Interesting Times

      Nasuti was frantic as she tore through the underbrush. Behind her, she could hear Anubis struggling to keep up with her breakneck pace, but she didn't slow. Oh God, where could they be? How could she have been so stupid? They were just kids. If she had been paying attention to them--
      But she hadn't been. Instead, she had been too busy searching through her grandfather's mystical texts, hoping to find something that would help them cure the Troopers. She had only gone inside for a moment... just a moment... Long enough that when she came back, all five children were gone.
      My fault, Nasuti castigated herself, if anything happens to them... She pulled herself up short. No, nothing was going to happen to them. She was going to find them and they were going to be okay.
      "Seiji, Ryo, Touma," she shouted, "Shu, Shin. Where are you? Answer me."
      Despite the lack of reply, she ran deeper into the woods.

*****

      Okay, Buffy thought, I'd definitely say I'm not in Kansas anymore. No, she was in the middle of some kind of forest, surrounded by five kids in what looked like armor and a bunch of dark, nasty things hovering ominously close.
      "What, was it Halloween and nobody told me?" she muttered. "What's with all the wild costumes?"
      Something tugged at her leg. She glanced down to see a chubby boy wearing orange armor and a large horned helmet staring up at her. "Who're you?" he demanded, "and how'd you fall outta the sky like that?"
      "Maybe she flew," chirped up another voice, this one belonging to a sweet-faced boy with tufts of auburn hair escaping his blue helmet.
      The orange-armored boy considered this. "Well, did ya? Did ya fly?"
      "Not exactly. I fell," Buffy admitted. Just like Alice down the Rabbit hole.
      "Oh," the little orange armored boy's face fell in obvious disappointment.
      "Hey, who are you?" This one came from a boy in red-armor and wielding two small, but wicked looking katanas.
      Great, Buffy groaned, another one. Just where the heck had she landed? And what was with all the armor get-up?
      "Buffy. Who are you?"
      "Did that mean lady send you?" the little boy growled, his bright blue eyes slitted.
      "What mean lady?" Buffy asked in spite of herself.
      "The mean lady with the six arms," said the sweet-faced auburn-haired boy. His lower lip trembled; it was clear that he was very, very frightened and trying very hard not to cry. Buffy had to fight down the urge to sweep him up into a big hug until he actually smiled again. Right now, he was just as afraid of her as he was this mean lady he was talking about.
      "Thanks," she said dryly, "that clears everything right up. Listen, are you guys in some kind of trouble?"
      Five tiny faces looked at each other, then back at her. Warily. Buffy gave then her best smile, leaning forward slowly so as not to alarm them. The last thing she wanted was to be hit with some of those weapons they were carrying. They looked way too sharp to be fake.
      "'Cause," she continued gently, "it looks to me like you guys need some help. Hmm?"
      The boys looked at each other then nodded solemnly. "But-" the little one in the red armor spoke up with evident doubt coloring his voice, "you don't have any armor."
      "That's okay, I won't need it to kick these bozos' butts," she replied airily. I hope, she silently added. She turned to face the crowd of uglies surrounding them. She had never seen anything like them before. Their long forms seemed to flow and shift before her eyes. They reminded her of shadows, dancing and twisting as they were thrown by candlelight. She just hoped they were a little more substantial than shadows or else this might be a short fight.
      Let's think positively here, she thought sarcastically. "Did anyone ever tell you guys that the evil, smoky critter look is so passé? What are you guys supposed to be, the Shadowpuff girls?"
      Nervous tittering filled the air behind her. Buffy ignored it, keeping her eyes on the creatures surrounding them. Without thinking, she removed her stake, dropping into a taunt defensive stance. Maybe the stake wouldn't do any good, but she felt better having it. Focus, she told herself, you have five kids to protect here.
