"A World of Difference" By Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email : This is to make clear beyond a reasonable doubt that I do not own either the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or the Anime series "Dragonball Z" in any way, shape or form. They are the property of their original creators and as such I am making no money whatsoever from this fanfic or the use of the characters, plot elements, context contained therein. I am writing this fanfic purely for my own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of those who choose to read it. Therefore it would be greatly appreciated if the owners of these two shows and all affiliated companies would refrain from engaging in legal matters with me in an attempt to gain money from me or send me to prison. For the former they should keep in mind that I am currently between jobs and thus do not have a lot of cash so any currency they gain from me will in no way cover the legal costs. As for the latter I think it would be pure overkill to send me to prison just for writing a fanfic involving Buffy and DBZ characters without legal consent especially if I am not making any money off of it.

Note 1: For those of you interested in knowing exactly when this fan fiction crossover takes place it will be halfway through the "Judge" arc in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As for the DBZ side of things I think it will be rather obvious once it gets to that point.

Note 2: For those of you readers who are strict adherents to canon and insist that the information laid down in the DBZ universe be followed to the letter I would advise you to stop right here and turn around. While I will keep the majority of the information concerning the DBZ universe intact there will be changes, some of them significant, so I can tell the sort of story I want to tell in this fan fiction crossover. This is because I see fanfic as a way to explore the multitude of 'What if' possibilities and change how things originally went in new and interesting ways. So again if you hate it when authors change things from how they were shown in the original shows then stop reading immediately. Thank you and now on with the show…

A World of Difference

Planet Vegeta, Twenty-Seven Years Ago

The Saiyan Infant Departure Station North

It was another typical day on the Saiyan home world of Vegeta and no one much less the supervisor of the northern Saiyan Infant Departure Station Matao expected it to be otherwise. It had been like this ever since he had been assigned this position and he expected it to continue for many years to come. That was not to say that he'd be opposed to some change in the daily routine, like maybe a full scale war, but knew that even if something interesting did happen he'd likely still be here doing the same old job. One of the curses of being born with a pitifully low power level is that you only get one chance to prove yourself capable of being a warrior. If you fail you either die or get reassigned to some menial and often humiliating position to live out the remainder of your life. Most Saiyans, no matter what their power level, would sooner die than be anything but a warrior and so it was with him. When he had failed to defeat a small group of resistance fighters on one of Lord Frieza's worlds, he had charged those fools head on, not to make one last attempt at victory, but to make sure he died in battle. After all if he died then at least the others could say he went out like a true Saiyan.

Instead I get carted back to Vegeta by one of Frieza's cronies and tossed in a restoration chamber making sure I live the rest of my life in this dump! Matao thought as he aggressively went through the day's departure files on his display pad, It's pathetic when the only pleasure I get is from making sure the rest of the weaklings working here are just as miserable as I am.

Out of the numerous people working in the building, the only reason why he had been assigned the position of supervisor was because he was the strongest one of the whole lot that had been assigned to the place once construction had finished. While there were some workers here he had to keep an eye on, Saiyans just like him, most of them were just members of the various races that Frieza had conquered. He knew they were weaklings that even when outfitted with some of the most potent blasters currently available couldn't hack it on the battlefield. In terms of physical strength and hand-to-hand combat they were even more pathetic so he didn't have a thing to worry about as far as one of them trying to kill him and take his job. Only the other Saiyans working here constituted a threat and he made sure to 'deal' with the ones strong enough to challenge him before they got any bright ideas.

Looking at the busy lackeys running around beneath the catwalk he was standing on, he examined each of them carefully to make sure they were doing their job and not screwing around with the equipment. While the incidents were few, there had been a few cases in the past where some rebel factions had bribed a worker in a facility just like this one to reprogram the space-pods arrival co-ordinates for the nearest sun. Fortunately, most of those dumb enough to take the bribes were also too stupid to cover their asses properly and got caught every time. It was when he reached the last few pods in the final row that he spotted something a little odd. A med-team from the local hospital was wheeling in the latest newborn Saiyan, same as always, but for some reason there were two royal guards accompanying the doctors. They weren't the kind that would be seen in the company of the King but they definitely worked at the palace.

Hmmmm, what could be so interesting about a newborn that would get those snobby assholes to provide an escort? Matao thought as he considered heading down there himself to ask what was going on.

Unfortunately he would not be given time to decide as almost immediately alarms started blaring throughout the complex sending the weaklings into a panic filled frenzy while the stronger ones merely wondered what the hell was going on. Dashing over to one of the computer interfaces built into the wall he typed in his access code and tried to find out what had set off the alarms. There were no specific types of alarms given to different problems so it could be anything from an all out assault on the planet by enemies of Frieza to simply a serious malfunction in the complex's power systems.

