FIC: What's Next(Part 1 of the "Finding Life" Series)

[Patrick Kelly <bandits@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey.

Okay...below is the first part of the sequel to "Who Am I?". I can only hope, that enjoy
this as much. :-) Now...some disclaimers.

Raziel, Kain, the Elder, Sanctuary of the Clans, Nosgoth, etc. are all from the videogame,
"Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" and are creations of Eidos and Crystal Dynamics. I am using
them in my own way, for my own plot and storyline for the Buffyverse.

Now....enjoy.

WHAT'S NEXT (OR - READY TO TAKE ON THAT RESPONSIBILITY)

"Come on, Red!" Faith groaned, her brain about to melt. She fell back onto the bed in what
was once Angel's apartment, but was now hers and Buffy's.

Tara was there to sit her back up. Willow and Tara had moved into a dorm together, and
Buffy decided to be a commuter for her second year. She had finished her finals before the
coma, so she missed out on the whole summer. College started again in less than two weeks.
And Faith&well, she was regretting a decision she had made when Buffy came out of the
hospital. In a big way.

"You wanted to take the test. You came to me." Willow pointed out.

"You did." Tara agreed.

"Taking her side. That's a shocker." Faith dripped with sarcasm.

"GED's are hard, yeah, but all it takes is studying. Come on, you'll get a diploma, and
who knows what'll open up for you." Willow pushed.

"But it's seven hours long."

"Seven hours and thirt -" Faith glared. "Uh&nevermind."

Tara picked up a booklet. "She knows more than she thinks."

"Give her another sample question." Willow said.

Faith buried her face into a pillow, as Tara flipped through the pages.

"Here. Um&'An electric current releases heat to the wire in which it is traveling. Which
of the following electric appliances would best illustrate the application of the above
statement?

"Mixer,

"Clock,

"Vacuum,

"Toaster,

"Or fan?"

"You're kidding, right? Toaster." Faith said.

Willow swatted Faith's shoulder. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Yes." Faith answered stubbornly.

When she heard the doorknob start turning, Faith jumped off the bed. By the time Buffy
entered, she was kissing the blonde, making her headache go away. Buffy kicked the door
shut, and put her arms around Faith's neck. She smiled.

"I'm home. But you knew that."

"You gotta get me outta this."

Buffy was confused for a second, and then saw Willow and Tara in the bedroom, papers
sitting around them. "How long is it again?"

"Seven hours."

"I feel your pain." Faith huffed and went to sit on the couch. "What?"

"Of course you feel it. You don't have to take the damn thing. You do what you had to do?"

Willow and Tara came in, and Buffy greeted them before sitting down next to Faith.

"Hi, Buffy." They said.

"You hear an echo?" Faith asked, amused.

"Anyway&it went okay. Almost broke a priceless ancient artifact, but I'm a slayer, not an
'old thing handler'. Mom knows that." Buffy said in her defense.

"Old thing handler?" Willow asked.

Buffy turned to look at her friend. "Don't make me hurt you, Will." She looked to Faith
again. "What's for dinner?"

There was a knock on the door. "Pizza!" Yelled the young delivery guy.

"It's ready, honey." Faith grinned.

***

The Abyss of Nosgoth
Before the Second Birth of Man

The unstable and barren lands of Nosgoth were shaken. Though not by the usual quakes that
usually disturbed them. Now, the vampire Raziel was engaged in battle with his once Lord
and Sire, Kain. They fought almost to the edge of the Abyss, where he had been banished to
die centuries ago by his the very Lord he now combated.

Kain had been the ruler over six proud clans of vampires, whose bloodlines went back
millennia. The clans ruled over the land, and the rebellious human forces were quickly
taken down. He had the honor of receiving gifts, in essence evolving, as years were added
to his unnatural life. His "children" would receive them soon after, not going unrewarded
for their service.

Raziel had been his first child, the best of all his lieutenants. But Raziel, having no
control over it, received a gift before his sire. He grew wings. Kain, believing his most
valued subject to be a threat to his authority and a traitor to the family, tore Raziel's
wings, and ordered his execution. A horrible, slow, painful death in the Abyss.

He was cast in, the void eating away at his body, disfiguring his hands, feet, and skin.
His jaw was completely removed. Though he died, the Elder granted Raziel a reprieve. It
was an ominous being that watched over the Underworld and made sure souls made their final
journeys. Raziel soon learned that centuries had passed since his time in the Abyss, and
that Kain's reign had disrupted the balance of the Physical and Spiritual Realms.

