"Talk" Buffy said sitting across from the boy, Xander plopping down beside her. "Ansem, what does he plan to do?"
"He wants to fill everyone's heart with darkness. His heartless have just become a tool for this purpose." Sora said.
"Well that doesn't sound so bad..." Xander said. "I mean, everyone has a little bit of darkness in their hearts, right?"
"Xander, I don't think you comprehend what he's trying to say." Buffy looked at him. "Just think of all the monsters we fight everyday. All the hate. The malice. Now think of every single human being walking around with that in their hearts. The lust for blood, for the kill. Every man, woman, and child acting on pure malevolence. It'd be just like that one british zombie flick. Pure chaos."
"Whoa... 28 days later gave me the chills. And now it can be a reality? How the hell do we stop this guy?" Xander gulped.
"I don't know... The most I can tell you is to find the keyhole and seal it before Ansem exposes everybody to darkness. But I can already sense that my keyblades not gonna do it."
"I FOUND IT!" Willow exclaimed running into the living room, clutching a bag of herbs, closely followed by Anya. "It was simple, really. All you needed was a Manticore root, a dash of pepper, and some fancy words."
"And Willow's positive this spell won't suck us all into a fiery hell!" Anya said with a blank face and an amusing quirk in her voice. "Good job." She said patting Willow on the back with her own unique sarcasm.
"A-anyway, Once we open the portal, be prepared to be all quest-y and the like. Apparently the blade is considered a holy item or something, a sort of holy grail... only without the coconuts."
"And I'm sensing there'll be something guarding it, something big... or mildly smelly. Good work, Wills." Buffy said.
"Well that's great, let's go!" Sora exclaimed, jumping off the couch, followed by a jubilant Donald and Goofy.
"Not so fast, Junior." Anya said, staring at him. "Did you forget what Willow said not even an hour ago? Slayers only."
"Yeah, sorry, but only a Slayer can walk through the portal without being, y'know, dismembered... or at least without having an arm growing out of her ass..." Willow said.
"Alright, let's do it." Buffy said sternly, not skipping a beat.
"Wait a second. Am I the only person here who sees the massive amounts of wrongness in this idea?" Xander jumped in. "I mean, the fact that you have to go in alone just screams deathtrap, you sure you don't want to wait until we find a way to go in with you?"
"Xander, I can't wait. The world could end, tonight. And it's not like I haven't done this type of thing alone before."
"Oh yeah. The last time you went to fight something big and evil completely alone you ended up drowning." Xander said.
"Save it, Xander. You can't argue with me on this. I'm going in and I'm going in alone. Willow, prepare the spell."
* * *
Willow lighted the candles that completed the circle, as her and Anya stood in the middle. Cautiously, she held up a needle and made sure it was clean, then she gestured for Dawn to come to her. Dawn was a little reluctant.
"Oh don't be a baby." Buffy playfully gestured to her sister. "She's just going to poke your finger."
"It's not that..." Dawn looked down. "Last time a portal opened, I lost you..."
Buffy gave her sister sympathetic eyes. "Dawnie, Im coming back. I promise." And then she firmly hugged her sister. "Now go. The worlds'a endin'." She smiled.
Dawn walked to Willow and Anya and held out her hand. "I'll try not to hurt you too much, okay?" Willow said in a caring tone.
"Deus of universitas audite meus votum tear moenia inter dimensions , permissum electus unus expleo suus fatum" Willow chanted. After the phrase was done, she buried the needle into Dawns finger, who then winced. Dawn squeezed her finger into the center of the circle as Anya and Willow chanted the phrase again. It started as a small crackling light in the center of the room, but then slowly expanded as if it would swallow the whole house. By the time it reached the ceiling it stopped growing. Buffy gave a caring look to all her friends, and then brushed her sisters cheek. And then, she stepped through the portal as it closed up behind her.
"Don't worry Dawnie. She'll be fine." Willow said, putting an arm around her.
"She may be," The gang all turned around at the same time to look at who was speaking. "But cutie pie, you won't."
The gang stared in horror at the femme fatale they had thought was long dead: Glory.