Once his password and security recognition code was entered he decided to first check the more extreme of the possibilities by accessing one of the many orbital satellites to see if there was anything dangerous in orbit. Three seconds later he cursed whatever gods were listening for the shitty hand the Saiyan people had been dealt and at the same time knew what he had to do. Closing the vid-screen showing the massive energy ball heading towards the planet he immediately began to initiate the only emergency procedure that might do anyone any good. Surprisingly he was completely calm as he began to use his command codes to bypass the bulk of the preparatory steps that would normally be allowed to run under different circumstances. He knew it came from the inescapable realization that there was nothing he could do to save himself from what was coming towards the planet's surface. Precious seconds were ticking away and the only thing he had time for was what he was doing right now as fast as he could. Entering the final series of commands while blocking the safety and preventative protocols from initiating he activated the sequence that he hoped would give the Saiyan race a chance.

"Emergency launch program activated. Emergency launch program activated." Said the mechanical voice of the complex's computer as one after another the hatches to the space pods slammed shut, "Please step away from all launch platforms. Please step away from all launch platforms."

"Matao! What are you doing?" asked one of the royal guards down below while the other one seemed to be trying to get the baby they had been escorting out of the pod without causing unnecessary damage.

"A giant energy ball has been launched at the planet! I think it came from Frieza's ship!" he replied honestly since it served little purpose to lie with his death mere moments away.

Naturally both the guards as well as everyone else who had heard his reply looked up at him in disbelief, unable to understand why the inter-galactic warlord that they had been serving for the past few decades would being attempting to destroy the planet. Matao himself could not come up with a comprehensible reason why tailed tyrant would destroy a people that had served him loyally for so long. Regardless of their disbelief both of the royal guards stepped away from the launch platforms where the energy launch fields had almost reached capacity around the space pods. While some might have challenged his decision if they had been given more time to think things through in the middle of such shocking news their minds reflexively did what they always did. They deferred to the judgment of the person in charge of the complex and did as they were instructed. As the ground began to shake and an enormous charge of energy became noticeable in the very air the pods shot upwards through their launch tubes and into the air. As the last one shot out of his sight, the one containing the baby escorted by the royal guards, he decided to do the one thing he any true Saiyan would do in a situation such as this.

"LONG LIVE THE SAIYAN RACE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he brought his ki field up to its maximum, "DEATH TO THE TYRANT FRIEZA! WE WILL BE AVENGED!"

Thus it came to pass, his dying worlds and actions declaring for the last time where his loyalties lied, that Matao died as he was engulfed in a geyser of molten rock that exploded from beneath the complex, obliterating everything and everyone there.

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While millions upon millions of lives were snuffed out as the energy sphere the size of a moon burrowed deeper and deeper into the planet, the warlord Frieza and his subordinates, Zarbon and Dodoria, watched the event from a safe distance. For the warlord, it was a joyous time, as he watched the race that had once threatened his rule and plagued his dreams with images of an uprising were being wiped out by his own attack. He could just picture the dirty little monkeys, dying one by one as their world fell apart around them. Laughing the laugh of the almost insane, he knew it would only be a matter of moments before his death sphere reached the planet's core destabilizing it and causing the entire world to explode in an impressive show of destruction. Inside the capital ship, Zarbon and Dodoria watch with villainous grins of their own as the apes that might one day have become a serious annoyance. Neither of them will openly admit it, but they too feared the growing power of the Saiyan race but covered this emotional weakness up with ceaseless mocking of the tailed warriors. With the destruction of the planet Vegeta, they can at last put their unease to rest with the knowledge that with the exception of four, the entire Saiyan race was no more. Both believed it was only a matter of time before those four were eliminated as well with the execution being delayed only by their entertainment value. As the planet below finally exploded in a brilliant flash of light, all three considered the problem of the Saiyans over and done with.

However, the three malevolent beings did not perceive the one in a million occurrence that would spirit away a wild card warrior, not only from death but also from ever being discovered by those that would mean him harm as well. Mere seconds before the planet detonated, twenty space pods that had been launched by Matao were almost at the uppermost edge of the planet's atmosphere after which they would finally enter space. Unfortunately, just as they were about cross the final kilometer, planet Vegeta exploded and it is then that both chance and chaos decided to roll the proverbial dice.

Now, it is not exactly a rare occurrence for a planet to explode, especially when warriors aligned with Frieza are known to be in the area, and as such the phenomena has been quite thoroughly studied with a wide variety of scientific equipment. From the primitive to the sophisticated, devices of all sorts have been used in order to comprehend exactly what happens from the first signs of instability to the slow decay of energy afterwards. While it is true that roughly ninety-five percent of what happens when a planet explodes has been recorded, studied and clarified, the remaining five percent remains a mystery. That is because when a planet is obliterated, it releases such a torrent of energy that even sensors fitted with special filters or regulators wind up either temporarily blinded, or incapable of making any sense of what they are focused on. Thus far, even the most advanced science vessel would find it impossible to make heads or tails of these blacked out areas. Given that Frieza's ship is geared more for combat and leisure than scientific analysis, he is even less capable of determining what is going on in these areas. That fact, and that fact alone, is the key to what happens next going unnoticed and potentially changing the universe forever.

