Nusac

A/N This chapter is a little experiment. so dont hate the lay out. it was needed for the flow of this chapter. just imagin that we're cutting from one place to another like it would be in the show.
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Chapter 28
The Buffyverse.

Xander isn’t listening; he’s staring at Anya, in that puppy dog sort of way that people do when they’re completely in love.

Anya and Dawn are standing behind the counter with money in their raised hands doing some kind of victory dance, the scene makes Xander smile in a kind of lazy ‘I am so totally happy’ way.

“You do this every night?” Dawn asks Anya with a grin.

Anya nods at Dawn. “Every time I close out the cash register. The dance of capitalist superiority.” With that Anya dances with more vigour, Dawn follows suit copying the older woman’s moves. Still Xander watches.

Xander doesn’t even look towards Buffy when he speaks to her. “I’m gonna marry that girl.”

“What?! She’s fifteen and my sister, so don’t eve…” There is a small pause as Buffy’s brain gets into gear. “Ooh.”

Xander stands up before waiting to hear Buffys response to the news. “Hey, everybody. Can I, um… uh… there’s something Anya and I… wanna tell you.” He says walking over to the counter where Anya is still standing, although she did stop dancing at the mention of her own name.

Anya looks questionably at Xander as he approaches. “Now?”

Xander manages a small smile and nod. “Now.” He says putting his arm around Anya before turning to face the rest of the group. “We’re getting married.” He announces.

Dawn manages a large toothy grin before practically squealing. “Oh my god!”

“Congratulations!” Comes a call from Tara. Buffy and Giles walk closer to the happy couple.

Willow isn’t smiling but she does manage a. “That… That’s… Wow.”



Faith’s POV
Nusac.

“So you are sure this is going to work Nam?” I ask nervously as we stand in the forest near to where I appeared just over two years ago.

“I am as certain as I can be Faith, I have told you I have never done this before but I assure you that I have researched this to the best of my ability and am doing what the books say down to the letter okay?”

I manage a small nod. We sit in a circle, me Nam and Pike that is, on the warm forest floor. The book Namine is reading from is resting in the middle of the circle. I hear the clunk of metal on metal before I feel Pikes sweaty hand in mine. I guess he is as scared as I am. He’s holding on so tight his knuckles are going white and his and my metal wrist guard connect, it pushes the cold steel against my skin.

I look up from the floor and see he has also grabbed one of Namine’s hands. My left hand feels empty so I grab Nam’s other hand… and here we sit for a while, Namine reading quietly whilst Pike and I try to not let our nerves get the better of us.

She continues to chant until I feel cold wind rush past my ears, then the world dissolves around me.

That is until I land face first on a hardwood floor. “I’m getting too old for this.” I complain to the floor under my face.

“Ooooh holy shit! Now that was a fucking rush!” I hear Pike almost scream next to me. I look across the floor and see him, we’re still holding hands, I smile and lie still for a second whilst the rush of the magic passes through me.

My elbows straighten pushing my torso off the floor, when I hear a scream and find myself looking up at a girl, she’s maybe fifteen or sixteen with long brown hair. There is something really familiar about her but I don’t know what it is. “Buffy!!” She screams backing away from me rather quickly. Well colour me confused.

I push myself up onto my knees, it is then I realise that there is nothing in my left hand. I jump up off the floor and scan the room quickly, panic taking over my senses. I turn back just in time to see a fist rushing towards my face.

I stumble backwards and strike a defensive pose. “Fuck! B!” I shout at the blonde who seems to like hitting me in the face. “Okay, listen to me…” I say looking into B’s green eyes. “I aint here to hurt you or anyone here okay, I’m here to help…” Yeah I have to admit that through the panic that didn’t sound very convincing.

“What the fuck?” Xander asks the group with a confused look.

“She’s speaking Latin…” Tara pauses for a second. “…and she has no aura…”

Then comprehension… duh. Damn language changes. “I’m not here to hurt you guys okay… I came to help you.” I say looking at Buffy.

It’s at this point that I’m stuck staring down the business end of a crossbow. “What does that mean Tara?” Buffy asks still pointing the crossbow at my face.

“… I don’t know.” Tara says looking at me confused. “… I mean its doesn’t mean she’s bad… even demons have auras… she… she’s just blank.”

“What do you want?” Buffy asks me. She looks pissed. Actually looks like she might pull that trigger at any time. Lets be nice to the crazy lady with the deadly weapon.

The scoobies surround me along with that girl who screamed at me, I still can’t place her… I lean down and grab Pike by his jacket. “Get up.” I say. Pike does as told and gets up; he isn’t facing the scoobies but the window of the large shop.

Pike makes a move probably meant to impress B but the thing is I think he’s still a bit dizzy from the mojo, he almost falls down but catches himself before he does. “Hey Buff!” He says with a wave.

