tampered | (no subject)

(no subject)

When; Saturday February 26th
Rating; PG (I doubt it will get higher lol)
Characters; Aya and Dawn
Summary; Aya and Dawn go on a picnic the day after Dawn gets out of the hospital.
Log; Walking to the place he was supposed to meet Dawn, Aya looked around. It was a nice day really. That was something of a comfort since she was still recovering from her injuries. Under his calm surface, there was a nervousness that he hadn't felt in years. He'd spent so much time pushing people away that he'd forgotten what it could be like to let someone close. And...to actually like it and want it.

Smiling a little to himself, he balanced the coffees he held in the carrying tray. Well, it was tea for himself and Dawn's usual order from the place. It hadn't been difficult to ask what she usually got from the people who worked there then have them make it for her.

Looking around, he searched for Dawn when he arrived, hair moving a little in the light breeze.

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He nodded as he smiled a little to himself. "Humanity is content to believe that the world isn't as big or as dangerous as it really is. It keeps them happy. And it's why there are those around who protect them from the shadows without them ever realizing that it's happening. Sometimes, people really are happier when they never know all the horrors and wonder the world has for them."

"Also, I was kind of created into that world of amazing things like Slayers and magic." She looked over to him, eyeing him a bit skeptically for a moment before posing her next question. "We can do this whole something more thing no matter what, right? I mean, bar me being an evil maniac there aren't any deal breakers, right?"

He looked at her with some confusion since he wasn't really sure what was bringing on the question being asked. "I wouldn't have asked you if there were deal breakers. When I asked, I meant that I really did wish for it."

Turning to face him, she sat crossed legged and took his tea from him to set it aside. Then she took both of his hands, each one in one of hers. "I'm gonna tell you a story, okay?"

He was even more confused now but nodded to let her knew that he would listen to what she had to say. Of course, he had no idea what it was but he could at least do that much for her.

"This place, what we're in right now, would probably be known as a pocket dimension in my world. Now imagine like a big hotel and each individual room represents a different world, a different reality, a different dimension. Then imagine that there's one key that can break down every wall between each hotel room." She's watching him intently, her eyes holding his and bearing an intensity that tells him how important what she's saying to him is, that it's important to her at least. And that maybe it isn't so much a story as it is reality.

She smirks and shakes her head. "Can you imagine the chaos and death that would happen if that key was used and all those worlds bled into each other? Crazy, isn't it?"

Edited 2011-02-28 23:13 (UTC)

Slowly, he nodded. Though it was a huge thing to take in, he would accept that this was the truth. The reality of her world. Or, at least, part of her reality that mingled in with the rest of it.

Still, he could picture the kind of chaos it would bring to have all those worlds bleeding into each other.

"Well there was this hell goddess who got trapped in my world. She wanted to find this key that would break down all the walls in between worlds so that she could go home. And she didn't care that doing so would destroy my world because there are places with bigger creatures and more technology, mostly the big bads would eat us for dinner or enslave us. Anyway, there was old sect of monks who had been charged with protecting and hiding the key only the hell goddess found out about them in her search for it. They were trying to find a way to keep the key away from her."

She let go of his hand to reach up and brush her hair back. And then she looked down at her lap as she continued, her tone taking on a hint of sadness. "The monks used black magic, an ancient spell that created a human being, an innocent. They created a girl with the blood of the Slayer and they shoved the key inside of her. Then they used another dark spell to make her as real as possible, not just a shell holding something so dangerous. They gave her memories, a family, and they gave this family and everyone around her memories of her too. They put her in the Slayer's life because they knew the Slayer wouldn't let anyone kill an innocent human, much less her sister. And in protecting the innocent human, she would be protecting the key for them from the hell goddess."

Aya listened to the story unfold and quickly caught on to what she was trying to tell him. That she was this key. The one that could break down the walls between the worlds if she was activated. Such a thing made her extremely important.

But it also made it so that she really was a creation. Memories of her past implanted into her. Nodding, he let her know he'd heard that as well. It was complicated and a little beyond him but he could at least understand what she was trying to tell him.

"You are this key then."

Her gaze snapped back up to Aya and after a few moments of hesitation, she nodded and swallowed hard. "I was hidden for awhile. But Buffy caught on pretty quick, that I wasn't really her sister, that I didn't belong in her life. I mean we feel like we're sisters but it's -- all in our heads. She found out the truth from the last remaining monk who'd created me. And she realized she had to keep me from the hell goddess and anyone evil really, and protect me."

