NT: Chapter 101

The Flight back to South Town was a long one. Almost fifteen hours passed on the flight, which gave me plenty of time to rest. It was as I was sleeping that more music came to me in my dreams, and I busted out the pen and paper and began jotting down musical notation and lyrics. It was a good way to pass the time, especially since the in-flight movie was some low-budget Bobby Bowfinger B-Movie that had been cheap enough for Far East Airlines to pick up to show in the middle stretch of their trans-Pacific flights. I was willing to bet they showed this sort of thing in dentists' offices, too. They were that cheap to make.

Regardless, by the time I made it back to South Town, I had a number of songs worked out. One that was called One Last Breath, another that was called Seven Nation Army, and one more that was called Someday. I had a few bits and pieces of others, but those three were pretty much completely written on the flight. I honestly had no idea where the music came from. My best guess was that they came from one of my Patrons. Either Raiden, who, as a Thunder God, technically had some hold over sound, or more likely, Janus. After all, Janus' daughter Canens was the Roman Goddess of Music. I doubted they came from Oma Desala, though. Ascended Beings seemed to be a lot more interested in the Sciences than the Arts, from what I knew of them. At least the ones like Oma Desala were. There were a couple different kinds of Ascended Beings, after all.

Regardless, by the time I'd gotten off the plane and grabbed my Bags, it was well into the morning of the day after I'd left Tokyo here in South Town. Unfortunately, Chin Gentsai wasn't back yet from Hong Kong with Kensou and Athena. The Old Man had gone over there to help out with the search for the Phoenix Mirror, as the Chi-You Men were apparently proving a bit tougher than expected. He'd left a note at his Apartment for me that was dated to yesterday. That meant that I was at loose ends yet again.

"I wonder if the Universe is trying to tell me I should move on from South Town?" I questioned as I read the note.

It was certainly plausible, at least. Either way, I decided it couldn't hurt to head out for breakfast. Taking my Camaro out for a drive, I picked up a giant breakfast from the Mooby's Drive Through, three Egga Mooby Muffins, six Hash Browns, and two drinks, one Vanilla Coke and one Jooky. I hadn't eaten since getting on the plane, after all. As I made my way back to Chin Gentsai's apartment, I decided that I would take it easy for a bit, maybe work on practicing my new songs, or do a bit of light training, until the Universe doubled down and gave me a completely clear sign that I needed to move on.

That was pretty much how the next five days passed. I worked on my songs, ate fast food I picked up from various drive-throughs, and did a bit of light training, primarily in trying to learn some of the Bonghwang Taekwando Techniques I'd managed to grab from defeating Kim Kaphwan. Of course, because I was taking it easy, I only managed to learn two of them, the Hangestuzan and Hienzan, but that was fine by me. I mean, it wasn't as if I was in any big hurry right now. After all, I didn't need to return to Sunnydale to help against the next big Apocalyptic issue for a couple of weeks yet.

Unfortunately, on the sixth day of my stay in Chin Gentsai's Apartment on my own, I got restless and decided to head for the Pao Pao Cafe. It would be there where I would get my sign from the Universe telling me to pack up and leave South Town. Honestly, I was expecting something catastrophic to happen to tell me that I needed to leave. Perhaps the Yamazaki-Gumi had brought in a professional to deal with me, like one of Bankotsubo's Proteges in the Order of Teraka, who were powerful Mystics or Chi Adepts, or maybe someone from the ICA who could put a Magekiller Bullet made from specialized Materials through my eye from a mile out. Maybe the Howard Connection had finally recuperated and decided to show up in force, fighting me six-on-one in terms of Chi Adepts. I had been expecting violence like that.

What I definitely hadn't been expecting was to be blindsided by a Slayer who wasn't Buffy or Kendra, but that was what wound up happening nonetheless. . .

XXXX

I'd just finished my dinner at the Pao Pao Cafe and decided to step outside for a smoke. Apparently, as a King of Fighters Champion, I got a certain number of free meals. The owner of the Pao Pao Cafe, Richard Meyer, claimed that with all the Martial Artists and Chi Adepts in the area, it was just good promotion to offer something like that. I hadn't been sure about that myself, but it wasn't like I was about to turn down a free meal. At any rate, after devouring the Feijoada over rice that I'd ordered, I washed down the spicy beef and bean stew with a cold Penn Pavel's ale before pushing away from the counter.

"Leaving so soon?" Queried Richard Meyer.

"I'll be back. I'm just going to go have a smoke." I answered.

"Oh, good." Nodded Richard Meyer.

"Worried about your tip?" I asked.

"Nah, there's someone who wants to talk to you, is all." Responded Richard Meyer.

"Let me guess, he has blonde hair pulled into a Ponytail, wears a trucker hat, and has a shitty attitude?" I questioned.

"Yeah. It's Terry. I think he wants a rematch." Admitted Richard Meyer.

"That figures." I scoffed.

"You beat him in front of the whole world. Can you blame him for asking for a rematch?" Queried Richard Meyer.

"I can and I am. He gets on my nerves." I grumbled.

"Just think about it." Opined Richard Meyer.

"Fine. I'll think about it." I acquiesced.