Buffy looks really confused at this chain of events. “Pike?” She asks moving a step or two closer to him.

“Nice to know I’m remembered.” He says eyeing the crossbow. It’s still pointed at me but still deadly none the less.

“Okay now that the whole little family reunion is over…” I say with a smirk. “Nam isn’t here.” I say looking at Pike in case he might know what the hell happened.


Namine’s POV

I land with a thud onto something hard. I look around, the ground is shiny and glittery. I seem to be in some sort of small hut with a seat in it. I pull myself up onto the seat and look ahead, all I can see is a reflection of myself… a panel in front of me shows some strange controls or something. I pull back the curtain to the hut and peer outside. It seems I am in some kind of large gathering place.

People are flocking around, going into smaller huts inside the large one. I step out of the mirror room and look around, the sky is above me but I do not feel as if I am outside. A voice comes from the heavens, in that language Faith speaks… I am not fluent but it seems to be saying something about a sale at a place called Gap… whatever that is.

I walk into the large clearing and get shoved out of the way by a man in some sort of black clothing. He does not acknowledge me as I stumble. I dash to the centre of the clearing to some railings where it seems safe.

I look down and can see another clearing like this one below and two above. What is this strange place? The smaller huts seem to be shops selling many strange and mystical objects. I can see a few selling clothes and others with things I cannot even begin to describe.


Faith’s POV

Pike looks around, the same sort of panic is setting into his eyes as are in mine. “Shit… where the hell would she have gone? What happened?” He asks without taking a breath.

“I don’t know, but we need to find her, not only is she not with us which is a big no, no. Pike… Nusac doesn’t even have running water…” I say trying to control my breathing, I promised Nam that I would keep her safe and now she is god knows where, what if she didn’t even make it to this dimension and is in some weird place with Namine eating monsters?

“Shit, Faith we have to find her… now!” I like that he has grasped the gravity of the situation.


Namine’s POV

I wander into one of the clothes shops and am immediately confronted by a young woman shoving a strange carry bag at me, it is made of metal with handles on it. I take the object off her and nod my head in thanks.

I like these stalls, there aren’t many people in here and it is a big place. I will not be shoved in here I don’t think. I put the carry bag down on the floor and walk around. The garments in here are in such pretty colours.

How do they get blue cloth? I pick up the blue skirt and examine it. It has been made well, the stitches are impeccable a very accomplished haberdasher must have made this. I fold the garment as best as I can and put it into my own bag. This must be worth a good few gold coins. I take my money pouch out of my bag and count out four coins, I place the coins on the shelf above where I got the garment.

Faith was right, shopping in her reality is fun. Something pink catches my eye, not many things in Nusac are pink, I like the colour. It is a corset top, three coins for that one I think.

I leave the hut and head to the one next door, another clothing place. Does nobody make their own clothes here? I settle on another skirt this time in bright pink and a green shirt. Six coins for them both. I think I may be spoiling the owners now.



Faith’s POV

“Just wait a second, you cannot possibly think that we are just going to let you walk out of this shop.” Giles says with a tone of threat in his voice.

“Look G-man I am not looking for a fight and I don’t have time to explain so here is the short version… I have been in an alternate dimension for two years where I’ve… if you can believe it… been good, I looked after myself and Namine and Pike and I worked to get money and I slayed. I’ve changed, you don’t want to believe it then that’s fine… don’t even think about me at the minute… I want you to think about a young woman called Namine who was born and brought up in a world where there isn’t any electricity or running water or anything like that… and she is out there somewhere.” I point at the window before I continue my little monologue. “…I may have done shit to all you guys, shit I probably will never be able to get you to forgive me for but this isn’t about me, this is about that girl!”

“Erm… Faith.” I turn to Pike wondering exactly what he could want. His attention is still on the crossbow, which has followed me around the room while I’ve been talking.

I grasp the end closest to me and pull it out of the other slayer’s hands. “First we find Nam then you can threaten me all you like.” Buffy sighs and looks around at the group. So I put in another of my two cents. “Look you can all come looking and I don’t know, put me on a leash or something then you can torture me…” I say with a pleading look.

“Fine, but you step out of line just once and I will personally kick your ass back to wherever you came from.” Buffy threatens. I think we just established the lack of kicked Faith’s ass here.

Still she’s trying so I might as well. “Thank you B.” I say, which seems to have confused her again.


Namine’s POV

What in the name of the Goddess is that?! It looks like a staircase but the stairs are made of metal and they are moving. How is this possible, Faith didn’t tell me there was this much magic in her realm.

Okay so this is the only way I can see to the floor above me, I watch the stairs move and decide I had better just jump for one and stay on it until I reach the top. I stand counting, I can do this… on three… one… two… three… I falter, this will take great courage indeed.

