Chapter 1

Dawn opened her window, wincing as it squeaked. She froze, staring at her closed door as if expecting her sister to come running in at any moment. She slipped out of the window, clambering inartistically down the side of the house. Dropping to the ground, she smiled to herself, dusting off her skin-tight jeans and straightening her low-cut top. She took one last look at her window before sauntering across the road. Janice was waiting on the other side of the road, dressed in a mini skirt and crop top.

“You made it. Thought you weren’t going to show.”

“My sister’s been super weird since Mom went to New York. She’s, like, watching me every second.”

“Major bummer,” the other girl sympathised. “You okay to hit the Bronze?”

Dawn tossed her long brown hair. “No problem.”

……………………………………………….

Buffy yawned as she walked through the house. She’d been doing housework all day. Joyce had gone (was “left”) two days ago for some big gallery thing in New York and she wasn’t coming back for a week. Dawn’s response to this was to be extra annoying.

“Dawn, turn your music down!” Buffy yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Her only answer to this was an energetic guitar solo. She shook her head in defeat and stomped up the stairs. “Dawn, I’m going out.”

She went into her room and changed out of her housework clothes into more slayery type attire: a pair of black leather pants, a string belt, a purple tie-dyed shirt with long sleeves that flared at her elbows. She grabbed her stake and a black leather jacket, tied a long, purple scarf around her neck and stalked out of the room.

“Dawn! I thought I told you to turn that music down. Dawn!” She flung her sister’s bedroom door open to find the room empty and the wind coming through the open window, fluttering paper around.

She stared into the room, green eyes wide in disbelief.

……………………………………………….

“Bloody hell, you stupid blue-haired poofter. You can’t do that!” Spike sat in a tattered-looking leather armchair in front of his television, holding a game controller.

“I’ll give you a bloody ‘lance of atrophy’, you ponce.” He frantically mashed the buttons, causing a bright, blue light to flare out of the screen.

“Hey!” He looked annoyed. “I just summoned her, you can’t unsummon my...”
“Spike!”

“Balls!” He hit the ‘pause’ button, shaking his head. “What do you want?” He came face-to-face with a pissed off slayer. “Can’t you tell I’m busy?”

Buffy looked past him. “Uh huh, because God knows naked blue women are of the important.” She placed her hands on her hips.

“Wait a minute. She’s not naked.” He held his hands up. “That’s not… It’s a computer game.”

“The point is, Dawn’s gone. I need you to help find her.”

A look of worry came over Spike’s face. He reached behind him for his coat. “Nibblet’s gone? Do you think something’s happened?”

Buffy sighed. “I don’t know. It’s like, Mom’s been gone for two whole days and already I’ve screwed up.”

Spike wanted more than anything to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, to gently run his hands over the worry lines on her face and to take her in his arms and make her feel alright. He knew how ludicrous this was - and how dangerous. Instead, he pulled his coat on.

“It’ll be okay, I’ll help you find her.”

……………………………………………….

In a darkened room a cloaked figure grinned maliciously to himself.

“I call upon Arkhon, darkest dreams reveal. Open the doorway and deliver the warrior to a place of fantasy, a place of death.” The figure felt the power rush through him as candle flames shot into the air. Suddenly, he frowned.

“Wait a minute. ‘Fantasy’?” he reread the ancient text, a worried look on his face. He sat back. “Damn.”

……………………………………………….

“Just a minute pet. I need to put shoes on.”

Buffy realised he was wearing only socks and wrinkled her nose.

“Well, hurry,” she said as she walked over to the PlayStation, looking it over. “Hey, how do you turn this thing off?”

“Hold up! Don’t touch that!” Spike said, “I’m about to beat the snot out of Seymour.”

“Uh huh.” Buffy sounded sceptical. “What, you can’t be violent in real life so you have to play video games?”

As he pulled on his Docs, he noticed a strange glow coming from the screen.

“Hey, I told you to leave that,” he turned in time to see Buffy as she was sucked backwards, stretching and glowing, until the room was bathed in light. He ran towards the screen in shock. As he approached the television he felt a strange force pulling at his upper torso while his legs and feet remained firmly planted on the floor of his crypt. He felt as though he were being stretched in two. He hissed in pain, as it grew stronger and stronger, before the whole world went black.

Chapter 2

Spike groaned, turning in his sleep. A fly landed on his cheek and he waved his hand to get rid of it. He tried to get comfortable but the sand in his bed was slowly seeping into his clothing, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Wait a minute, Spike, he thought. Sand in my bed?

He opened his eyes and blinding sunlight filled his vision. He cursed, holding his coat over his head and looking around for a place to hide away from the burning sun. He scanned around him. He was in a vast desert with nothing to see but sand. A signpost was barely visible off in the distance, but there wasn't much in the way of shelter. He was going to burn up alive here in the desert. It was then that he realised he wasn’t burning. He tentatively pulled the coat from over his head, waiting for his flesh to catch on fire, for the flames to engulf his body, but they didn’t.

He waited a minute, staring at his own flesh as though it were alien. Finally he let out an exultant sound of joy. He was cured! Somehow, he was no longer a vampire.

He thought of everything he could do now, how he could go for walks in the park. He sucked in his cheeks thoughtfully. He probably no longer had the chip either and that meant he could finally punch Xander out. And maybe... maybe he could tell Buffy what had been haunting him for the last few weeks, what had tugged at his insides, bleeding him dry and making him feel like he was bloody burning alive from the inside.

Buffy. Where was she?

He ran towards one of the signs, eyes searching for her in the sand. “Buffy!!" he called. He stared at the sign as though it had offended him. He was about to kick it when the writing caught his eye.

“What..?” He stared at it.

‘Hud vyn du ku,’ the sign said. Spike shook his head. It must be some kind of demonic script. He and Buffy had probably been sucked into a hell dimension. He wished he knew where she was. He decided to walk in the direction the sign pointed. Wherever he was headed it couldn’t be worse than where he was now.

