Chapter Five: Reason to Live
Two young girls- one lightness and sunshine, the other darkness and shadows- walk down the street arms intertwined, fingers interlace as their share a moment of peace and quite. It was a rare moment of serenity in their otherwise fast pace, hectic lives. That the world had seemed to cut them a tiny bit of slack to simply enjoy the moment was nearly unfathomable to the pair. That was what tonight was though.
No vampires had jumped out at them from behind the crypts they had passed. No demons had burst out of the sewers as they walked by. Absolutely nothing had happened tonight. It had been positively dull, and with the emotional roller coaster ride the two slayers had been on all day they loved every single boring minute of it.
It gave the two young girls the chance to enjoy each other's company, to learn all they could about one another. Only they had spent the entire night in silence and had still learnt nearly as much as if they had spent it talking. But like with all good things an end must eventually come.
"What's he like?" Buffy begins knowing she has to, but hating the fact that she had to. She wanted a few more days with this tranquility surrounding them so she devote as much time as possible to the study of Faith. She would settle for hours, even minutes, but she knew they didn't have that much time to prepare for Kakistos. She knew they couldn't afford to let the smallest fraction of time slip away from them though.
Faith blinks, she had been expecting a question along those lines, but it had still taken her by surprise. "You saw the book," she answers still feeling very self-conscious with anything that concerned Kakistos.
Buffy nods slightly a moment before she says, "yeah. But an eight by ten glossy hardly paints a good picture, especially when it ain't so glossy."
Faith sighs dejectedly, "he's like every other vamp only worse. Likes people to feel completely helpless. Likes to control the fight, the pace, the arena."
"So he's probably going to try and set an ambush for us. Should be simple enough to turn his ambush into our trap," she says confidently.
Faith looks towards Buffy with a curious little expression flitting across her face, "how'd you figure that?"
The blonde gives her raven-hair counterpart a sweet grin as she says, "simple. We dictate where the fight takes place. Nobody knows Sunnydale like I do. It'll be a piece of cake to lead him exactly where we want him."
The two girls slow down as they near their destination. They glance at each other, "you ready for this?" Buffy asks the brunette softly.
Faith gives the tiny blonde holding her hand a decrepit smile. "Sure," she replies indifferently as she gives a slight shrug, "but I ain't got nothing to lose here," she finishes.
Buffy frowns at her comment, "of course you got something to lose."
"Not like you," she responds quickly just as they reach the front porch. "Look," she starts off as she pulls Buffy up short before the blonde can open the front door. "I'm not going to be the one that puts you on the outs with your mom..."
"Your not," Buffy informs her sternly.
Faith exhales sharply, annoyed at Buffy for cutting her off. "Just, let me finish being all noble and self sacrificing here," she gripes at the petite slayer. Casting a quick glance to the floor she adds quietly, "it's not something I get to do very often."
Buffy smiles sadly at Faith's unflattering opinion of herself. It was one of the few things that she was planning on changing about Faith. There wasn't much about raven hair girl that Buffy didn't like, but one of those things was how she saw herself. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she promised herself that she was going to get Faith to see herself for the wonderful person she is. Putting her hand on Faith's shoulder, Buffy gives a gentle rub as she says, "go ahead."
Faith looks up at the soft touch, a slight grin on her lips that doesn't reach her dark eyes. "All I'm saying is I'm not going to let you ruin your relationship with your mom over me. If it comes down to it I'll leave."
"Its a good thing its not going to come down to that isn't it?" Buffy responds brightly with a fiery glint in her eyes. There was nothing on this planet that was going to get Faith out of this house. Not with her still alive anyway. "Ready now?"
Faith gives a slight nod of her head. Buffy turns, grabbing the door handle she hesitates for an instant, hoping that she was right. Hoping that her mother wasn't going to just toss Faith out of the house. A determined look crosses over her face and she pushes the door open.
Ten minutes and not a single word had passed anyone's lips. The silence was overwhelming enough to be considered oppressive. It sucked the energy from every one in the room; Buffy, Faith, Joyce. All three women felt themselves drained by the weight of the silence that hung over the room.