I jump onto a step and find it solid, I let out a held breath and try to relax. I am moving faster than I thought I would be and I can see the top within seconds. Oh dear, I think jumping is going to be my best bet again… but it is coming at me so fast. I close my eyes and jump, my feet hit solid ground I open one eye people seem to be staring at me, but I made it. Thank the Goddess.

And so I walk, I walk and walk around this cavernous room looking into the smaller huts with interest. Looking inside them I am almost drawn into every single one, more magic. They have twinkling lights and pretty colours, maybe it is a spell.

I walk into a hut, which seems to have a lot of things in, all crammed in. The shelves are packed with many different things like wooden flowers and big bright boxes and chairs. Now there is something I recognise! Candles. Well I am running low. I make my way towards the huge display and pick up a few.

I lean towards one and get nose full of Jasmine. They smell… the candles smell. This is amazing. I smell them all one by one and pick out a few I like. I leave another five coins on the shelf and make my way out of the shop.


Faith’s POV

And so we sit around the big round table in the centre of the room trying to think of a way to find Namine. Willow speaks up first. “I could do a locater spell but I need something of hers to do it with.”

I look around at Pike then down at myself, I pull my amulet off over my head and put it on the table. “I hope this will do, she gave it to me so it was hers at one point.”

Willow looks uncertain. “If it isn’t hers anymore then it won’t work as well, I might be able to get her general location with this but I don’t know about exact location.”

“Just do it please Red, we have to find her fast, she might be in trouble.” Willow nods and gets up to what I can only assume is get the spell ready.


Namine’s POV

Sustenance, I need sustenance. I walk around finding a stall, I find one… it has those things that Pike gave us… Chocolate I think Faith called them. I shove as many as I can in my bag, all different kinds with different coloured packets. I leave a further three coins for this.

I find a seat on a long chair in the middle of the large clearing and pull out some of the Chocolate, I remember Faith taking off the outer shell somehow but I cannot seem to get it off. Ahh it rips! I take off the wrapper and begin to eat the sweet brown food.

“Hey there beautiful, aint seen you around here before.” A man sits next to me trying to put his arm around my shoulders, I shrug it off and give him a firm look.

The only phrase that comes to mind that I know in this language comes from Faith when she is trying to get Pike to leave her alone so I try it on for size. “Fuck off.”

“Hey, Hey chill out there, you aint from around here, shouldn’t go saying things like that to people, you don’t know what might happen.”

My eyes widen as he tries to touch my leg. I stand up like a shot and hit him around the head with my now quite heavy bag before running away down the moving stairs… I don’t know where to run… everywhere looks the same in here.


Faith’s POV

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, this is Namine we’re talking about she will kick anyone’s ass who crosses her.”

I smile at the comment knowing he is right. “I think you may have been in Nusac too long P… She doesn’t have to hide her abilities back there.”

Pike gets what I am saying and nods. “Yeah so finding her fast is a good thing… does she even know when vamps come out here?”

Panic yet again, I search my memory trying to think if I did tell her about the whole opposite thing with vamps body clocks. “Fuck!” Comes the shout from both me and Pike.


Namine’s POV

I see a door to the outside of this maze and run towards it. It opens of its own accord and I step through into the sunshine. I must find somewhere to hide; it is the time for the demons to be roaming the streets. I need to find a safe place to be. I run through the… well I guess they are streets but they are all made of rock and things. Vampires can enter caves so rock is out of the question.

And then I spot it. A wooden building, I run towards it and fling the door open. A strange looking man with black hair and a beard looks up from a book he is studying as I enter, he then looks back down and continues to read.

It must be some sort of torture supply shop, there are whips and chains displayed around the room. I move further back into the shop behind a wall and find more torture devices, penis shaped things. I look at one and go pick it up… the bottom of it is in some sort of shiny white stuff, it turns. When I turn the bottom the whole device starts to shake. I drop it immediately wondering what it is for.

The other devices lined up I do not touch, they might be dangerous… I have learned my lesson. On a shelf I can barely reach I can see picture books, small shiny ones. I pull a few down and flip open the cover. I gasp as I am faced with a naked woman in some kind of seductive pose, her tongue running along her bottom lip. What is this place?

I sit on the floor in the small room and take out some more Chocolate, I sit and eat trying to figure out a way to find Faith and Pike… I couldn’t have landed far from them surely.

The one window in the room shows it is getting dark outside, I shove some of the picture books into my bag along with the object that shook when I turned the bottom, I must ask Faith what this device is for. I leave ten gold coins for these things as I do not know the value of the shaking device.

The man doesn’t look up from his book this time as I exit the shop.

Light emits from sticks in the ground, this is a magical place, why would Faith prefer my world? I walk aimlessly for a while, I do not know where I am or where I am trying to get to, I can only hope that Faith finds me.

I find a small grassy area off one of the streets, this is more my thing… I sit on the grass hugging my bag and hoping that no one tries to talk to me. I can see people rushing past me in groups.