In this blacked out area where no sensor can see, tears in space, time and reality are opening and shutting randomly with the destination changing each time. It is the sheer force and power behind the destruction of the planet that causes these tears to form, and such is the case with every other planet that has met a similar fate. Rips in the very fabric of the universe, leading to realms as varied as imaginings of every sentient being in the galaxy, and heading right for them are the twenty space pods launched by Matao. Some might think this to be a stroke of good luck in that it provides the chance some of the Saiyan race might survive the destruction of their home world. However, there is more risk involved because while the tears are open and they do lead to a place where the space pod occupants might be safe they are inherently unstable due to the chaotic nature of the planet's destruction. As the space pod farthest in front of the group launched by Matao begins to pass through the threshold of one such tear it is cut violently in two as the portal closes before the craft can fully pass through. Ten others meet a similar fate with some being severed closer to the front while others might have made it had they entered only a moment earlier. With each tick of the clock more and more of the space pods are destroyed occupant and all as bad timing or spatial instability tear them apart. In the end only four space pods can be said to have made it to the other side of the tears in relatively good condition.

The first entered a tear with only the rear portion of its outer hull torn off. While this made certain that the craft would never fly again once it touched down, it did not compromise life support functions or the stable atmosphere in the cockpit. If one were to look into the portal to catch a peek of the world, this Saiyan child was to be deposited on they would see a bizarre sight indeed. Creatures and beings of every sort dwelt there some humanoid while others clearly not with the ones most closely resembling the Saiyans being treated as mindless cattle. Beings of green skin, red eyes and two tiny horns on their foreheads dwelt there as well and were the most hideous dancers you ever saw. They would make a future Zeppo seem like a member of the top boy band in his nation by comparison. Would this Saiyan child be reduced to a life of servitude like those it resembled in this world or would its power be recognized by the locals and respected? Only time would tell for certain.

The second entered a tear that was unstable with arcs of unknown energy dancing back and forth along its edges. As the vessel began to cross the event horizon of the anomaly the energy that circled around the edges appeared to attack the craft with a fury shorting out systems and causing the occupant great pain. No one could say what effect this energy would have on the Saiyan child inside or that it would even survive but as one glimpsed at the world it was about to enter no one could dispute the fact that any positive after-effects would be most welcome. For in this realm, a barren wasteland with a blood red sky, dwelt demons of the most vicious and deadly sort. It was an environment where only the strong survived and if one didn't become strong quick then one would most certainly die. Would this Saiyan child survive or would his life be snuffed out before it could even comprehend where it was? Only time would tell for certain.

It was the third and the fourth though that, if any had the ability to, should watch most carefully. For while they managed to pass through their respective tears relatively unscathed as well their passage was most different from the other two. For one, the tears that the other two had passed through were a full fifty meters apart from one another while the ones that these last two entered were just an inch or two from having their edges touch one another. However it is the moment just before the two Saiyan space pods touch the even horizon that one should pay extra special super attention to above all others. For it is then that chance and chaos co-operate so for a brief period what should be impossible for such scrambled phenomena becomes possible. For a period of ten seconds the two portals become linked and against all odds their destinations match if only in that both pods will go to the same dimension but not the same point in space. For the one on the left it will be cast into deep space before crash landing on a world ruled by a space faring race believed by all who serve them to be gods. They rule the beings that live there using advanced technology disguised as sorcery to inspire fear and devotion in their subjects.

The one on the right though would cross over into the other dimension just inside a star system on a course directly for the sole populated planet. This planet populated by over six billion sentient inhabitants held many secrets, some kept by the dominant species while others were known only to a handful, so one more being added to the pile shouldn't attract any attention by the locals. However, to those beings that sit above all others on a plain of existence few are aware of- much less capable of reaching- sense the space pod's approach all too easily. Much like a rock being thrown into a pond, these beings sensed the ripple caused by the transfer of an object from one dimension to another.

Reaching out with their ascended powers, they probed this unknown craft to determine its nature and potential for trouble. What they found was enough to cause half of them great concern while the others were merely astonished at how the small baby inside could alter the course of the future. With little hesitance and a flicker of their power the Saiyan space pod vanished just outside of the range of the satellites circling Earth. To the realm of The Powers That Be it went where the fate of its sole occupant would be decided by those charged with directing the forces of Good against the evils of the world.

Little do the near omniscient beings realize that the actions this child will take, this Armec, son of the Saiyan woman Velva, will reshape the future of the Earth in ways none could predict.

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Realm of the Powers That Be

"Okay next item up for the discussion is the unknown alien space pod and its occupant." Said a man's voice that sounded like the bailiff at the beginning of a trial, "This council will now open the floor to all members to hear suggestions on how this matter should be dealt with."

