It was two days after the Warriors who worked at Butson’s and the Slayers got a few weeks for vacation due to the store being under massive reconstruction, thanks to Alex, Lina, and a couple of monsters. Since it was the middle of the summer they decided to take a little road trip for their R&R.
     “Where are we going to go?” Amelia asked that night at the apartment. Gathered in the dining room were Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel, Zelgadis, Alex, Derek, Dan, Rich, Tony Cough, and Mina Aino. On the speaker phone were Ariel Nagasi, Steve Huff, Andrew, Jason, Adderson, Bethany, Asuka, Rei Ayanami, Alison, and Alyssa.
     “We could always travel to Florida,” Andrew said. His suggestion was met by several groans from Alex, Steve, Derek, Dan, and Rich.
     “I’d rather not,” Alex said, “our last trip there wasn’t that much fun.”
     “How about the Caribbean?” Ariel suggested.
     “Naaah,” Dan said, “we need to be able to drive there and besides we can’t afford to take a cruise anyway.”
     “I know,” Alex said, rising from his seat and smashing his right fist into his right palm, “we could go to Sunnydale California and stay with my cousin Buffy.”
     “Buffy, as in the infamous Vampire Slayer?” Asuka asked.
     “Yup. She’s the one who taught me most of what I know about vampire slaying.”
     “So it’s agreed,” Lina said, placing her palm on the table, “we leave for Sunnydale tomorrow afternoon.”
     “Where are we meeting and how are we getting there?” Jason asked.
     “We’re taking my Mustang and we’re borrowing Jess’ Lambourghini,” Alex said, “since both vehicles are stretched to fit eight people apiece we should have no problem with room.”
     “As for where we’re meeting,” Zelgadis said, “I suggest Adderson and Andrew use Units 07 and 12 to get here, then recall the Evas once they’ve arrived.”
     “Sounds like a plan,” Rei said, “we’ll see you guys bright and early tomorrow.”
     “California, here we come!” Asuka said before hanging up.
     “Do you think this trip is wise?” Gourry asked once the people on the speaker phone hung up.
     “Yeah. Sunnydale is a nice, quiet town,” Alex said, “we should have a very relaxing vacation.”
     “Groovy,” Derek said, “now to go and pack.”

     Bright and early the next morning Units 07 and 12 rumbled into town and stopped at the ball field behind the old Butson’s Supermarket. The two Evas dropped to crouches, the back armor lifting away and the entry plugs ejecting. The giant juggernauts deposited their precious cargo of two Eva pilots, four Sailor Soldiers, and four Warriors. Once everyone was out the twin giants glowed, becoming energy, which was reabsorbed by Warriors Orion and Universe. They powered down to their mortal forms just as Alex and Rich pulled up in the two cars they would be using for the trip to Sunnydale.
     “Are you sure this is ok?” Jason asked, loading his bag into the trunk of the Mustang.
     “Everything has been taken care of,” Alex said in a reassuring tone, “I called Buffy last night and she talked with her mom and we’re all set for our stay.”
     “I hope I packed enough,” Ariel said, loading five large bags into the back of the Lambourghini.
     “Same here,” Alison and Alyssa said simultaneously, lifting six bags and loading them into the back of the Mustang.
     “I think you did,” Rich said, a sweat drop forming on his head.
     “Oh yeah,” Alex said, checking to see the back end of his Mustang sagging, “This is going to kill my suspension.”
     “Are we all set to go?” Alyssa asked as she and Alison climbed into the back of the Mustang..
     “I certainly hope so,” Derek said as he climbed into the back of the Mustang.
     “The onboard computers are all programmed with the course we’re to follow,” Ariel said, backing out of the driver’s door of the Mustang. Once she was back on her feet she climbed into the back of the Mustang with Alison, Alyssa, and Derek.
     “Shotgun,” Adderson shouted, leaping into the front passenger seat of the Mustang. The entire car shook from the impact.
     “I get shotgun also,” Asuka shouted, jumping into the passenger seat of the Lambourghini.
     “Whatever,” Jason said, climbing into the back of the Mustang between Alison and Alyssa.
     “I’ll ride with Mister Alex,” Amelia said, bounding into the back of the Mustang with the others.
     “As will I, I suppose,” Zelgadis said, following Amelia’s lead.