      "A stick? She's gonna beat those guys up with a stick?" She heard an incredulous voice from behind her.
      Of course, focusing would be a lot easier without all the chatter, she thought tartly.
      "Shut up, Shu. I think she's really cool. And brave."
      Buffy grinned at that. Cool. Brave. What dear little--
      "Or maybe she's really stupid."
      Then again, maybe it wouldn't hurt if they got one of the little monsters.
      "A little faith here, huh?" she tossed over her shoulder. Then frowned. Why was she bothered about what a bunch of six-year-olds thought of her?
      "You should not interfere."
      Buffy sensed him a second before he appeared. He faded in slowly, reminding her of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. A man or at least, she thought he was a man, floated just above the ground. He faced the group, a golden mask hiding and defining his face in mystery like a Sphinx. A cloak of numerous shades of red and gold swirled around him in a manner that was nearly mesmerizing. He made a beautiful sight, hovering above the earth, outlined by the horizon, but something in Buffy shivered. If the shadow thingies were creepy then this guy was definitely giving off bad mojo.
      Still, she rallied, "Nice cape. Nothing like that cheesy fantasy movie look to impress the ladies."
      He glowered at her, or seemed to. With that mask, it was hard to tell. "This is not your battle."
      "Oh, that's okay," she replied blithely, "I don't mind gate-crashing."
      "I am not interested in you," the man in the golden mask informed her. His gaze slid to the children behind her, "All I want are the brats and their armor."
      Buffy nodded. "Know what? I really don't think so, Golden Boy. You want them, you get have to get past me."
      "As you wish," the man in the golden mask replied wearily. "Take them."
      The Shadow creatures leapt forward as if his command had released them. So intent was she on Golden Boy, that she very nearly got knocked off her feet as one of the dark creatures barreled into her. She managed to dig her heels into the earth and shoved the thing away from her. It wasn't an easy task. The thing was stronger than it looked and damn slippery to boot.
      "Bad dog," she grunted, snapping a punch somewhere along the things midriff. She was lucky, the punch connected and sent the creature skidding back a ways. Only to be replaced by two others.
      "Oh sure, tag team on me when all I got is the Romper Room bunch for back up," she muttered.
      Any witty remarks she might have made after that was lost in the ensuing struggle not to die. Not a new task as far as she was concerned but one that seemed to get harder every battle she fought. Maybe it was just her, but the bad guys just seemed to get tougher and tougher as they came along. She'd deal with them though just as she always had.
      Until the day when she didn't. The day a new Slayer was activated.
      Too fast. These things were all over her like a bad makeover before she realized it.
      Three of them charged her, moving forward as one. A quick fist out and upwards connected squarely with one's jaw, at least Buffy thought it was a nose, and it sailed backwards through the air, landing in a tumble some distance away. She didn't have time to do more than note its Olympic class flight as she spun to deal with its evil twins.
      Instinct told her that the quick jab and attack punches weren't going to work this time. The way they moved, with quick and deliberate deftness let her know that those surprise moves had been noted, and it was time for the all in all, hand to hand.
      Well, she could handle that. She'd handled worse.
      Buffy dodged and ducked as one made a grab for her. Sliding under its slippery arm, she came around behind it and delivered an elbow to its ribcage. A quick spin and the elbow were followed up with a sharp kick to the back, sending it stumbling into its companion.
      "You should have that shuffling gait looked at," Buffy quipped, dropping into a defensive crouch to locate and weigh the threat. She also was trying to figure out the quickest route to send the Peanuts gang along their merry, safe way.
      As if.
      They were surrounded on all sides, and she was going to have to go with Plan B.
      She just wished she had thought of a Plan B.