"I don't see why we're having this discussion at all." Said a particularly grumpy and impatient sounding voice that was most certainly female, "We all saw the same thing when we used our power to scan the craft as well as the beast inside. Both the craft and its occupant must be destroyed immediately."

A rumbling of agreement swept through the room as at least a third of those present agreed with the statement and the proposed course of action.

"Aren't you being a little harsh?" asked a voice belonging to a wise sounding elderly man, "This isn't some sub-sentient animal we are dealing with here. Our scans conclusively proved that this child is capable of the same level of thought and reasoning as humans down on Earth. Surely, there is a way that the potential damage the boy could cause might be minimized without killing him."

This statement was met with whispering agreement of another third of the room with the undecided remaining third taking his words quite seriously. This was not surprising as the wise old man was among the eldest and wisest of the council thus his words carried much weight.

"No, I do not think I am being harsh! I think I am being perfectly rational and prudent in my judgment on this matter." Mrs. Grumpy replied putting more vigor into her voice, "While he may look like a human on the outside, there is a beast inside of him that could kill thousands if released. We have painstakingly planned out the next century straight in our campaign against the forces of evil, but all will come to naught if we allow this monster to live!"

No one could dispute this as it was true that the council known as The Powers That Be had went to great lengths to plan the next century of their campaign against Evil and its minions. None wanted to even contemplate what might happen if some random element were to be introduced into the mix. Not only would it bode ill for the future of the Light but it would mean all their hard work would have been in vain. Half of the room made noises agreeing with the importance and value in making sure that their game plan for the next century went just as they wanted it to.

"I propose an alternative means of dealing with the child that will ensure that he does not interfere with our plan but also will allow him to live." Mr. Elderly Wiseman declared as he made sure his voice was heard by all, "I suggest that we use our power to bind the abilities of his people present within him and seal them away within his body. With our combined power it should be child's play to restrain the necessary biological elements as well as put mental blocks in place to keep his violent tendencies at bay."

This was met with sounds of thoughtful consideration and careful contemplation as the course of action being proposed would render the child no more dangerous than any other human. As more and more members of the council began to look favorably on this idea, the leader of the faction which desired the child's termination felt her position weakening and so strove to do something to reverse things in her favor.

"What you are proposing would only place a ticking time bomb in the battlefield that could go off at any time." Mrs. Grumpy Imp stated, trying to drag the council back into rational thought rather than pipe dreams, "If the seal should break and the animal's true nature were to resurface, what then? He could compromise our plan before we could do anything to stop him."

"Now you're just being paranoid." Mr. Elderly Wiseman said to his adversary in this discussion, "You know as well as I do that nothing short of a pure blooded demon of high power could even damage the seals we are capable of creating. To destroy it outright and as quickly as you suggest would take a demon lord of old and the chances of one being encountering one of those on Earth is virtually non-existent."

This caused the whole room, with the exception of the firm supporters of the termination plan, to speak amongst each other with most agreeing that the chances of the seal being broken were slim at best. The Old Ones, the only true pure demons, had been driven from Earth eons ago and while they did occasionally send their lieutenants or assassins those that could be considered a threat were already neutralized. The Judge had been six separate pieces with each piece being taken to a different corner of the globe and hidden as well as guarded by the best. Acathla was still dormant with the holy sword rendering him dormant and given that he was buried deep beneath the earth in California the chances of him being reawakened were low indeed. All other demons of similar caliber were likewise either contained or rendered incapable of affecting the world around them on anything other than a close proximity basis. So long as measures were taken so that the boy in the craft did not come to the attention of their evil counterparts it was entirely conceivable that the child could live out his entire life as nothing more than a human.

Mrs. Grumpy Imp fumed internally as she saw virtually all support outside her hardcore supporters side with Mr. Elderly Wiseman. Much as she hated to admit it, and would thrash the first person to rub it in her face, she had walked right into that one. She had been so impatient to have her course of action approved that she had not remembered several relevant pieces of information and thus her point had been used against her. She knew now there was little chance of her wishes becoming a reality but at the very least she could try to stack the deck in her favor.

"Very well, your point is well made." Mrs. Grumpy Imp said with a bad taste in her mouth, "However, I move that I be allowed to choose the foundation for the boy's life. You would likely make it too ideal and that could bring him to the attention of our enemies just as easily as pointing them in proximity of a demon lord on Earth."

This had the effect she had hoped for, as many were forced to concede that Mr. Elderly Wiseman did have a tendency to operate with too light a touch in some cases and in others play favorites with a chosen few mortals. While not a certainty, the forces of evil would look suspiciously upon a new piece being added to the game board especially if it showed signs of being pampered by them at all. Still, no one was entirely enthusiastic about the idea of letting Mrs. Grumpy Imp set up the boy's new life, given how moments ago he had been pushing for the child's execution. Mrs. Grumpy Imp sensed this and decided that while it would make it more difficult to do away with the monster it was her only chance to get the ball rolling.

