Chapter 9: Tokyo II

Clark stands at the entrance to the compound waiting for Buffy to return. He had reluctantly, very reluctantly he might add, abided by her decision to go off without him. He had agreed to do what she said during this whole affair. In fact he promised and he never breaks his word.

"Don't take it personal," Faith tells him as she saunters up next to him. "B has to do what she feels she has to do."

Clark lets out a sigh. "I know."

"You and her may be heading for wedded bliss but you don't know her like Red and Xand do. You don't know what it means to be a slayer. Sometimes you have to do some nasty shit and I think she is trying to delay that day you see it in her. The darkness I mean."

"We all have darkness," Clark points out. "Remember the fun time we had in Smallville when I threatened to kill you all."

"You threatened to kill B. I believe you were going to keep me around as a sex toy," Faith corrects him.

"Um...well...like I said you are attractive and well Kal is kind of a shallow guy."

"Kal is you," Faith reminds him of what he told her.

"Ok so part of me is a shallow guy," Clark admits. "I was raised like a human. I tend to think like one most of the time."

"Ah that is why you I keep catching you staring at my ass."

"What?!" he splutters. "I-I-don't!" he protests with a stutter. He then catches the smirk on Faith's face and sees that she was winding him up. "That is not funny."

"Yeah it is and by the way for future reference I do have a damn fine ass."

"Noted," he says and then out of their own volition his eyes drift down to Faith's behind covered in skin tight leather pants which accentuate her curves.

"Ha!" she shouts triumphantly. "Made you look," she says with a little smile that actually makes her kind of cute looking. Clark shakes his head at that thought he probably shouldn't be having and turns his gaze back out to the horizon.

Faith's gaze too turns out to the distance a little smug that she got B's fiancée to check her out. Not that she is trying to ruin what they have because she isn't. She is just having a little fun to help alleviate her boredom due to the fact she got left behind. In truth she wasn't really surprised that she wasn't asked along on this shindig and she thinks Renee only volunteered so Xander could see her in a school uniform. Well it wasn't like it wasn't something Faith herself wouldn't do to get a guy. "Think they'll be long?" she asks Clark.

"They're on their way back right now," he answers.

"How do you know?"

"I can hear the car approaching."

Faith stares off into the distance and sees nothing. "You sure?"

"It's not in visible range yet but I can hear Buffy from virtually any distance within reason," Clark explains.

What's 'within reason' for Clark she wonders. 50 miles. 100. 200. Who knows? Also that statement makes Faith come to a realisation. "Wait a minute. Wait 1 damn minute. That means that this whole time you knew exactly where she was and what she was up to."

"Yep," he confirms for her.

"And if she had gotten into trouble?"

"I would have been there in a heartbeat. She could have yelled at me afterwards but at least she would be alive to yell at me."

"Wow you have this whole other sneaky side I never imagined you had."

"Thanks I think."

Faith sighs. "If only you were single," she says wistfully. "I would be rocking your world right this second," she says with a wicked grin.

"And if I was Kal right this second I'm pretty sure I would be taking you up on that offer," Clark admits even if he isn't sure why he is admitting to Faith. He shakes his head. "I've been hanging around Buffy too long. I never use to say thinks like that," he adds.

Faith waves her hand dismissively. "It's alright. Good to know I haven't lost my touch."

The one thing Buffy regrets about taking charge again, even if it is temporary, is having to be aloof and cold from Clark. He is watching her as she gets ready for battle after she and the others had gotten back from their op. Part of her so badly just wants to go and take comfort in his arms but she is a general right now, Clark is a soldier in her army and this is war.

Clark is the biggest asset they have and at least he isn't going off on his own to try and get the scythe back. They have a witch and Clark is as vulnerable to magic as anyone. She has to use him wisely. Take the magic thing away and an entire army of vampires is no match for him.

"Want a weapon?" she asks him.

Clark shakes his head. "Don't need one. Heat vision remember."

Buffy tosses him a stake. "Take that anyway just in case."

Clark catches it deftly. Buffy had shown him when they trained together how to use it properly. He sticks it in the inside pocket of his jacket just to placate her. He hadn't missed her coldness around him. "You still wanting me to come?" he asks.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. Why wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't." She pulls her, what she thinks is a very fashionable, yellow jacket on and looks at him directly. "I told you Clark. This is me being who I have to be right now. I mentioned you may not like it. On the plus side at least you aren't going off on your own half-cocked this time like when you went after Brainiac."

"I promised you I wouldn't do that again and I always keep my word."

Buffy studies him for a second. His behaviour seems a little off his norm. "You know don't you?"

"Know what?" he asks too innocently.

"What I did in that park."

"You give me too much credit," he says too lightly.

"Clark," she says insistently.

"We'll talk once this is all over like we agreed. I promise I'll answer anything you want to know then." Clark starts to walk off. "See you on the battlefield ma'am," he says with a little salute for good measure.

Buffy watches him go not quite believing that she just found it really sexy when he called her ma'am.

