Buffy’s shadowy outline was turning into Buffy herself, like they were pulled toward each other with a string. The serious cut of her face and her hard metal eyes— though Faith swore she saw a flicker of excitement— meant business. Faith meant business too though; she was an instrument perfectly tuned and ready to put on one hell of a show. Shame no one’d be there to see it, but it wouldn’t be one for the kiddies anyways. She pressed her hands together, cracked her knuckles. Buffy’s anxious energy was comin’ off her in waves. This was a long time coming. Faith speared her with a sharp look, lips curving upwards with a smirk to match.
“My idea?” she pushed a hand to her chest, mouth dipped open in mock surprise, “Guess I can spill, seein’ as there’s gonna be a winner and a loser. My plan’s pretty simple, it’s one of those five step action plans, only shorter. Two steps. I knock you out cold, someone registers in your place, everybody wins ‘cept that person.” Faith wasn’t about to tell Buffy that Penelope already agreed to this, but she may have already heard. No one really caught her up with exactly what’d happened at the meeting before she got there. Still, Faith was positive she was in the right here. One non-Slayer behind bars— or worse, killed and dissected— was miles better than Buffy meeting that end. She wasn’t going to be sweet-talked out of this. “Follow?” Faith asked almost sweetly with a tilt of her head; resentment and determination managed to slip into the empty space between the syllables.
“Said we were born to move, right?” The air around them felt charged— no, was charged. Hadn’t had a serious face-off like this since Faith got gutted, and no one was here bearing weapons, ‘least not to her knowledge. She made the slightest motion forward with her foot, signalling that flag to wave. The whizzing of a bullet into the air. The first punch.
“So show me some moves.”
Faith’s arm shot out in an attempt to claim the first hit as her own; Buffy was evenly paced, though— sidestepped it. Easy. Didn’t matter. Faith was just gettin’ started, her muscles were heated and ready to do whatever she commanded of them. Buffy swiped at her, hit her below the ribs. Faith doled out another punch of her own before she felt her her skin icing over where she was struck. Pain was few and far between in fights like this; Adrenaline had ‘em covered, ‘least until her blood stopped boiling.
“Have to say,” Faith bit down on her lip, wincing as Buffy got in another hit, “I remembered you bein’ better than this. But hey, could’ve been wishful thinking.” Or a dream. Not that the two were so different. She couldn’t be sure whether the words took Buffy aback or not, but either way, she managed to pepper B’s stomach with a series of blows. Moved back a few paces and ended up near one of the pillars— couple Slayers hittin’ it and that thing could come down. Faith tried to steer Buffy around, get her back against it. Probably wouldn’t work, but if she could get her pinned, she’d have her easy. Knock her in the face ‘til her head drooped. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach— damn, right near that scar— and grunted, tasted iron in her mouth. “Still no good,” she muttered, grabbing Buffy hard by the shoulders, fingers pressing against bone.
Faith cracked her knuckles, pulled a cocky little grin. Oh, it was so on. Buffy’s adrenaline was way up despite the fact that she wasn’t really even angry about this situation, at least not at Faith. Though her mocking was incredibly close to pissing Buffy off. She was getting there. She glared at Faith, listening to the same plan she’d heard from just about everybody else. Only this time it came out as ‘Snark, snark, snark. I’m snarky Faith and I’m gonna snark you to death with my two step plan of snarkiness.’ Yup, that got a certain amount of heat to rise in Buffy’s chest. She raised her eyebrows as a slight chuckle made it’s way out, only to herself really.
And a sickly sweet insult to her intelligence, Faith new all the right buttons to push now didn’t she. She looked into Faith’s eyes, saw the same fire she was feeling burning behind them. Looked down for a half a second and saw Faith’s fist whir into action. Faith was trying to take the upper hand, but Buffy’d jumped that gun, sidestepping her way out of letting Faith have that satisfaction. She’d get her fair share. Buffy took the first punch all for her own. Faith wasn’t thrown off by it, and Buffy saw the punch coming before she felt it connect. She bounced back from it, she’d have hoards of painful bruise colored keepsakes of this fight to be hurt by after the fight. No time now.