"To further assure those who are reluctant to allow me to make the necessary preparations I make this promise in front of you all." Mrs. Grumpy Imp declared knowing full well what a promise meant here in this room, "I promise that once I have set the boy in his new life, a life of average variety and interest, I shall take no further action against him whatsoever."

This shocked quite a few since they had not expected her to make such a solid and binding promise given her earlier position. Still, amongst the majority present, they appeared reassured by this and she knew that they would choose to grant his request. Mr. Elderly Wiseman was not pleased by the support Mrs. Grumpy Imp was getting but knew that he had no justifiable reason to block him with beyond his personal dislike of the man.

Thus it was decided that the Saiyan child's heritage would be sealed up tightly within him, his appearance reshaped to match the human norm, and then handed over to Mrs. Grumpy Imp to be placed in a human home down on planet Earth. If all went as discussed the boy, one of only a handful of his kind still alive, would live a full life as an ordinary human and die without ever knowing the hand they had played in choosing his fate for him.

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Elsewhere, Later

"Finally! I thought he'd never stop looking over my shoulder." Grumbled Mrs. Grumpy Imp as she felt the watchful gaze of Mr. Elderly Wiseman disappear.

It had taken only a short while for the council as a whole to seal the animal's true nature away and make the chosen alterations. However, once the beast had been placed in her care, her opponent in the discussion had kept watch over her both in the form of 'friendly visits' and in the more subtle forms of arcane eavesdropping available. No doubt the old fool still didn't believe that she would refrain from doing something underhanded, and so had watched her carefully for quite awhile. Now though, the geezer was apparently satisfied that she did indeed intend to follow the ruling of the council and as such lifted all surveillance on her.

Exactly what I have been waiting for him to do all along. Mrs. Grumpy Imp thought as she began to sift through the list of childless human families on Earth that met the criteria she was looking for.

She had to be careful in her moves or else the other members of the council might start wondering if she was trying to find a loophole in the promise she had made. Which she was of course but she couldn't let anyone else know that was for damn sure. Breaking a promise made in front of the entire council that was the Powers That Be carried a heavy penalty that only got worse if the violation gave the other side an advantage. This meant that while she wanted the boy dead, she had to be careful not to let her intentions become known.

First was which part of the planet to deposit the animal. There were some areas that were eliminated right off because difference in skin color since it would be just a little odd to drop a Caucasian boy in the middle of an Asian dominant region. While that narrowed the choices down to places like Europe or North America she still had to trim things down a bit more. Impoverished countries or areas with a high mortality rate were then eliminated since leaving the monster there might be seen as an attempt at execution. That pretty much steered him towards North America as both the United States and Canada were fairly well off both economically and society-wise. Given the choice though, she felt that the United States was a better choice for her as it had enough problems both internal and external that the whelp could easily become a casualty with nothing to implicate her in the creature's demise.

With the location chosen, the family to drop the animal in was made significantly easier. She still had to make sure that the one she chose would on the surface seem like an acceptable choice in that the parents were decent enough and could support an extra mouth with no problems at all. However, she herself would look for oddities in the files of the prospective parents that hinted at the potential to go straight into the gutter if they experienced a period of 'bad luck'. There were a few possibilities as there was no shortage of dysfunctions and inherited problems present in a few of the candidates. The problems were minor of course and the optimist would believe that such difficulties were well in hand as well as destined to disappear eventually. It was when she was comparing one file with another with another that she came upon exactly what she was looking for in the humans that would raise the beast.

Jessica and Anthony Harris.

A newlywed couple in Utah with the husband being a construction worker and the wife a real estate agent with promising careers ahead of them. The couple had been trying for the past three years to have a child but without any success due to complications that could only be cured through expensive procedures. They were now considering adoption and would be visiting their local foster child organization later in the week to see if there were any appropriate candidates to take into their newly formed family. If anyone else among the council looked at the file they would think she made a great choice and had a kind heart for giving a pair of newlyweds the child they so desperately wanted. In truth though, she chose them because the husband had all the earmarks of an abusive alcoholic in the making and only needed a push in the right direction to get him started. That bad behavior would filter down to the wife who exhibited signs of deferring to her husband on the serious decisions and had a timid nature within that would only grow as the husband declined. Placed within such a family it would only be a matter of time before the animal would either be beaten to death by his adoptive parents or fall victim to their drunken habits and die in a car crash.

Almost, but I think I'll stack the deck a little more in my favor. Mrs. Grumpy Imp thought as she used his trans-sphere to set up a series of actions to be enacted at a specific period in the future.

With her power and the trans-sphere, she put in place a pseudo job offer for Anthony Harris that would be sent his way in about three years Earth time, detailing an impressive position at a small town construction company. With the perks, wages and benefits detailed in the offer, the man would have to be insane not to take it immediately and move his family to their new home in that town. Of course, what Tony Harris wouldn't know was that the town was called Sunnydale, in the state of California, and while it may look like a quaint small time town it was actually something much more. The Spanish called it 'Boca del Inferno' and it was the sight of the largest and most potent of hellmouths on the planet; drawing all manner of demons and phenomenon to it.