……………………………………………….

Buffy groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She frowned. The last thing she could remember? Spikes crypt! Spike did this. She felt a surge of anger and sorrow. Sitting up, she realised she was in a house of some kind. Woven rugs covered the floor. Her jacket and scarf hung on the wall. She stood up, taking her stuff from the hook. She could hear voices outside.

“You really think she’s from Zanarkand?” a deep, womanly voice came through the door in a disapproving tone.

“I… I don’t know, but she appeared out of nowhere, and the pyreflies... I don’t know why, but I have a feeling about her,” a soft, voice answered. “And anyway, I can’t just leave her here at Djose.”

Buffy shook her head, annoyed. She could only understand half of what they were saying. Djose? Pyreflies?

“I’ll go check to see if she’s awake,” the second girl said. As the door began to open, Buffy prepared herself for battle.

A girl walked into the room in a long purple pleated skirt, a white halter-necked top and a ridiculously large yellow bow on her back. She looked like a giant birthday present. Buffy cautiously dropped her fighting stance.

Upon seeing her awake the other girl looked slightly startled. “Oh, hello. I am the summoner, Yuna, from the isle of Besaid.”

“Uh, wha...? Oh, I’m Buffy, from... California. Um, ‘summoner?’ Huh?”

“Oh. As a summoner, it is my sacred duty to protect Spira from Sin.”

“Wow, this whole ‘sacred duty’ thing gets shared around a lot these days.”

“Yuna, we have to go,” a Hawaiian-sounding accent floated in through the door. Buffy looked questioningly at Yuna.

“Hey.”

The worst hair that Buffy had ever, EVER seen came through the door, literally followed by the head attached. Buffy’s eyes widened and she stared at the strange spectacle before her. Yellow chaps covered blue-black board shorts and a strange... well, it could be described as a shirt. Maybe. The clothes may have been considered only unusual if not for the hair. Standing four inches high in the front in the shape of an orange wave, with the rest of it spiked up. The sight itself would have given Cordelia an aneurism.

“Are we ready to go?” he asked.

Yuna turned. “She only just woke up. I don’t know if she’s strong enough yet.”

“ Yeah, and all this said as though I weren’t even here ,” Buffy commented to herself. To her surprise, Yuna turned around, a horrified look on her face and bowed in apology.
“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to… I am sorry.”

“Whoa,” Buffy shook her head. “I didn’t mean for it to be a big thing. I was just saying... Never mind. Where are we supposed to be going?”

“Forgive me. I did not ask you. We are currently in the Djose Temple Inn. We are going to the Moonflow and from there, we go to Guadosalam. I thought ... I wanted to ask you to come with us because when you appeared I thought that you must be from Zanarkand.”

Buffy realised that with all the weird, she had forgotten about Sunnydale, about Dawn, and about Spike.

“Spike. Do you know who he is?”

Yuna seemed to consider this question. She held her arms, clad in flowing, floor length material, out to the side. “I am afraid I do not know him. Perhaps someone in Guadosalam will?”

Buffy chewed her lip. “Okay, I’ll go with you to this Gaudysammy place. It’s not like I know anyone else here."

Yuna looked delighted. “We must leave at once. I delayed our departure to make sure you were okay.”

“Ah, it's no biggie,” Buffy waved the situation away. “I've been through worse. Though once I get my hands on Spike...” She left her plans for what to do with the vampire hanging in the air.

“Why are we wasting time?” a gruff voice asked. “We must leave as soon as possible.”

“We are coming,” Yuna called.

Buffy followed her out of the bedroom and found herself in the strangest building she’d ever been in. The shop was painted in a variety of colours, filled with strange bottles and unique weapons. A glowing orb sat in one corner. Buffy ran her fingers longingly over the weapons, her breath catching when one of the swords caught her eye. It was finer than the others. The blade was only three-inches across and was silver in colour, its black grip set with an ornate silver cross. She looked at it in awe. Yuna came up behind her, startling her.

“Oh, for…”

“Hey, no more forgive-me-ness, got it?” Buffy looked at the other girl, realising that her eyes were two different colours.

“Fo--. Okay.” She bowed. Buffy cast a regretful look at the sword, turning to leave.
“Would you like it?” Yuna asked.

“Huh?” Buffy had no idea what the girl was on about.

“This sword. You looked like... If you want it I will get it for you.”

“Oh, no. I could never... It would cost...”

“Don’t worry,” Yuna said. She picked the sword up from the shelf, placing it on the counter. A minute later she handed the sword to Buffy with a slight bow.

Disturbed by the noise, one of the native animals of the area, began doing laps around the counter. No one else seemed to notice. Buffy’s jaw dropped. It was small, with a body like a squirrel and a face like a kitten, “That is soo cute!” Buffy exclaimed.

A tall man, clad in red, turned grumpily to her. Most of his face was concealed by a very high collar and dark glasses. “We have wasted enough time!”

Buffy had the feeling that he expected her to bow the way that Yuna did. She caught herself and looked miffed. “Sorry,” she said, just as grumpily.

She walked out of the inn, daylight falling on her. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth, when she opened them again, she gasped. A large demon was looming over her, ferocious yellow eyes staring out of a blue, furred face. She looked wildly around, wondering why no one else had noticed it. A woman in a black dress came towards her, gliding over the ground like a princess, her head held high. She turned to place a disapproving look at Buffy.

“I see we have picked up another one,” she stated.

Yuna cleared her throat. “Everyone! Everybody, this is Buffy," she introduced Buffy to those gathered around. She motioned towards the graceful woman in black.

“This is Lulu, and he," she pointed to the strangely dressed man with the bad hair, "is Wakka. This is Sir Auron,” she nodded towards the grumpy red-clad man “and he is Kimahri.” To Buffy’s surprise, Yuna pointed to the large, blue-furred creature. “He is a Ronso.” She explained, in an abstract answer to Buffy’s unspoken question.