*****

      "Whoa, she's good," Chibi Shu remarked as they watched the strange girl they'd just met whale on a couple of Shadowlings.
      "Yeah," Chibi Touma agreed in a breathless manner, his eyes never leaving the battling girl.
      While Chibi Seiji agreed with his two friends, he also began to realize that as good as that girl was, there was no way she was gonna be able to beat all those Shadowlings by herself. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but some part of him understood it implicitly.
      As if to prove him right, one of those shadowy creatures backhanded her. Hard. Hard enough that she went flying into some nearby bushes.
      "Oh no," Chibi Shin wailed, "I can't look. Tell me when it's over."
      Fortunately, or should he say, unfortunately for the Shadowling, she was up and out of those bushes in no time. He caught a glimpse of her stormy face as she dashed back into the fray and he didn't envy the nasty that had backhanded her. That look she had on her face scared even him. Not that he would ever admit it. 'Cause the guys would tease him forever about being scared of girls. Which he wasn't.
      "It's okay," Shu was reassuring Shin, "she's beatin' 'em up again."
      Chibi Shin opened the hands he was using to cover his face for a peek, and then beamed, "Yay! She's great."
      "Yeah," Touma chimed in, a goofy smile on his thin face.
      Chibi Seiji regarded his friend with some interest. Touma had been acting kind of funny since that girl had shown up. For one thing, he couldn't stop looking at her. And then there was that stupid smile of his... Seiji smirked, elbowing his friend. His friend shot him an irritated look, saying, "What?"
      "See somethin' you like, Touma?" Seiji teased.
      "Huh?" A blush spread across his small face. "What're you talkin' about, Seiji?"
      "You like her," Seiji accused with a grin. Now Touma couldn't tease him about Natsuti without getting the same treatment. "Buffy."
      "Touma likes Buffy?" Shu asked, his attention suddenly away from the fight and on his embarrassed friend.
      "No, I don't," Touma growled, but if anything his blush deepened.
      "Touma and Buffy, sittin' in a-" Shu began then shut up as Touma grabbed him by the horns of his helmet.
      "Shut up, dummy," Touma replied threateningly. "Before I knock your block off."
      "Will you two quit it?" Chibi Ryo said in exasperation. "We hafta do something. We hafta help her."
      "Ryo's right," Chibi Seiji agreed. "She could get hurt bad if we don't do something."
      "But-but- we might get in her way," Shin objected hesitantly.
      "Well, we gotta do somethin'," Ryo exploded. "We can't just sit around here, can we?"
      Chibi Shin looked like he wanted to argue when Chibi Shu placed a hand on his shoulder. "We gotta be brave, Shin. Remember."
      Chibi Shin stared at him, then nodded glumly. "Brave. Right."
      "Good," Ryo replied, raising his two swords. "I say we get in there and pound these guys for messing with us."
      "And Buffy," Touma added. He frowned at Shu's sudden snickering. "What?"
      "Nevermind," Ryo said. "Let's get 'em!"
      "Yeah!" shouted four other voices in unison.

*****

      Buffy was grappling with one of the Shadowlings when she heard something that made her heart stop and her stomach drop in dread.
      "Let's get 'em!"
      Oh no. They couldn't, they wouldn't-
      "Yeah!"
      They would, she groaned silently. Holding the Shadowling's arms, she brought her knee upward and used it as leverage to separate them. She had to stop them before they got themselves killed.
      Unfortunately, there were a whole lot of creatures blocking her way to them. She punched, clawed, kicked-whatever it took she had to get those kids out of here. She--
      "SO EN ZAN!" the little kid in the red armor shouted, lifting his swords and pointing at one of the shadow creatures surrounding him. A burst of flame spat out and knocked the Shadowling into a nearby tree. Obviously pleased, the child waved his swords in the air and turned to the next one.
      Buffy blinked. What was that? Had she just seen what she thought she had just seen? Fire had just burst out of that kid's swords! She wondered at it for a moment, then shrugged, turning just in time to smack another creature in the head.

*****

      Kaijin watched the battle with no small amount of displeasure. Once again, those damned brats were proving to be hardier than he'd imagined. He'd had them right where he wanted, alone and isolated from their friends. Then that girl, that thrice-damned girl, had shown up and ruined everything. Where had she come from anyway? And just who was she?
      He was getting really tired of all these nasty little surprises. He wanted this done with. He wanted those armors and he wanted Sachiriku-sama healed. And if he had to kill everyone on this side of Japan to do it, then so be it.
      First this meddling girl, he promised himself darkly, then the Troopers.

*****

      Much as she didn't want to, Nasuti had to stop to catch her breath. Gasping from both terror and exertion, she leaned against the nearby tree. God, where we they? She must have covered about half the forest already. What if Kaijin already had them? What if it was already too... late? Stop it, she screamed at herself, stop it right now. You aren't allowed to give up on them. Not yet. They certainly wouldn't give up on you.
      "Nasuti?" She started at Anubis' sudden closeness. She had completely forgotten about him in her mad dash. He was clearly worried as he touched her shoulder. "Nasuti, are you all right?"
      "All right?" she choked back a half-laugh, half-sob. "No, Anubis, I am most definitely not all right."
      "We'll find them," he offered soothingly, but there was an undercurrent of doubt and worry in his voice that made her feel sick.
      "We will," she nodded fiercely in agreement. "What about Naaza and Rajura? Have they found anything?"
      Anubis cocked his head, staring off into space for a moment. Then he shook his head, face falling. "No, but they are still looking. They may yet turn up."
      Or they might not. She couldn't stop that bleak thought no matter how hard she tried. Gathering her courage, she gave him a weak smile. "We should keep moving."
      Just then there was a blast of reddish light in the distance that reminded her of-
      "Ryo!" she shouted, taking off again with Anubis close on her heels.

