Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, with the exception of the originals.
Timeline and Important Notes: Set in Buffy's Freshman year of college. Her mother is dead, Angel is gone, NO RILEY. For Fruits Basket, this is set during Tohru's last months of high school. Life is pretty much the same for her as in the last episode of Fruits Basket.

Naruto mixed with Fruits Basket will be the basis of Act II, so I am hesitant to put it in the Buffy Crossovers section like this Act. It is going to be placed in the Anime Crossovers section for now. Alternatively, look for it under my name or contact me to be put on a notification list for updates.

Various things have been changed in the story to prevent conflict from the addition of Naruto, which was not intended in the beginning. These are minor and probably wouldn't have been noticed, but I like to keep the loose ends tied just in case.

This story has taken forever, mostly due to a period of lost interest. This time I'm in it until the end, no matter how long it takes. Thanks for stickin' around. :D

Thanks to: David for everything, and Kathleen for some ideas. I appreciate muchly.

ACT I: To Solitude
Gossamer Remembrance
By, Heather B. Kytes
Chapter Summary: Tohru didn't understand the words. She didn't recognize the face that had replaced hers in the clear pool. Those sorrowful green eyes looked nothing like her bright eyes of blue, yet they sparked a sense of familiarity in her, comfort.

Chapter One:
Reflection

"Oof," Buffy Summers breathed as the blue-horned and well-muscled demon effectively knocked the wind from her with a well-placed kick to her solar plexus. It had started out as a relatively quiet patrol until Buffy had heard the grunting sounds coming from beneath the monkey bars at that damn cursed children's playground on Baker Street, a breeding ground for demons if she'd ever seen one. She hadn't been surprised to see demon of the week enter the picture: blue, slimy, strong, and ugly.

All standard demon traits, she supposed, with color being the wildcard.

"Look, there's one of you, and one of me," she said when she caught her breath, standing in the standard defensive position as she eyed her opponent. "Now in terms of getting your ass kicked, there may as well be ten me's and one you. Well, okay, not really, because there aren't ten me's, but, uh--" Buffy wrinkled her brow, wondering if she would ever get back into her groove of pertinent puns. "Okay, that didn't come out as witty as I hoped. Let me just start from--"

The demon launched itself at her, having no respect for the taunting part of battle. Buffy gazed around wildly, looking for anything that might come in handy as a stabbing device (the damn demon had knocked her trusty stake Mr. Pointy into some bushes earlier). The nearest thing even vaguely resembling weaponry was a toy gardening spade resting in the nearby sandbox. Buffy threw herself into the sandbox, choking on a puff of the sand grains that rose up around her as she focused on grasping a handful of the stuff. She tossed it into Ugly's eyes, satisfied to see the monster stumbling around blindly as she raced to her duffel bag. She rummaged through the bag hurriedly, knowing that the demon wouldn't be in the dark for long.

Her fingers found the blade of a knife, somehow avoiding serious cuts from the sharp edge, and she pulled it free from its constraints, gripping the handle and aiming with a cocked eye. She pulled her arm back and hurled the deadly weapon at the staggering demon. The blade found its target, giving her both the satisfaction of having been correct in her aim and in ensuring its demise by hitting the heart straight on. It groaned painfully for a few seconds, white, sticky blood gurgling out of its mouth with its failed attempt at foreign speech. He was probably trying to curse her or maybe praying to go to the same Hell as its loved ones. Buffy didn't much care to ponder what demons thought before they died.

"Pretty easy for a demon slaying," Buffy muttered, heading into the bushes to find the missing stake. Normally she'd probably say screw it in regards to a measly stake, but this one she had a weird attachment to, on account of all the times it had been her last saving grace. She owed her life to it, and to Kendra, the fallen slayer. "Come on, where are you?" Buffy pushed back leaf-covered branches aside in futile hopes of finding the stake. Several times she cut herself superficially on a sharp pointy branch, but the cuts healed almost as soon as they formed.

Funny, she couldn't remember ever healing this fast before. Maybe all her lasting wounds were just emotional now.

"Dammit Mr. Pointy," Buffy hissed, flushing as soon as she realized her thought had been vocalized, albeit quietly. Talking to an inanimate object; insanity, the final frontier. The wooden stake lay beneath the last bush, unharmed and still as deadly for the undead as ever. She brushed it off and slipped it back into the inner pocket of her jacket.

Buffy swung the duffel bag over her shoulder and trudged out of the playground, heading for home. She turned her mind off the dire thoughts and wondered instead how Xander's date was going. He had been so excited on the phone, "I think I found someone! Who likes me! A female! A non-Cordelia female!" She chuckled, thinking there was a fifty-fifty chance it would turn out to be a demon or other being of the non-human variety (Cordy being borderline). It did seem like Xander was cursed in the area of love.

Then weren't they all? Wasn't everyone, really?

"There's that dire again," Buffy muttered, mentally slapping herself. She was really trying to keep grim thoughts off the menu. They tended to get her into depressed mood and that was a place she didn't really need to be during the healing process.

