The One-Eyed

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Summary: This is more a sketch than a proper fic, but it's more filled out than some of the ones I've still got to post.  It's Spike/Xander, only Xander died and became a bit of a sociopath.  A helpful/friendly one, but still.  He doesn't have the emotional morality of the Vampire Xander in Taming the Hyena and Stalking Ground, but he has logical morality, if that makes sense.  There are still a few people that he honestly cares about and he finds it more entertaining to fight vampires, but he's not a good guy.
All the names (and a bit of the very beginning) are based on the characters I created in Dynasty Warriors Next.  Because, come on, if Buffy's going to run a 3 Kingdoms area, she's got to have captains.
Word Count: 1266
Rating: Teen

        Xander lived first during the 3 Kingdoms period, along with Buffy and Willow (not named as such, of course).  We might as well go with Xiongnai, Zuoqiumei, and Wangling as their names.  They were on one of the losing sides-Xiongnai doesn’t remember which one.  His memory of that time is a little hazy.
        He remembers dying, but chalks it up to just an exaggeration of a memory of a wound, since he wakes up later and there’s no indication he’s anything but human.  For a while.
        He’s lost his eye, but more than that, he loses his personality.  He used to be the jokester, the one who kept morale high at the camp.  As long as he was laughing or smiling, the warriors knew that everything was going to be all right.  It’s when he got serious that they knew it was going to be a tough battle.  He was compassionate and protected others first.
        Zuoqiumei had a lot of attempted relationships.  Rumors would’ve spread about her if she wasn’t so good on the battlefield.  Wangling was a sorceress and strategist.  They knew Xiongnai could fight, but still dismissed him to some extent.
        It was their attempt to get him out of harm’s way that got him killed.  “There were so many dead, so many bodies.  The ground was bloodstained.  That was the last time I’ve ever felt regret over the dead of war.”  And transformed into something very strange.  He’s human, still, as far as anyone can tell, but the fangs, supernatural strength, bloodlust, etc would hint disagreement.  He’s quieter, more thoughtful, more prowly, colder than he used to be.  He’s a proper strategist.  “I told myself never again.  I took to the battlefield, and the right words came to me, the right actions.  With me on a side, the ranks of the enemies were decimated.  There were those who considered me too valuable to lose, as a strategist.  They tried to keep me off the front lines, but they could no more tame the wind.”  He throws himself wholeheartedly into a cause, perhaps vaguely desperately trying to find something to make him feel normal again.
        Drusilla is killed post-Angel’s soul, and for a little while a suicidal Spike wanders Europe, pondering one of the last visions she shared with him before the mob in Prague.  Then he runs into Xander, elusive like an illusion, tempting like a will ‘o wisp.  Xander plays a dangerous game, taunting him, drawing him in.  “Prove me your worth, Spike.  Show me why I should allow you close.”  Spike tries to turn Xander, but it doesn’t work.  “But…you’re human, right?”
        “Am I?” he asks with a beguiling smile. 
        Eventually, Spike courts Xander enough that he allows the vampire close, and shares his story.  It takes Spike a little longer, but he does the same.  “As a monster, why be boring and choose the path of the monster?”  They help people, hunt down others.
        Darla hunts them down and nearly kills Xiongnai, now going by other names.  Spike doesn’t want to hurt family, but like Xiongnai, love is what drives him and always has driven him.  He kills Darla.
        They set up an office in Sunnydale, and argue about the presence of the Slayer.  Spike comes back and agrees, “You’re right, running away would be just cowardly.  We’re good at what we do.”
        Buffy and Willow have been reincarnated.  After running into Spike, they start to have confusing dreams of the past, but they don’t make the connection yet.  Angel also warns about the presence of Spike.
        Spike helps save a warehouse of civilians, and Buffy reacts by taking him captive.  She needs to understand what he’s up to.  Xiongnai’s a little upset and visits Willy’s.
        “I want information on the Slayer.”  The bar goes silent, many staring wordlessly, stunned.  “Oh, come on, you’ve got nothing to lose.  If I don’t make it, ah well, it’s, what’s the phrase, no skin off your nose, is it?  You can tell her that I beat the information out of you—it’s the Slayer’s usual method of information gathering, isn’t it?  You’re slightly more useful alive.  And if I win, no more Slayer.  It’s good for business.  Either way, you win the gamble.”
        The predatory, smooth movement of the man didn’t seem altogether human, nor the smiling look in his eyes promising destruction, but at the same time he didn’t feel like a demon.
        “Spike, Spike, Spike, I’d have thought the errand I sent you on was far beneath your abilities.  How did you manage to botch it so thoroughly?”
        “I’d have thought so too, luv, but the blasted Slayer and the man holding her leash disagreed with our assessments.  Could I have a hand with these ropes?  They’re none too pleasant.”
        Buffy stepped toward the man, no, vampire, he had to be, who’d appeared in their midst warily.  The newcomer ignored her in favor of staring at the other vampire hungrily.  “Oh, I don’t know, I think it’s a good look for you,” he grinned, tapping one finger thoughtfully against his lips.
        Instantly the vampire’s eyes darkened.  “Should’ve mentioned that earlier.  I’ve got all sorts of toys waiting for us.”
        “Are you insisting on making me hot in front of company?” the man teased with a soft, smooth voice that nonetheless carried.
        “I’m a bit fond of exhibitionism, m’self.”
        “And what if I don’t want to share?” the newcomer bit out, flashing what looked like fangs-but where’s the game face?  No sign of unsightly wrinkles anywhere.
        She stabs at his heart with a stake, and the vampire catches her hand easily with one of his own, not even bothering to look in her direction.  “It’s good for you, Slayer, that you didn’t kill my retainer.  I don’t want you dead, but you’d have forced my hand.”  He takes a goblet from somewhere and sips at the contents lazily, still staring at Spike.
        “Are you getting drunk during my rescue?” the vampire asks incredulously.
        The newcomer doesn’t answer the question, just raises the goblet in a kind of mock toast and drains it.  “Slayer.  Watcher.”  He
gives a kind of dramatic if elegant bow.
        “The little birdie that told you about Spike being here, even the Watcher’s Council don’t have all the answers.  Your lot found answers they couldn’t understand, so they lied.  It’s a failing.  There are other sources, look us up.”
        “You’re not going anywhere,” Giles states grimly.
        “Would you rather have some time to look us up, perhaps decide that we aren’t your enemies if you’re particularly intelligent, or would you rather die, here and now, because I’m a total unknown?  At least you’ve gauged Spike’s powers, his strength, but you know nothing about me, and you know enough to read that I’m not the least afraid of you.  That kind of confidence from an opponent isn’t always the most promising thing, hmm?”
        Giles, at least, reads the situation for what it is.  Buffy wants to keep fighting, of course she does, but Rupert really is holding the leash.  For the moment, anyway.
        They intervene with the whole Angelus thing.  And yes, Xiongnai does chase away Angelus when he appears.  They continue as a possibly-allies but they can’t trust them until that point, when they do have an alliance.  And then the dreams begin to make sense.  Until they realize what they’re missing.
        Xiongnai has a more primal ability akin to magic-he can manipulate the world around him.  Only slightly, but it’s still powerful.  Together with the ring, he manages to make Spike immune to the sunlight.

Yīgèdúyǎn (the one-eyed)