Seymour rose shakily to his feet, straightening his robe and fixing his hair. He stared across the bridge, they had escaped into Macalania by now.. He would catch up with them later, after he regained his strength and claimed his new Aeon.
…
From deep within the temple a constant metallic banging noise sounded. The source of which was locked in a small, metal room, her foot repetitively swinging into the metal wall. A large dint had been worn in it already, she didn’t stop as the door opened and Seymour stepped in.
“Please stop this noise my dear, your attempts are futile, the walls are far too thick, you will only hurt yourself.”
I’ve never been the self-harm type, first time for everything though.” Buffy answered, her foot still swinging.
“My dear..” Seymour took one step too many towards her. She spun around, her foot lashing out and pinning him against the wall by his throat.
“I don’t know what world you think you’re in but I would never be your ‘dear.’ My god could you be more disgusting. You are nothing but a thing.. I’ve worked something out, thanks to you. Alive or dead, souled or otherwise, it doesn’t matter, what matters is who you are, and you are a disgusting, slimy, self centred thing.”
Seymour waved his hands. “I see, it is a pity, I thought you would be amiable after I spared you.”
Buffy removed her leg from his throat, planting a solid kick in his stomach before he left, still talking away to himself.
…
“You allowed them to escape?” Mika droned.
“Allowed was little part of it, they escaped by themselves.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“With my new Aeon I shall seize the Summoner, Yuna at Mt Gagazet, take her to Zanarkand and defeat Sin.”
“As for the Fayth, is everything prepared?” Mika asked.
“The ceremony will begin at midnight.” Seymour smiled.
…
“He must be keeping her in the palace.” Spike ranted as they wandered through the streets. “We just need to find out where.”
“And then what, the High Bridge is the only way out for us.” Lulu pointed out.
“Whoa.” Wakka stopped.
“What is it?” Auron asked.
“That wasn’t here last time I was in Bevelle.” Wakka pointed to a large dome, newly built and shining in the lights of the city.
“It would appear to be a ‘chamber of the fayth’, though why, I cannot understand..” Lulu said
Spike stared at the dome as though it were a giant cross, bearing down on him.
“We have to get up there.” Spike said.
“You don’t think.. He wouldn’t try to make Buffy.. a fayth?” Yuna asked.
“Seymour do anything, worse it is- more likely he do.”
“You are probably correct.” Lulu said. “But how do we get up there.”
“More important, how do we get off there, unless we sprout sodding wings we can’t get from there to the High Bridge anyway.” Spike stared at the bridge.
“Oh!” Yuna held her hand in front of her mouth.
“What’s that, pet?”
“Wings, to fly? I can.. I could see.. Maybe I could do it.”
“You mean, summon?” Wakka asked.
“Yes.”
“Let’s do it.” Tidus said, pumping his fist into the air.
“It may work.” Lulu said.
“We’ll have to split into two groups. One on the High Bridge and one on the dome.” Rikku said.
“We can climb the cable back onto the High Bridge.” Wakka said.
“Yes, so, Yunie, Spike and I will climb to the top of the dome while you climb onto the bridge.” Rikku grinned with excitement. “Can you do it?”
“No problem!” Tidus said, jubilantly.
“Let’s get moving.” Auron said.
…
Buffy stared at the floor, she was soo bored. She almost wished she was at college, listening to one of Professor Welsh’s dead boring lectures.
She, suddenly, sat down, ashamed as she felt tears welling up in her eyes, she was the slayer, she was Yuna’s guardian, she wouldn’t cry.
Her mind began to go off on tangents and for once she didn’t stop it. When she killed Seymour.. She bit her bottom lip.
Execution? Auron had mentioned execution, that meant, they might be.. She shook her head, they couldn’t be dead, Spike said they would be fine.
Spike. She tried to shove away this feeling she was having, that she needed Spike there. Why? His strength, his humour, he was the last link she had to her home, none of it fit, it went deeper than that. She needed Spike there. “Because I love him.”
This thought popped into her head, surprising her and throwing her off guard. But she didn’t question it, she knew, whether it was a good thing or a bad thing she loved Spike and this revelation gave her strength, it gave her hope. She would see Spike again, and with him Yuna, Kimahri, Lulu and all the others.
…
“I have contacted the Watchers council, several covens, some demons, I even tried to find Spike, but it would appear that he, too, is missing.”
“He probably got sick of Sunnydale, every time he pops up his no good, ugly, silicon chipped head he gets it kicked in by the slayer. He probably packed himself up and moved.” Xander said.
“Well, Spike’s whereabouts notwithstanding, we do still have the problem of Buffy missing.”
The phone rang. “I’ll get it.” Dawn said, picking up the phone.