The Elder enlisted him as his "Angel of Death" and told him that he no longer would live
off of blood. Instead he would feed off souls, that would allow him to manifest himself in
the Physical Realm to destroy his former brethren and Kain, to correct the balance of
things.

Which he was now close to doing.

"This seems familiar, Raziel." Kain said.

"Yes, but this time it is not I who will fall into the depths of the Abyss. You chose to
abuse your power, Kain. That will not go unpunished."

Raziel held his arm out in front of him. Bound to it, was the Soul Reaver, a weapon that
sucked energy from all the souls around it, feeding Raziel and keeping him in the Physical
Realm. It also served as a deadly weapon, which Kain had once possessed.

"You took that from me."

"It was meant to be this way. Not in the physical form which you trapped it in."

Kain suddenly spread out wings from behind his back. He grabbed Raziel and flew into the
air. "I have them now. It is unfortunate that you do not."

They were up over the Abyss, and Kain was about to drop Raziel.

"Do you not know? I am a true immortal. If I fall, I will simply return. And I won't stop
until you're dead."

This caught Kain off-guard, and Raziel thrust the Reaver through his heart. Kain fell, his
body disintegrating as he did so, and Raziel spread his wings. While not able to fly, they
glided him safely to the edge. As the last bit of flesh vanished from Kain's form, and his
ashes landed into the Abyss, Raziel, consumed his foe's now free soul.

***

"Your knowledge would be a wonderful asset to the gallery." Joyce said to Giles as she
went about placing the new pieces for display. She had asked him to assist.

"I've never really had much interest in becoming a guide, to be quite honest." Giles
admitted.

"You wouldn't necessarily have to do that. We get sent some pieces that no one really
bothers to identify. They sit in storage until I can find the time to date them and gather
the information. Which is usually never. You've got access to materials and lots of -"

"Free time?" Giles asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't have put it exactly like that." Joyce said, embarrassed. "I'd pay you, of
course."

"I suppose I -"

"Oh!" She said suddenly, going over to a box. "These are the shipments Buffy helped me
bring in earlier. And it may be the last. She almost broke a&never mind." She reached in
and pulled out what seemed to be an ornately crafted shaft of wood. It almost looked like
a sword. "This is what I mean."

Giles' interest was piqued. "May I?"

"By all means." She handed it to him. "No one has been able to determine the era in which
it was made, the carvings don't resemble any known language&"

He studied it for a few more seconds. It was a challenge. He hadn't had one in awhile. "I
think&I think I will take you up on your offer."

"Consider yourself hired."

***

Sanctuary of the Clans, Nosgoth
Before the Second Birth of Man

Raziel returned to the once great temple, the Sanctuary of the Clans. He entered the
circular structure, and made his way to Kain's main chamber. He walked to the great chair
in the center of the room that was surrounded by great marble pillars and statues, and sat
in it, weary and tired. What was going to happen now?

"Congratulations, Raziel." The Elder's voice boomed. The being had no form, and could be
heard everywhere. At least by Raziel.

"I thank you for giving me a second chance."

"You don't disappoint. But I'm afraid you're no longer needed."

"What?"

"I saved you so you could perform a task. Correct the balance of things. You have done
well, and now the Earth must heal itself. You would only be interfering now."
Raziel grasped his wrist, as the Soul Reaver untangled itself from his arm, and vanished.
"What are you doing?"

"With your weapon, goes your access to the Spiritual Realm and all the abilities which you
have achieved. Kain misused his status, and I will not risk that again. The vampire race
has become tainted, and it is only a matter of time before they are replaced. Perhaps man
will rise again. Or perhaps not. Time will tell."

"And me?"

"Since you have served well, I offer you a choice. You may stay in the physical realm,
confined inside the walls of this temple, or you may return to the Spiritual Realm, where
you will then be permanently at rest."

"I -"

"Know this. While here, time will move forward and you will not need to feed. The time
will come when the world will be ready for you to re-enter it. When it does, someone will
enter from the outside, and you will be free."

Raziel thought. "I shall wait. I am not ready to leave this world."

"Very well."

It would be awhile before someone ever walked the lands again.

***

"You're supposed to be encouraging me." Xander said to Anya in his basement.

"Oh. Uh, read those classifieds! You can do it!" Anya cheered enthusiastically. Xander
just stared at her. "What do you want me to say? I've never had a job before. You're the
one with all the practice at it."

