This didn't go though the first time I sent it out, so I'll try
again with smaller sections
Sunnydale High
As promised Xander and Willow had arrived at the library and were
helping Giles sort though the books. At least Willow was. Something else
had grabbed Xander’s attention.
“Hey, Will, remind me to stay really, really far away from this
place,” exclaimed Xander as he held up The Tragedies of Jusenkyo. “This
Jusenkyo place sounds like something right out of the Twilight Zone.
Listen to some of the weird springs at this place. Spring-of-Drowned
Panda, Spring-of-Drowned-Piglet,
Spring-of-Drowned-Cat,Spring-of-Drowned-Duck,
Spring-of-Drowned…Yeti-riding-a-Bull-holding-a-Crane-and-Eel?”
“Xander, you’re making that up!” accused Willow.
“I am not! Look, it says so right here.”
To appease her long-time friend Willow looked. Much to her surprise
the listing was just as Xander had said. “Wow,
Spring-of-Drowned-Yeti-riding-a-Bull-holding-a-Crane-and-Eel. Boy,
that’s weird even by Sunnydale standards.” Willow took the book from
Xander and began to flip though it. Something about the stories of
Jusenkyo seemed to draw the novice witch.
“Spring-of-Drowned-Octopus? How did an octopus get into the
mountains of China? Spring-of-…” A puzzled look crossed Willow’s face.
“What’s an Akane?”
“Having fun are we?” asked Giles as he stepped out of his office.
The duo jumped a bit in surprise. “Sorry, Giles,” apologized
Willow. “But Xander found this really cool book and we got distracted.”
“Can you believe it? Me actually reading a book that doesn’t have
Spider-Man or the X-Men on the cover,” joked Xander. “This Jusenkyo
place must really be magic.”
Giles put on one of his mildly annoyed looks but secretly he was
pleased. Anything that could get teenagers into learning was perfectly
fine with him. “Looking at The Tragedies of Jusenkyo, were you? I must
admit it is a rather fascinating tome. If you found that interesting,
Willow, then you may want to have a look at this,” said Giles as he held
a small leather bound book.
“What is it?”
“The diary of one of the last century’s greatest Watchers, Makoto
Hibiki. He was Japanese, but he visited the four corners of the Earth
and recorded the legends of the all the places he visited.”
“Quite the world traveler, huh?” asked Xander.
Giles adjusted his glasses and looked a bit uncomfortable. “Er, no.
It seems that he just had a absolutely dreadful sense of direction. A
common family trait as the stories go.
“Anyway, one of the most fascinating stories he ever came across
was in his native country. According to Hibiki, 700 years ago a demon
fell from the sky. For weeks the creature terrorized the countryside
until one day a great warrior came to challenge the demon. After a great
battle he managed to steal the demon’s three gems, the source of its
power. The warrior then placed the gems in his sword and sealed the
demon in a cave. The sword then became the key to the seal. Should the
sword ever be removed from the cave the demon would then be free again.”
“And knowing our luck it would head right for Sunnydale,” sighed
Xander.
It was then that Buffy and the goddesses came though the library
doors. “Hey Giles, set a couple extra places at the table. We’ve got
company.”
As Willow looked at the two newcomers something gave her a faint
prickling sensation. It was similar to the feeling she had when she was
casting spells. A small feeling of unease began to creep up Willow’s
spine. Her magical abilities were still limited, but these two women
were somehow setting them off. To do that, the young witch realized,
meant that they must wield some very powerful magic.
Xander, however, had no magical abilities so he did not share
Willow’s unease. But he had noticed that the older auburn-haired woman
was incredibly beautiful. Under normal circumstances the sight of a
beautiful woman would send Xander’s mind off into any number of lusty
directions. He was a teenage boy after all. But for some reason that
didn’t happen when he looked at this woman. For some reason she just
seemed to…pure for such thoughts. That unnerved Xander in a way he’d
never felt before.
Giles was also feeling uncomfortable. Newcomers to the circle the
teens called the ‘Scooby Gang’ were rare. And when they did come it
usually meant trouble.
“Hello, I’m Rupert Giles, the librarian here at Sunnydale High,”
said the Englishman as he offered his hand. Belldandy took it and shook
politely. “Over there are Xander Harris and Willow Rosenburg. They’re
helping me organize some new books for the school. And it seems you’ve
already met Buffy.”
“You can drop the act, Giles,” informed Buffy. “They know.”
Giles did his best to look mystified. “Know? Know what?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Everything, Giles! Slayers, Watchers,
Vampires, the Hellmouth. Everything. And do they ever have a story to
tell.”
“We’re goddesses,” interjected Skuld, happily.
Willow, Xander, and Giles looked at the young girl as if she’d just
grown an extra set of eyes.
“I know that it sounds strange but it’s the truth,” said Belldandy.
“My name is Belldandy and this is my younger sister, Skuld. And it is as
Buffy says. We’re both goddesses.”
