the equation. We have mostly used the DNA of our latest Noir for this, giving him a total of two true mothers and several others that provide a piece of him. There is only one father that is alive, but he has sworn to never mention the existence of what we create."
Lists started scrolling across the screen detailing each of the people used and what percentage they were apart of him, Xander could not speak, his mind was whirling, but it seemed the explanation hadn't ended yet as the dark haired woman came back on camera.
"After six weeks, the process is starting to form and the fetus seems to be working well, but I'm worried about the large amount of mixing genetically we're doing, it has the possibility of making the entire process unstable or more likely to lose cohesion. There is also the lack of intelligent DNA we're feeding into this matrix, almost as if we wish to handicap Alexander. To insure this isn't a possibility, I have replaced one of the higher Noir donors with myself, while not as much as the recent Noir team it will be enough, I hope."
"Five months have passed, and the artificial womb seems to be holding, and Alexander is growing. I admit it is an odd thing to watch occurring in front of me, to see a baby grow and develop, yet hold no true association with it. I know now what life waits for that child and it bothers me to think every attachment or feeling he may ever have, it will be just as fake as the place he now exists. I wonder if what we're doing is really right."
"Eight months, and today was the first time we had a close call. A rapid cell termination in Alexander began, and we nearly lost him, luckily the mystical experts that we keep nearby were able to contain and repair the damage without a projected loss of ability. People are blaming it on the tank or nutrient mix he's getting, but personally… I think Alexander tried to destroy himself that some part of his soul wanted to make sure he was never born and we stopped him. Will Alexander forgive us creating him, or will the blade we forge cut us down?"
"Alexander was 'born' today, and I think I cried more then any of the other scientists. The baby cried loud and proud announcing himself to the world at large. He looks just like me though, and a part of me yearns to hold him, but that honor is not mine. Altena, former maiden of the most recent Noir, and a rising leader in Soldats was the first person to see him and hold him in her arms. She will be charged with training the next Noir I am told, and Alexander will be given to her. It's not fair, maybe she makes up more of his genetic structure, but I have been here taking care of him since he was created and I wish to be his parent. Altena is known to hate men, how will she be able to train and raise the genius and warrior that is Alexander?"
The person flicked back to the male scientist in the background, it seemed like a war was happening.
"Emergency report, Alexander has barely been completed, and already someone is on us intent on stealing our work. Armed assailants have breached the compound and much of the staff is already dead. Altena has luckily escaped with Alexander, but I'm afraid the rest of us will not leave this place again. I am getting everyone out that I can, but it may not be enough. We are the forgers of the weapon, not its users. We set out to create perfection, and I believe we succeeded."
The file back continued on, showing graphics and charts with more in depth information of the process, but he didn't see them. Xander didn't see any of it, his mind was at a loss, grinding to a complete halt. He had often said he never considered himself born, but to learn it was true shocked him to the very core.
Faith watched Xander, her mind truly at a loss as to what she should say. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought this was what lay inside the disk. It was worse, because she didn't see any reaction in her friend. In her eyes, he hadn't changed. He was still the same Xander, no matter how he was born. Reaching forward, she made to turn the computer off, but her hand was grabbed by Xander's.
"No, I have to know the rest. I need to know what else is on this disk, what else was kept from me, Faith." He said, though each word seemed hard for him to say.
"Boytoy… Xander, this is a lot to take in do, you really want to push it tonight? It will still be there when you're ready." She asked, resorting to his real name.
"No, I'm fine, Faith. I need to see this if only to put my own mind at ease and prove Buffy wrong. You're here with me and it's your strength that will allow me to watch. Please, Faith, don't try and stop me when we have so much more to see." He spoke.
"Fine, but if you start crying, it isn't my fault."
Releasing her hand, he opened the second file bank, and watched as the screen went blank. Again, as it was taken over by a video window and the main scientist from the first video came on the screen, though he seemed slightly older and now had a scar running along his left cheek.
"Three years have passed since the completion of project Alexander and the attack made on the compound. We're finally getting a chance to see Alexander after three years, and to evaluate his level of growth outside the influence of Altena. Training will be continued for the six weeks, he will stay here and we intend to see if the technology we have will improve the rate of speed at which he learns."
A window opened in the corner showing a break down of movements electronically, as they matched up with the footage being shown of the three year old Alexander training his fighting skills, and then weapon skills. The voice of the main scientist played in the background.