"Do you regret what we did?" Satsu asks Faith as they wait outside for Buffy and co. to show along with hundreds of other slayers.

"Not in the sense you are thinking about. I regret I was distracted when the vamps showed up not that we were together at the time but we both know you were just using me as a substitute Su."

Satsu hangs her head a little bit in shame. "I'm sorry. It is just..."

"Yeah I know. B is really something but if we're being honest you must know I did it because I was feeling a bit lonesome," Faith admits in a rare piece of genuine honesty.

"Me too," Satsu admits in a similar vein.

"And I really had an itch I needed to be scratched," Faith adds. It had been well over a year since she broke up with Robin and therefore last had sex which is just way too long for Faith's liking.

"Ok...um...if I am being honest...me too."

Faith chuckles. "Been awhile had it?"

"Um...yeah. Since me and Willow it had been...a year I think."

"Yeah that is far too long considering." Considering slayers had super high sex drives.

"I don't know how Buffy lasted," Satsu remarks having watched Buffy become more and more on edge over the course of the year she waited for Clark to return.

"Oh you know. Cold showers, taking matters into her own hands. We all find our ways," Faith comments on how she manages. "Now she gets sex on a tap because from what I hear Clark don't tire."

"That is so unfair!" Satsu complains. "You know if I was into guys that is," she amends.

Faith shrugs. "Hey you never know. Maybe he isn't the only one left. Maybe he has some super hot blond girl cousin or something out there," she says in jest.

Satsu so wishes that was true.

Renee is trying to get ready for this op with Xander trying to say something about making tonight their first date but he is not making himself clear. "I'm sorry what?"

"Okay. Just hear me out on this one," he requests while he tries to make himself clear. "First dates are ALWAYS awkward right? There's so much pressure. You have to worry about what to say, and what to wear and what to do. I get the bad butterflies just thinking about it."

Renee zips up her stab proof vest which is also handy when dealing with all those teeth and claws they face all the time. "Is there such a thing as a 'bad butterfly'?" she asks him.

Xander continues to babble on nervously. "And that's just the beginning of the date. Then, assuming it goes well, you have to worry about THE END. 'Is it too early to go for the kiss?'"

"Xander," Renee says interrupting him. "We have already kissed," she points out to him.

"But we haven't had a 'Date Kiss'. That makes all the difference," he explains like that is meant to make sense.

Renee shakes her head. Sure she really, really likes Xander but sometimes he completely baffles her. "So let me get this straight. To avoid the first date awkwardness you want to count tonight as our first date. A date where you," she counts what she did off on her fingers, "dressed me up like a schoolgirl," even though she volunteered, "used me as bait on the streets of Japan. Lit a vampire on fire. Then, geared up to go into battle with several hundred other girls, and..." she gestures across the room, "Dracula."

"I resent that," Dracula complains as he inspects his sword. "Also I would never go on a date with the two of you. Even if you begged."

Xander nods. "Hmm, hmm," he says in way of confirmation.

"Yeah. There is no way I'm letting you off the hook on this one Harris. This is definitely not a date," she tells him. She is going to get a decent date off of him if it kills her. "But I will make one part easy for you." Renee then cups his face, pulls it towards her and presses her lips to his. She pulls back with a huge smile which Xander is matching. "That, on the other hand, was a 'Date Kiss' and now you don't have to worry about what happens at the end," she tells him.

Xander smiles giddily, cups Renee's face and kisses her with Dracula watching on. When it becomes clear they aren't going to stop any time soon Dracula coughs like he is clearing his throat. "Ahem. We have to go to war now. Please stop that."

They don't.

There has to be a thousand vampires total surrounding the building by Buffy's count. The girls are in position around the perimeter. She had left Faith to be in charge on them. No-one else she would trust to lead the hundreds of slayers though numbers don't matter. Not this time. Not when their foes can disappear at will. Even Clark would have major problems with this many with those kind of powers and she isn't sure whether their witch is aware of Clark yet or not. She hopes not.

"We can't fight these guys when they can just disappear," Xander points out.

Didn't she just say that?...or did she only think that? Buffy wonders silently.

"And I don't suppose you have any bright ideas?" Renee asks Dracula.

Dracula looks at her derisively. "On how to slay vampires? Isn't that your crew's little area of expertise?"

Buffy notices that Clark is saying nothing. Just following along like a good little soldier which she knows he must hate but is doing it for her. He even dressed down for this to blend in. The primary colour clothes were gone. He hadn't gone for black. It was more a dark blue shirt and jacket and jeans. Wise choice when you don't want your best clothes ruined and he still looks gorgeous. "I'm not looking for a fight," she informs them all. Not at all. Not with the scales balanced the way they are right now.

