Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer" is property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon and their various
subsidiaries. "Inuyasha" was created by Takahashi Rumiko and is owned by
Shogakukan and various other entities that are also not me. I make no
money from this. Actually I make no money at all.
"Borrowed Time" -- Prologue
A soft rain began to fall as Xander maneuvered a large backhoe in Buffy Summer's back yard. The sun had set hours before, leaving him virtually no light with which to see the deep hole he was digging.
Buffy and Willow watched him in silence as Spike shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're wasting your time with this," he said in a low voice.
Buffy's gaze never left the gaping hole in her yard. "Giles trusts him," she replied with quiet seriousness. "That's enough for me."
They sought no shelter from the rain. Slowly it soaked through their clothes and their hair, running down their faces but they were compelled to stay. Someone came to offer help, a rare occurrence in their lives. If the possibility were genuine, they would accept no matter how strange it seemed. They didn't give in to hope, but they would witness.
Overseeing all of this with an authority afforded to him by the robes he wore, stood a Buddhist monk. He had arrived nearly two days before. Giles had received him warmly with an unmistakable sense of relief that began to chip away at his despair. He knew the monk and regarded him as a friend. His name was 'Tetsuo'.
He was close to the watcher in age and possessed a similar background in the supernatural. They differed only by culture and appearance. Even the monk's nature was a balance of patience and superior expertise.
As the toothed scoop of the backhoe scraped its purchase from the earth, it elongated the opening of the hole. Tetsuo frowned his disapproval at this. "Be careful, Mr. Harris," he called out to Xander. "This is to be a well, not a grave."
Xander adjusted his controls as he deposited the dirt away from his hole. "I'm afraid I'm the best you can get," he replied with a tone so light he seemed to not feel slighted at the monk's comment. "There aren't many licensed back-hoe operators who are willing to dig mystical wells on a dark and stormy night."
Tetsuo's frown deepened. His left hand, cloaked in a cloth that was held in place by prayer beads, reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He had suddenly become aware of the insulting tone of his instruction. "Forgive me," he said almost too quietly to be heard over the sound of the large machine. "I forget my place." He held up his hand to tell Xander to stop.
The monk stepped to the edge of the deep hole. He looked down into its darkness, gauging its size and depth. "You may stop," he said finally. "This is sufficient."
Xander cut off the power to the backhoe and Buffy's yard fell to an almost deafening silence. "What is this supposed to do?" he asked as he left the machine to join his friends in their moody vigil. His words cut sharply into the void like a knife, jolting them and drawing an awkward attention to himself.
With his eyes still focused on the hole, Tetsuo answered, "From this well will spring something powerful." He paused, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He then turned and faced Buffy and the others as he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Something useful in your war against the First."
Willow forced a polite smile. "Well . . . that's hopeful."
"In all its vagueness," Xander replied under his breath.
Spike snorted in disgust, trying to ignore the rain. He wanted to go inside but he knew he would stay. His loyalty laid with Buffy and she would stand there stoically until this monk would show his worth.
From his robes, Tetsuo pulled out what appeared to be a weathered piece of wood about a foot long. He placed it at the edge of the hole. "This wood was taken from a sacred well in my homeland," he explained. He reached into his robes again and retrieved a very old piece of parchment. "And this," he continued with a sense of reverence in his voice, "this prayer scroll was written almost 500 years ago by my honored ancestor, in anticipation of this day." He then knelt upon the wet ground and placed the parchment across the piece of wood. He stood watch over his relic of the past as the rain pressed it further into the wood.
Throughout the rainy evening, Buffy's face never faltered from its grim expression. She would not allow herself to hope. Too many dark thoughts clouded her mind for her to give space to it. "Now what?" she asked quietly.
"Now, we wait," Tetsuo replied. As the statement left his mouth a bright flash of light emanated from the bottom of the dark hole. It illuminated their faces in a pale white light for the briefest of seconds and then fell back to darkness again.
Willow's mind began to work over the possibilities. "It could be a power source," she mused, "or some great weapon or ---"
"WHAT THE $%#@!!!" a loud, distinctively male voice yelled out from the hole. "WHERE AM I?!? HOW THE $%#@ DID I GET HERE?!!!"
Willow's face dissolved into worry as her speculation ended. "Or someone really, really angry," she concluded.
Spike wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "I smell something," he said.
"What?" Buffy asked, tensing.
In all seriousness, Spike replied, "I smell dog."
TBC
Author's Note: Geez, I wouldn't be acorngirl if I didn't put in an author's note. Hope you liked that bit of a tease. If you did, let me know and I will get myself in gear to get the first chapter up soon.
Chapter One: "Of Wells and Demons" -- Buffy's keeping secrets and Tetsuo's getting nervous as his surprise guest wants to leave the way he came. As Willow says, "No one I ever summoned was really happy to see me." All that and some uninvited guests.
