Tick.  Tick.  Tick.

The clock chimed thrice.

Three o'clock in the morning.

In the second floor drawing room, Angelus reclined on a chaise with Buffy leaning against his chest, and William still lay with his head on her lap.  As they drew ever closer to the moment of battle, tensions between the three continued to rise.  After the events of the evening, Angelus had no doubt that if he commanded Buffy to remain behind, she would do so.  Unfortunately, he also realized that she would be angry later; she also needed an outlet for her energy.  And as much as they had enjoyed themselves earlier, he doubted she would want to continue such acts of submission if there were other outlets.

No, his little Slayer needed ... something.  Perhaps a sparring partner, he mused, or a teacher.  Someone who could help her regain her equilibrium, and hone her fighting skills.  Not that he really wanted her to, but as long as she felt like he wasn't ignoring her need for action, she would be happier.  And, like he told her months ago, he *did* want her to be happy, no matter how strange it might seem.

As his mind toyed with possibilities, another thought occurred.  A bodyguard.  Although they would take the Master out, there would always be those who sought power.  And what better way to attack than through the weakest point.

Angelus was no fool.  He knew what he and William felt for Buffy was beyond anything they had felt for anyone else, except perhaps each other.  And after publicly claiming her as his Childe, despite her non-vampiric status, anyone looking to unseat them would most likely attack her, as leverage.

And Angelus intended to ensure that would never happen.

A knock on the door broke the silence, rousing Angelus from contemplation and William from his idyll.  Buffy was none too happy either.  The interruption meant that she wouldn't be able to convince William, or Angelus, to ease the ache between her thighs that had started the moment they had sandwiched her between them.

"Yes?" Angelus growled.

A very nervous minion poked his head through the door.  "Sire, Master Nogunara has arrived and wishes to meet with you."

"Escort him up," Angelus told the minion who promptly disappeared.

A string of Gaelic curses flew from his mouth as he stood up, forcing Buffy to catch herself lest she fall.  William grumbled as he, too, rose from his comfortable position on her lap.  Buffy stood up and critically surveyed the two vampires before her.

"Your shirt is crooked," Buffy informed William, as she adjusted the bodice of her dress and attempted to  tuck a stray lock of hair back up.  Angelus batted her hand away from her hair and fixed her coiffure, then straightened his coat and ran his fingers lightly over his hair.  William straightened his shirt and stepped back, smiling slightly as he looked at Buffy.

"You look perfect, sweeting.  Are we presentable?" William asked.

She looked them over again, then nodded.  "Both of you look wonderful.  Very edible," she mused.

A look of amusement crossed their faces and Buffy slapped her hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.  "I didn't say that," she announced.

"Oh, sweeting, but you did," William grinned.

"Don't worry, lover.  I won't hold you to it until later," Angelus whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.  His words sent tiny bolts of lust straight to her core, and she shuddered, pulling away before she embarrassed herself further.

"So, who is this Master?" she asked.

"Nogunara Yorimoto is a Japanese master, as old, if not older, as Master Nest.  He's a powerful ally and, like Xanthos, one of the few who will keep his word.  Nest offended his honor -- over what I'm not sure, though it must have been serious -- about a century ago, and he's been looking for a way to settle the matter ever since.  He's agreed to help us with this little endeavor," Angelus explained.

"Oh," Buffy said, as the door opened.

Tick.  Tick.  Tick.  Tick.

Four chimes sounded.

Four o'clock in the morning.

Buffy watched with some detachment as Angelus, William and the master known as Nogunara talked about the night to come.  She caught the more important tactical points that were shared, and was gratified to hear Nogunara praise one of the strategies she had concocted -- one that Angelus had been very wary about.  Grinning inwardly, she gave herself a metaphorical pat on the back, and went back to listening to plans.

However, her attention kept shifting to the fifth person in the room.  He had come with Nogunara, and had been introduced as Hiroshi Tokugawa.  Buffy assumed that he was Nogunara's second, much as William was to Angelus.  Or perhaps not, she reconsidered.  Angelus and William, while being Sire and Childe, had an undeniable connection that, if not completely equal, was very affectionate.  Well, affectionate in private.  But even in public they were more like companions, relaxed with each other and frequently joking.  And they shared her, she admitted.  Angelus would never have allowed her relationship with William to progress to its current point if the bond between the two hadn't already been strong, if he hadn't seen his Childe as being almost equal.