"Alexander is a true prodigy when it comes to the deadly arts. I wonder if this is because of how he was born and from whom he was born, or from the strict training regime Altena has forced on the boy? He was up and moving around with no one noticing before most of the base, and we had thought he was gone before we discovered him in the gym still training. He seems to hold no care for his own life, seemingly driven to complete his goals. I have never once seen eyes as cold as his. The only problem seems to be, while he will take and obey our orders without hesitation, that in a situation of choice, he would choose to listen to Altena over any Soldats officer. I find myself wondering if this truly is right."
The picture changed to a full screen of the dark haired woman, seemingly talking to the camera.
"Alexander as I call him, I saw him for the first time today, as I was brought in to gage his IQ level. There was nothing burning in those eyes when we met, just a simple cold detachment to follow orders, and move on to the next task. From the development reports we receive, this is typical behavior when away from the manor and the future Noir team, but still to be faced with that is quite hard to deal with. Intelligence-wise, the child is brilliant if lacking in current theory that goes beyond the fields that would help an assassin in the real world. He also seems to know quite a lot about the arts, which was quite surprising to learn."
"I watched Alexander train today, as one of the few scientists who survived the last attack, it has fallen to me and the head of the project to oversee the child's time here. It became clear, while I was watching him, Alexander would meet ever expectation set for him with ease. The questions I asked before have returned though in full force. How is any of this right? I hope to give Alexander a gift before he leaves, but I may get in trouble for it."
"A simple music box that is the gift I gave Alexander. He seemed generally surprised, but accepted the gift, none the less. I've seen him carrying the box around or letting it play as he meditates or trains, and it tugs at my heart that he enjoys the gift. I've been warned though about interacting with Alexander by my superiors. The warning was reinforced when Alexander entered my quarters and pointed a gun at my head. A child has no concept of right and wrong, nor would he ever know that he was about to kill if he had pulled the trigger. The director of the project later explained it was a simple exercise and he apologized for not letting me know. I understand the real reason though, which was to scare me and remind me that Soldats will use Alexander against me."
The main scientist took over at this point, while a video played showing the streets of a Tuscany city.
"It seems the one male living donor to Alexander's genetic structure has decided to break his word to Soldats, and it was decided to use Alexander to eliminate the man. So walking into an alley in the dead of night with only his gun and the music box gift, we all waited for the results. He fired one shot and ended the man's life cold and clinical just as Alexander had always been taught. What unnerved me was the smile, when he was brought out of the alley, Alexander was smiling. His eyes had not changed and he was listening to the music box but his lips were drawn in a smile that had no place. Alexander on some level, had enjoyed slaying the one man alive who could be anything close to a biological father to him, though he would never be told that."
"Two years after Alexander's first kill, it has been decided to relocate him, and since he has learned all that he needed too. It's unknown at this time, whether he will ever be reactivated, or brought back into the fold. We've decided to use the Hellmouth as his home and mark the entire thing down as an extended test. Altena was annoyed by the decision, but she has not gathered enough power as a leader to oppose the decision. Meanwhile, we are also considering the possibility of repeating project Alexander and creating a second or a counterpart for Alexander in order to naturally bred a family of assassins, this has not been decided, however."
Faith had to resist every urge not to vomit, and she was slowly losing that battle. Xander was in no better shape, his head was down and she swore he was trembling ever so slightly. This was beyond either of them and she doubted in a million years she could understand just what Xander was feeling at the moment.
"Ok, I seriously think that's enough." She stated.
"No." he replied and accessed the final file area.
Child born of Noir
Child born of many bloods
A sword forged
In forbidden alchemy
Eyes that see beyond
Eyes that change and
Become like blood
He is the guardian
He is the shield
He is the sword
That protects the two maidens
He shall face a choice in path
To be what they see
Or
To be the weapon they perceive
Death shall walk in his wake
The twilight shadow
Cloaking his presence
Alexander
Protector of man
Ender of the corruption
Shield and Sword of Noir
Bonded with a soul
Not of this world
Those words were all that came across the screen.
"The prophecy of Alexander." Xander whispered.
"What is it, Boytoy?"
"The prophecy of Alexander, the text Altena showed me as a child that would mark my destiny. There is some of it missing, though as if they had not been given the full text from the book."