*****

      "You guys just don't know when... to... quit," Buffy grunted swinging a roundhouse kick towards the creatures trying to pin her.
      She backed up, panting as they fell backwards. This was not good. These guys were way too determined. She didn't know what they were, but their strength seemed to be infinite. Hers wasn't. Sooner or later, she was going to get tired and then they were all going to be toast.
      Buffy glanced around the clearing. Those strange children were doing their best to keep up, but she could tell they were getting tired. They simply weren't strong enough for this kind of heavy-duty battle. Even if they apparently had some kind of weird magic or something on their side.
      It was funny, but somehow she felt she should be more upset or at least more impressed about that whole magic thing they had going on. Instead, she found herself shrugging it off as one more wacky detail in her whacked out life. I need a vacation, she thought. Living on the Hellmouth is making me waaaaaay too blasé about all this.
      Floating man was hovering just above the battle and... well, floating. And glowering. Those red eyes of his smoldered in his glittering mask. Something was definitely going to have to be done about him, she acknowledged, then hunched over as something rammed into her stomach. She hit the earth, wind temporarily knocked out of her. Pay attention, Summers, she castigated herself as she sat wheezing in the dirt.
      The little kid in the green armor came flying in her direction, being chased by three Shadowlings. Buffy reached out, scooped him up, and rolled the both of them out of the way. The shadow creatures skidded past them before they realized just what had happened. Buffy used that time to regain her breath, clutching the boy tightly to her.
      "You okay?" she asked pulling back.
      He nodded, cheeks faintly pink. She couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or if he was flushed from exertion. "Yeah. Thanks."
      "No problem."
      That wasn't strictly true in light of the fact that his trio of 'admirers' had found their way back to them. The creatures were circling them now. "Vultures," she muttered.
      She caught a glint of light out of the corner of her eyes. The child beside her had raised his sword warily. She stared at it then snatched it away from him. He squawked in indignantly in protest, "That's mine! Give it back!"
      "In a minute, kid. I'm trying to save our butts here," she called, lifting the sword. Then she raised an eyebrow.
      The boy's sword had been about two feet in length seconds earlier, but suddenly... well, suddenly it was a lot bigger. There was about an extra five and half feet of steel. Amazingly enough, though, it was incredibly light. She swung it around experimentally, slicing through one of the Shadowlings unintentionally. As the steel of the sword slid through its murky flesh, the weapon began to glow. The Shadowling shrieked hideously, its dark form slowly dissolving away into a puff of black smoke. Buffy stared at it in shock. Then she smiled.
      It was not a pleasant smile.
      "How-how did you do that?" The boy beside her gasped in shock. He looked stricken and worried.
      She wondered about that, too but was outwardly nonchalant, "Beats the heck out of me. But as long as things seem to be going our way..."
      Buffy swung round suddenly, arcing the blade toward the throat of the nearest Shadowling. There was a glimmer of light and a soft swishing as the steel cut through. The creature vanished.
      Buffy hefted the sword up, studying it admiringly. "You know, I could get to like this."

*****

      "No," Kaijin breathed. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be true.
      But it was. That interfering girl not only had one of the Trooper's weapons, but she was actually using it. It was impossible. No one could bear the yoroi or its weapons without being the bearer of a kanji orb, but somehow this slip of a girl could. How was she doing this? Not even his mistress could simply pick up the sword of Korin and use it. Not without the orb. And, Kaijin darted a glance over at Chibi Korin who was staring at the girl in open consternation, the little brat still had his armor, which meant he still had the orb.
      "No," he growled, "I won't allow this."
      He stretched his hands out, drawing his power in for a blast that would hopefully send both the girl and the Troopers straight to Hell.