The humans turned to look at Buffy. They all had a “Is the
crazy?” expression on their faces.
“Yeah, goddesses, I know how it sounds,” began the Slayer. “But I
saw Belldandy crispy fry four vamps and fly not twenty minutes ago. And
Skuld dusted a vampire using just a croquet mallet. Guys, I’m not really
sure what these two are, but I’d say goddesses is definitely on the list
of possibilities.”
Willow was starting to feel her initial unease die down. None of
her senses, magical or otherwise, felt anything evil coming from
Belldandy and Skuld. “Buffy may be right,” the redhead began. “I’ve read
a lot about goddesses and stuff and I think they’re real. If they say
that’s what they are then maybe we should give them the benefit of the
doubt.”
“I know it’s hard to believe but please give us a change to prove
what we say,” said Belldandy.
Giles was about to demand the goddess make good on her claim when Skuld
made a surprised noise. Everyone looked as the little goddess pulled the
portable TV from her pocket. Its case keep bulging and raising as if
something were trying to break free from within.
“Looks like someone’s back from her trip,” observed Skuld as she
flipped on the TV. Instantly Urd soared out of the device and stopped in
the air above her sisters and the humans.
“Oh my god!” gasped Giles as he looked up at the woman floating
before him.
Urd glanced at the Watcher and gave him an amused smirk. “Goddess.
You mean ‘Oh my goddess!’ Or goddesses if you want to get technical
about it.” Urd floated to the ground and gave Giles an appraising
look. “Say, you look familiar. Were you ever on TV? Maybe a coffee
commercial or something.”
“Well, I was once an extra on an episode of Dr. Who but, I, er…”
fumbled Giles.
“Hey, Will, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that these
women just may be goddesses,” said Xander who was still trying to get
over Urd’s entrance.
“I, uh, think you might be right,” concurred the shaken redhead.
“Somebody give the rocket scientists a prize,” grumbled the goddess
of the Past as she turned her attention to her sisters. “Hey, sis. Hey,
brat. Who are these guys and why are you two in what looks like a high
school library?” Urd’s eyes then fell on Buffy. A look of surprise
appeared on the goddess’s face. “Any why does that blonde have ancient
magic in her veins?”
“It’s because she’s the Slayer,” informed Belldandy. “Her name is
Buffy Summers and she’s offered to help us. That man over there is Mr.
Giles, her Watcher, and over there are her friends Xander and Willow.”
“I told them a bit about us on the way over,” added Buffy who
looked slightly embarrassed.
Urd was busy giving the Scooby Gang the once-over. “So the Slayer is in
Sunnydale. It would have been nice knowing that before we came here.”
“I suppose we should have done a bit more research on this place
before we left Japan,” sighed Belldandy.
“Will someone please tell me what the heck Slayers and Watchers
are?!” demanded Skuld.
“Yes, I think a round of explanations would be most helpful at this
point,” said Giles.
Belldandy nodded. “I suppose we’d best start with Slayers and Watchers.
You see, Skuld, into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all
the world, a Chosen One. One born with--”
“The strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of
evil, blah, blah,” interrupted Urd. “You get the gist of it. The
Watchers are a secret society who’ve existed in one form or another
since the time of Babylon. They’ve made it their duty to help keep the
monsters in this world under control. Part of that duty includes
training the Slayer. The Watchers have had their main headquarters in
England for the last few centuries, but they have chapters in every
country on Earth.”
“And this Slayer is you?” asked Skuld as she looked at Buffy.
“Right,” confirmed the blonde girl. “Well, I’m *a* Slayer. There’s
two of us now.”
“Two Slayers? How is such a thing possible?” said Belldandy.
“Okay, long story really, really, short,” began Buffy. “About two
years ago I fought a really nasty vampire called the Master. He managed
to put the blood drain on me, killing me. Xander and…another friend of
mine came along in time to give me CPR and save my life.”
“But the minute or so you spent dead was enough to call the new
Slayer,” concluded Urd. “Wow, I’ve heard a lot of stories about Slayers
over the years, but that’s a new one on me.”
“On us too,” informed Buffy. A somber look then appeared on the
Slayer’s face “A few months after I died a girl named Kendra showed up.
She was the new Slayer. But we really didn’t get a chance to know her.
Not long after she came to Sunnydale she was killed by a vampire named
Drusilla.”
“And when Kendra died a new girl was called to take her place,”
said Skuld. “Now I’m starting to understand.”
“It’s truly is a unique situation,” said Giles. “The new girl,
Faith, is a bit wild and something of a loner. But she’s very talented.
I’m sure that with the proper training she’ll calm down and excel in her
duties.”
“’Wild,’ eh? This Faith sounds like my kind of girl,” mused Urd.
“Figures you’d think so, Urd,” grumbled Skuld.
It was then Giles’ eyes opened as if a revelation had come to him.
“Excuse me, but you say her name is Urd?”