"Think that Altena chick pulled a fast one on them?"
"I don't know what to think anymore."
Xander's Dream
He was four again and standing before the man in the alley. His hand lifted the gun and brought the hammer back, and then everything seemed to freeze in place. The only sound coming from his music box as it played its tune.
'He must die for breaking his vow to Soldats.'
"No! I cannot kill this man, he has done nothing wrong. He is a part of us like a father." Xander yelled, seemingly trapped in the child-like body of his past.
'I don't have a Father or a Mother, I'm a weapon to be used and discarded when I fail.'
The gun fired a single shot that pierced and killed the man sending blood spilling across the child's face.
'This is what I am.'
"No! There has to be more to it, or else how could I feel such closeness for Kirika and Chloe. How could I befriend Jenny, or feel my heart swell at the sight of Mireille and Faith? "
He found himself standing in a place he had never actually been, his hands striking out and murdering people left and right. A katana cut through flesh and made distinction in target. Men, women, and children fell at the edge of his weapon or from his flames. The Uchiha district and the night, it would fall silent in this place, and he was reliving Itachi's killing spree.
"Stop it! They don't deserve this, Itachi had no right to do this, and I don't want to do this!" He screamed, yet his body continued on.
He turned to face Sasuke as he killed their parents in front of the child. Their eyes met, yet the desperate begging, Xander was asking for forgiveness and was ignored as the boy charged him in rage.
"Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, then hate, spite, and run… Run and cling pathetically to life." He said as he easily stopped the boy.
"XANDER!" he found himself in a hallway this time with an older Sasuke charging him. A Chidori crackling around the boy's hand, ripping the wall to shreds as he ran.
The attack was easily stopped, and with a twist, he broke Sasuke's wrist and arm.
"You're still so weak little brother, how disappointing. I thought you were an avenger? Yet, you're nothing more then that scared little boy. It seems your destiny is to remain weak." He stated, before locking Sasuke into the Tsukuyomi
'No! Why am I doing this? I was never Itachi, these are his memories, why am I reliving his memories? Why do people call me Xander? Why won't they stop?' He thought in panic.
He found himself kneeling over the body of Jenny Calendar right after he had ended her life.
"This is all you are capable of. You're nothing but a killer." Her voice rose from the corpse, neither accusatory nor comforting.
"Who shall we kill, next brother?" Turning around, he found himself in a field littered with bodies, standing beside him were both Kirika and Chloe.
"Did these people deserve to die?" he asked out loud.
"Only you can decide that." Kirika answered.
"Death is the constant, it will always come but it travels with you, destroying everything in its wake." Chloe spoke.
Kirika stepped forward and embraced him, laying her head on his shoulder leaning against him.
"Mireille has to die, Faith had to die, all of them must die until only we remain. We have so much to do, Alexander. The new bloodline must be born, the world must change."
"Is it right? Is any of this right? Did they create a monster? Chloe, Kirika, I don't know what to do."
Chloe placed a hand on his arm.
"The finality of the choice, only then will you find the solace of a single path."
"Choose what must be chosen, and do not falter." Kirika whispered.
"You're not Itachi."
"You're not Xander."
"You are Alexander."
Giles Residence
Xander sat straight up in bed, his eyes wide and his breathing shallow. Looking around, he spotted a worried face staring at him. Faith had somehow heard him in the throws of his nightmare, and come to check on him, while Giles and Lindsey were oblivious being downstairs and mistakenly watching the disk.
Lowering his head, the memories pounding through his mind, he broke down. The usually stoic, if not down right cold assassin, allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. This was the first time any of those assembled had seen him cry and even Willow had never seen him lose true control, except in the case of Jesse or Jenny. He felt Faith embrace him, but the sobs wouldn't stop coming and the memories refused to fade.
'This is the truth I was meant to find, Mother? Am I no more than a tool to you? Kirika, what did that dream mean? I don't know what to think anymore about anything.'
There would be no more sleep for Xander tonight, only the endless questions that came long after his emotions dried up. Questions he swore to answer for himself before returning to the manor.
The pilgrimage into his past had only begun.
Sunnydale
Xander walked with Faith through the halls of SHS towards their next class or in Xander's case next nap. Neither had spoken of his nightmare or of the comforting that had occurred.