While it was true that it might seem suspicious to have the family she placed the monster in move to such a place she believed the three year delay would be enough to make it look merely odd. Once the Harris' moved there, of course she'd let the 'job' linger for a year or so before having the business go bankrupt. One year would be plenty of time for the Harris' to use up whatever money they had thanks to the costs of settling into a new town, making it impossible for them to leave. That should be more than enough to drive Tony Harris to drinking and Jessica to follow soon afterwards. In such a hostile environment, both at home and atop the hellmouth itself, the monkey's death was almost a certainty.

While I know that the other members of the council would disapprove of my methods I only have the best interests of our cause at heart. Mrs. Grumpy Imp thought as she finished the last of the preparations to get the Harris' to Sunnydale. The potential destruction this one Saiyan child could cause would be devastating and even worse should the forces of The First Evil get him to side with them. For the sake of all that is good, this Saiyan cannot be allowed to live!

With that thought, the dye was cast and so one Armec, son of Velva, one of the few surviving members of a nearly extinct race, became Alexander LaVelle Harris, the only son of Jessica and Tony Harris. However, this scheme by Mrs. Grumpy Imp was in the years to come going to be a prime example to all who heard of it that even The Powers That Be aren't all powerful or incapable of screwing up somehow.

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Seventeen Years Later, Sunnydale, California

Approaching the South Entrance to The Sunnydale Mall

It's apocalypse time once again in Sunnydale and who is it that has to save the day? Xander thought as he and Oz carried the crate containing the rocket launcher towards the mall, Only five high school students and one tweed clad librarian. If this is the best those idiots the PTBs can come up with to save the world I'm surprised Earth isn't demon central by now.

It had been worse than usual for the Scooby gang this time around and in particular their de facto leader Buffy Anne Summers. It had started around the blonde Slayer's Birthday and if he remembered correctly, that was quite a bit earlier than usual since last time it had been good enough to wait until closer to the end of the school year. The gang had been all ready to give Buffy the best surprise birthday party ever, but thanks to an unwanted and unexpected present from Spike and Drusilla, the party was called off. Just about everyone had been a bit puzzled when they had opened the box that the fang faces were trying to make off with to find an arm.

Angel had been the one to tell them what it was they were looking at as well as how bad things could get for everyone on the planet. Apparently, the arm was a part of a larger demon called 'The Judge' and once the 'assembly required' thing was met, the big guy would have the ability to flambé the human race. With world endage imminent, the gang had sprung into action, staking out all the likely places where pieces of the demon could be coming into town from. When he had returned from the bus stop empty handed, he had been a little hopeful that it might have been a false alarm. Maybe Spike just wanted to mount the arm of The Judge over the fireplace or something. After all, you got to have something to show off to all the newbie vamps when they come for visits.

Sadly, that was when the shit really hit the fan.

I knew I should have staked Deadboy when I had the chance! Xander thought as passed through the doors to the mall and headed to the elevators, At least now I should be able to do it without Buffy throwing too much of a fuss.

It had been as big a shock for the Summers girl as it had been for the rest of them when they learned the truth about Angel's condition that had caused him to revert to Angelus. At first, there had been confusion and fear since it would mean big trouble for everyone if one of their teammates had jumped over the wall into the enemy camp. However, when Giles had noticed a flaw in Ms. Calendar's behavior, the truth had come out and man it wasn't pretty.

Apparently a little over century ago, Angelus, one member of the Scourge of Europe, had made a bad choice in breakfasts and had drained one Very Important Gypsy. This had resulted in the young woman's family placing a curse on Angelus, putting his human soul back in the driver's seat while tossing the demon into the back seat. This was intended to cause the newly created vampire with a soul as much pain as possible as he was forced to relive everything the vampire demon spirit did while in control of his body. Pretty stupid from his point of view since the human soul and the vampire spirit were two separate entities. It would be like blaming a brother for what the sister did, but he would be damned before he said that out loud since it would sound like he was on Deadboy's side. In any case, the ultimate act of stupidity- the prime proof that the gypsies were idiots- was that there was a loophole in the curse. If Overbite felt one moment of True Happiness, one moment when he was no longer angsty or brooding, then his human soul would go buh-bye and Angelus would be back.

Just how stupid can you get? If they wanted him to suffer forever then they should of made sure it was impossible for the curse to be removed. Xander thought as news of how the curse was broken surfaced, Then again getting pelvic with a corpse when there's a big time demon on the loose is pretty stupid too.