     “Which leaves us with the cool car,” Lina said as she, Gourry, and Sylphiel piled into the Lambourghini. Once inside the people outside could hear, “Ow! Get off of me Gourry! You’re heavy. Sylphiel, sit on yogurt brain’s lap. There. Now I have some elbow room.”
     “I guess it wouldn’t kill me to ride with those guys,” Rei said, “Mina, Andrew, if you don’t hurry up we’ll have to fight for the window seats!”
     “Wanna bet,” Dan said, diving into the back of the Lambourghini ahead of the others.
     “Wait for us,” Steve and Tony said, jumping into the back of the Mustang. The suspension groaned under their weight before springing back up. Alex cursed under his breath before he started the car and put it into gear. Rich followed with the Lambourghini and the trip to Sunnydale had begun.

     “Buffy!” a plain looking girl with shoulder length red hair called to a good looking blonde.
     “Willow,” Buffy Summers said, turning from her locker to her friend, “Wassup?”
     “Buffy, about your friends, are any of them.... you know... into what we’re into?”
     “If you mean slaying vampires then I would have to say they’re way beyond that, as in demon and monster slaying.”
     “Are there any witches among them?”
     “From what my cousin Alex said the group of them are into magic and sorcery, but there is one sorceress, a mystical swordsman, a princess who has some magic powers, and a shrine maiden.”
     “Cool. When are they going to get here?”
     “Well,” Buffy said, checking her watch, “they should be here sometime tomorrow.”
     “I hope they aren’t as freakish as you are,” a beautiful dark haired girl said as she approached the two.
     “Nice to see you too Cordelia,” Buffy said sarcastically, “and to answer your statement, I think you may find one or two who you might like.”
     From the shadows in a corner of the hallway a pair of children watched and listened. They looked at one another and giggled. At closer inspection one could tell they weren’t real children, but spirits bent on causing trouble.
     “So dear brother,” the girl said to her companion, “you heard what they said.”
     “Yes dearest sister, I heard,” the boy said, grinning evilly, “and that redhead looks like a prime target for our little brand of fun.”
     “And with that sorceress and her friends arriving tomorrow we’ll really have some fun!”
     Back by the locker where Buffy stored her books and slaying equipment, a pair of young men joined the three ladies. One was rather plain looking and somewhat timid; the other had short spiked magenta hair and a fairly stylish wardrobe.
     “Hi honey,” Willow said, wrapping her arms around the wild man’s neck.
     “Hey Oz,” Buffy said, waving to Willow’s boyfriend, “wassup?”
     “Not a heck of a lot there Buff,” Oz said, using a shortened version of Buffy’s name, “There are no vampires or demons and it’s not exactly that time of the month, if you get what I mean.”
     “Yeah, I think I catch your drift.”
     “What about me?” the other young man whined, “Don’t I get a hello?”
     “Hello Xander,” Willow said, giggling.
     “Sorry ‘bout that Xander,” Buffy said.
     “That’s better. So when are your cousin and his friends arriving?”
     “Like I told Willow, sometime late tomorrow.”
     “That’s cool,” Oz said. Just then the bell rang. “Gotta get to second period.”
     “Catch you guys later,” Buffy said as she slammed her locker shut and ran for class.

     As they drove on towards Sunnydale, Lina couldn’t help thinking it was a bad idea to leave Naga and their latest charges, Fam and Ihrie, alone in the apartment. Zel, Amelia, Gourry, and Sylphiel didn’t exactly show they were uptight about leaving the three alone. Fortunately the entire crew was able to keep in touch with one another via a car to car intercom system.
     “Think I should call home?” Lina asked.
     “Lina, relax,” Zelgadis replied.
     “Yeah Miss Lina,” Amelia added, “we’re supposed to be on vacation. Rest, recreation, and relaxation.”
     “Yeah, I know. But I still don’t trust Naga with my things.”
     “Why are you so worried?” Steve asked, “She has Fam and Ihrie to keep an eye on her.”
     “Remember how those two go there?!”
     “Fam botched a spell, which is fairly easy if it’s just an incantation with no command words like Fireball or Dragon Slave,” Alex said, leaving everyone aghast. “I learned that from reading some of Lina’s spell notes.”
     “Incidentally, you still need to teach Amelia and I how to do that Storm Striker spell.”
     Alex sighed, a sweat drop forming on his head. “I will.... eventually.”