"Borrowed Time" -- Prologue
A soft rain began to fall as Xander maneuvered a large backhoe in Buffy Summer's back yard. The sun had set hours before, leaving him virtually no light with which to see the deep hole he was digging.
Buffy and Willow watched him in silence as Spike shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're wasting your time with this," he said in a low voice.
Buffy's gaze never left the gaping hole in her yard. "Giles trusts him," she replied with quiet seriousness. "That's enough for me."
They sought no shelter from the rain. Slowly it soaked through their clothes and their hair, running down their faces but they were compelled to stay. Someone came to offer help, a rare occurrence in their lives. If the possibility were genuine, they would accept no matter how strange it seemed. They didn't give in to hope, but they would witness.
Overseeing all of this with an authority afforded to him by the robes he wore, stood a Buddhist monk. He had arrived nearly two days before. Giles had received him warmly with an unmistakable sense of relief that began to chip away at his despair. He knew the monk and regarded him as a friend. His name was 'Tetsuo'.
He was close to the watcher in age and possessed a similar background in the supernatural. They differed only by culture and appearance. Even the monk's nature was a balance of patience and superior expertise.
As the toothed scoop of the backhoe scraped its purchase from the earth, it elongated the opening of the hole. Tetsuo frowned his disapproval at this. "Be careful, Mr. Harris," he called out to Xander. "This is to be a well, not a grave."
Xander adjusted his controls as he deposited the dirt away from his hole. "I'm afraid I'm the best you can get," he replied with a tone so light he seemed to not feel slighted at the monk's comment. "There aren't many licensed back-hoe operators who are willing to dig mystical wells on a dark and stormy night."
Tetsuo's frown deepened. His left hand, cloaked in a cloth that was held in place by prayer beads, reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He had suddenly become aware of the insulting tone of his instruction. "Forgive me," he said almost too quietly to be heard over the sound of the large machine. "I forget my place." He held up his hand to tell Xander to stop.
The monk stepped to the edge of the deep hole. He looked down into its darkness, gauging its size and depth. "You may stop," he said finally. "This is sufficient."
Xander cut off the power to the backhoe and Buffy's yard fell to an almost deafening silence. "What is this supposed to do?" he asked as he left the machine to join his friends in their moody vigil. His words cut sharply into the void like a knife, jolting them and drawing an awkward attention to himself.
With his eyes still focused on the hole, Tetsuo answered, "From this well will spring something powerful." He paused, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He then turned and faced Buffy and the others as he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Something useful in your war against the First."
Willow forced a polite smile. "Well . . . that's hopeful."
"In all its vagueness," Xander replied under his breath.
Spike snorted in disgust, trying to ignore the rain. He wanted to go inside but he knew he would stay. His loyalty laid with Buffy and she would stand there stoically until this monk would show his worth.
From his robes, Tetsuo pulled out what appeared to be a weathered piece of wood about a foot long. He placed it at the edge of the hole. "This wood was taken from a sacred well in my homeland," he explained. He reached into his robes again and retrieved a very old piece of parchment. "And this," he continued with a sense of reverence in his voice, "this prayer scroll was written almost 500 years ago by my honored ancestor, in anticipation of this day." He then knelt upon the wet ground and placed the parchment across the piece of wood. He stood watch over his relic of the past as the rain pressed it further into the wood.
Throughout the rainy evening, Buffy's face never faltered from its grim expression. She would not allow herself to hope. Too many dark thoughts clouded her mind for her to give space to it. "Now what?" she asked quietly.
"Now, we wait," Tetsuo replied. As the statement left his mouth a bright flash of light emanated from the bottom of the dark hole. It illuminated their faces in a pale white light for the briefest of seconds and then fell back to darkness again.
Willow's mind began to work over the possibilities. "It could be a power source," she mused, "or some great weapon or ---"
"WHAT THE $%#@!!!" a loud, distinctively male voice yelled out from the hole. "WHERE AM I?!? HOW THE $%#@ DID I GET HERE?!!!"
Willow's face dissolved into worry as her speculation ended. "Or someone really, really angry," she concluded.
Spike wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "I smell something," he said.
"What?" Buffy asked, tensing.
In all seriousness, Spike replied, "I smell dog."
TBC
Author's Note: Geez, I wouldn't be acorngirl if I didn't put in an author's note. Hope you liked that bit of a tease. If you did, let me know and I will get myself in gear to get the first chapter up soon.
Chapter One: "Of Wells and Demons" -- Buffy's keeping secrets and Tetsuo's getting nervous as his surprise guest wants to leave the way he came. As Willow says, "No one I ever summoned was really happy to see me." All that and some uninvited guests.