Everyone wanted to have their say, but no one wanted to speak first. Afraid that the other occupants around the kitchen's breakfast island would see it as either an admission that they were in the wrong, or a sign of her acceptance of something she wasn't sure she was ready to accept or not. So they stood in their silence; Joyce with her hands folded over a cup of forgotten coffee, Faith a half full can of coke at her elbow, Buffy her finger idly doodling with a water mark left on the countertop from the glass of juice she had fixed earlier.
Faith takes a short breath. She was tired of standing here and not resolving anything. She says as much with a simple, "this is stupid," statement she blurts out.
"Stupid!" Joyce snaps, "is that what you think of this..." she pause as she waves her hand between the two girls as she searches for the right word, or phrase to describe what she wants to say. Unfortunately nothing comes to her mind before she continues, "whatever this thing that's going on between you two?"
"It's called a relationship," Buffy pips in hotly.
At the same time Faith mumbles, "I wasn't talking about that."
"And even we don't know what's going on between us," Buffy finishes.
Joyce snorts disdainfully at her daughter. "I got a pretty clear picture of what was going on between you two," she replies derisively as her voice rises to match Buffy's level.
The crack of Faith's palm hitting the table brings both of them up short before they can say anything else. Sure that she's got their attention she says, "this is stupid. The two of you arguing like a pair of pre-schoolers fighting over the favorite swing at the playground." Picking up her soda she takes a sip before putting it back down, "god its pretty bad when I feel like the adult," she mumbles softly.
Buffy lets out a sigh as she looks into her mother's hard eyes. "Nothing happened," she tells the woman.
Joyce's eyes narrow as she looks at her daughter, "I saw the two of you..."
"And maybe if you had asked me, us, about it in the first place we wouldn't be sitting here arguing over nothing," Buffy spits out.
"Don't you take that tone of voice with me," Joyce orders her daughter.
"Why not? It seems like the only time you pay attention to what I have to say," the tiny blonde retorts.
"Enough!" Faith shouts stopping both of them again. "You guys need to like find separate corners, take a slow ten count, or maybe just try talking instead of tearing each other to shit," she advises the pair as she picks up her can of soda. "If you two decide to actually talk give me a holler," she tells them. Taking a few steps towards the front hall she stops. Turning her head over her shoulder she looks back at them, "or better yet. Don't," she says. A moment later she's out of the kitchen.
Joyce stares at the spot Faith had seemingly disappeared from. Her mind was still processing what the young girl had said before exiting the kitchen. She couldn't believe the brunette had just spoken to her like that. It was the first time she had seen Faith show even the slightest hint of a temper.
"She's right," Buffy sighs into the silence.
The soft sound snaps Joyce out of her daze. Turning her head back around to look upon her daughter she asks, "right about what?"
"Us," Buffy answers uncomfortably. "About how we can't talk to each other without blood being shed," she elaborates.
"We talk to each other all the time," the older woman disagrees.
Buffy gives her mother a small shake of her head as she says, "not about anything important. Nothing like this."
Joyce tries to buy a moment, to think of some time when the two of them had a serious conversation, by taking a sip of her coffee. She grimaces at the bitingly cold taste. Setting the cup back on the table she silently reminds herself not to drink any more coffee until she's had a chance to get a fresh cup. "We've always been able to talk about the important things with each other," she responds unconvincingly.
She gives her mother a tight smile. "No we don't. You ordered, assumed I was going to do what you said, and left it at that. We've never talked," she stops speaking as she pushes herself back from the table as she turns around to gaze out the window over the kitchen sink.
"Then don't just shut me out of your life Buffy," Joyce pleads. "Talk to me, tell me what's going on with your life."
Willow yawns tiredly as she pushes the library door open. It felt like she had spent the majority of yesterday in this room, that she had only just left it a few short hours ago. Then she remembers she had in fact only left the library five hours ago.
It was all part of her agreement with Giles. That if she wanted to learn magic then she would have to apprentice herself to him. This was part of the testing to see if she had the proper dedication to learn the craft. During this time she was expected to be at the library by five o'clock in the morning, every morning until Giles finally decided if he was going to teach her or not.