"So, where should we hunt tonight? The Bronze might actually have a few vamps, you think?" Faith asked.
"Do a quick run through after sundown then go to the Bronze if there's no action in one place, then perhaps, we will get lucky in the other." He answered, though his tone seemed bored.
"Aw, is the little ninja mad, because Faith actually managed to hit him today in practice?" She said in a sweet voice.
"You cheated, dropping your top is not a regulation move."
"Ninja don't play by the rules, Boytoy."
"Troublesome woman."
Patrol
Faith rolled to the side, just as a wooden shuriken was thrown into her current opponents' chest, dusting the undead American. The pair had run across a group of vamps stalking around near a playground, and now was playing with them.
Xander was leaning against a tree idly tossing kunai and shuriken at anyone he chose, watching while Faith practices her taijutsu skills on any vamp that got within range of her. He might have to resort to teaching her a jutsu soon, if she kept improving so fast.
"Is it just me or the undead, it is no challenge to fight vamps with these skills?" Faith asked as she finished off the last one.
"The price of power is usually a lack of entertaining fights. Just don't go nuts and attempt to take on to many people at once. I'd rather keep you alive for now. It takes time to break in a new friend."
"Well, this was the best we're gonna find without looking for trouble, wanna call it a night Boytoy?"
"Let's stop by the playground, I'll give you a turn on the swings."
The two began walking chatting about nothing, but stopped when they spotted yellow police tape around the area. Moving forward, both was treated to a horrific sight. The merry-go-round was covered in strange chalk marks and a pair of children appeared to have been marked and murdered upon it. Xander's hand lashed out, stopping Faith from going anywhere, and his eyes switched to sharingan.
"It's an illusion or genjutsu, if you prefer, my eyes can see through it. Very well done it seems, and I can sense the effect of it reaching outward like a blanket covering the town."
"Can you get rid of it?" She asked.
"No, the kai technique only works to dispel genjutsu. I don't know if it will work on illusion spells or how detailed this one is meant to effect the mind. Best not to mess with it for now, but I suggest we go find the English ones right now."
"Yeah, as long as it gets me away from here."
Library
The gang had gathered when Buffy called, distraught over what she and her mother found in the park. Giles and Willow were searching for the symbol she described painted on the children, while Cordelia and Oz looked for the ritual marking that had been on the merry-go-round.
"You're wasting your time boys and girls, Boytoy and I already figured out the puzzle," Faith said as she walked in with the cloak wearing the form of Xander Giles.
"You guys found out who killed those kids?" Buffy asked.
"No, there are no kids. The entire scene was one big illusion, luckily my eyes can see through such cheap tricks." Xander said, putting on a lopsided grin for them.
"Xander, are you sure? I mean Buffy is the slayer and if she saw it, then maybe it was real." Willow spoke up.
"The sharingan doesn't lie, Wills. While false images or mental techniques are instantly pierced with its gaze, I would have shattered the illusion myself, but I don't want to mix chakra with magic."
"What were you doing out with Faith anyway, Xand?" Buffy asked getting suspicious.
"He was watching my back B, plus, I was trying out my mad ninja moves and wanted my teacher to see how far I came." Faith stated, before Xander could try to answer.
"That's how you beat me in the mansion? He's been teaching you?"
"I would have offered to show you as well, as it seems slayers can access chakra fairly well, but you never asked."
"Faith, how can you use that stuff? Its wrong!" Buffy protested, earning a raised eyebrow from Xander.
"Seemed to work well against you, Buff."
"Of course it did, those moves were created to kill people just like your other skills. How could you even consider teaching Faith?"
"B, that was a low blow, and he taught me cause I asked, and for your information, I like having an extra edge when I fight. Unlike you, I don't have a vampire watching my back."
"No, you have a killer." The blonde muttered.
"That's enough, we have bigger fish to fry and I don't want to cause an argument. G-dad, what do you got on mass illusions and their effects?" Xander said before things got worse, or he would have attacked the slayer for her remarks.
"Um, well that could take some time, since we have been researching the wrong thing, it seems. If both you and Faith help, we might get finished by dawn." He looked up to see the doors swinging and both teenagers gone without a trace.
"To think that boy might one day be a Watcher." He muttered.
Next Day
"What the hell?" Faith demanded as she and Xander came inside, and they saw people going through all the lockers.