“Oh, okay.”

“Oh!” Yuna exclaimed. “Where did Tidus go?”

“Heh!” A boy came running out of the inn, long spiky blond hair waving wildly in the breeze. “Wait up!”

Yuna turned, “And this is Tidus.”

“Oh. Er, hey” he said, giving her a questioning look.

“I’m Buffy,” she said, offering her hand.

“Come along,” Auron said. “Enough time wasted.”

……………………………………………….

Spike stopped in front of yet another sign. After wandering around for several hours, he was getting bloody tired and pissed off with whatever hell god had sucked him into this dimension.

'Home ec haynpo'

“Bloody hell!” Spike announced, delivering a kick to the sign. It flew out of the ground, landing several metres off in the distance. He stared in the direction the sign had gone and saw a dark shape off in the horizon. He walked towards it eagerly. Buffy might be there, or Dawn.

Dawn had mysteriously vanished only a short time before he and Buffy were sucked into this other world, so it stood to reason that she must have been brought here too.

Spike’s face was beginning to burn. He had forgotten that the sun had that effect on humans. He grinned to himself as he thought about it. He was human...

He grimaced at the thought of actually living in a place like this, although he had seen a few animals off in the distance that had run away whenever he approached. He couldn’t imagine how they could survive in this desert.

Slowly, a city began to loom in front of him, looking like a strange, mismatched collection of tin cans stacked on top of each other. Though it looked like chaos, the vibe it exuded was peaceful. Strange beasts pulled brightly coloured machines, strange figures waved their arms and shouted to each other, and bright flags waved in the hot desert breeze.

Spike stood on the rise above the city, looking down at the movement below. Suddenly, he was hit in the back with what felt like a taser and he blacked out.

……………………………………………….

Buffy’s head was spinning. Everything that had happened, it was too strange. Vampires she could deal with; she’d just defeated Dracula. The Dracula. She was coping with the constant personality clashes between she and Riley. True, sometimes by crying herself to sleep, but she was dealing. So why couldn’t she look after her kid sister for one week? And now she was in this screwed up place. She shook her head. Maybe...

Her thoughts were cut short as a giant demon plunged onto the path in front of them. It resembled a giant flower, huge vine-like tentacles thrashed in the air and from its upturned mouth exuded a stench worse than anything she’d ever smelled… even the roasty toasty mayor.

Clasping her sword in her hand, she prepared herself for a big fight. Auron, Yuna and Lulu, however, calmly stepped forward as though this were nothing new to them. As the giant plant demon thrashed its tentacles and spat a viscous liquid at them, they dodged and attacked. Buffy plunged her sword into its springy flesh. Auron viciously slashed at it, taking a large chunk out of its side as it oozed green blood everywhere. Lulu raised her arms and to Buffy’s great surprise, a ball of fire shot towards it, engulfing it in a flame that it tried to slap out with its tentacles.

It shot forward with a viny limb, slapping Buffy in the side and leaving her winded. Auron grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the beast as Yuna calmly spun her staff in circles. Buffy watched, entranced, as a flicker of flame fell from the bottom of the staff, spreading across the ground in a great cross. She tried to step forward but Auron held her back as suddenly, the earth seemed to erupt and Yuna was thrown high into the air by what looked like a meteor.

Straining her eyes to see, Buffy realised that another demon, with large horns on its’ head and flame hanging, like tassels from its’ limbs, had taken hold of the girl as it too fell to the ground. Yuna, however, seemed unafraid and the great, red furred beast gently put her on the ground, turning towards the writhing, spitting plant.

What followed was so strange that Buffy could scarcely believe it. At a word from Yuna, the new demon attacked the plant with its claws and fiery breath. The plant finally shuddered, falling on its side and dissolving into a pillar of shining orbs which rose in the air where they seemed to disappear.

“Wha...? What was that?” Buffy gasped.

“That,” Lulu answered, stepping forward, “...was a fiend, a soul of the dead that stays on in this world. They are angry at the living and so attack us. There will be plenty more on the way. If you cannot handle it, I’m sure the rest of us can protect you.”

“Cannot handle..? Wait a minute. I can so kick their asses.”

“She does have potential as a warrior,” Auron said, taking his long, slow strides forward. “I’m sure that given practise, she would make an acceptable guardian.”

Buffy was furious. They wouldn’t last two seconds against the Master, Adam, or any of the other monsters she had gone up against.

“Given pract…? I fight dead things all the time!” She shook her head, frustrated.

“Please,” Yuna stepped forward, shadowed by the looming demon. “Do not argue. I’m sure we all want the same thing... to defeat Sin. I would like... I would like Buffy to come along with us. Maybe, maybe not as my guardian, but as a companion.”

The boy called Tidus stepped forward. “You… You’re not from Zanarkand, are you?”

Buffy shook her head. “Listen, I don’t know where this Zanarkand place is. I just want to get home and find my sister.”

Tidus nodded. “Yeah, I just wanna get home too." He had a faraway look in his eyes and Buffy decided not to question it. He sort of reminded her of Will in a strange way. They both had the same bubbly attitude, although he was a little over the top, swinging his giant sword around and cheering whenever someone said something he approved of.
Yuna was standing a short distance away from the red demon. As Buffy watched, Yuna held her staff and the demon vanished in a puff of smoke. Buffy blinked.

“I assume you are as clueless as Tidus,” Lulu said evenly, noticing Buffy. “Yuna is a Summoner. She is one of the few who can defeat Sin.”

“What’s this sin business? You keep saying it and it makes zero sense.”

“Sin is a great evil that was brought upon us a thousand years ago. It ravages villages and kills many people. No one is safe so long as Sin remains. A Summoner's sacred duty is to travel from temple to temple, praying at each, all the way to Zanarkand where they will receive the final Aeon and defeat Sin," Lulu explained.

Tidus’ answer to this was a loud whoop while everyone else stood in an uncomfortable silence. Yuna looked as if she wanted to change the subject.