*****

      Chibi Korin no Seiji was at a loss. Not only was he now weaponless, but also someone else was using that weapon. In the way that only he was supposed to be able to! He wanted to stamp his feet in frustration, but he held his peace just like his grandfather had always told him to.
      "Hey, Seiji," Touma was suddenly at his side. "Whatcha doin'? How come you're not fighting?"
      Wordlessly, he pointed at the girl merrily hacking away at their attackers. Touma's eyes grew wide, then cloudy. "Wow. She's good."
      "Not that, dummy," Seiji cuffed him, "she's using my no-datchi!"
      Recognition somehow penetrated Touma's dreamy face. "Oh yeah. Hey, I thought we were the only one who could use our weapons?"
      "That's what I thought, too," Seiji said through gritted teeth. "And she snatched my sword. She could have just asked."
      "I'm sure she meant to," Touma replied defensively, "she was probably just in a hurry."
      Seiji glared at his friend, "Touma, you really do like her, don't you?"
      "Ahhhh..."
      "Hey guys," Shu replied cheerfully, "what'd I miss? Hey-Seiji, how'd that girl get your sword? And how's she using it?!"
      Chibi Seiji threw his arms up in the air as if to say, 'I have no idea.'
      "Well, looks like she's havin' fun," Shu replied. "I think I'm gonna go help her."

*****

      Buffy lunged forward, ramming the sword through another overeager Shadowling. You'd think that they'd learn by now to stay out of her sword reach. Instead, they seemed all too eager to get with in range. Not that she was complaining. It just made her wonder why all the helpers of a bad guy were usually majorly stupid. Did they breed them specially for blatant idiocy or what?
      Still, that was okay, because it meant she was seriously working their numbers down. And that was a plus in her book. It meant she and the Peanuts gang might live through the night.
      The hair on the back of her neck rose suddenly. That indefinable, mysterious sense that she had lovingly dubbed her 'Spider sense' was tingling like mad. It caused her to whirl around-
      --Just in time to see a ball of light leave Golden Boy's hand. Not good, her mind shrieked. Not good, not good-
      She went tumbling forward as something barreled into her legs, falling out of range of the speeding ball of light. It hit the ground with an audible roar, leaving a charred hole about her size in the earth. "Now that would have hurt in the morning," she winced.
      Wrapped around her legs was the thing that tripped her: the little boy in the orange-armor. His eyes were shut tight, face drawn as if he were expecting to a blow. She gently tapped his helmet. He popped open one eye warily.
      "It's okay," she grinned, "we're still here."
      He grinned back infectiously. "Cool."
      "Not for long," growled a seriously unhappy voice from overhead. Buffy and the kid lifted their gazes in time to see Golden Boy's hands begin to glow. Another blast of light shot towards them. Without thinking, Buffy raised the sword in her hands to ward off the blow.
      Only it never came. A shadow passed over their heads and with it came a burst of raw power that sent the blast careening back to its owner. Buffy lowered the blade as a tall man with dark blue hair stood in front of her and the child. He must have been the one to deflect the blast, she thought with some awe. And she had thought she was fast.
      "Damn you, Anubis," Golden Boy snarled by way of greeting.
      "Nice to see you again, Kaijin," the man replied evenly.
      "I'm going to crush you-"
      "Oh yeah," Buffy stepped forward to stand beside the blue-haired man, Anubis. "You and what army? Look around. Seems to me that you're outnumbered and outgunned, pally."
      Both Golden Boy and Anubis stared at her. Anubis recovered first, coughing significantly as he crossed his arms, "Well, Kaijin?"
      Golden Boy looked like he was going to spit nails, Buffy noted. "Another time," he snapped, vanishing. His remaining shadow flunkies went with him, leaving them standing alone in the clearing.