     As Amelia and Lina were about to protest, the onboard cel - phones rang. Both Alex and Richard punched the buttons for speaker phones.
     “Hell, Miss Lina,” Fam’s voice said wavily over the phone, “guys, how do you shut the dishwasher off?”
     “What’s wrong?” Zelgadis asked, “It should shut off automatically.”
     “Well, it’s sort of leaking hot water all over the floor. Ihrie and Miss Naga have tried to combat the spill with ice spells and I’ve tried using house plants to suck it up, but it’s sort of moved beyond the kitchen and is now in the dining and living rooms.”
     “My carpeting!” Sylphiel moaned.
     “My wood floors,” Amelia cried, “the wax is ruined.”
     “Our apartment!” Lina, Zel, and Gourry shouted at the same time.
     “It’s sort of not my fault. It’s Ihrie’s.”
     Over the phone they heard Ihrie shout, “FAM! How dare you try to pin this one me!” then Fam reply, “But it’s true. You put that big pot in with the rest of the dishes and the door jammed open a little.”
     “They’re completely hopeless,” Rei said. Asuka nodded in agreement.
     “Our apartment!” Lina cried, tears forming in her eyes, “Dill..... “
     Gourry clamped his hand over Lina’s mouth before she could finish calling on her spell. Lina bit his hand and shouted, “What the hell do you think you’re doing, yogurt brain?!”
     “I’m preventing you from blowing everyone up with a Dill Brand,” Gourry said.
     “Gee, I hope they can clean the apartment up before we return,” Sylphiel said.
     “We’re trying,” Ihrie said, which calmed Lina down a little bit, “we’ll rent a wet vac for the carpets, mop and wax the floors, and fix the dishwasher so that it doesn’t leak.”
     “That’s good,” Richard said.
     “Gotta go,” Fam said, “catch you guys later.”
     “Yeah, see you when you get back,” Ihrie added before ending the call.
     “You really think they can get the apartment back in shape before we return?” Jason asked.
     “I haven’t got a clue,” Andrew said, shrugging.
     “I highly doubt it,” Dan said, “Fam isn’t exactly the most capable person. Ihrie has an incredibly short temper, and Naga eats and drinks like a horse and struts around in that skimpy leather outfit.”
     “We can hope for the best, can’t we?” Amelia asked.
     “Oh, whatever,” Lina grumbled, “if the apartment still looks like crap when we get back I’m gonna hit ‘em with a Laguna Blade.” Everybody sighed when Lina said this. A sweat drop formed on Lina’s head.
     “How much longer until we get there?” Alison asked, changing the subject.
     “I’m guessing another half a day,” Alex said, punching up the map of their route, “Right now we’re about midway through Colorado, and then we’re going to swing through Utah, Arizona, and Nevada before we reach California. From that point on we’ll be home free.”
     “I sure hope you’re right,” Alyssa said. Alison nodded in agreement.

     Later that afternoon, at Sunnydale High School, Buffy and her friends met in the school’s library. There with them was Buffy’s mentor and teacher, Giles, who was also the school’s librarian.
     “Did you hear about the recent murders?” Giles asked the group. Upon viewing their looks of horror he said, “Apparently not.”
     “Who did it?” Buffy asked, “Vampires? Demons? Morlocks?”
     “Nobody is sure, but there was a strange symbol on the foreheads of the two children...”
     “CHILDREN?!” Cordelia exclaimed, her face turning a shade of pale green, “People who kill children make me sick.”
     “Me too,” Willow said uneasily, “people who kill children are the worst kind of people.”
     “As I was saying,” Giles interrupted, bringing the attention of the others back to him, “there was a symbol of some sort on each child’s forehead.”
     “What kind of symbol?” Buffy asked.
     “It’s sort of like.... sort of like.... the one on the back of Willow’s notebook.”
     Willow let out a startled, “Erk!” before hugging her notebook closer to her body. Buffy and the others turned to Willow, who took a step backward before saying, “Guys, I swear I didn’t do it. I used this symbol as part of a ritual to cast a protection spell on Buffy as part of her birthday present.”
     “I appreciate that Willow,” Buffy said, “but that still doesn’t explain why the symbol is on their foreheads.”
     “I don’t know, but that could bring about a lifetime of bad karma,” Xander said. Everybody turned to face him. “I read it in a book, ok?”