The hot summer had dealt her two deadly blows. First, she'd had to deal with Angel being gone. The love of her life... he loved her but wouldn't stay. That had been painful, as painful as the summer after she had killed him to save the world. She thought she had handled it a little better, possibly because graduating from high school had matured her somewhat. Just as the pain had faded, the second blow had clocked her upside the head. Her mother suffered a deadly stroke and died.

Just like that.

Thrust on her own at eighteen, a legal adult, but Buffy had not known what to do or where to start. She hadn't cared to at first, feeling the best thing to do would be to climb in her mother's coffin with her and take a long rest. Giles, Willow, and Xander had been her saving graces, and she owed them everything she had now. Giles had taken her in gladly, or so he said. Joyce would want Buffy to live in a stable environment and finish her education by continuing into college, an endeavor which Giles was fully funding with his extensive savings. The bookish man had never been one to spend money on frivolous things, so he had quite the stockpile of cash in the bank.

College was hell, no doubt about that. She hadn't expected anything else. School was school.

I wish there were more demons out, Buffy thought. I'm starting to get the warm fuzzies from killing them again.

Like magic, as soon as she had the thought, a twin of the blue Ugly appeared in front of her, grinning with wicked sharp yellow teeth.

Buffy smiled. "Guess you're worried about your buddy, huh? Sorry he can't come to the phone right now, on account of being really, really dead."

Ugly grinned wider, turning and running in the opposite direction.

Buffy started, blinking with confusion. "That's not the normal response," she said before breaking into a run after the demon.

It was fast, Olympic sprinter fast. She was faster, catching up to it and dealing it a series of devastating kicks. It rolled away, picked itself up, and continued to flee.

"Not a quick learner, huh? No worries, I'm a patient, if not effective, teacher," Buffy panted, holding her duffel bag close as she chased the demon across a grassy area. She was almost caught up when it disappeared into the ground.

No, just jumped down into the sewers.

"Typical," Buffy groaned, sighing as she contemplated the sewer's smelly effect on her clothes and hair. She finally relented, dropping her duffel down the hole and jumping in right after it.

She spotted the blue thing disappearing around the corner. She heaved her bag up and splashed along, cringing at the thought of what this was doing to her expensive boots. Why don't demons ever pick nice parks to shack up in? Sewers and graveyards, let's have some originality here.

A slight feeling of uneasiness made its way into Buffy's conscious mind. She acknowledged it briefly, keeping her mind on the chase. She was catching up again, almost there.

The demon took a sharp right, through a tunnel. She followed close behind.

The uneasiness grew into full blown anxiety, but her feet continued to pound across the floor, mechanically. She couldn't place the fear. Didn't want to know. All she wanted was to kill it and be done with it.

Get out, get out, get out.

No. Stay.

She stumbled into a dark room. The demon was mysteriously gone, no sign of it either visually or aurally. Her Slayer senses were reading zero.

Except for the mind numbing fear.

Because she knew this place. She knew.

The Master's lair.

Emotions assaulted her, rendering her helpless. The duffel bag dropped to the ground unnoticed as Buffy's body went limp, barely maintaining the ability to stand.

The place where she, where she--

Go on, it's better the second time around.

"No," she whispered, unable to move, desperately wanting to leave. Needing to leave.

Buffy.

God, who was that? So familiar.

She gazed into the dark depths of the pool, unable to tear her eyes away. The water was remarkably clear and tinted the slightest of blues. Buffy's reflection wavered as tiny waves rippled along its surface. There shouldn't have been ripples, because there was no wind, not even a slight breeze. She leaned forward, trying to get a better view.

Of...

Her.

We're all searching for something to live for. It might be hard to find, but it's there. You'll find it.

You can tell others what you want.

I can't go back there. I don't belong there.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Let's stay together.

She's gone.

I'll kill her.

Buffy watched dreamily as an image of a girl appeared in the pool.

"Who... is that?" Buffy murmured, sure that she had never seen the girl before. Such luminous blue eyes and a gorgeous smile would have been hard to forget. Looking at her, as the lovely girl looked back, felt...

Nice.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but the figure sneaking up behind the girl in the pool caught her attention. A pale ghost of a man with dark hair and dark blue eyes raised his arms up, and his intent was crystal clear.

He's going to push her in!

Buffy started to yell out as the girl's face deepened with fear similar to her own. Her yell was cut off by a hard shove, and she fell facedown into the pool. In slow motion, it seemed she fell forever, her eyes never leaving the girl's reflected face.

It's time.

Buffy heard someone speak. She knew she did, but she had no chance to find out who it was before the dark.

"I really don't know what to do after graduation," Tohru Honda said to Hatori Souma as she fiddled with some loose papers on his desk. She spotted one titled "grocery list" and absent-mindedly began reading it. She stopped once she got to the item listing of "condoms" and looked up quickly, flushing. "Um..."

Hatori was watching her, standing next to the open door leading to the outside deck. The afternoon sun was bright and hot, but he seemed unaffected by the weather, dressed neatly in a pair of tan slacks and his white coat. Tohru wondered why he was in full doctor gear, but decided to continue talking about the original topic, which was of course cond--no, post-graduation plans.