She reached for Aya's hand again. "That's why she's so over-protective. And you can't tell anyone -- bad -- what I am. Not that I'm easy to activate, it takes a lot of the cosmic universe falling into place and aligning. But when the hell goddess realized I was the key she tried to use me to break down those walls. Just a few drops of blood and -- everything began to rip open -- the world, I mean. Instead of using my blood to close it, Buffy sacrificed herself to close it. I was created with her blood. It was the same blood. And she died in my place to close the walls."

Sacrificing oneself to protect another. He knew what that was like. More than he usually cared to admit to. Holding Dawn's hands in his, he continued to watch her, his expression calm and collected. Though he was getting information that could potentially mean the end of the world and all worlds, he didn't react badly.

In fact, it just made him concerned about what someone might do if they ever found out this kind of information. How he would do everything to keep them from doing just that. "Dawn, I won't tell anyone about what you are. I swear that to you."

Strangely and thankfully, she believed him. It was so easy to trust Aya. And while Dawn was normally pretty naive and trusting, she rarely trusted anyone with this. In fact, she didn't know anyone outside of the scoobies who knew that she was the key, except now Aya.

"I believe you. And I trust you. Trusting you with this is a lot. And you're still holding my hand so -- it's a good sign." She smirked again. "Sometimes I think that's why I always find trouble, because deep down the key is meant to be used for evil, for chaos -- and I don't mean to always be trouble but -- I do. And it means people are always having to protect me and keep me safe. A part of me hates it and a part of it is very natural -- like it's meant to be that way."

"You'll have your chances to save people in return." Aya squeezed her hands a little, those callouses he had brushing against her skin in the process. "Until then, we'll be there to save you. It's a sign that we care about you."

He made sure to look straight into her eyes when he spoke again. "Also, I have no reason to let go of your hands. I told you that there were no deal breakers." He smiled slightly. "Unless you were some evil maniac. Which I can tell you aren't."

"Definitely not an evil maniac -- although Buffy would probably give you some examples of times I seemed like it. But I'm just me, sister to she who saves the world a lot." Dawn lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. "But just me goes through these days where I'm a little down sometimes. Things can just seem so fake, or I get worried that I'm fake, not real -- so I try to feel, you know?"

Aya smiled at her. He could understand why she would worry about things like that. However, he didn't believe she was fake for a second. "Just you is very real in my eyes. I don't see anything fake about you no matter how you were created or what was done with your memories in the past. You feel, you grow, you've made memories all your own."

He freed one of his hands to touch her face. "You are real."

Everything Aya was saying right now calmed Dawn down. Those hard lines that had etched across her features during her story telling smoothed out around the edges growing soft as a gentle smile danced over her lips. She leaned into that touch at her face. "Is it super cheesy to say that when you're close I feel real? From the masque to the hospital to now. This is real me."

He shook his head and ran his fingers through her hair once before lowering his hand. "I don't think that's cheesy at all. I'm glad that I can help you to be free of those doubts for a little while."

She teasingly narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together. "That's too bad cause I have it on good authority that sometimes a healthy dose of cheese is good for the heart."

"Then we'll have to make sure we get some more for the both of us." Aya gave a little laugh before shifting to recline back on his elbows, making himself comfortable.

Dawn smiled then, a full smile that reached her eyes as she tore another small piece off of one of the sugar cookies. "When is your birthday? I told you my not one so you have to tell me your real one."

Aya was just going to grab another cookie when he paused to look up at her. He smiled and gave her an answer before he took a bite. "July fourth."

"Ohhh you get fireworks on your birthday. If I did, I'd pretend all the fireworks were for me cause my imagination is just that awesome that I can delude myself like that." And she seems pretty proud that that's the truth.

"You forget that I'm Japanese. I've only spent a couple of birthdays in America. The rest have been in Japan or England where there are no fireworks." Of course, he hadn't even celebrated his birthday since he was eighteen anyway.

"Oh I knew that, but there are still fireworks on your birthday. You could pretend all of America is celebrating you." Which she finds entirely too amusing and even laughs at.

"I had no idea that America liked me that much." Listening to her laugh was more than enough to keep that smile on his lips. It's a nice sound, after all. One that he liked quite a bit.