     “Thank you Xander,” Buffy said, “the townspeople aren’t going to be too happy about this.”
     “Things like this usually cause outbreaks of panic,” Giles said, “so I want all of you to stay alert.”
     “We will Giles,” Willow said. At that moment one of her witch friends crashed through the doors to the library. When he regained his feet Willow and the others could see his black eye and bloody nose.
     “Principal Peabody is ready to begin searching lockers,” he said, “and some members of the football team did this to me. Called me a murderer because I practice magic.”
     “Don’t worry,” Buffy said, “my cousin Alex and his friends can put an end to this.”
     “I hope so,” Giles said, “I really hope so.”

     About twelve hours later a large, black Lambourghini and a `66 cherry red Mustang rumbled into the town of Sunnydale, CA. People flocked from houses and businesses to look at the pair of cars which drove through town. The windows of the Lambourghini were rolled down and the people in both cars waved to the crowds.
     “I guess they don’t get many visitors here,” Alison said when she saw the crowds.
     “I don’t ask questions,” Asuka said, grinning, ‘I just milk it for all it’s worth.’
     “Are we getting close to Buffy’s house?” Rei asked, leaping into the front seat of the Lambourghini.
     “Yeah,” Lina said, “I’m tired, cramped, and in need of a shower.” Everyone agreed with her.
     “We’re incredibly close,” Alex said, swapping places with Ariel, who had driven for the past six hours.
     “According to the onboard computer it’s coming up on our right,” Dan said over the radio.
     “There it is!” Mina exclaimed, hanging halfway out the window of the Lambourghini.
     “I see it also,” Tony said.
     “There’s Buffy,” Alex said, leaping from the car and flying over to where his cousin was standing. When he landed he noticed how quiet it had become.
     “Heyas Alex,” Buffy said, embracing her cousin, “you picked a bad time to come, though,” she added, holding Alex about arms length from her body.
     “I get the feeling my little flight to your side isn’t going to sit well with the rest of the townspeople,” Alex said. Buffy nodded.
     “I’ll fill you in on all the details in a few minutes,” Buffy said, “right now everyone needs to get inside FAST!”
     “We’re coming,” Amelia said, leaping through the sunroof of the Mustang. She had changed into her adventuring clothes, her cape flapping in the breeze.
     “Ooooh, of all the times for the forces of evil to rear their ugly heads,” Lina growled, leaping through the Lambourghini’s sunroof and landing lightly on the roof. She had also changed into her adventuring clothes, her cape flapping, her shoulder guards slung back a bit.
     “Ready Miss Lina?” Amelia asked, turning to Lina.
     “I’m ready Amelia,” Lina said, facing Amelia.
     “BALAS WALL!”
     A force field formed around the two cars, blocking the townspeople from getting to the cars and to the front door of the Summers’ residence. The Sailor Soldiers and many of the Warriors ran for the front door while Asuka and Rei punched up a few commands on the onboard computers. The air around the house and the cars hummed as a multi - helix AT Field was set up using the generators in the pair of cars. Lina and Amelia dropped their Balas Wall and floated over to the front door. A couple of seconds later Asuka and Rei joined everyone inside and Buffy closed and locked the door.
     “Ok Buffy, dish,” Asuka said, crossing her arms and leaning against a door frame, “why are all of the townspeople acting so strange?”
     “It started a couple of days ago when a pair of children were found murdered,” Buffy said, her voice completely devoid of emotion, “they had a symbol on their forehead which looked a lot like a sign my friend Willow had used in a protection spell. From then on everyone started to act strange. I knew you and your friends were powerful magic users and could probably help.”
     “We’ll try our best,” Lina said, turning to Alex and the other Warriors and the Sailor Soldiers, “you guys really should transform, just in case things get nasty.”
     “Right,” Alex said, hoisting his right hand to the sky, “Star Crystal POWER!”
     The jewel in Alex’s class ring glowed a brilliant violet before a wave of violet light washed over his body, forming his black shirt, pants, and boots. A star burst shaped amulet formed on his chest. The amulet released a mass of ribbons which wrapped around his chest, hips, and wrists, forming his armor, utility belt, and gauntlets. His glaive appeared in his hands and he spun it around, bringing it to a rest with the blade towards the sky and the butt end of the staff behind his legs.