He sighed, looked down at the newspaper, and readied his red pen for circling any
interesting jobs. "Thanks, Anya."

"Anytime. Hey, how about the city cleanup crew?"

"That's the lowest of the low. I'd probably end up finding demon innards -" A light bulb
went off in his head. "I could get all the inside stuff. Demon happenings, all the nasty
secrets. I mean it's not the most glamorous of professions, but it could help Buffy and
Fai -"

"It pays good too."

Xander looked closer. "It does?" An article caught his eye then. "Hey, listen to this:

"'The city council is preparing to select candidates for Sunnydale's upcoming mayoral
election. When Mayor Richard Wilkins III term came to an abrupt end last year, it marked
the final chapter of the Wilkins Family Dynasty. Men which led this town for more than a
hundred years.'"

"Aren't there supposed to be different parties where the people nominate the candidates or
something?" Anya asked.

"In a normal town. But this is the Hellmouth, and if you want to keep a dark secret from
the townspeople, you have to pick the right guy. One who'll lie really well."

"Like Clinton?"

"Exactly. Hopefully these new guys'll be human. Uh&where was I?

"'The members of the city council are now in the process of cleaning out the remaining
remnants of the Wilkins administration, including the Mayor's private treasury, files, and
personal effects. Apparently he left a large amount of his funds to one&'"

Anya and Xander's eyes practically bugged out. "Faith?"

***

Sanctuary of the Clans
Germany, 1000 AD

Two men entered the large chamber, and Raziel was somewhat surprised. It had been many
years since he had seen anything other then the walls that surrounded him. And he never
thought he'd see a human again. He noticed the men approaching cautiously, and he realized
how hideous he must have looked to them. He didn't recognize their style of dress. How
much time had passed?

"You are a vampire, correct?" One man asked, with an English accent.

"I am -" He suddenly realized his royal status probably meant nothing to them.
"Yes."

"Why do you cover your face?" The second one asked. Raziel flung the cloth off of his nose
and mouth, and revealed his absence of a jaw. The men were shocked. "It has no fangs."

"How does it feed?" The first man asked.

"Who are you?" Raziel asked.

"Ah&representatives."

"Of whom?"

"We're a new group. Founded to fight your breed. We were searching for recruits when we
found this building."

"What do you know of my breed?" Raziel was interested to hear what had become of his race.


"They are nothing like you, as far as I can tell. You don't seem to be a threat. What with
the absence of your ability to -"

"It's a long story. If you tell me what I want to know, I'll tell it to you."

After everything was told, everything explained, Raziel was more disgusted with what had
become of his breed than he had been with the mutated versions of the ones he knew so long
ago. The ones now seemed to retain human form again, but they were still animals. They had
no souls. No respect or honor. He wouldn't associate with that or anyone else. It was
disgusting.

"You have freed me, and I am grateful, but I have no desire to go out into the world you
describe. If your council leaves me be, I will pay you the same courtesy."

"I believe that's a deal we can make."

***

Buffy and Faith waited for two new undead vampires to rise from their graves. They had
already dusted three others, so after these, they were done. It felt like it was taking
forever. First there was a hand, then the head came out& the girls wanted to fall asleep.
When the vampires finally emerged, they didn't attack. Not Buffy and Faith anyway. They
attacked each other.

"I get the first kill."

"I don't think so."

As they exchanged blows, Buffy and Faith were shocked. They didn't know whether to laugh
or stake them. They walked up to the vampires, and tapped them on their shoulders.

"Sorry fellas. This is our kill." Faith said in mock apology, shoving her stake into one's
back.

"Ever hear of teamwork?" Buffy asked, finishing off the last one. "Morons."

They started walking back to the apartment.

"The new ones are always idiots."

"I don't know&vamps never seem to work together. Like they could care less if one of their
fellow demons died. If they were a little more organized, they'd probably have a better
shot at killing us."

"B&" Faith said slowly, "think about what you just said."

"Oh." She tried to laugh it off.

"Are you sure you're only a bottle blonde?"

"Hey!" Buffy tackled Faith to the ground, and sat on top of her.

"Man, am I glad we ate that pizza before we slayed."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm not hungry."

Buffy grinned. "Well that only leaves one thing." She leaned down and kissed her partner,
passionately and lovingly. Then, she stopped abruptly, getting up.

"You're not playing fair."

"Where's the fun in that?" Buffy asked wickedly, backpedaling. "Race ya back."

Faith broke into a run when Buffy increased her pace, smiling.

