TITLE: Secretly
SERIES: Faithfully Departed, #2
BY: Zorya
EMAIL: lunarmyth@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Don't own the characters ('cept Kiara) Everyone else is property of Joss and the WB and Mutant Enemy and all those rich execs. Songs are not mine either (as if you couldn't tell, you sly dog, you) Skunk Anansie - "Secretly"
DISTRIBUTION: Ask first, please.
RATING: R
CATEGORY: ?
SPOILERS: Takes place after GD2 (So mention of things through Season 3). There are no real specifics. But in my world, the events of Band Candy don't take place until way later (or at least enough time so that by the time Buffy's in college, Joyce could have a bun in the oven and not have anyone be able to tell)
SUMMARY: While Buffy mopes over Angel, Kiara turns her attention and abilities to helping Faith recover. Xander tries to comfort Buffy in the face of their mutual loneliness, Willow's grumpy that Oz is on tour and Kiara tries to figure out how to get to Spike.

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"See Dick walk."

She spun around and kicked the newly made vampire who had just risen from his grave. He stumbled forward a bit before turning in full game face. He jumped at her and clasped his hands around her neck.

"See Dick jump."

She kneed him in the groin and pushed him away before letting her right hook connect with his jaw and leveling a forceful kick right in the middle of his chest. The vampire grunted and turned to run away.

"See Dick run. Run, Dick, run."

"Not so fast." She leaped forward and tackled him to the ground. Stake in hand, she plunged it into his back, impaling his heart on its tip. She plopped onto the ground as he exploded into a cloud of dust. "Dick's dust," she grumbled.

Pushing herself up and rolling over, Buffy glared at the tiny woman sitting on a headstone six feet away. "It wouldn't kill you to help, you know."

"But you were doing so well," Kiara grinned. "Besides, I need to work on my Slayer wit."

"Don't take my word for it, but I doubt you'll be knockin' 'em dead anytime soon," she muttered.

"Oh come on, you know you enjoyed the workout." She hopped up and walked over to where Buffy was standing up and brushing the dust off of her pants. "Besides, not a one of them rose before you'd had ample enough time to stake the previous."

Buffy wasn't paying attention to her, just trying to get the dirt off. Her head was bowed as she concentrated on the task at hand. "You know what? Why don't you just teach me your little trick. Then we can all have a little fun and go home and sleep."

Kiara watched as another vampire stalked them from the side. It was more intent on Buffy than on herself. She was the known Slayer around here, afterall. "Ummm. No. I think that would be cheating. Besides, you can't tell me you don't find the activity exhilarating."

"Oh yeah. I just love the bruises. They go with my complexion so nicely."

"Umm hmm," Kiara murmured, watching the approaching demon. She could feel that there were others near, closing in on them. "Accentuate your eyes...."

Buffy looked up. "What?"

Just as the vampire was within ten feet of them, it crumbled into a pile of dust. She could feel the others hesitate. "Huh?" She looked up at Buffy, glad that the girl hadn't noticed anything amiss. "Oh. Nothing. Just...yeah. Ummm. Isn't it time you got home? I think even Giles would admit that staking fifteen vamps is a good night's work."

The girls joined arms and walked off towards Buffy's dorm. The creatures had pulled back and were content to watch for the moment. They were too far away for Buffy to feel them, but Kiara's heightened Slayer sense was fully aware. She also knew Buffy was tired, and a major fight would be hazardous at this time. "So, what time do you have class tomorrow?"

Buffy shot her a sidelong glance. "Ten. You know that. What's up Kia? You've been acting really weird lately. Which, no offense, is pretty out there on the Hellmouth scale of strange."

It had been two months since the incidents in L.A.. After all of the work and tragedy, not much had changed. Except now Kiara was in Sunnydale and an honorary member of the elite Scooby Gang. She and Buffy had gotten somewhat close in the last couple of months, especially since Buffy was no longer worried that Kiara was after Angel. No, no. Kiara had bigger troubles than that to worry with now.

"It's Spike, isn't it?" Buffy asked.

Kiara sighed. "Yeah.... He's just so...I mean...Well...It's like..."

"It's like he's Spike? Good ole evil, sarcastic, blood-sucking Spike?"

"Mmmm. Yep. That about sums it up. I'm having a hard time not staking his ass."

Buffy grinned. "Would that be such a problem? Besides, I thought you didn't do the 'wood' thing."