“Summers house.. Who? Really? What…? No, no that’s not true, you.. you…” Dawn tried to slam the phone back onto the receiver but she missed, running up the stairs. Willow picked up the phone.
“Um, who is this.”
“You’re kidding, maybe they made a mistake, or maybe Faith..”
“Faith is fine.” Giles said, tiredly.
“Another slayer. Like, a whole new slayer. Doesn’t that mean..” Tara looked searchingly at Willow.
“Well, it’s a mistake, Will said she wasn’t dead, right Will?”
Willows face perked up. “That’s right, I’ve done a worldwide ‘dead Buffy’ search and came up with nothing.”
“Well, the most likely possibility is still the other world theory.” Giles said.
“I told you.” Anya said, between mouthfuls of cookies that she’d found in the pantry.
“That still leaves us with the problem of ‘which one’.” Willow said dismally.
…
Buffy looked up as the door creaked open. Several warrior monks filed into the room. She stood up as Seymour walked in.
“You will come with us now.” Seymour said.
“Thanks, but..”
As she spoke they threw a handful of dust at her, she coughed, trying to stand up straight, but she felt so sleepy..
She opened her eyes, life coming back to her foggy brain. She was lying in a shallow dish, about twice her height in diameter, on a pile of satin sheets, surrounded by ornate swords, she reached out to touch one and realised they were embedded in the stone floor.
She looked up as the fuzzy image of Seymour stepped into view. “How long to go?”
“Not long, my Lord.” A whiney voice answered.
…
“Have you got it?” Rikku asked.
“Hold on.” Spike answered, lifting one of the panels of stone from the domed roof, placing it next to him. He looked inside. Just as he had thought, Buffy lay, motionless in what appeared to be the area a fayth was encased in. He poked his head into the hole, trying to wake her, though he figured no-one could hear him over the chanting.
“Buffy!” Spike yelled.
“Spike?” Buffy said weakly, looking up into the ceiling of the chamber, one of the panels had been pulled aside and Spike stared down at her.
He leapt down into the shallow bowl, beside Buffy, the four guards rushed towards him, bayonets raised.
Spike ducked a blow, snapping the offending man’s neck in two. He then turned to another, tearing his throat out, grabbing the bayonet from the floor he impaled the other two, one after the other, through the heart.
“Leave this holy place, dark creature.” Mika intoned, waving a symbol of Yevon at Spike.
“I haven’t been called that in a good few days.” Spike commented, planting his foot in Seymour’s chin as he tried to drag the, now unconscious, Buffy out of the room.
“yna oui lusehk?” Rikku called down.
“Wicd y cal.” Spike called back.
“He’ll be here in a second.” Rikku translated for Yuna, waiting on the domed roof, shivering in the cool night air.
Spike planted another kick into Seymour’s chest, the Maester stumbled backwards, falling over. Spike pulled a small grenade from his pocket.
“Goodnight.” Spike commented, throwing it at Seymour and scooping Buffy up in his arms. He jumped through the opening in the roof, twelve feet from the floor.
“Whoa.” Rikku grabbed his arm as his balance wavered slightly.
“Are, are you okay?” Yuna asked as Spike appeared.
“I’m fine, let’s go.” He knew that as soon as the sleeping gas cleared the guards would be swarming all over the place like ants on a carcass.
Yuna clasped her hands together, a light shining around her. As Spike watched the clouds, high above, parted and an enormous dark shape shot out of them. The great dragon swooped past them as they stood there.
“Bahamut, king of Dragons, hear my prayer.” Yuna intoned.
“It’s coming back!” Rikku announced.
The dragon came to a stop in front of them, massive beats of it’s powerful wings keeping it in the air. Yuna held a hand out to it’s massive head and something passed between them.
“Come along.” Yuna said, climbing onto his broad shoulders.
Rikku leapt onto him, followed by Spike.
A massive disk spun over their heads, seemingly a part of him. He swept through the air, coming to land on the High Bridge, where they had fought Seymour.
Once they were all standing safely on the bridge Bahamut leapt into the air again, shooting back up through the clouds and out of sight.
As they raced along the bridge towards Macalania Woods Buffy opened her eyes.
“Spike..?”
“I’m here, pet, I’m always here.”
Buffy pulled herself closer to his chest, burying her head against him. “Spike.. I love you.”
Something pulled inside Spike, a sharp pain of longing and joy. Tears stung his eyes and he was full of words, full of so many things he wanted to say, to tell her forever. The poet within him sung with joy and the song reached through every part of his body. All these words inside him struggled with one another, desperate to be said first. He leant down, placing a kiss on the top of Buffy’s head, contenting himself with a few small words. “I love you too.”