“Okay, so Sin is, like, a big demon. Got it. And Yuna can kill it. But what is an Aeon?”

“Ifrit, the fire demon you just saw, he is one Aeon. They are powerful beings, brought forth by summoners.” Lulu continued.

“Okay, so we go to a bunch of temples, collect Aeons and fight Sin,” Buffy nodded. “It... it sounds kinda simple. Why hasn’t anyone else done it?”

“My father, Lord Braska, he defeated Sin. Ten years ago,” Yuna looked sad.

Auron stepped forward. “We have talked enough for now, we must continue.”

Buffy noticed Tidus giving the tall man strange looks. “Wow, he’s, like, super grouch, isn’t he?” Buffy said.

“Yeah, he’s always been like that,” Tidus said, suddenly getting an exultant grin on his face. “Let’s go get Sin!”

Buffy was left with major confusion. That kid was weird . She shrugged it off. Nobody else around here was exactly normal.

“He-ey!” Wakka called. “You comin’?”

Chapter 3

“Ow. Oww!” Spike groaned as he sat up, looking around. He was in a small, steel room, with a glowing computer monitor set into the wall, and strange symbols all around it. He stood up, examining the room he was in. A sudden creaking made him spin around. The door began to open and he frowned to himself. A strange man came walking into the room. His yellow blonde hair was cut short and was obscured by a pair of goggles. His clothes were predominately yellow and when he spoke he sounded like he’d just walked straight out of a cowboy movie. Spike had a nagging feeling that he recognised him but this thought was overcome by the realisation that the man wasn’t a demon.

The man handed him a glass of water. Spike found himself strangely thirsty. Must be a side affect of being human, he thought.

“I’m sorry about my men. They usually act that way around Yevon spies.”

Spike stopped swallowing his water and breathed it in instead. This led to a fit of coughing. “What?”

“They thought you must be a Yevon spy, what with those weird clothes you’re wearing. They searched through your clothes and you had no Yevon symbols, so, here I am.”

Spike grabbed the man by the throat, pushing him against the wall.

“I’ve had a bad day,” he said. “So talk slowly. Who are you?”

He released the man who proceeded to rub his neck, giving Spike a sideways look.

“I’m Cid, the leader of the Al Behd. Who’re you?”

Spike burst into a short bark of laugh. “You stupid wanker. You expect me to believe that load of bollocks?”

Cid stared at Spike as though he’d grown tentacles.

“So, you’re the Al Behd, this place I’m in would be called Spira, right? And summoners are running around the land trying to defeat Sin?”

Cid nodded his head. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Spike laughed, then shook his head. “And I suppose Little Bit’s a summoner and the slayer grew blue fur and became a Ronso?” He shook his platinum blonde head again. “I can’t believe it.”

Cid regarded Spike, unsure. “Listen, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, kid but...” He was worried about this kid. He seemed to be crazy as a shoopuff rider but with Rikku gone, he could do with the help. He shook his head, finally deciding what to do. “Well, you don’t look to me like a Yevon spy. Tell ya what, if you help out you can stay here with us. We can feed you and give you a place to live, maybe some real clothes.”

“You can bloody well keep away from my clothes,” was Spike’s short response.

“Okay, well, if you can help out, you can stay.”

“Help out with what exactly?” Spike asked, still not believing what the other guy said. He may as well play along for now. He could keep an eye out for Buffy and Dawn and until then...

“Do you know anything about machina?” Cid asked.

Spikes eyes lit up. “Machina?” He drew his packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, realising that he’d left his lighter on the table. “Yeah, I’d say I know a thing or two about them.”

……………………………………………….

Dawn stood in front of her house, staring at her window. It had been easier to climb out of than it would be to get back in. She tried to climb back up the side of the house, failing miserably. In the end she sighed and tried the front door. It was unlocked. She really, really hoped Buffy was still patrolling or in her bedroom or something, but a sinking feeling of dread that wasn’t attributed to the three beers told her otherwise. Nevertheless, she snuck stealthily into the house and up the stairs, wincing as one of them squeaked. She pulled open her bedroom door to find her bedroom askew. She sighed, shaking her head, so Buffy knew she had gone. Now she’d tell Mom and Dawn would be grounded for, like, forever. She squeezed her eyes closed. Why didn’t anybody understand? If they didn’t treat her like a dog on a leash maybe she wouldn’t need to sneak out of the house.

“Buffy, I know that you know. You can come out of hiding now,” she called, resigned. “Buffy, you don’t have to be such a cow. Buffy?”

Dawn opened the door, expecting to find her sister, arms crossed, in front of her door, but she was met with nothing. “Buffy?”

No way Buffy would have gone patrolling now, maybe she was out looking for Dawn. She decided to go to bed and deal with her sister in the morning.
……………………………………………….

In his room the magician went over all his books. Where had he gone wrong and what had he done? He sat back, tired. “We’ll deal with this in the morning,” he decided.

……………………………………………….

Buffy groaned, stretching her legs. They’d been walking through the forest for over an hour and after her initial shock over the first fiend, she had proven her skills as a warrior, although according to Lulu, ‘Physical strength alone isn’t enough, you need to develop skills, special abilities.’

She walked next to the giant blue Kimahri. Apparently he was from a race called ‘Ronso’, which were like big blue kitties that stood like humans. Buffy heard a chirping noise. She looked around, curiously and saw nothing. Then her eye caught on a struggle in the bushes. She ran over to investigate.

“Would you like to rest?” Lulu asked in a condescending tone, looking over her bare shoulder. The collar of her dress was off-the-shoulder and lined with fur.