Suddenly she was being pushed back by the force of a barage of punches. She noticed a pillar getting closer and closer to her, Faith was trying to corner her. She was like a puma backing it’s prey against a bush, a quick lunge to the jugular and it’d be over in a flash. But Buffy wasn’t some tender little gazelle whose only defense was to flee, she was just as catty as Faith was. Buffy punched Faith hard in the gut, regaining a few of the inches they’d moved toward the pillar. She wouldn’t let herself get pinned against a wall and become Faith’s personal punching bag, no way it could be that easy. For either of them.
Faith had both hands in a vice-like grip on her shoulders, couldn’t punch if your hands weren’t free. Buffy took advantage of that fact. Putting her own hands on Faith’s shoulders, forcing her arms to stay where they were, she bent one leg and kneed Faith hard in the stomach with a little jump. The force of it allowed Buffy to break free bouncing back from Faith and landing with both fists raised in self defense.
“Oh, Faith. A couple of insults aren’t gonna make me give this up.” She nodded, bouncing around from foot to foot ready to strike at any moment. When Faith threw another punch Buffy dodged it with ease, a laugh bubbling up from within. "Maybe I’m bad at fighting, but it doesn’t make me…“ she took the opportunity to land an uppercut punch to Faith’s jaw. "Any. Less. Right.” She said between punches and grunts. She knew she was doing the right thing, didn’t care how selfish her friends were being, how much they wished she wouldn’t go. They wanted her to stop being Buffy, let someone else go in her place. She wouldn’t dream of it, and was still dumbfounded that they thought she’d ever think something like that was okay.
The words seemed to spur Faith on, she perked up and grabbed Buffy by one arm forcing both of them all the way to the pillar. She pulled up her free arm and pinned Buffy there by the neck. She could hardly breathe and Faith just moved her body away so that ever punch Buffy threw to try and get her off didn’t reach her. She’d wasn’t even able to get leverage off the wall to push back against the pressure Faith was putting on her collar bone. Still holding Buffy there Faith got in quite a few good punches to the face but hesitated for a moment, maybe she wanted to gloat. Buffy took advantage of the opportunity.
She kicked Faith on the shin, it was so middle school soccer team, but it worked. Faith recoiled back enough that Buffy could get another kick in to her stomach, this time knocking her down and across the hard concrete floor. She ran over to where she was still down and put her foot down to hold her where she was. It wouldn’t stick for long she knew that much, but it’d be long enough. She didn’t punch or kick she just spoke.
“You all love me so much,” she said it with a smile her bloody teeth peeking out from beneath her fat upper lip. "But none of you care about what I want, that much is clear.“ She wet her lips but the harsh wind dried them in a second, she never got windburn like this in Sunnydale. She continued on, pushing down harder on Faith’s stomach she tried to protest. "You can think you know what’s best for me all you want, but if you stop me from registering tomorrow and Penelope goes on for me and dies. Guess whose hands that blood will be on? Just thought you oughta know what you’re getting into.” She knew what she was implying, that she was trying to pass the guilt on. But it was all a bluff. If she didn’t go there tomorrow, if she couldn’t fight hard enough, the only person she’d be able to blame would be herself. She stepped off of Faith, jumped back as far as she could and readied herself for the fight. Buffy never felt guilty about showing Faith who was boss, they were equally matched, whatever came of this would be fair. But it wasn’t just about Buffy and Faith anymore, there were so many other people involved and she needed Faith to know that. If she could stop her knowing that, well that was all on her. She waited for Faith to get up and get on with the fight, terms and conditions all laid out.
“Come and seal the deal.” It was a challenge.
This Is A Test 