He'd have been lying if he said that he hadn't been bothered by the idea that Buffy and Deadboy had done the horizontal mambo. Despite the whole bitch phase she had gone through coming back from summer vacation, he had still held onto some hope that eventually she'd clue in that a warm, live body was better than a cold dead one. However it was an unofficial rule for guys everywhere that when the girl your after shags the guy she's seeing then the relationship is getting serious and your only chance at snagging her would be a few months after they break up. In any case, while he doubted he'd be seeing Buffy and Angelus at the movies anytime soon, this wasn't the break up he'd been hoping for at all. No, he had been hoping for something more along the lines of Lord Forehead saying something stupid enough to get Buffy pissed or maybe the blonde Slayer finally noticing the stud that is the Xan-man. Instead, Buffy has to find out in the most painful way he could think of that she had literally thrust the soul right out of her perceived soul mate and turned him into a vicious monster. That was going to require many a container of ice cream and at least ten chick flicks for her to get back to her old self, no doubt about it.

That and the satisfaction that she slammed the brakes on the latest scheme of the forces of badness of course. Xander thought as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal the food court/theatre, Hopefully making The Judge go boom will make her feel better. I know seeing things go boom improves my mood. In fact, if someday I could make the school go boom I know I'd have a happy.

Heading towards where they figured Angelus and The Judge would be entering the room from Buffy said "Everybody keep back. Damage control only. Take out any lesser vamps if you can. I'll handle the Smurf."

As they cleared the concession stands it was clear that the gang had arrived just in the nick of time as they watched golden bolts of energy shoot out from The Judge's hands, connecting various people together like demonic tic-tack-toe. Xander didn't need Giles' brains to figure out that if they didn't hurry all the people connected by the energy would be ash in a couple of seconds. Buffy fortunately was ahead of them on this so while she loaded a crossbow to get The Judge's attention, he and Oz placed the crate they had been carrying on top of the concession stand Buffy had just leapt onto. Taking the minimum amount of time necessary to aim, the blonde Slayer sent an arrow flying across the room to strike The Judge right in the heart. While this did no harm to the demon, it did distract it enough to shut down whatever it was trying to do with the theatre patrons.

"Who dares?" asked The Judge arrogantly as though he considered it an insult that any lesser being would dare to attack him.

Opening the crate, since he knew Buffy would be holding a hand out for their trump card soon Xander hoped that his flash of insight proved accurate.

"Think I got his attention." Buffy stated in a casual matter-of-fact way that showed she wasn't intimidated in the least.

"You're a fool." The Judge said as he snapped the arrow in his chest in half, "No weapon forged can stop me."

"That was then." Buffy said as she lowered her crossbow for Willow to take.

Knowing that this was his cue, Xander lifted the anti-tank rocket launcher out of its crate, but before he could pass it to Buffy, the Judge did something unexpected. When he had originally planned this he had presumed that The Judge would do what all super baddies did in situations like this. Pose arrogantly in front of the heroes and gloat about how unbeatable they were right up until they got their ass handed to them. They had all agreed that The Judge would be either too stupid, ignorant or arrogant to do anything other than stand there and get blown into a million pieces. So when The Judge's arm shot out and fired a bolt of golden energy right at him he was so surprised that it was a miracle he was able to toss the rocket launcher at Buffy before being struck in the chest.

As he was thrown backwards by the blast, he was oddly not in a lot of pain, but rather his senses became blurred and distorted. His sense of touch became numbed, his sense of hearing acted like he was underwater, his eyes could only give him sporadic blurred images and his sense of smell could only detect burning fabric.

Whether because of some unexpected good luck or a solid dose of Harris bad luck, his flight through the air was halted rather violently as he slammed into something pretty unyielding. The sudden stop also had the half good and half bad effect of rebooting some of his senses such as sight as well as hearing. While his body was still too numb to allow him to get back to his feet or even do more than angle his head towards the action, he was able to see the spectacular sight of The Judge going boom from the rocket launcher. Seeing him go down probably caused Buffy to skip the witty banter portion of the fighting and go straight to the big finish. He tried to smile when he spotted Angelus looking severely pissed at his plans literally blowing up in his face and Drusilla looked like she was having a panic attack. He wasn't sure what the point would be considering she was completely nuts, but he then figured it would be a waste of time trying to understand the psycho vamp.

Much to his annoyance though, as he would have liked to see how things turned out, it was then that his body decided that it was time to take a nap. Apparently it had decided to come together just long enough to let him know that the crisis was over with before shifting all its resources into healing itself. As the world went dark and he went off to dreamland he hoped that when he came too that the good news of the dusting of Angelus, Spike and Drusilla would be waiting for him.

With that thought and the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears unconsciousness settled in and coherent thought was no more.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The Realm of the Powers That Be, Council Chambers

Emergency Session

"The situation has become dire my comrades." Mrs. Grumpy Imp stated as though she was the official leader of the council, "The seal we placed on the Saiyan child, the one that held his power and true nature in check, has been seriously destabilized due to a direct attack unleashed by The Judge. It is only a matter of time before it shatters and the one known on Earth as Xander Harris gains full access to his heritage. We must act now!"