***

Willow and Tara sat in the Expresso Pump drinking hot chocolate. Since their talk a couple
months ago when Tara told Willow everything about her childhood, they had been really
close. The blonde had come from a Wiccan family. Her mother, her grandmother&her dad had
been a warlock. Her whole family had died banishing an evil spirit that had gotten into
their home. She avoided a lot of details, but Willow knew it was still painful for her.

Tara had gone from foster home to foster home, never really fitting in. She was too
different, too shy. When she turned eighteen, a legal adult, she had moved to Sunnydale.
Her parents had told her once that the town had the highest concentration of magickal
energy than anywhere else in the world. She enrolled in UC Sunnydale, and that's when she
met Willow. The redhead felt really lucky, because Tara said she had never told anyone
that before.

Moving into a dorm together was the natural thing to do to them. And with Buffy and Faith
together, there was really no conflict of living spaces. They were still nervous though.
There were all kinds of situations that could arise from living together.

"So&we start again soon." Willow said, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah&second year. What&uh&are you taking psychology again?"

"I don't know&maybe. There's this cool class on Sigmund Freud, but if all
psychology-related professors are like Walsh&"

"That's a good point."

"It's how I am. All rational and stuff."

"I know&that's why I love you. Well one of the reasons."

Willow blushed, grabbed Tara's hand, and kissed it. "So one of us has got to ask it."

"We're gonna have to make a decision."

"So&" Willow took a deep breath, "one bed or two?"

"If we did get one it wouldn't mean we'd have to&"

"Right. I mean, it's an option."

"Not a rule though." Tara added hurriedly.

"Right." Willow agreed.

"Right."

***

Buffy and Faith raced down the steps, almost there. They stopped dead in their tracks
though, when they saw a man in a suit standing in front of their door. He held an envelope
in his hands.

"Can we help you?" Buffy asked.

"Which one of you is Faith Adams?" The man asked.

"That's me." Faith identified herself. "Who the hell are you?"

He handed her the envelope, walked up the stairs and out the door, not saying another
word. Faith stared at the envelope, and after a few seconds, opened it up. Buffy looked
over her shoulder. Faith gaped.

"What is it?" Buffy asked. Faith didn't answer. "Faith?"

Buffy took the slip of paper from the brown-haired slayer's hands, and got a closer look
at it. It was a check. She felt her mouth moving, but no sound was coming out.
Eventually, she found her vocal chords.

"This&you can trade this in for cash, right?"

Faith nodded silently. "Lots of cash."

"Lots and lots of cash."

Faith smiled widely, reaching for the doorknob. "Just so I'm sure&there's six zeroes
there, right?"

"Six whole zeroes."

"Thought so." She grabbed Buffy by the waist and pulled her inside. "We have celebrating
to do."

***

Sanctuary of the Clans
Germany, Present Day

Raziel sat and watched as two clean shaven men with briefcases and glasses entered his
home.

"Raziel?" One asked.

"I am." He answered.

"We're from -" The second man started to say.

Raziel stood up and began to walk around the room. After thousands and thousands of years,
his wings had finally repaired themselves, and he spread them out.

"I know where you're from. I talked to your representatives already. We had an agreement."


"Yes, we know. That was made a thousand years ago."

"A thousand&has the breed changed?"

"They're basically the same." The first man spoke.

"Then what you have to say does not interest me."

"Actually, we have a feeling it might. From what we understand, you had a weapon."

"The Soul Reaver, yes. That was a long time ago."

"And forgive us," The second man said, "but how did you obtain it?"

"Kain had confined it into a physical shell. It was still a powerful weapon, but it wasn't
in its true spiritual form. He destroyed it in an early battle with me, and it reverted,
bonding with my body. It was taken from me after I defeated Kain."

"Now, this physical form, it was wood? Jagged?"

"Yes." Now Raziel was interested. "Why?"

"We may have pinpointed its location. It's across the sea. In a town called Sunnydale."

"If I could get it&I could restore&"

"Yes, um, seeing as we've given you this information, we only ask a small favor in
return." The first man said nervously.

"Anything."

"You have heard of the slayers?"

"Humans with abilities that match a vampire's."

"Well, these two used to be ours, but they've created a problem. A vampire of your
strength and talent should have no problem with them."

"You want them killed? Fine. I just need one thing." He stepped closer to them. "It's a
long journey, and I haven't fed in so long."

Raziel grabbed them both by their necks, and a bright green energy began to surround him,
as he took the men's souls from their bodies, and brought them into his own.