     “Wow,” Buffy gasped when Alex finished his transformation into Warrior Saturn, “leave it to my cousin to have a flashy transformation.”
     “And now it’s our turns,” Adderson said, raising his pen to the sky, “Universe Rebirth Power!”
     “Pluto Super Nova Power!”
     “Phobos Cosmic Power!”
     “Deimos Cosmic Power!”
     “Orion Nova Power!”
     “Sun Crystal Power!”
     “Neptune Super Nova Power!”
     “Pallas Moon Power!”
     “Vesta Moon Power!”
     “Venus Crystal Power!”
     “Thunder Crystal Power!”
     “Ice Crystal Power!”
     “Callisto Super Nova Power!”
     The minute the group finished their transformations the front door burst inward. Five people sailed into the hallway, landing in a pile of bodies. Behind them came several of the townspeople.
     “Buffy, I swear it’s not our fault,” Willow said, panting for breath.
     “I believe you Willow,” Buffy said, helping her friend to her feet, “what happened?”
     “I think I might be able to explain that,” Adderson sighed, using a force wave to push people back outside, “They overloaded the AT Field generators.”
     “Our cars!” Alex and Rich exclaimed at the same time, looking outside. Smoke poured from under the hoods of the cars. Standing on top of the Lambourghini was a pair of young children, a boy and a girl, with glowing red eyes.
     “We are in DEEP trouble,” Willow said, “those children are a pair of demons which appear here and there every twenty years or so. They’re always found dead and witchcraft is always suspected. This causes witch hunts like in the days of the Salem Witch Trials.”
     “So let’s blast `em into oblivion,” Lina said, her talismans glowing, “Levitation!”
     A large bubble formed around the group, lifting them off of the ground and floating them outside. A circle opened in the crowd, large enough for the bubble to land. Once the bubble landed it burst and deposited the warriors and the slayers in the middle of the crowd. At that moment the sky darkened, the wind picked up, and lightning flashed across the sky.
     “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Mina asked.
     “Oh yeah,” Buffy said, “we are definitely in trouble.”
     The crowd began to move in around the group, cutting off their means of escape. Lina began to summon a fireball, but her concentration was cut short when somebody threw a brick at her. She dodged and countered with a flip kick, sending the person to the back lines.
     “Time to catch some air,” she said, “Levitation!”
     A magical aura surrounded Lina as she took to the air. She hovered above the heads of the people and looked at the spirit children. She held her hands so her palms faced, a blood red sphere forming.
     “Dragon of darkness that sleeps in the inferno, lend your roar to burn my enemy to ashes. Gaav... FLARE!”
     The sphere exploded into an energy beam, which was aimed at the spirits. Unfortunately the Gaav Flare struck a shield and was dispersed.
     “Woah,” Lina whistled, “talk about nothing in the way of damage.”
     “And you can’t use your high level magic in a confined space, can you?” Willow asked, obviously knowledgeable of Lina’s skills.
     “Not a chance,” Lina said, aligning her talismans, “but I can power up some low level stuff. Lords of darkness of these four worlds,” she chanted, “I call upon thee. Grant me all the power that you possess.”
     As she chanted she formed a fireball between her palms. She then shouted, “Fireball!” before hurling it at the spirits. The fireball struck the same shield the Gaav Flare struck, except it managed to make a crack in it.
     “We need to thin out the crowd before we can take them down,” Bethany said.
     “You just gave me an idea,” Alex said, “Lina, Amelia, now is your chance to learn how to use my Storm Striker.”
     “Really?!” Lina exclaimed, “What’s the catch?”
     “No catch.”
     “Are you sure you’re not telling a lie, Mister Alex,” Amelia said.
     “I’m serious. Just follow my lead.”
     The three stood back to back, mystical auras surrounding them. Alex’s emeralds, Lina’s talismans, and even Amelia’s bracelets glowed with energy. The three raised their arms to the sky, spheres of aqua energy forming between their palms.
     When the spirits saw what the trio were about to unleash, the boy shouted to the hordes, “Get the three in the middle! Burn them to a crisp!”
     “They’re witches,” the girl shouted, “they’re evil and must be stopped!”
     “We can’t hurt or kill any of the townspeople,” Cordelia said, ducking a punch and countering with a kick to the groin.
     “We’ll try to avoid that, but this may be a bit shocking,” Alex said as he, Lina, and Amelia closed their eyes to begin the incantation. “Never underestimate the destructive forces of nature...”