"Looks like a search and seizure. Why do I get a feeling this is all connected to the Illusion?" Xander said, as the pair went to wait by their lockers.
"You got anything they shouldn't see?"
"No, but if they check me, I might end up in jail."
"For what? Your weapons, or for killing the guy who tried to touch ya down there?"
"A little from column A. a little from column B."
After a locker check that both passed easily, the duo made their way to the library. Once inside, they discovered people gathering up and taking a lot of the books. Xander's fingers were flexing, just touching the edge of his hidden kunai, when they spotted Giles walking out of his office.
"G, what's going on, or haven't you noticed the supplies getting jacked?" Faith asked.
"It seems a new movement headed by Buffy's mother has started to try and remove the occult from town." The librarian answered.
"Let me guess, she is crusading for the sake of the fake children she thinks she saw last night." Xander stated.
"Yes, it would seem your theory might be right, Xander."
"Troublesome."
Pushing away from the counter, he started walking towards the doors.
"Faith, stay with G-dad and keep an eye on the others. I'm going to have a word with Joyce."
"Hey, you can't give me orders."
"You wouldn't listen even if I could so call it a favor."
Summers Residence
Joyce smiled as she opened the door for Xander, allowing the teenager entry without invitation.
"You know it's considered good to stay in school for all of your classes, Xander." She joked playfully, earning a smile from the boy.
"I have a less then stellar record with doing the academically correct thing Mrs. S, and I wanted to find out from the source why you got goons robbing G-dad of his precious books. We all know if he loses even one, none of us will hear the end of it."
"MOO is just removing the ones that are dangerous, I assure you he will get them back. That kind of knowledge in the reach of adolescents isn't a good thing, you have to agree."
"You named a social reform group, 'MOO'?" Xander asked, holding back laughter.
"The name doesn't matter, only the results do, and I won't let what happened ever happen again."
"What you saw last night was an illusion, pretty powerful too if it could be caught on film as the papers front page shows. I'm asking you to stop this before someone gets hurt, or you might inadvertently cause the darkness to get an edge."
"Xander, I know what I saw and what I'm doing. Children shouldn't be charged with protecting the world, and even if they are, you're not making any head way. How many people need to die before you let people help you?" she asked getting angry.
"All you are doing is crippling those of us who're fighting this war. I agree magic is dangerous, but if anyone understands that danger, it's us. For the love of god, Mrs. S, have you forgotten what magic did to me? I have had more spells put on me than should be possible, if anyone understands I do. What you're doing is wrong and extreme, you're not trained for this fight and going out there will get you killed." He turned to leave after that, but ducked low, as Joyce took a shot at him with a frying pan.
Standing up, he blocked her next strike with his now drawn kunai and jumped back trying to make his way closer to the door.
"Xander, this has to be done. Now come along quietly, I don't want to hurt you unless I have to."
"Sorry if I have to decline, but I really don't want a dent in my skull." He knew he couldn't attack an innocent person, so he took a few steps back getting closer to the door.
Hearing the door open, he ducked again as someone tried to grab him from behind. Jumping up, he launched a spinning kick at the person's head only to have them duck. Landing, he spotted at least five parents coming in, plus the one who had attacked.
Rolling to the right, he ran into the living room and dived through the front window. Tucked into a ball, he came up and started running, his body becoming a blur on the sidewalk.
'Next time, I should just fry them all.' He thought as he ran for the library and sanctuary.
Library
"Guys, we got trouble." Xander said, bursting into the library only to find it empty and the remains of a struggle present.
"Ok, that's it! These people are so toast."
Finding Oz had been easy enough, and now both young men were rushing to save the rest of their friends. Xander had stopped and grabbed his cloak and changed, now he walked with a purpose. Giles had let him know about the fairy tale brought to life thing, and he was out to kill himself a pair of immortal children, it seemed.
"You ok with attacking normal folks?"
"If it'll get Willow back." The musician responded.
"I can't believe it got this far."
"Sucks to be right."
"Once more into the breach then."
"It's a good day to die."
"Let's avoid that, Oz."
"Cool."
Running through asset of doors, the boys were confronted by a set of muscle bound guards. Allowing his killing intent to flow, he paralyzed the guards, while Oz took a bat and knocked each out.
"When we get out of this, I might know a way to help you with your wolf problem."
"Talk later, save Willow now."