“No, I’ll just be two secs,” Buffy answered, annoyed. She pulled leaves apart to find one of the strange furry creatures from the inn in a tussle with a wasp-shaped fiend. Buffy swung her sword at it, missing it but scaring it away nonetheless. The furry creature, which resembled a kitten and a squirrel combined, ran over to the slayer, up onto her shoulder. Buffy ran to catch up with the group who were stopped at the edge of the path. As Buffy approached, Kimahri made room for her. Before them was the most beautiful lake she had ever seen. The water was reflective and covered in purple lilies. The strange, translucent shining orbs hovered low over the flowers, flying in lazy circles.

“The Moonflow,” Lulu explained. “The pyreflies are attracted to the moon lilies. At night, the whole river glows.”

Yuna stared at it, a strange longing in her eyes.

“Hey, I have an idea…” Tidus began.

“We’re not staying until nightfall,” Auron cut him off gruffly.

Tidus’ face fell like a kicked puppy. Suddenly growing bright again, he waved his arm emphatically. “Alright then. Once Sin is dead we’ll all come back here.”

Buffy thought it sounded really nice. If she hadn’t been so worried about Dawn and her friends she would love nothing more than to stay here, day and night. Maybe Riley could come too. The idea was nice but, she knew, impractical. She had a sacred duty. To save the world, unless all evil decided to retire. She realised that the silence around her had gotten heavy. The look on Yuna’s face reflected that of Buffy’s. Lulu finally broke the silence.

“Yuna, dear, we should...”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Lulu fell in step beside Yuna in an almost comforting way. Buffy shook her head, confused. She felt like she had missed something. She followed the others along the bank of the Moonflow until they came to a clearing. What Buffy saw there shocked her.

“Whoa oh!” Tidus stared, eyes wide. Then a look came over his face, like a boy with a new toy. In front of them stood what appeared to be an elephant. It had a long, fishlike tail and a rolled-up, skinnier nose as well as very small ears. Beyond that, it was definitely an elephant. It had a large basket-like device on its back, shaped like a gondola and a thick, white scar on its leg.

Auron took Tidus aside to talk to him, pointing at the strange creature as he spoke.

“What-- What is it?” Buffy asked in surprise.

“Ohh, it’s a shoopuf,” Yuna answered, looking awed. “I... I’ve only ever been on one once before”

Buffy stared. “Been on...?”

“The shoopuf will take us across the moonflow, to the north bank,” Lulu explained.

“And from there, we go to Guadosalam,” Yuna smiled.

“Boarding Shoopuf, ” a strange voice said. “Shummonner Yuna and her Guardiansh, ze shoopuf ish ready to go. ”

They walked up the stairs onto a platform, then boarded a wide, open elevator.

“Hey, if machina are forbidden, why are they using this?” Tidus asked.

“Machina?” Buffy queried.

“Machina are machines,” Wakka answered, “and we only use the machina approved by Yevon. Yevon tells us which machina are good and which are bad.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “They sound just like the Watcher’s Counsil.”

“So, what kind of machina can’t you use?” Tidus continued.

“Remember ‘Operation Mi’ihen’? That kind,” Wakka answered. To clarify, he added, “This machina is used for peace and to help the people of Yevon. Machina that kill, they’re all bad news.” Wakka waved his hand in front of his nose as if warding away a bad smell.

Buffy thought about it. If people really banned all machines used to kill, there wouldn’t be so many problems. Sure, there would be vampires and people would have knives ‘n stuff, but if there were no guns, no nukes. She was startled as the Machi-- elevator , she mentally corrected herself--came to a halt.

Boarding the shoopuf was fairly simple, like boarding a boat. She settled into one of the seats, it was a lot like a gondola. The seats were covered in thick cushions and there were curtains at the sides. As they sat there, most of them talked amongst themselves. Buffy was mildly interested in the conversations about some old city that had fallen into the river. She and Kimahri sat in silence as the small creature she had named Kirrel- kitten squirrel- slept soundly on her lap.

Yuna stood up, staring over the edge of the shoopuf into the water, Buffy looked out across the Moonflow, then everything went chaotic.

Two men in swimsuits and goggles dove out of the water, snatching Yuna and diving back under with her. Before Buffy knew it, Wakka and Tidus jumped in after her. The shoopuf continued its slow swim through the water. Buffy bit her lip for a second before taking Kirrel off her lap and removing her jacket, preparing to dive in too. Auron grabbed her arm. “They can manage,” he said.

Buffy stared at the offending hand. “Listen,” she tossed her hair, hands on her hips. “I don’t know who you think you are but I’ve never been good at taking orders, not from my watcher and certainly not from you.” She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as she removed it from her arm. “A girl is in trouble. Don’t you understand that? I need to help her.”

As she said this Tidus came gasping to the surface, Yunas’ limp body in his arms. She coughed, opening her eyes, and he helped her back up onto the shoopuf. Wakka and Tidus then climbed up onto the shoopuf where Tidus proceeded to shake like a dog.

Auron looked at Buffy as though she were a child throwing a tantrum. He suddenly broke into a small smile, disarming her. “It would seem I am not in control of everything, but I would like you to know that I am personally glad to have you protecting Yuna,” Auron said quietly to her, as everyone fussed over the summoner in question. Buffy was left feeling confused. She shook her head and moved Kirrel out of her chair as the blue-finned driver called up to them.

“Ish everyshing okay?”
……………………………………………….

Spike stood in the engine room of their newest find. He tightened the screw on the fan when, to his surprise, it came on. He jumped back, shocked.

“Bloody hell!” he yelled, furious. To his horror, his face shifted, reflecting his mood. He froze. “What? But-- I’m human. But, Buffy…”

He felt a wave of sorrow wash over him, threatening to drive him into the ground and leave him destroyed and defeated. He shook his head, his vamp face melting away, and he replaced the sorrow with anger, ascending the ladder into the control room.

The Al Behd known as Brother sat at the controls, flicking buttons. He looked up when Spike came in.

“Un, Rammu oui, ruf yna oui tuehk?”

Spike was picking up the basic gist of the language with surprising speed. It had only been a day and he could mostly make out what people were saying.