And with that, I headed outside for the alleyway to go smoke. I'd pulled a battered packet of Red Apple Cigarettes out of my expanded coat pocket and had just lit up when it happened. A Girl who couldn't have been much older than my biological age slinked forward out of the alley. She was wearing a pair of red leather pants, motorcycle boots, and a black crop top that exposed the tribal tattoo she had on her right arm. Her brunette hair hung at shoulder length in loose ringlets, and she had on maroon lipstick. The way she rolled her hips when she walked was sexual as all Hell, and I was suddenly reminded that I'd been single and without a partner since Cordy broke up with me.

However, it was the look in her brown eyes that made me think to open my Third Eye and really take a look at her as she approached me. I'd seen that look before. Hell, I'd used that look before. It was a gaze filled with the confidence that only came from knowing you could triumph over supernatural opponents in a life-or-death situation. The kind of look that you only tended to get if you were a successful Hunter or Supernatural Combatant. Opening my Third Eye and using my Powers of Analysis through it gave me a whole wealth of information. First and foremost, this Girl was a Slayer. That could only mean that either Buffy or Kendra had died, and this Girl had been called up as a replacement. My Money was on Kendra, though. She'd been a little too Orthodox to survive for very long.

The next few things that I noticed, I only noticed thanks to my Powers of Analysis. First and foremost, was that the confidence she displayed outwardly was fragile, likely having something to do with the still-healing ribs that she was trying to hide. Depending on how badly she had been hurt, it was possible that she was a new enough Slayer that her healing factor wasn't fully up to snuff yet. I couldn't imagine a Slayer who had been active for more than three months or so would have any problems healing broken ribs, even if those ribs had been practically pulverized. If I had to hazard a guess, she'd been called a month ago, maybe a few weeks longer than that, and had recently suffered a major defeat.

"Hey! You Ulysses?" Asked the Girl, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Maybe, that depends on who's asking." I retorted.

"Faith, I'm a new Slayer. I was hoping you could bring me out to Sunnydale to hook up with the other Slayer, Buffy." Introduced the Girl, Faith.

"I might be able to, though Buffy and I aren't exactly friends." I shrugged, taking a drag on my cigarette.

"Oh yeah? That ain't what my Watcher said." Remarked Faith.

"Buffy and I have teamed up in the past, but honestly? She's got a major chip on her shoulder. Always thinking she has to be the one in charge just 'cause she's the Slayer. I don't take orders from anyone but my Patrons. You can guess how that went from there." I shrugged.

"Shit, I thought you and her were tight. Are you gonna be able to vouch for me?" Questioned Faith.

"Maybe. Of course, it'd help if you told me what happened to Kendra to get you called in the first place." I intoned.

"She got iced by some guys trying to resurrect Imhotep out in Egypt. Apparently, she was part of a team that got put together to try and stop that from happening." Answered Faith.

"Imhotep? The Scourge of Hamunaptra? I thought he'd been defeated for good back in the thirties?" I queried.

"Yeah, but I guess nobody told the Guys trying to bring him back. They had a buncha magic guns, so they were a problem on their own, anyway." Shrugged Faith.

"Good to know. So, where's your Watcher?" I asked.

"On some bigass Watcher's Retreat in the Cotswolds." Lied Faith.

Of course, I could only tell that was a lie based on my Powers of Analysis. Shaking my head at the response, I could only surmise that something bad had happened to Faith recently, and whatever it was, it had left her with still-healing ribs, a fragile grip on her self-confidence, and a lack of Watcher. However, it wasn't my place to pry. She'd either tell me in time or she wouldn't. If I pushed her to tell me now, how would that make me any better than Bossy Buffy?

"Fine. You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I won't pry. You might want to drink this, though." I responded, pulling a healing potion out of my expanded coat pocket.

"What's this?" Questioned Faith.

"A healing potion. For your ribs. I can tell they're still hurt." I answered.

"What's in it?" Queried Faith.

"This one? Some ground toadstone, a bit of moly, and the ground-up horn of a goldhorn. It's not as potent as one based around Troll's Blood, but some folks are a bit leery about drinking stuff made from the blood of Monsters. It's too close to being a Vampire for their liking. I figured it was best to err on the side of caution here." I informed.

"And it'll just heal my ribs up?" Asked Faith.

"That's all. I could swear a magically binding oath to that effect if you want?" I questioned.

"Nah, we're copacetic. I'll trust you on this, since you're not being a total douche and demanding I tell you what happened to my Watcher." Waved off Faith as she took the Potion.

I nodded at that, watching as she drank the healing potion down. Trust was a two-way street, after all. As her ribs knit together, Faith stretched out like a cat who'd just woken up from a nap, grinning as she did so. She looked over at me with a huge grin on her face and let out a groan of relief at the lack of pain in her ribs.

"Damn, Uly! If I'd known potions could do this, I'd've hooked up with a magic guy earlier!" Grinned Faith.

"You hungry? I can buy you dinner before we leave. I need to head back to the place I'm crashing after this to get my stuff, but we can hit the road tonight if you want." I offered.

"I could eat." Nodded Faith.