The news had the entire room in a flurry of excitement and concern as a problem they had thought long dealt with had chosen to reappear. What was worse was that it had chosen to reappear in one of the worst places possible, the Sunnydale hellmouth. Not only was it the home of their current Chosen One, Buffy Summers, but it was also the lynchpin for all demonic, supernatural and paranormal activity on the west coast of America. When you took all that into account and tried to imagine what might happen if one of the ki blasts they had discovered the Saiyan child would one day be capable of firing hitting the hellmouth they were worried.

While brute strength or great power wasn't the easiest way to open the hellmouth, given that the pure blooded demons had been trying to get through from their side for eons, none knew what effect massive amounts of ki energy would have from this side of the hellmouth.

"Granted, the situation is dangerous, but I do not believe that sanction level action is required just yet." Mr. Elderly Wiseman stated as he tried to calm the fears of the council members, "While it is true that the blast from The Judge has destabilized the seal, it is not critical damage or else young Mr. Harris would already be showing signs of his heritage. Given the parameters of the seal, it is entirely possible that it will manage to repair itself so long as young Alexander is not exposed to any more high level demonic energy."

While this did decrease the decibel level of the council members, it had only marginal success with alleviating their worry about the potential unsealing of a seventeen year old Saiyan's natual abilities. It was true that the specifications and design of the seal they had used did have automatic repair and regeneration functions that in time could repair the damage done by The Judge. However given that the boy was on the hellmouth, a veritable hot zone of demonic activity, the odds that the young man would be able to avoid energies that would impede the seal's recovery were not good.

"You are being naïve, elder. The boy is living atop the largest and most active hellmouth on Earth, where world ending events are beginning to happen on an annual basis." Mrs. Grumpy Imp stated with contempt for her opponent in this discussion, "With the situation there only getting worse it is almost a certainty that the boy will be unsealed and his Saiyan heritage will assert itself completely. He must be dealt with NOW!"

Mrs. Grumpy Imp had made a good point that was impossible to deny. Sunnydale, California, U.S.A was becoming a point of convergence in the battle of Good versus Evil. It was rumored that The First Evil itself was beginning to monitor the situation atop the Hellmouth and that could not be considered a good thing by anyone. While no one could predict when the embodiment of evil would make its move, preparations were already being made to counter anything it might do. All in all it did seem risky to delay definitive action regarding the hidden Saiyan given the potential consequences of inaction.

"True, but keep in mind that the boy has lived on the hellmouth almost his entire life without encountering the supernatural or demonic. It is only recently with his decision to aide our Chosen One that he has decided to confront the forces of evil directly." Mr. Elderly Wiseman said remaining perfectly calm in light of his opponent's ranting, "While this may seem to only increase the likelihood that the seal will be exposed to further harmful energies it is not quite so. Young Alexander is considered the most normal and the most unable to defend himself from the demonic threats present in Sunnydale. As the demons grow stronger his friends will be pressured into trying to keep him on the fringes of the battles instead of the center of them. This should adequately prevent him from being exposed to any more high level demonic energy and thus give the seal time to return to full strength."

Mr. Elderly Wiseman's point was equally good as the number of times Alexnader Harris had encountered a demon or an element of the supernatural prior to Buffy Summers' arrival was virtually non-existent. Whether that was because he never before had any real reason to frequent places like 'The Bronze' where demons commonly hunted, or because his fallen parents had kept him busy at home no one knew. His decision to aide Ms. Summers in her struggle did pose a threat to the seal but if the Slayer did react to the increasing threats as Mr. Elderly Wiseman predicted Alex's interaction with them should be reduced to almost nothing.

"Doubtful. The boy is notoriously stubborn as well as determined to be a part of the Slayer's nightlife. Any efforts by Ms. Summers to keep him away from her destiny would only result in him choosing to fight independent of the main 'Scooby' group." Mrs. Grumpy Imp said with a growl of frustration, "However, since it has become clear that you will not back down from your position I suggest a compromise. For the next six months this council will restrict itself solely to observing Alexander Harris, to watch for signs that his heritage is manifesting itself. If one of the more dominant traits surface such as an unchanging hairstyle or at worst the tail appears, it will prove that the seal can no longer keep his Saiyan nature in check and we will terminate him. If however he remains unchanged during the next six months physically and any hints of mental changes fade quickly, it will prove the seal is successfully repairing itself and the boy will live. Are you agreeable to this elder?"

The entire room waited eagerly for the leader of the opposition's response as it would either force further discussion or settle the matter at least for another six months. For the most part, the proposal seemed perfectly rational and quite fair to the Saiyan in human clothing. In the end though Mr. Elderly Wiseman had no real choice in the matter since to refuse such a logical and equitable arrangement would make him seem unreasonable. Thus it was decided that for the next six months on the planet Earth young Xander Harris would be watched by the entirety of the council of The Powers That Be so that his fate could be decided.

No pressure right?