     “For what may be beautiful one minute,” Amelia chanted, “can be destructive the next.”
     “I call upon the powers of thunder and lightning,” Lina chanted, “wind and rain, to strike down all those who dare to oppose me.”
     “GODDESS OF THE SKY, DELIVER YOUR SMITING BLOW NOW!”
     Beams of light emerged from the spheres each person was holding, joining as they pierced the clouds. The clouds became darker, almost midnight black where the light pierced them. The winds around them began to pick up, blowing people’s hair and capes about. Zelgadis and Sylphiel looked at one another before setting up a wind barrier / protection spell combo. At that point it began to sprinkle, then rain, then pour, soaking the ground and everyone outside of the dome.
     “Storm STRIKER!” the three shouted, completing the spell. The winds kicked up to gale force as a hurricane tore through the area. At once several huge bolts of lightning tore through the sky and though it missed the people, it struck the soaking wet ground, effectively electrocuting the people and knocking some sense into them.
     “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” the girl asked, turning to the boy. The boy nodded in agreement.
     “What happened?” a man in the crowd asked as he regained his senses.
     “Get out of here and to safety,” Sylphiel said, casting another protection spell around the crowd.
     “We will,” a woman said, grabbing her husband and young son and dragging them off. The rest of the crowd took off at a dead run, clearing the entire street out in a matter of seconds.
     “And now to take care of business,” Lina said, forming another fireball.
     “Their protection spell is still in effect,” Alyssa said, “you would just be wasting your power.”
     “And you should let somebody else have some fun,” Amelia said, “after all we got to free the people from their mind control.”
     “Oooooooh, all right!” Lina cried, running her fingers through her hair.
     “First to take out that protection spell,” Alex said, forming a sphere of white energy in his hands at chest level, “Blessed, humble hand of God, life and breath of mother earth. By the light of purity which I possess....”
     “He’s PURE?!” Asuka exclaimed sarcastically. Rei kicked Asuka in the shin to quiet her.
     “... I command all negative energy and influence in this area to be gone. Dispel!”
     The sphere rose into the sky and exploded into an energy shock wave which struck the shield before the spirits, shattering it instantly. The two spirits looked at the group, their eyes glowing blood red.
     “It’s a bad thing when they do that, right?” Willow asked.
     “In this case, yes,” Zelgadis said, a sphere of white energy forming between his palms, “Source of all souls which dwells in the eternal and the infinite, ever lasting flame of blue. All power hidden deep within be called forth here and now. Rah TILT!”
     A pillar of blue - white flames erupted beneath the spirits, engulfing them. Zel was about ready to give a victory sign when the flames parted and the spirits floated out.
     “What kind of demons are they?!” Cordelia exclaimed.
     “The tough kind,” Adderson said, drawing his sword. The blade glowed yellow - green as energy was charged into it. “Gravity Cutter!”
     He swung the sword downward, a beam of energy flying off of the blade and forming a sort of energy blade which struck the shield of the spirits, cracking it. The spirits looked at Adderson, their eyes glowing red. A force wave picked him up and hurled him into Buffy, Willow, and Oz.
     “Hey!” Alison shouted, “How dare you do that to him! Deimos Tornado Strike!”
     A whirlwind formed around the spirits, ultimately forming a half - mile high tornado funnel. When the winds died down the spirits were still in the same place, not a hair had been disturbed by the high winds.
     “We’re screwed royally,” Alison said, shrugging.
     “Triton Strike!” Tony shouted, holding his trident like the hilt of a sword. Water spread forth from the central point at super sonic speed, forming an aquatic sort of blade. He leapt into the air and swung downward, only to have a force wave catch him in the chest and hurl him backwards. Tony landed in a crouch, the watery blade vanishing.
     “We need more power,” he said, turning to Rich and the others.
     “We’ll try our best,” Richard said, unclipping his bow and extending it to full height. he drew back the string, an ice blue energy arrow forming. “Freeze Arrow!”
     The arrow sailed through the air and struck the force field, canceling it out. Rich shrugged before turning to Andrew, Jason, Alex, Lina, and Amelia. “It’s in your court.”
     “All right!” Lina said, cracking her knuckles, “Say saionara suckers!”