Moving through the corridors, the pair was able to sue the same move over and over to clear a kill free zone of bodies between them and their friends. Opening the last doors, they found the parents of Sunnydale watching fire engulf Giles books along with both slayers and Willow, whom were tied to stakes and it appeared someone else had been tied as well, but had escaped somehow.
"Uo Tsuba." (Fish Spit) Xander called making one simple seal and releasing a jet of water from his mouth. The water hit the flames quickly dousing them. A second later and three shurikens had released the captives.
"Boytoy, glad you could make it." Faith called with a sigh of relief.
Xander didn't pay attention as he watched two children appear, and then they hugged forming into a large demon. His hands began running through seals, anger forming in his heart, and the sharingan blazing.
"Raikiri." (Lightning Edge) his right hand pointed down with the left hand wrapped around the wrist, he began pushing chakra into his hand. Electric blue energy and lightning grew along his hand becoming longer, then the Chidori actually looking like a true blade of lightning. The sound was deafening and the demon appeared scared for its life.
Dashing forward, the ground was ripped away in a deep gash, yet his speed made him little more then a blur. Ramming his arm forward, he embedded the blade and his hand in the demon's chest, the end of the blade piercing clean through. Roaring in anger, he brought his hand up raising and splitting the demon in two with the Raikiri's technique.
Landing, he watched the parents faint dead away as the effects on their minds ended. Breathing hard, he straightened up and locked his emotions down once more. He'd used the demon slaying as a vent for recent events, and now he felt more in control than before.
"So guys, whose turn is it to break the bad news to G-dad?" he asked looking at two shocked faces and one laughing Faith.
"I can't believe B, getting upset over you working your mojo, Boytoy." Faith commented a few days later as she attempted to center herself while hanging upside down from a branch with only chakra to keep her from falling.
"She sees my techniques as something that will keep me fighting, or a reminder of what I am. Buffy, if anything, she is a person who has her world clearly defined in black and white and when the rules change, she can't adjust. Assassins to her, are the stereotype people see them as, and so anything I do that is associated with that in her mind, is wrong. As Kakashi-sempai once said, 'you must see underneath the underneath.' Buffy just isn't able to do that." He explained and whipped a stone at the slayer, which she caught and tossed back.
"You're way too forgiving, Boytoy." This time two stone came at her and fast. Catching them, she tossed them gently back, and waited for more to come flying.
"I forgive the innocent and punish the sinner, Faith. If you learn anything from me, let it be that. Death is inevitable, and sometimes life must be taken but if it is, make sure it's for a good reason." Launching three rocks, she easily caught them only to have a fourth hit her in the forehead.
"What have we learned?"
"That you enjoy tormenting me?"
"Very good."
Library
Xander was looking through a book of Watcher traditions, which Giles had insisted he familiarize himself with, before they decided anything about him joining the council. He was also carving the kanji for 'seal' onto a charm that would be added to a necklace or cord later. Xander had figured if anything like a true demon ever came into town or the Hellmouth opened, he might be able to seal something into the charm without losing his life by invoking the 'death god summoning'. Itachi had seen such sealings done before using weapons or other items, and in the case of Gaara, a weakened human seal though, that was a dangerous idea in any world. If he could capture a high level or true demon, he imagined it could grant quite the power boost to someone.
"Cruciamentum, now what is this?" He asked out loud, as he turned the page in the book he was reading.
'Ritual performed on the Slayer's eighteenth birthday, where in the slayer is stripped of all her powers and enhancements and made to fight a master-level vampire. Field Watcher will administer a series of chemicals or mystical entrancements to make the slayer under their care, a little more than the woman they were before the call.'
"Hey wait, doesn't Buff turn eighteen in a few days?" he mused as he continued reading.
"Troublesome."
Reaching for his laptop, he quickly began putting out feelers on the web. The name of the potential target was one Quentin Travers. Now he would wait to see if anyone wanted him dead, and what the price would be. He'd kill him in any case, but who knew what other crimes this man had done. Why not get paid for taking out the trash?
"Now, what do you have against Travers, Mr. Minuchi?" Xander said aloud as he noticed a hit come back.
'Quentin Travers, I hope your affairs are in order because you have caught my eye.'
Please read and review
Ending note 1: Things are now moving into an AU atmosphere for both Buffy and Noir just to let ya know.
Till next time