*****

      "Seiji, Ryo, Touma, Shin, Shu," Nasuti exclaimed as she reached the clearing. Anubis, sensing danger, had gone on ahead, warning her to stay behind. An order that she had promptly ignored. There was no way she was going to stay behind with the Troopers in trouble. So, with her heart racing so fast that it was practically thudding in her ears, Nasuti rushed off in the direction Anubis had taken.
      Her heart nearly burst with joy as she saw them. They were safe. Apparently unhurt and safe. Oh, thank God, she cried silently.
      "Nasuti-san!" They cried running towards her. She held out her arms and tried to catch them all, getting bowled over in the process. However, she was so glad to see them she didn't care.
      She hugged them all fiercely, feeling her eyes grow wet with tears of relief, "Never, ever run off like that again. Do you understand that? Never again."
      "Yes, Nasuti-san," they replied abashedly.
      "Sorry we worried you, Nasuti-san," Chibi Shin whispered.
      She hugged them again, whispering, "I'm just glad you're all okay."
      For now, her mind answered and she tightened her embrace. There was no telling when either Sachiriku or her minion would return and they would return. It was just a matter of time. They had to find a way to restore the Troopers to health and adulthood and quickly. They were running out of time on both fronts: one being the fact that sooner or later, Sachiriku would capture them eventually and second... If Kiyemon was right, then the Troopers were going to die soon from the poison. Kiyemon had only slowed it; she had not been able to remove it. Only Sachiriku was able to do that.
      "Are they all right?" Anubis asked, suddenly at her side. She was grateful for his presence.
      "Yes, I think so," Nasuti nodded then noticed for the first time the person standing beside him.
      She was about Nasuti's height, her tousled blond hair trying to escape from its clip and frame her clean, heart-shaped face. Her light blue eyes were smiling as she studied Nasuti and the Chibi Troopers, a smile softening her face. She was young, probably around the Troopers' normal age. Her double-strapped velvet tank top and leather pants were trendy, the kind favored by teenagers these days.
      Young, but... Nasuti frowned. There was something about her eyes. Why was it so familiar? She puzzled over it until it hit her as to where she had seen it before. The Troopers. It was that same haunted, wearied expression that was always present even when they were happy. Scarring that had been left over from all the wars and the battles, scars that bespoke a difficult passage into adulthood. One bought by blood and pain. Yes, that was what she saw in this girl's eyes and it touched her just as it always did when she glimpsed that hollowness in the Troopers.
      "Hello," Nasuti began uncertainly, then broke off, eyes widening.
      The girl frowned. "What?"
      Nasuti, however, was no longer paying attention to her. Well, that wasn't true in the strictest. It was just that her attention was riveted on the sword resting easily by the girl's side. She had seen that sword in a million different poses-in battle, in rest, and of late, shrunk to the size of a toy, to not know what it was. The sword of Korin. Only, only...
      The sword was no longer a miniature version of its former self. Instead, it was its normal size and resting quite comfortably in this strange girl's hand.
      The girl followed Nasuti's eyes. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed as if something had suddenly occurred to her. She knelt down and with a hand at either end of the sword, she offered it to Chibi Seiji. "Sorry about that. Thanks for letting me borrow this."
      He reached out to take it. When his hands touched the sword, there was a moment of shifting and then it was suddenly small again.
      "One size fits all," the girl quipped. "That's gotta be handy."
      "Who are you?" Anubis demanded. "And how did you get here?"
      The girl bristled at his tone. "You think I know how I got here? Your guess is as good as mine, pal. All I know is that one minute I'm at home patrolling and the next I'm being dropped in the middle of Munchkinland and being attacked by some weirdo shadows."
      "How do we know you're not with --"
      "Anubis," Nasuti interrupted before this scene turned into a full-blown altercation, "she saved the Troopers. I think we can trust her."
      "Yeah, Anubis-san," Chibi Shu spoke up, "she's pretty cool. For a girl."
      "Thanks," the blonde girl replied dryly.
      "I'm Nasuti Yagiyu," Nasuti introduced herself, "and you've already met the Troopers and Anubis."
      "Troopers? Oh, you mean the kids?"
      "Hey, we're not just kids," Chibi Ryo exclaimed in indignation.
      "No, you're definitely not, kiddo," the girl teased.
      "Nor would it seem that you're just a girl," Anubis interjected smoothly. "Mind telling us who you are and how it was you were able to defeat a group of Shadowlings with such ease."
      "It wasn't that easy."
      "Please?" Nasuti asked.
      The girl shifted from foot to foot as if thinking things over carefully. Then she sighed, her thin shoulders slumping a bit. "I'm Buffy Summers, the Slayer."

***End of Chapter One