     “I’m going to enjoy this,” Andrew said, drawing his sword. He charged it with energy until the blade glowed golden before he leapt into the air with the sword above his head, “Orion Star Sword Slash!”
     Andrew slashed downward, releasing the energy in a beam, which struck the force shield and, after much strain, shattered it. Andrew landed in a crouch, resheathing his sword, “All yours.”
     “You guys distract them while I chant the spell,” Lina said, aligning her talismans, “Lords of darkness of these four worlds, I call upon thee. Grant me all the power that you possess. Sword of the cold dark void, free yourself from the heaven’s bonds. Become one with my strength, one with my power, and let us walk the path to destruction together. Power that can smash even the souls of the Gods...”
     As Lina chanted her spell, a sphere of dark energy formed in her left palm. When the spirits saw this they split up and fired off energy beams, all aimed at Lina. Jason and Alex quickly moved in between the beams and their target, deflecting them with their swords. Amelia leapt into the air and cast a spell.
     “Flow Break!”
     The ground beneath each of the spirits was awash with light in the shape of a six pointed star. The light formed a barrier which held each spirit in place. Lina took that moment to finish her spell.
     “Ragna Blade!”
     The energy exploded into a twin bladed sword of dark energy, which Lina held above her head. She charged at the boy, leapt into the air, and slashed downward, striking him with the dark sword. He disintegrated a moment later, the Flow Break shattering. Lina then turned her attention to the girl, only to have the Ragna Blade vanish.
     “Damnit!” Lina cursed, “Low power.”
     “I’ll handle this one Lina,” Alex said, drawing his star sword, “I sense she is more powerful than her brother, and she’s hiding it from us, so to take care of her it’s going to take something like a magically enhanced Giga Slave.”
     “Is that even safe to try?” Zelgadis asked. Sylphiel looked at Zel and shrugged.
     “I know what you’re probably thinking, but this is the ultimate attack spell in black magic next to the Laguna / Ragna Blade. Power it up and you have something to kick serious butt. Plus I’m the Warrior of darkness so I shouldn’t have much trouble controlling it.”
     “We’re ready if something goes wrong,” Ariel said. Bethany, Adderson, Derek, and Andrew nodded in agreement.
     “Thanks guys,” Alex smiled. He quickly changed to a serious mood as he held his sword before his body. “Lords of darkness of these four worlds, I call upon thee. Grant me all the power that you possess.”
     The chaos emeralds in Alex’s gauntlets and in the hilt of his sword glowed as they were powered up. Dark energy began to flow into the blade, turning it an inky black as he began his incantation.
     “Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night. King of darkness who shines like gold upon a sea of chaos. I call upon thee and swear myself to thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. Giga... SLAVE!”
     Alex leapt into the air and swung the sword downward, releasing the accumulated dark energy as a giant black thunderbolt, which raced across the ground, arced upwards when it neared the Flow Break, and then arced downward. The Giga Slave struck the Flow Break, shattering it before striking the second spirit. The girl screamed as the dark energy raced through her body, breaking down her power. A moment later she disintegrated, the remains of the Flow Break vanishing. Alex dropped to a crouch a moment later, his transformation reversing.
     “Well, I’ll say one thing,” he panted, “that spell will take a lot out of you, especially if it’s enhanced.”
     “Do you think any of the townspeople will remember what happened these past few days?” Amelia asked.
     “I doubt it,” Buffy said, “according to the previous reports the townspeople will wake up and think it was all a bad dream.”
     "That’s good to know,” Lina said, unclasping her cape. She whipped it off a moment later along with her shoulder guards, “Maybe now we can enjoy ourselves.”
     “I’m ready to relax a bit,” Asuka, Rei, and Mina said, unloading their luggage from the cars. The groans and creaks of the suspension in both cars was quite audible.
     “I’m tired,” Alex said, reaching into a subspace and pulling out his bag. He then entered the house, walked into the living room, curled up on the couch and fell into a deep slumber. The rest of the group dragged their luggage into the house as well, found places to lay down, and also slept, beginning their new adventures in Sunnydale while finishing their first one there.

 “In our next episode, while hanging with Buffy, Alex and the gang lose Lina, Asuka, and even Buffy herself to a strange cult or something like that. When they attempt a rescue they’re captured themselves and forced to work in a huge underworld factory. Stay tuned for ‘Welcome to My World’ and see what happens.”