Disclaimer: ummmmmmmmmm...I got nothin'. Ain't mine.

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Chapter 7

"This is really very uncomfortable. You get that, right?"

"It serves a purpose."

"What, making me look like an idiot?"

"There is that, but no. Your situation is unusual. I need to figure out your limits. I need to know what you can and cannot do."

"We've been doing this kind of stuff all week long," Buffy's voice grew irritated, "I'm ready to get on with the training already!"

Buffy had to stop herself from yelling because she was becoming unbalanced, wavering in her position. She and Master Shin, aka the most irritating man ever, had been doing all kinds of tests throughout the week.

Buffy had thought that Giles had been a tough taskmaster, pushing her to train more and more, but Master Shin was insane. If they weren't eating, rice and fish only, or sleeping on the floor of the tiny stone cottage, they were out doing stupid tests. Tests on her reflexes, tests on her speed, tests on her endurance, tests on every stupid little thing he could come up with. It was getting a little ridiculous. Buffy had thought she'd been done with tests when she'd quit college.

"You're a very angry person, aren't you?" Master Shin's voice interrupted her angry ramblings.

Buffy just glared at him. The guy was a little off. Buffy had been expecting…well, she didn't really know what she'd expected of a teacher. Maybe someone more like Giles or Merrick, a stuffy, serious British type. Only Chinese. Instead, she'd gotten Master Shin. Oh, he came off as all calm and masterful like and she'd even been impressed and a little intimidated. Then she'd gotten to know him. In reality he was an annoying, air headed old man. He had a tendency to set Buffy at a task and then wander off into the garden and not come back for hours. Buffy had currently been standing upside down in a handstand position for the past 48 hours.

"Of course I'm angry!" She had to force herself not to yell, just whisper really loudly, so that she didn't fall on her head. "Look at me. I'm upside down! I've got more important things to be doing you know. I could be out having fun and killing things right now."

"You're very obsessed with Slaying."

"Duh!" She'd come to hate his calm voice, "It's not like I've really ever had a choice. One girl in all the world and all that."

"Hmmmm."

"I've got a lot of responsibility on my shoulders I'll have you know. There's the whole saving the world thing, not mention my friends are counting on me."

"Yes," he picked up a pinecone and began studying it, "you've mentioned your friends before. Didn't they help you?"

"Sure they helped. There was the research of course, which I hate, and they helped with other things."

"I thought the Watcher was supposed to do the research?" He actually seemed to be paying attention now, curious.

"Well Giles did research, but the Scoobies made things go faster. Not to mention that Giles hates anything to do with computers, so Willow really helped out there. She's a bit of a hacker."

"So they helped with research. Did they help with the fighting as well?"

Buffy was silent for a moment. "They tried to help. I still don't understand why sometimes. It wasn't their destiny. They weren't supposed to fight, I was."

"Perhaps they simply wished to do what they could to support you."

"Yeah, they coulda' fooled me."

"Oh?"

"I mean, at the end there was no support." Buffy couldn't believe the stuff that was pouring out of her mouth. "They kicked me out of my own house! All I was trying to do was do what they wanted. It was all, 'Buffy, tell us what to do!' and 'Buffy, you need to be a leader.' and 'Buffy, save us!' Then, when I actually get an idea, and one that turned out to be right mind you, they go all Mutiny On The Bounty on me."

"Some girls died, I get that. Who the hell was the one that had to bury them?! But what did they think was going to happen? We were at war with the First Evil! They were all gung ho about defeating thing when it was only my butt on the line, but not they're own. Little piss-ant Potentials," she was grumbling darkly under breath by now, lost in her own world, "What the hell do they now about being a Slayer?"

"They thought it was all save-the-day, be-the-hero type stuff. Slaying isn't like that. That's what they never got. It's sitting there, in the dark, huddled on your bed at night, being too scared to go out and walk around. Because you know that the minute you leave, something out there is gonna come get you or you're gonna have to go get it and you know in all likelihood that you won't come away from that encounter alive. It's scary and I…I hate them for making me do it!"

By this time Buffy was sobbing the words, her entire body shaking with tremors. Her fingers were flexing, digging into the soil beneath her hands with rage, breaking the few fingernails she had left. She stayed like that for a moment, chest heaving, trying to calm the storm that raged within her. The one she hadn't even known was there.

"Wow," she sniffed and tried to wipe her face on her arm to get rid of the tears. "I really am kind of angry, aren't I?"

"People get angry all the time," Master Shin said after a moment. "Someone cuts them off in line. They aren't acknowledged at work or at home. Normal things happen in day to day life that cause irritation, because people are human and they want everything to go their own way. But of course, life doesn't."

"I don't like being like this."

"No one does. But the thing you must accept is that you will never be perfect. Things will always come up that are going to bother you. The question you must ask yourself is not 'Why am I angry?'. I am sure there are plenty of reasons for you to be angry with your friends and the world in general. The question you must really ask is 'Why do I feel the need to hang on to that anger?'. If I had to take a guess I'd say…"

"Because I need it." Buffy's voice was firm and there was no hesitation in her words. "I need it to keep back the fear. I've been angry since I was Chosen. I didn't think it was fair. It isn't fair. And if I was focused on the unfairness of it all, I didn't have to acknowledge the fear."

"Very good."

"You're very insightful for an old dude sometimes. You know that?"

"Yes."

"It's kind of irritating."

"Hmmm."

"So I can get down? 'Cause my hands are really killing me."