"A girl after my own heart. Come on, then." I smirked.

I stubbed out my cigarette and stuffed the packet and lighter back into my expanded coat pockets as we headed back into the Pao Pao Cafe, the sounds of Stillwater's Fever Dog filtering in on the Radio. Faith ordered a big plate of fried plantains, rice, and beans, with a side of pork sausage. Then she went to town on her food while I explained to Richard Meyer that something had come up, I was about to head out of state a couple of weeks earlier than I'd planned, and that I wasn't going to be giving Terry Bogard a rematch anytime soon.

"Terry's gonna be disappointed." Warned Richard Meyer.

"Let him be. I don't really care at this point." I shrugged.

"Just saying. Don't be surprised if the next time you see him, he opens with a punch instead of words." Cautioned Richard Meyer.

"I'll take that under advisement." I remarked dryly.

I ordered another Penn Pavel's Ale while I waited for Faith to finish her food. She demolished what was supposed to be a party platter of fried plantains, plus a serving and a half of beans and rice, like she hadn't eaten in a couple of days. Honestly, if she had been on the road constantly enough that her ribs hadn't fully healed, it was likely that she probably had also been skipping meals. Of course, that didn't take into account the whole Slayer metabolism thing. By the time she was done, I was only three-quarters of the way through my beer. Chuckling to myself at the antics of a hungry Faith, I chugged the rest of my beer and fished a couple of hundred-dollar bills out of my wallet for Richard's Tip. Then I turned to Faith.

"You good to go?" I queried.

"I'm five-by-five. Let's book it." Nodded Faith.

As we made our way out of the Pao Pao Cafe, Faith whistled as she saw my Camaro. I couldn't help but chuckle at that. It had been my car ever since I'd woken up in the Black Dragon Laboratory in the Seacouver Zone. I had to admit, it was pretty sweet. Faith was a lot more vocal about things than I was, though.

"Damn! That's a sweet ride. She's no Harley, of course, but there ain't a lotta rides that are." Remarked Faith.

"Do you have anywhere you need me to drop you off to grab your stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, the Motel Six near the Bamboo Lounge. I was staying there." Nodded Faith.

"That place?" I questioned, incredulously.

"Yeah, why?" Queried Faith.

"No reason." I shrugged.

"Hey, we don't all have random hundreds in our wallets, you know." Huffed Faith.

"Fair enough." I acquiesced.

And with that, I drove her to pick up her stuff. She went into the Motel Six, then came out twenty minutes later with a single bag. I popped the trunk and she shoved the bag in, then we were heading back to Chin Gentsai's Place. I headed inside after we arrived, packed everything into a series of Bags of Holding, and then piled those bags into the back seat. Just before we headed out, I left a note for Chin Gentsai, thanking him for his training and hospitality and leaving my contact info, before getting back into my Camaro. As I did so, I turned to face Faith in the passenger's seat.

"I'm not supposed to be back in Sunnydale for another week and a half. Is there anyplace out of the way you might want to visit?" I asked.

"Chicago. I've seen New York, and I'm definitely gonna visit LA while we're in Cali, so that'd make the Trifecta, yeah?" Suggested Faith.

"Sure thing." I agreed.

As I drove off for the Highway, however, I had no idea just what stopping in Chicago would get Faith and I mixed up in. I honestly doubted Faith realized it either, or she wouldn't have suggested stopping in the third-largest city in the US to sightsee either. When we arrived in Chicago a couple of days later, we would wind up getting caught up in an attack on the Field Museum of Natural History by a beast known as a Kothoga while we were sightseeing.

At least our trip wouldn't be boring. . .

XXXX

AN: All right. I wanted to get this one out so that I could get back to Ulysses' POV this week. Here we have the next chapter. Ulysses has now met up with Faith Lehane, and they are leaving South Town together. Ulysses doesn't know it yet, but the reason for Faith's still-healing ribs, fragile confidence, and lack of a Watcher is that she is being tailed by Kakistos. She lost him for a bit, but the stuff going down in Chicago that she and Ulysses are about to get mixed up in is going to draw Kakistos' eye back to her.

Other nineties stuff this chapter includes mentions of the Black Dragon and Raiden from Mortal Kombat, Janus, Sunnydale, the Order of Teraka, Faith, Kendra, and Buffy are from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Imhotep and Hamunaptra are from The Mummy, Penn Pavel's Ale is from That Seventies Show, Red Apple Cigarettes are from the Works of Quentin Tarantino, the Bamboo Lounge is from Goodfellas, Seacouver and the Zone are from Highlander, Mooby's and Egga Mooby Muffins are from the Works of Kevin Smith, Jooky is from an Old Nineties Sprite Commercial, Stillwater is from Almost Famous, Bankotsubo is from DOA, the ICA is from Hitman, Bobby Bowfinger and his B-Movies are from Bowfinger, the Kothoga is from The Relic, and Far East Airlines is from Toy Story Two. Everything else is from King of Fighters.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve Faith and Ulysses getting mixed up in an alternate version of the movie The Relic while sightseeing in Chicago. After that, they'll be on their way to Sunnydale.

Stay tuned. . .