After a beat of silence, Tohru continued, "I've really enjoyed taking care of Akito lately, so I think I might look into the health care field, maybe try to become a nurse."

"I was thinking you would pursue a career related to cooking," Hatori said quietly, looking thoughtful. "But you really are a natural care giver. Akito has been doing much better since you started visiting him."

Tohru shrugged modestly. "Well, I enjoy it. He's no trouble at all, really. We have fun just watching movies, eating and talking. I don't know how much of a nurse's job consists of that!"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Hatori replied, walking slowly towards his desk and her. "Well, Tohru, you have all summer to decide what you'd like to do."

"It's just such a big decision," Tohru said, clenching her fists as the weight of the future loomed over her. Life could never continue as it was, the carefree days at Shigure's house and the ease of high school. What if she drifted apart from her friends? She wanted to them to be in her life forever.

Because they weren't friends. They were family.

"No matter what you choose to do, I'm sure you'll turn out fine. You have a lot of people who care for you, Tohru," Hatori said.

"I know," Tohru said. "I know everything will be fine as long as mom is watching out for me."

Hatori nodded, moving past her to riffle through the papers on his desk. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to do a little shopping for Ayame. He tells me he's very busy at the shop today and just has no time to pick these up himself."

Tohru let out a sigh. "So it's his," she said, feeling relief. The relief died at the realization that Ayame needing condoms was just as horrifying (though not as surprising) a prospect as the other.

"Are you feeling alright?" Hatori said as he peered at her face. "You appear flushed."

"It's just hot today," Tohru said quickly. "I'm fine. Enjoy your shopping."

"You enjoy your time with Akito. Just a warning, but he's been acting a bit odd today. However, I'm sure he'll warm up to you. You have my cell phone number if you need to contact me for anything. Goodbye." Hatori tucked the list in his back pocket and exited the room as Tohru waved him off.

Alone now, Tohru made her way out of Hatori's office to the building furthest from the front gate. Akito preferred to stay there, he said, because the noise of the city bothered him. Tohru actually thought that the Souma main house was relatively remotely located, but Akito must have disagreed.

She had been visiting him regularly for the past six months, about once a week. He had recently asked her if she could visit more often, and for longer periods of time. Tohru wasn't yet sure she wanted to spend both of her days off from work with him, but she had promised to think about it. It wasn't only pity that kept her going to him, she honestly enjoyed his company. She never could have known that inside the seemingly insane, sick, violent young man had rested a genuinely nice, caring person if she hadn't taken the time to get to know him. He reminded her a lot that he appreciated her efforts.

As nice as Yuki was to her, he made it clear he didn't approve of her time spent with Akito. "I just don't think that's where you need to be."

Undaunted, Tohru had responded, "I like spending time with him." She was gradually getting used to speaking up for her own wants, and she knew she had Kyou to thank for her growth.

Yuki had seen her commitment and dropped the subject, but Tohru knew it still bothered him. Kyou's reaction had been much simpler. "If that bastard hurts you, he's getting his face punched in," he'd said.

The two of them were understandably worried about her. Tohru wished they could see that they didn't need to be concerned, but as far as she knew, no one knew Akito the way she had grown to know him. Maybe not even Hatori knew who Akito really was inside.

Tohru was walking mindlessly, knowing the way by heart. She could have found her way there blindfolded, well, probably. She had a DVD tucked under her arm, a great comedy she figured Akito would love. He had told her those were his favorite type of movie after she had brought a sampling of things from her collection. He never laughed at any of the jokes, but he assured her that he honestly enjoyed them.

"Bring your favorite movie sometime," Akito had said. "I'd like to watch it with you."

Getting Akito from doing nothing to talking with her had been hard. It had been even harder to introduce watching movies to the equation. Her biggest goal was to get Akito off the Souma property one of these days. She knew he would enjoy a trip to the park if only she could ger him there. It was tragic that someone who had such little time left in the world wasn't out there enjoying all of it he could.

"I'm just so tired, Tohru."

Tohru stopped dead in her tracks, unsure a moment later why she had stopped. Her gaze was drawn to a small pond to her right, and she walked towards it, staring at her reflection in the water.

She watched her own face for a few seconds before it was gone.

Then she saw everything.

The Slayer?

You know, Chosen one, she who walks alone? Ringing a bell yet?

You'll die. We all will.

I'm sorry I couldn't save you.

I'm sixteen. I don't want to die.

It's okay. The world will rest soon.

Tohru didn't understand the words. She didn't recognize the face that had replaced hers in the clear pool. Those sorrowful green eyes looked nothing like her bright eyes of blue, yet they sparked a sense of familiarity in her, comfort. Trust me, they said. I will take care of you.

Tohru was about to speak when the figure appeared over the girl's shoulder. A young woman with a raven's unfurled wing of hair and soft, muted lips twisted upward in a sorrowful smile was reaching out to push the girl forward.

She'll fall into the pool!

Tohru started to cry out a warning, and as she did, the face of the girl in the pool also twisted with anxiety. Before a word could escape her lips, she was falling forward. She didn't remember losing her balance. She remembered nothing as it all faded to white.