Later that day

Master Shin and Buffy sat by the one of the many ponds that dotted the compound. She was watching the fish, big orange and white koi, and listening to the birds. They had different birds here in China, a lot of really cool brightly colored ones. The whole country just felt different than America. It was so commercialized there, so little mystery. Over here people still worshiped trees and earth, they saw gods in everything. Buffy had a feeling that if she went up to somebody and explained what she really they would just nod and go about their business.

"I have to admit that when I heard from Mr. Giles about you and that he was sending you here, I was surprised." Master Shin's voice was soft. They were taking lunch and giving Buffy a rest before continuing.

"Why? Because the Council doesn't like your family?" She answered his unspoken question, "Giles told me."

"Ah, yes. My family split from the Council long ago."

"He said you guys didn't like how the Council was treating the Slayer?" She was blatantly fishing for information.

"How much do you know about the Council, Buffy?"

"Not much," she scratched the back of her head, "I wasn't a Council indoctrinated Slayer. They didn't find me until after I had been Chosen. I didn't even know that I was the Slayer until Merrick, my first Watcher, showed up. He didn't really talk about the Council, he was to busy training me, and then he died. Giles tried to go off into a boring tangent about it a few times when we first met. Duty, Honor, Whatever, but I sort of blew him off. The only thing I really know is that they're really old and really controlling. After that stupid Cruciamentum thing I told them to go stuff it."

"They didn't take it very well, I imagine."

"Not really. There were threats and stuff, but I just ignored them."

"I'm surprised they let you get away with it."

"They were kind of busy trying to control the second Slayer that showed up when I died the first time. Kendra was their perfect Slayer, but she didn't last long," Buffy frowned at the memory. She had liked Kendra. "Then Faith showed up and they had their hands full," she chuckled, "I should probably thank her for that one day. Compared to Faith I was like the poster child. Besides, I have annoying habit of not staying dead."

"The Council wasn't always so hidebound you know," he ignored first time dead thing, there would be time for that later, "It wasn't always based in England either."

"Really?" Buffy was intrigued. She'd never heard this before.

"Yes. They don't like to talk about it much since it reminds them that they aren't really in control, but the Council has to follow where the Slayer is. Think about it," he looked at her, "You have said you now have access to some of the lives you have lived in the past?"

"Yeah."

"Has the Slayer always been white?"

"No," Nikki Wood's was the first to come to mind.

"Has she always lived in the United States or in Europe?"

Buffy tried to concentrate and got a blur of images. "No…no she hasn't."

"Of course she hasn't. It just wouldn't make sense. The Slayer shows up where there is the most danger. There is only one at a time and so the Powers must send her to the area most afflicted by evil at that time. In your case it was the Hellmouth that was under Sunnydale. It was simply the most active at the time."

"So you're saying I get sent to Sunnyhell by chance?" Her voice was disgusted.

"Chance or fate, who can say?" He shook his head, "The truth is that for the past few centuries, which is a small amount of time in the history of an organization as old as the Council, the evil has been concentrated in Europe and then in the United States. In the past, in the time when my family was still associated with the Council, it was here in the East."

"Not only is the geography of the countries different. In the East, we do things differently than in the West," he sighed as he tried to explain, "When the Slayer kept showing up in the West it was the natural course of things for the British to take over. They were the ruling country at the time, the most powerful. Therefore they had the most to offer in terms of support and guidance. But they allowed their power to go to their heads. They no longer looked at the Slayer as something to be revered and protected, but as something to be used and discarded."

Buffy was absolutely fascinated. She had never really realized how old the Slayer line and the Council were. She'd known they were old in a logical sense, but it had never really penetrated. This was an organization that had been around since people had been living in caves. Since before cities and wars and even before writing had come into place. It was only natural that it would evolve and change over the course of time. She had always thought of it as something to hate and fear. It made her feel a little better that there was good in it.

"So," Master Shin slapped his knees and heaved himself up off the ground, "Enough reminiscing. You look to be rested enough and we have eaten. What say we get to the reason you came here?"

"Yeah, let's get to training," she stood up and dusted off her pants, setting off down the path behind him as he bustled ahead. All this talk off the Council was making her nostalgic. She wondered how the others were doing.

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Author's Note:

I have to admit I am a little concerned about this chapter. It didn't come as easily as the others. I had so much information to get in and I wonder if it flows as well as I think it does. Soooo, give me yell and post your opinion. Yeah or Nay and if nay, what you think can be done to improve it.

As to the issue of the Council it always bothered me that we didn't hear more about them. I thought it was a very intriguing subject and the episodes surrounding the Cruciamentum were some of my favorite. I always wondered how it had evolved and changed over the years and if it had always been as controlling as it was portrayed or if had simply strayed from the path. This is a small peak into my answer on that question.

Also, we are now going to be getting into the lives of the rest of the Scoobies and how they are fairing out in the real world. So those people who were curious as to how I was planning on setting that up fasten your seat belt and hold onto your socks. We're gonna have some fun!

OMAKE:

Buffy- So I can get down? 'Cause my hands are really killing me?

Master Shin- Of course.

Buffy- flops onto her back- oh goody.

Master Shin- We should begin with the next task.

Buffy- shifting uncomfortably and grimacing -I think that's gonna have to wait.

Master Shin- Why?

Buffy- jumps to her feet and runs toward the bushes -You try holding it for 48 hours! I've gotta peeee!

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Silly, I know. I wanna thank people for the continued reviews. As always, your information is greatly valued. And I was tickled pink to hear that people like my Omakes. I'm actually as funny as I think I am...wow.