“How am I doing? I was doing fine,” he answered, sucking in his cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m testing the engine,” Brother answered in Al Behd.

“Really. Now tell me, where was I working.”

“Weren’t you…? Fixing the engine fan,” Brother remembered, smiling.

“You bloody stupid ponce! If I was in the engine and you were working the engine, what the bloody hell did you think was going to happen to me?”

The best thing about Al Behd was that the developers of the actual game, Final Fantasy, had based Al Behd on the English language. It was more a cipher than a language so if you knew a word, it also existed in Al Behd.

Brother was contemplating what Spike said, a deep and thoughtful look on his face. He contemplated for about a minute, almost seeming to count in his head. “Oh!” he said suddenly. “The engine could hurt you. You shouldn’t be down there while I’m working it.”

Spike opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. The kid made Xander look like Einstein. He shook his head.

“I need to find Cid.”


Chapter 4

Buffy looked around when they reached the north bank. Most of the surrounding area was dense tree cover. She came off the shoopuf, looking around. Kimahri was standing, arms crossed in front of his large, blue chest. Buffy realised that Yuna was in a sheltered area, surrounded by people.

“Hello, miss,” a voice said. “Can I offer you any of my valuable merchandise?”

Buffy turned to see a strange little man, a little smaller than she, with a huge pack on his back.

“Uh, sorry. I don’t have any money,” she offered, wondering what he could be wanting her to buy.

“You’re with the summoner’s party, aren’t you?”

“Umm, yes,” Buffy was distracted by a giant Ronso she could see through the trees. If she thought Kimahri was tall, this Ronso made Kimahri look like a doll.

She walked over to Tidus. “Who are they?” she asked.

“Who?” He turned to look. “Oh, those are two other Ronso, Biran and Yenki. They had an argument with Kimahri back in Luca. Wonder what they’re doing here?”

Buffy yawned, stretching. She really wanted a hot shower, clean clothes and a long sleep, not to mention food.

Yuna came back to where Tidus was. Everyone gathered around. “Okay, everyone. It isn’t far to Guadosalam now. We should get there before nightfall.”

They all turned and headed down a long path between the trees. After sitting on the shoopuf, Buffy’s legs had recovered from the major tiredness and she was happy to walk anywhere as long as the result was food and a shower.

“Kimahri!” a voice bellowed from up ahead. Buffy realised that the two Ronso she had seen before were blocking the path. Kimahri calmly walked up to them, staring up at their faces.
“Come to fight Kimahri?” he asked. Buffy was somewhat shocked. It was the first time she had heard him speak.

“Come to warn Kimahri,” the bulkier one answered.

“Summoners go missing,” the skinny one added.

“Poor Kimahri, first lose his horn, then lose his summoner,” the large one said.

The skinny one began scratching his arse. “Hornless, hornless,” he said before they both laughed and walked of into the trees.

“Shelinda said something about summoners going missing,” Lulu said, looking concerned.

“Wow.” Buffy said. Everyone turned to look at her. “Oh, nothing important ‘wow’. It’s just, those guys really have no life. They’re, like, Harmony meets a Fyarl demon.”

Lulu pursed violet lips, turning back to the others. “Let’s keep moving.”

They came out of the forest walking along the banks of the Moonflow where Wakka informed the group that the path turned back into the forest farther up. Buffy had no idea how he knew this. Yuna stopped for a moment, staring out across the Moonflow. Tidus didn’t realise and kept walking. Buffy stared up the path after him, shrugged, and turned back to the group. Yuna turned to smile at the group and they all headed in the direction Tidus had gone.

“So, how come you don’t talk?” Buffy asked. “I mean, it’s not like I want you to go super revealy on me. It’s just, how did you end up with Yuna? I mean not ‘with’ with. I mean as her--”

“Guardian,” Kimahri filled in. “Ten years ago I was asked by dying man. ‘Protect Yuna, take her to Isle of Besaid.’ I have looked after her since.”

“Oh,” Buffy was silent. “How--”

She was cut off as the group came to a halt. At the edge of the path, where it wound back into the forest, was a girl. She was about Dawn’s age, wearing the smallest green shorts and an orange sleeveless top. Her orange-blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and sat on top of her head. Her eyes seemed to be forest green, though there was something strange about them that Buffy couldn’t quite place.

“Hi, I’m Rikku” he announced.

Lulu looked at Yuna and something seemed to pass between them.

“Uh, Rikku saved my life. She’s an Al Be--” Tidus cut himself off short and looked guilty.

Yuna cleared her throat. “Um, I would like to talk to Rikku for a minute.”

To Buffy’s surprise, as Wakka stepped forward, Rikku held her hand up, jigging from side to side. “Girls only. Boys, please wait over there.”
Buffy blinked several times trying to work out what was going on. A minute later, Yuna and Lulu came back and Yuna spoke haltingly, “Uh, I would like Rikku to join me, to become my guardian.”

All the males stood there looking shocked.

“Um, sorry if I’m all backwardsy around here, but what is a guardian,” Buffy asked.

“Guardians are those solemnly sworn to protect the summoners, until the end.”

“A summoner must trust a guardian with her life,” Yuna added, hesitantly. “That’s why my guardians are all my friends.”

Buffy nodded, thinking of Xander, Willow, Giles and maybe even Anya. They all fit that description. This place--Spira, Tidus had called it--it wasn’t so different from Sunnydale. Lost in thought, Buffy was unprepared for what came next.

“…and I would like to ask you, Buffy, to join me as my guardian too. You… you don’t have to, but I would like you to come with me to Zanarkand.”

Buffy realised that she wasn’t the only one surprised by this. Lulu, Wakka and even Tidus looked on in shock. Auron looked smug, as though he’d had something to do with this and Rikku… Buffy looked at the small, blonde girl. Well, she just looked vague.

“Buffy?” Yuna looked apologetic.

“Oh!” Buffy remembered that Yuna was waiting for an answer. Well, she seemed to be stuck here and this small, very strange group of people were the only ones Buffy knew. She took in a deep breath.