Kiara smiled. "I've been known to lift one a time or two. And yes. Spike is an asset to us, as much as you don't want to admit it. And....he's kinda cute in those tight jeans of his."

Buffy snickered. "Hundreds of years of pure love and *now* you're going all hormonal? So he's got a great butt, huh?"

"Oh right. Like you haven't checked."

Buffy blushed. "Well...."

The two girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. When they stopped in front of Buffy's dorm, Kiara turned to her.

"Have you heard from Angel?" she asked the blonde, her silver gaze conveying her sympathy.

Buffy's laughter died down and she looked away. "Ummm, that would be a negative. Xander's talked to Cordelia though, and she says he's been fine." Buffy smirked bitterly. "I'm guessing I got the bad end of this deal."

The black haired girl watched the anguish flit through the younger girl's large green eyes. "Take it from me, it will all work out in the end. I mean, I think that's my life's very long, very unbelievable story. The love between the two of you is practically a living, breathing thing in itself. It won't ever die," Kiara smiled slightly. "I'm hoping to find that for *myself* this time." With a shrug she continued. "Anyway. Enough brooding. I'll catch ya tomorrow?"

Buffy nodded, her thoughts elsewhere. "Yeah. I'll be free after three. I've got an exam, so don't mind me if I'm feeling extra stake-happy," she rolled her eyes with a half grin.

Kiara laughed. "Good luck." She watched as Buffy headed up the steps to the dorm entrance, making sure none of their uninvited guests decided to follow her in. She turned slowly and looked up at the moon, gauging the amount of time left until sunrise. It wouldn't be too long. Perhaps an hour. With a determined air, she turned from the campus and began walking back to the cemetery. She had a party to crash.



* * *




At ten AM sharp the next morning, Kiara strode into the hospital and walked to the elevator. In her loose white sundress she looked the picture of innocence. Passersby watched her with a frown, saddened that this beautiful young woman would have to spend her day at a hospital. They wondered if perhaps her mother was sick or if her grandfather had passed away or if, sorrowfully, a young friend had died in yet another mysterious way. None of this was the case however as Kiara strolled around the fifth floor, searching for room 1543. She stumbled upon it quite by accident. With a glance at her watch, she peeped in, her silver eyes widening slightly at the room.

The blinds on the windows were lifted to let the bright sunshine in. The TV attached to the corner was playing the Cartoon Network, but without any sound Kiara didn't find much entertainment in it. She thought it was interesting what humans these days considered mentally nutritioning.

But it was the small, dark form on the raised hospital bed that caught most of her attention. She didn't bother knocking, knowing that the girl was fairly oblivious to who came and went. Kiara stepped into the room and walked to the bed, her heart breaking at the sight of the girl's still form. She could barely tell that there was any life at all in the body. Yet, with Kiara's enhanced senses, she felt the spark of activity in the girl's mind and soul. She sat down gently on the edge of the bed and picked up the girl's fragile, pale hand.

"Faith," she said softly. With her light touch, she brushed back a few strands of Faith's limp brown hair. The skin around her eyes and mouth was drawn, and its once vibrant glow had sunken into a sallow pallor. Kiara closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind to try to connect to the small corner of Faith's body where the girl still existed.

It was of no use. Faith had cut herself off completely. Kiara felt sorry for her, unwilling to come back, yet too strong to pass on. She hazarded another look at her watch. It was a fact that Buffy came to look in on Faith everyday after class. Partially from guilt and partially from an insane hope that the girl would wake up. Buffy read to her, talked to her, played music for her, worked with the physical therapist to keep Faith's muscles in working condition...anything that could possibly be done for the girl, Buffy did. Kiara grieved for Buffy also. Even if Faith did wake up, she was certain that Buffy would never fully stop punishing herself. She'd tried to kill Faith, intentionally, and there was no going back. True, Faith hadn't been a saint - had gone so far as to try to kill Angel - but her punishment was not to be in Buffy's hands.

"You've got to come back to us," Kiara told her. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. You don't belong in here, you know that."

The only sounds to be heard in the room were the birds chirping outside, the faint beeps of the heart monitor and the artificial respirator that Faith was on. With a sigh, Kiara stood up and placed a kiss on Faith's forehead. She knew she'd be back. Besides, if she didn't want Buffy finding out she'd been here, she had to leave soon. With a backward glance at Faith's comatose body, Kiara slipped out of the room.





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