Getting into the school wasn't a problem since she still had her key from last year when she had taken over teaching Ms. Calendar classes after Angel had killed her. Walking over to the computer she picks up the clipboard, signs her name, date, and time before looking around the library. It was silent. Nothing moved within the room because nothing was in the room. Yawning again she wonders why Giles would want her at the library if he wasn't going to be here.
With a dejected slump to her shoulders she meanders over to the table where she slings her backpack onto its smooth, well worn surface. The sudden wind it creates causes a piece of paper taped to the door of Giles office to flutter in the breeze. Her curiosity peaked she walks over and pulls the paper off the glass.
"Latin," she mumbles slightly confused as she looks over the strange script. She thought it was Latin anyway. There was only one way to be sure. She was going to have to translate it.
"This can't be right," Willow groans a short time later. "This is like taking finals your first day of class," she complains as she looks her translated text over again.
Willow, if my assessment of your ability is accurate then it should have only taken you ten minutes to translate these few simple instruction, which will leave you an hour and twenty minutes to find the unabridged Theories of Semual's Convictions. Find two of his ten major points and write a detailed comparative analysis between the two. Yours truly, Giles.
"This is cruel," she groans as she slams the Latin translation guide closed. "Not to mention unusual and uncalled for."
"What's that Red?" Faith asks as the door swings close behind her.
Willow jumps as the unexpected intrusion. Whirling around she glares at brunette, but the younger girl doesn't even notice it as she hops up on the counter. "What are you doing here?" She finally decides to ask since it didn't seem like Faith was going to start a conversation with her any time soon.
She looks up, gives a slight shrug and says, "B wanted to scout out a few likely spots to set a trap for Kaki."
"So why aren't you with her?"
"Because she had to make a pit spot, freshen her nose. Do one of those things you girly girls do," she answers off handedly.
Willow was about to reply when Buffy walks in, the doors swinging in her wake. Looking at Faith as Buffy came through the double doors she didn't miss how the brunette's face light up with the blonde's presence in the room. Willow also didn't miss the smile that Buffy shined on Faith before turning her attention from the brunette to her with a slightly surprised, "hey Wills. What are you doing here..." she glances towards the clock, "... at five in the morning?" She finishes with an astonished gasp.
"Told you it was way to earlier to be getting up," Faith mumbles grumpily from the counter.
"I didn't think it was this early," Buffy retorts.
Faith scowls lightly as she demands, "what part of, B. Its not even four-thirty, didn't you understand?"
Buffy rolls her shoulders defensively, "sorry. Once you woke me up I just couldn't fall back to sleep."
"So I have to suffer for your insomnia?"
"Hey if you weren't doing what you were doing," she begins pointedly. "Then I never would have woke up in the first place. So its all your own fault," Buffy finishes with a glare in her eyes.
"Um, guys," Willow says timidly. Both girls turn to look at the red face witch in training. "If you want to argue about what goes on while your in bed maybe you should go into Giles' office and close the door because I really don't think I should be involved in this conversation."
Buffy blinks highly confused by Willow's comment, while Faith gives the redhead an amused smirk. "What are you talking about Will?" The blonde finally asks her best friend.
"You two, talking about your sex life..." Buffy's eyes go wide and her cheeks turn a shade brighter then Willow's hair, but she doesn't notice Buffy's reaction and just continues speaking. "... In front of me like I'm not even here. It's kinda of rude and insulting..."
"She was downstairs playing Nintendo," Buffy blurts out finally. "I could hear her all the way up in my room. That's what woke me up and wouldn't let me go back to sleep."
"Oh," Willow breathes out softly as her skin color, if possible, brightens by several more shades. "I just thought," she begins but trails of under Buffy's intense gaze.
"Just thought what Red?" Faith inquires playfully from the counter. "That me and B were in her room doing the down and dirty."
"No!" Willow blurts out quickly, but soon withers under both girls' stares. "We'll okay maybe, but with how you two were talking what was I suppose to think?" She demands of them.
"This is so unfair," Faith mumbles softly as her and Buffy meander down another alley. This was the tenth one tonight, two more to go and then they would start the circuit all over again. Only they would be using a different pattern so it would seem just another random sweep.
That had been Giles' piece of advice. She could still hear his officious sounding voice as he made his suggestion. "Be sure to vary your route. Make it as indiscernible as possible."