“Okay, I’ll come with you to…” she searched the air for the word.

“Zanarkand,” Tidus offered.

“Yeah, just call me 1-800-Dial-a-Slayer,” Buffy added, strangely enthusiastic about the idea. Maybe because it wasn’t her having to save the world for once. Maybe it was because, in some deep part of her, she envied her friends their roles. She envied the way they dove into the work, no binding ‘destiny’ thing, nothing. They just wanted to help. She had always wanted that choice. Not so that she could run away from the slayer biz, but because she wanted to be a Scooby, a ‘Guardian’. And now she was.

Lulu turned to Wakka. “I’m afraid I do not understand half the things she says.”

Auron was talking to Rikku. “Look at me.” Rikku raised her head, eyes closed. “Open your eyes.” The girl opened one eye. Auron stared at her for a second. “Are you sure?”

Rikku nodded.

“Okay.”

Buffy frowned. “Well, that was like super ‘huh?’”

Wakka clapped his oversized hands. “Alright, we’re goin’ then?”

“Alright,” Yuna said happily.

……………………………………………….


Spike walked into the hallway and spotted Cid who was fixing wires in the wall. He looked up at Spike as he came up the slope.

“Hey, it’s my resident Yevonite.” Cid said, laughing. “What can I do for you?”

Spike looked back towards the control room. “Well, your son just tried to cut me into messes, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Cid looked concerned at the mention of Brother.

“Listen, I’m a... a special race called ‘vampire’.”

Cid wrinkled his nose in thought. “Never heard of ‘em. They anything like Guado?”

Spike thought about this. He remembered that the Guado were avid Yevon worshippers and ended up attacking Home, but they were the only way he could think of out of this one.

“Yeah, vampires are a bit like Guado, except we don’t worship Yevon.” He ran his hand awkwardly through platinum blonde hair.

“So why’re you telling me this?”

“Us vampires need to drink…” Spike considered what he was doing but it was too late to back out now. Besides, now that he knew he was still a vampire, he needed blood and he couldn’t attack the Al Behd. Buffy… His eyes stung with tears over the thought of Buffy. He pursed his lips. He was in this now; he may as well continue. “Vampires need to drink blood to survive.”

Cid thought about this. “You mean... human blood?”

Spike put on what he hoped was a horrified face. “Oh, no,” he said, wincing at how phony he sounded. “We only drink animal blood. It’s very bad to kill a human.”

Cid sniffed. “Alright then. When we finish up here, I can show you where the butchers are. We can get you some Ayishim blood down there.”

Spike was considering what an Ayishim might be when he heard a huge crash coming from the engine room. “Uh, thanks, got to go,” he turned and left.

Cid stood by the wall, a mess of wires in his hand. “Blood?” He pulled a face, then continued on with his work.

Spike stopped just inside the engine room. Brother was there clutching his head, an assortment of tools were spread all over the floor.

“What have you done now?” Spike growled.

Brother rubbed his head, groaning, and muttered something Spike couldn’t decipher “Dra puq vamm eh dra crua bey.”

“Right,” Spike answered in English. “This would be easy without you, but as it is, I’d rather go a few with the slayer. A super strength slayer. While I’m wearing a bloody cross.”

“E’s cunno, e’mm lmayh ib.”

“Bloody right, you’ll clean up,” Spike answered. A dismal look crossed Brother’s face , which reminded the vampire of Dawn. A pang of sorrow washed over him. Dawn and Buffy… the Watcher even. He missed bloody Sunnyhell. He never would have thought it, but there it was. “Hey, I’ll help you clean up, but then you get out of here and let me work, you hear?” Spike glared at him while Brother nodded.

“Alright.”

Chapter 5


Buffy stopped inside the entrance to Guadosalam. To her shock, she was suddenly two storeys above ground on a wide branch-like path which ran downwards, leading to several doors and eventually to the ground. Lulu took charge at this point.

“This way.”

She led them to an inn, similar to the one Buffy woke up in earlier. A few minutes later, she was relaxing in a hot bath. The door suddenly opened and a strange woman came into the room. She was obviously not human, though she was definitely female. She bowed to the shocked slayer as she came in, picked up Buffy’s clothes and walked out.

“Hey!” Buffy called. “Wait, I don’t have any other clothes! Wait! Come back!” She looked around the room, no longer enjoying the feeling of the warm water healing the bruises of the day.

The woman came walking back in, placing a thick towel and several items of clothing on the clothes peg before leaving again. Buffy sighed, leaning back in the tub. A few minutes later, cleaned and refreshed, Buffy pulled herself out of the tub, wringing water out of her golden blonde hair. She would have stayed longer but she could have sworn she heard a loud and pointed ‘hmmf’ outside the door.

She grabbed the towel off the hook and her eyes fell on the ‘clothes’. A long white skirt with a waist-high slit hung from a thick black belt. It wasn’t just a slit, Buffy realised, putting it on. It was a three-inch wide section that left her right leg exposed at the slightest movement. This was accompanied by a pair of tight black shorts. A tiny lavender halter neck midriff top came with a long white coat, with one button just above her stomach. The coat had some sort of thick grey fur around the neck and at the ends of the arms. Kirrel sat on a chair, scrubbing its face intently with tiny white paws.

Buffy laughed. “They can’t be that bad.” She put on the clothes, laughing at her reflection. The look wasn’t terrible and at least she fit right in now. She grimaced as every movement exposed a bare stretch of leg.

She tentatively stepped out of the bathroom, finding the other two girls dressed similarly, with Rikku in a much shorter skirt and Yuna in a flowing skirt with no slit at all. Lulu walked into the room wearing a long black off-the-shoulder dress. It was a surprise. Buffy had gotten used to the strange dress Lulu had been wearing. The entire front of her other dress, from just below the waist to the floor, was comprised entirely of belts, crisscrossing one another and not doing a good job of hiding her stockinged legs. The dress she now wore was made from cotton or something similar, whereas her other dress had been leather with floral patterns at the end of each large, open sleeve. Lulu sat at the small table, her hair still in its many braids pulled into a knot at the top and hanging down to around her knees. The knot was impaled with six different chopsticks.