That type of closeness didn't appear to exist between Nogunara and Hiroshi.  Or maybe it did, she mused.  Not knowing much about Japanese culture, she couldn't be sure.  What she did see, though, was a hierarchical relationship; Hiroshi may be fiercely loyal to his Sire, but no affection was obvious.  He stood behind Nogunara, listening but not offering an opinion.  Buffy wondered just how his blind devotion extended.

They even looked different, she observed.  Nogunara looked like most people of Japanese descent she had meet, but Hiroshi was ... different.  His skin was lighter, and his hair appeared to have a natural wave.  Interesting, she mused.

Tick.  Tick.  Tick.  Tick.  Tick.

Five chimes sounded.

Five o'clock in the morning.

Almost dawn.

Buffy was pulled from her musings when she heard her name.  Sitting up, she glanced over to the table; William's expression told her she should join them.  Standing, she made her way over to the table, coming to stand between Angelus and William.  Angelus lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, his eyes burning into hers before gesturing for her to have a seat next to him.

"Are we agreed?" Angelus abruptly asked.

Nogunara studied the young Slayer seated beside Angelus.  She was lovely, that much was obvious, but there was something lingering beneath the surface.  There was physical strength, yes, but there was still something else, a razor sharp mind that, even at that moment, he realized, was working.

"We are agreed, Angelus," Nogunara answered.

As papers were shuffled about, Buffy managed to stifle a yawn.  However, Angelus noticed and gestured for William.  "Take her upstairs," he told his Childe.  Buffy looked like she might object, but obligingly followed William.

By the time William had returned the agreement had been drawn up.  A bowl sat on the table, as did a dagger.  Each vampire slit his palm, their combined blood mingling.  One by one, they dipped a pen into the blood and signed their names to the papers, committing themselves to a blood oath.

"It is done," Nogunara stated.  "Should you and your Childe fall in battle, I shall assume guardianship of your Slayer.  Should I perish, Hiroshi will serve you until you release him."

Angelus nodded, tossing the bowl into the fire and sealing the papers with wax.  "It is done.  I thank you for your assistance."

Nogunara inclined his head, rising from his seat.  Angelus rose as well, and escorted him back downstairs to meet with the others.  Hiroshi, William noticed, followed, but at a discrete distance so as not to intrude on the conversation.

Shaking his head, William locked the door and headed back upstairs.

Dawn.

Buffy closed the drapes, securing them with the satin ropes while processing what William had told her.  "I guess I can understand why you two worry about me, but why would Angelus care about Hiroshi?"

William finished his Madeira then held the glass up to the lights, watching as the beams were refracted through the crystal.  "Hiroshi is a samurai.  He'll serve his Sire until death -- his or his Nogunara's.  If Nogunara dies, he's bound by tradition to commit hari-kiri."

"And that is ... ?" Buffy asked.

"Ritual suicide," he told her.

Buffy's mouth dropped open.  "You're telling me a vampire would willingly commit suicide just because his Sire died?!"

William frowned.  "Usually, no.  But like I said, he's a samurai; they have specific traditions about honor, and from what I know his sense of honor is as strong as a vampire as it was when he was human.  In fact, I believe he served as Nogunara's bodyguard before he was turned."

"Wow."

William snorted.  "He's the exception to every rule, but he's part of the reason Nogunara has been so successful.  Hiroshi only kills those humans who deserves to die -- the killers, rapists, you know, that sort.  From what Angelus said he will not kill women, and ESPECIALLY not children.  You'd swear he had a soul ..."

Buffy raised her eyebrows.  "But?  I hear a but in there ... "

"But," William said, smiling at her, "he's loyal to his lord.  Should Nogunara perish, tonight, Hiroshi will serve Angelus as loyally as he served his Sire."

"And the suicide?"

"He won't 'til he's released from service," William finished, standing and wrapping his arms around her.

"Freaky," Buffy muttered.

The door opened and Angelus came in, pulling his shirt off.  Seeing the two, he smirked and said, "I hope you're not starting without me."

"Of course not," Buffy assured him.

"Good," Angelus answered.  "Because I think we have some unfinished business."

Buffy looked perplexed.

"'Very edible,'" he quoted.

Buffy blushed again.

Angelus crooked his finger.  "Come here, lover."

 

The End