“Correct,” confirmed Belldandy. “You see my sisters and I--” The
goddess was cut off as Giles suddenly dashed off into the stacks. “Uh,
we’re the goddesses of--”
“Don’t interrupt him,” advised Xander. “This is what Giles lives
for. Just sit back, relax and listen to the nice man’s soothing voice as
he explains a bunch of stuff you don’t understand.”
It was then that Giles reappeared, a large read book in his hands.
“Urd, Skuld and Belldandy. I knew I’d heard those names before. It just
took me awhile to remember where,” the Watcher explained as he sat the
book down on a table. He then looked at the goddesses. “You three really
are goddesses. You’re the Norns, aren’t you?”
“B-I-N-G-O!” grinned Urd.
“Norns?” said Willow, a look of puzzlement on her face. “I think
I’ve heard that name before.”
“Okay, Giles, enough with the mystery stuff,” demanded Buffy. “Will
you tell those of us who didn’t take mythology 101 what a Norn is.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” nodded Giles as he flipped open the book.
“This book is the lost volume of the Icelandic Eddas, a collection of
ancient writings that provide the most authoritative source on Norse
mythology. According to the Eddas, the Norns are goddesses of destiny.
They control the fates of both gods and men, as well as the unchanging
laws of the universe. The Norns consisted of three sisters. The eldest
was called Urd or sometimes Urth. Her name meant ‘fate.’”
Urd smiled and gave a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. Please, no
autographs.”
Giles continued unabated. “The youngest sister was Skuld whose
named meant ‘being.’” The little goddess said nothing but gave everyone
a glowing smile.
Giles adjusted his glasses and gave Belldandy an appraising look.
“The middle sister was named Verdandi. Her name meant ‘necessity.’”
“Wait, I thought you said your name was Belldandy,” said Willow.
“Verdandi is technically my name,” began the goddess. “But few
people have called me that in the last three hundred years.”
“May I inquire as to why?” quizzed Giles.
Urd rolled her eyes. “Looks like we get to hear the Julian story
again.”
Belldandy pretended not to notice. “In a nutshell the story is this.
In 18th century France, in the city of Avingon, there was a young man
named Julian. He was deeply in love with a girl named Lydia and she
loved him as well. But their fathers were bitter business rivals who
forbid their relationship.
One day, in the midst of a horrible depression, Julian decided to
visit the seaside in hopes of lifting his spirits. While he sat by the
ocean he wrote a letter detailing his love for Lydia, his frustration at
his father for not allowing them to be together and the emptiness he
felt in his heart.”
“Oh, that’s so romantic,” cooed Buffy.
“Sounds like the plot to some of those trashy novels they sell at
the supermarket,” grumbled Xander. Buffy, Willow and Urd gave him dirty
looks.
Belldandy continued her story without pause. “Once his letter was
done Julian put it in a bottle and cast it into the sea. As he watched
the bottle float away he prayed to any deity who may hear him to help
unite he and Lydia.
“Fortunately for Julian, someone did hear his prayer. It was Alpan,
goddess of love to Etruscans. She was touched by his words so she passed
the letter on to the Powers That Be in Heaven. The Powers were also
moved by Julian’s plight and so a decision was made. Because of the love
in his heart, and the fact that he had led a virtuous life, Julian would
be granted one wish. I was chosen to carry out this order and grant
Julian his wish.
“So I descended to the earth to grant Julian his wish.” Belldandy
then began to look a bit embarrassed. “After seeing me appear out of a
mirror Julian had no trouble believing me to be a goddess. The problem
came when I introduced myself. You see, Julian was a bit hard of
hearing--”
“The guy was deaf as a post!” exclaimed Urd.
“He wasn’t deaf, Urd. Just rather hard of hearing,” defended
Belldandy. “As I was saying, when I introduced myself Julian misheard my
name. He though I said my name was Belledandy.”
“Belle, spelled b-e-l-l-e, is French for beautiful,” informed Skuld.
“My big sis is really beautiful and plenty dandy.”
Belldandy gave her young sister a warn smile. “Considering how happy
he was to see me I couldn’t bring myself to correct Julian. He quickly
wished that the hostility between the two families would end. His wish
was granted and soon he and Lydia were married. They spent the rest of
their lives together and were very happy.”
“They even named their first daughter Belle,” added Skuld.
“That’s story is so sweet,” sighed Willow.
“So sweet it’s givin’even me cavities,” muttered Urd. “Anyway, to
wrap this up Belldandy comes back to Heaven and told everyone what
happened. As you can see, Skuld loves this story. So she took to calling
Verdandi Belledandy. Pretty soon everyone was calling her that. Over the
years Belledandy somehow turned into Belldandy.”
“I always took it as a term of endearment,” explained Belldandy.
“Well, I think Belldandy is a fine name for a goddess,” commented
Willow.
“I think it suits you too,” added Buffy.
“A most facinating story,” mused Giles. “But could you perhaps tell
us what it is that has brought you to Sunnydale.