The Guado that had stolen her clothes came walking out with a large platter of fruit, nuts and bread. Buffy’s stomach rumbled when she saw the food.

Buffy sank onto the bed. It represented something to her like a sanctuary; she could have normal Buffy sleep and Buffy dreams no matter where she was. She closed her eyes and the last thought that flashed through her mind was, I wonder how the Scoobies are?
…

“Oh Buffy, the Buffster of Buffland. I bid you hello,” a voice called out cheerfully, stepping through the front door.

“He means hello,” Anya called up. “He’s just cheerful because we--”

“Anya? Xander?” a sleepy voice asked.

“Dawn?” Xander looked surprised. “Shouldn’t you be going to school, the place of education and learning goodness?”

Dawn frowned. “I thought Buffy would wake me. I was out kinda late last night and I thought… I wonder why she didn’t. Buffy?” Dawn padded off into the kitchen, coming back out a moment later looking puzzled.

“You should check upstairs,” Xander said, beginning to get worried.

“Okay,” Dawn said meekly. Trust Xander to be calm in a situation like this. She’d seen from the look in his eyes that he totally understood why she’d been out late. She stepped into Buffy’s room, looking inside in shock. The bed was unused, the clothes Buffy had been wearing yesterday lay discarded near the door.

Dawn ran downstairs. “Buffy… She didn’t come home.”

Xander’s eyes widened. “I’ll go get Giles and Willow.”

“You should ask Spike,” Anya said, matter-of-factly. “He can track her down.”

“Ahn, it’s full daylight. He would...” A thoughtful look came over Xanders face. “Oh, I like it. Let’s go ask him.”

Anya ignored him. “Should we go ask Riley?”

“No!” Dawn waved her hands. Xander frowned curiously at her. “No, umm, Buffy and Riley aren’t really speaking at the moment. People think I don’t know this stuff but I know.” Dawn remembered the problem at hand. “So, we shouldn’t ask him now. Giles can find her though, right?”

…

Spike sat back in his chair. He had been provided with an apartment, given blood, and now he sat in his chair looking absently at the large blue screen showing rematches of the day’s blitzball games. He didn’t mind playing a bit of blitzball, although the two hundred or so games he was supposed to play was bloody ridiculous, but he had no interest in sitting around. He looked around. His room didn’t have anything of great interest in it: an information console sat in one corner, glowing with a blue light like everything else around Spira. He pursed his lips. He hated that he was here and not out looking for Buffy and Dawn. Sitting around in his little room was only making things worse. It was like he was truly trapped and as the minutes dragged by, the walls became closer and closer and Buffy and Dawn slipped further away.

Spike cursed to himself. “There’s not much point sitting around here, hey, Spike?” he said to himself, getting out of the chair. He grabbed his coat and stopped to push the button for the door. It opened upwards with a slight creaking and the vampire stepped out into one of the long halls of Home.

It was incredible where a vampire’s sense of smell could get you , Spike reflected, over his glass of some obscure alcoholic liquid. After only half hour of wandering, his nose had picked up the scent of liquor. Minutes later, he was handing over borrowed ‘Gil’- the currency throughout Spira- and downing glass after glass. He stared at the yellowish/brown liquid before sucking in his cheeks and swallowing it.

He managed to find his way back to his room where he lay down on the small bed and dreamed of Sunnydale.

…

Willow sat on the floor of the Summers’ house, surrounded by candles and a map in front of her. She sprinkled some powder on the map, chanting as she did.

Anya was talking. “I saw someone killed by an Iimah demon before. It wasn’t pretty.”
“Anya,” Xander said. “We’re hoping to find her not dead.”

Giles was cleaning his glasses and looked up. “Yes, well, it would be preferable.”

Willow frowned. Giles noticed this. “What is it?”

“Umm, I… Well, it’s Buffy. She doesn’t... Well, the spell says she doesn’t exist.”

Xander raised his eyebrows. “Doesn’t exist as in...” A note of panic filled his voice.

“Not dead. She simply doesn’t exist. It’s like she--” she stopped, shaking her head.

“What?” Xander asked, his eyes full of concern. “Like she what?”

“Like she’s in a different world,” Willow looked at the ground.

“Good Lord,” Giles said.

“I second that,” Xander offered.

“Will she be okay? I mean, she’s not... dead. We can get her back, can’t we?” Dawn looked on the verge of tears.

Tara looked at Willow, then back to Dawn. “Of course we can Dawnie. We’ll just have to work out where she went. Then we can get her back.”

“…and which spell was used. If you don’t use the same spell it won’t work,” Anya added, receiving a glare from Willow.

“So you see, we’ll get her back. It’s okay,” Tara reached to put a comforting hand on Dawn’s shoulder.

“I can’t... I can’t be here with all of you. Just leave me alone!” Dawn shrugged off Tara’s hand, running up the stairs and slamming the door. Tara looked apologetically at Willow, then the others.

“I didn’t mean… I hope she’s okay.”

“But who would have done it? Why? And, who has that much power? Temporal folds are powerful spells and hard to control,” Willow said, remembering a run-in she’d once had with her vampire self.

…

Ethan Rayne poured himself a cup of tea, looking over the spell books. He shrugged. The slayer was gone. It didn’t matter where. He just had to make sure she didn’t come back and since he was the only one who could, it wasn’t a problem. He grinned in satisfaction. With the slayer gone, Ripper wouldn’t be staying for long. With Ripper out of the way, Sunnydale would be his. He chuckled at the thought of the chaos he could wreak using the enormous seat of energy that Sunnydale was seated on. He sipped his tea, chuckling.

tbc