"All that matters is the scythe. Once we get that back they can't hurt us." Buffy hadn't really thought about it before but the scythe could hurt Clark too. It was magical in nature and it had hurt his evil double. It just made it more important to get it back. She finds that the group, which also includes Willow, Satsu(because she is one of the best fighters they have and even Buffy will admit that), Grace(ditto) and Andrew, is looking at her funny. Even Clark is looking at her funny. It takes her a few moments to work out why. It was due to what she said about the vampires not being able to hurt them. "Well I mean, except, you know, in the traditional biting and stabbing and clawing sense." Gee she must really be off if even Clark is catching on to her slips. "But we'll deal with that when it comes."

They make their way on to a roof top across the alley from the back entrance to the building. It is guarded inevitably. Buffy addresses them. "Right our only mission is to get into that building and retrieve the scythe and no Clark you aren't superspeeding in to go get it."

"I didn't say anything," Clark protests.

"No but you were thinking it though. Remember they have a witch."

"I remember and really do we have to talk about my powers in front of Dracula," he complains.

Dracula scoffs. "I have little care what abilities you have from whatever demon spawned you."

Clark is about to correct him but you know what if the vampire thinks he is a demon Clark will just let him. Better than him knowing the truth and yeah he hadn't forgotten about the witch either or what she could do to him with her magic. He really hates magic.

Willow places her hand on Clark's shoulder. "The whole building is humming with magical power Clark. I can't guarantee your powers would even work inside," she informs him. She had worked up a basic understanding of them by talking to Chloe and from what Clark had told her back when they first met. Magic could possibly completely disrupt the EM field his body generated rendering him mortal.

Yep. He really, really hates magic.

"Then he will stay out here and help Faith," Buffy decides. "We can handle it." She isn't risking him if his powers aren't going to work. Sure she has been training him up and if this mission wasn't do or die she would let him along as long as she could keep an eye on him but this was do or die and unlike Xander Clark had never really been in a situation remotely like this before and she had a feeling she was going to need all her concentration and not be distracted by watching out for anyone else.

"Buffy," Clark begins to protest.

She points at him. "Ut uh. You follow my orders remember. You promised."

Clark wishes he never said that now but he doesn't break his word. "Yes ma'am."

Buffy turns her attention back to how to get inside. "Now what we need is a really big distraction so we can slip in."

That gives Clark an idea. If he can't go inside he can do this. "How about a flying man dressed in red and blue with a red cape who can shoot fire from his eyes?" he suggests.

"Wait," Andrew says. "Who can do what now?" he asks feeling a minor part of this plan had not be explained to him.

Buffy shares a look with Willow who nods. That could work. Buffy looks at Clark and wonders where he got this idea from. "You're wearing it right now aren't you?"

Clark smiles knowingly and spins into a blur only to reappear in the costume. Hey he just had a hunch it might come in handy at some point. He zips off into the sky.

"Is it wrong I found that an incredible turn on?" Buffy asks no-one in particular.

Clark hovers over the several hundred vampires. "Excuse me! Up here!" They look up at him. "Those who aren't fireproof I strongly suggest you start running." His eyes blaze red as he unleashes his heat vision on the vampires down below. They are far too many for him to get them all without setting the entire neighbourhood on fire which he doesn't want to do in case there are innocent people around but a few dozen to start with should cause enough of a panic to give Buffy the distraction she needs. As expected as soon as he vaporises a few the rest panic and start running so he picks them off in ones and twos to make sure they stay panicked.

"I can't help but feel saddened that I was not let in on the fact that Buffy's fiancé is a genuine superhero," Andrew complains.

Buffy shrugs. "That's what you get for missing staff meetings. Did I just quote a line from Star Trek there?"

"Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock to be precise," Andrew informs her.

The vampires guarding the back door have joined their friends in legging it as Clark glides by the entrance to the alley way making sure to give them a definite glare. Of course he isn't sure he could actually get them because it seems Willow was right. Even floating past the building a few feet away he can feel the magical energy pouring off of it. He really, really, really hates magic.

"Door's open," Buffy comments as they make their way down into the alley, through the door and inside. As they make their way up the stairs Buffy has to say it seems to be all going to plan. They reach the floor where Toru is to find him staring out the window holding the scythe which is resting on his shoulder.

"Yep. That is in fact a flying man in a cape shooting fire from his eyes wreaking havoc on your minions," Buffy announces as they enter the room. She makes her way over towards him. "And to make matters worse he gets really cranky when people threaten his friends. Believe me there is no dishonour in surrender, despite what your culture says to the contrary."

Suddenly Willow feels faint and grabs Xander's arm to steady herself. "You okay?" he asks her with concern.

"Something's wrong..."

Buffy reaches for the scythe only to have her hand pass right through it and Toru. It's an illusion. Oh no! "Guys! It's a ..."

SSHHRRACK! The sickening noise indicates that her warning is too late.

Droplets of blood splatter across Xander's face and there stands Toru with the scythe straight through Renee's back,through her heart and out the other side. With a sickening smile on his face he announces "I believe the word you're looking for is 'TRAP'."

Author's Note: Thanks to all those who wrote reviews.