It was a simple plan that Buffy had come up with. Divide Sunnydale into small controlled sections, use an abandoned building in the center as the trap, and the two slayers as bait. Each night they would patrol a different section of town. Sooner or later Kakistos would take the bait.
Tonight had been a good night to set the trap. The entire gang was able to help. Now all they had to do was walk around like bait. That however wasn't what Faith was complaining about. "Tomorrow's Friday. How come their making my first day of school a Friday?"
"You should be thankful," Buffy counters placidly. "One day of school, two days off. Most students would kill for that kind of schedule."
Faith snorts derisively as she responds with, "yeah well. It just screws up my plans for the weekend."
The blonde looks over at her brunette counterpart with something like shock, or possibly amusement, in her face. "You don't have plans for this weekend," she murmurs in disbelieve. "Unless you count..."
"Slayer," a lone vampire hisses loudly from behind them.
They spin around as one, twirling away from each other. Facing him they both reply with, "yes."
The small, light hair creature seems to lose whatever momentum he had built up as he gazes stupidly at them. Almost appearing out of thin air, two more vampires round the corner nearly running into the first. "It's them!" The first one shouts, "it's the slayers. Get them quickly!" He exhorts his two companions shoving them ahead of him as the three rush the two girls.
A tall, slender, shaggy hair brunette vampire, wearing a cheap suite, possibly the one he was buried in rushes Buffy while his shorter, bulkier shaven head buddy tries to tackle Faith. The third vampire, the one that had originally spotted them was nowhere to be seen. Faith grabs hold the bald vampire as she sidesteps him. Swinging him around she tosses him into the brick wall of the building on her side of the alley. He bounces back, spinning around only to catch Faith's booted foot in the side of his face.
Buffy avoids the sweeping crescent kick her vampire sent at her head, then jumps over his sweep of her legs. As her feet hit the pavement his spinning hook kick slaps her across the cheek sending her spinning around. The vampire moves in only to catch Buffy's spinning backfist squarely in the side of his head, just below his ear. He stumbles back a step as the blonde's jumping snap kick to his chest causes him to stagger, almost dropping to his knees.
She moves in with a front kick. He manages to cross block. She tries to dropping double hammer fist to his shoulders. He blocks upward, his arms inside hers breaking her strike. An instant later his right fist slams into her face, once, twice, on the third strike she blocks across smashing her right forearm into his, which then lashes backwards into the side of his head. A hard left cross follows quickly smashing straight into his face.
Faith blocks a right hook from her opponent, wrapping her arm around his she jerks him up onto his toes. He tries for a weak left that she easily brushes aside before slamming her forehead into his face staggering him. Her right fist then slams into his face again and again and again as she brings him to the ground. Over and over too fast for the eye to follow as she unleashes her anger on the man underneath her.
Buffy steps forward and to the side slightly as she avoids the vampire's back kick. Pushing the leg down hard with one hand, with her other she pulls her stake and slams it into the vampire's back. Looking around for Faith she easily spots the brunette as she once again pounds a vampire into paste. "Faith!" She yells and the girl seems to come back to herself with a jerk as she looks down at the vampire under her.
"See you haven't change too much Faith," a slick looking black vampire says from the mouth of the alley behind them. "Of course its only been a few weeks. Hardly expect an old dog like you to learn any new tricks in that time."
Faith plunges a stake into the vampire's heart as she glares at the new arrival. "Trick," she growls in a low menacing voice as she rises back to her feet. "You want a piece of me?"
Trick laughs, more of a chuckle, as he shakes his head. "Violence isn't really my thing. Talking enough so you guys don't leave, now that I'm more then willing to do."
"What's so important that you don't want us taking off?" Buffy inquires even though she knows the answers.
Trick points behind them as he says, "that would be him."
Both girls look behind them at the monster gliding down the darkened alley, a motley assortment of vampires trailing around him. Buffy had seen the pictures of him, but they hardly prepared her for coming face to face with Kakistos. The blonde looks behind her to see two more vampires are standing with Trick blocking that exit. With a quick glance at Faith she fiercely whispers, "remember what we talked about. No matter what. Stay alive."
Faith gives a slight nod of her head just to show Buffy she had heard her. Together they both charge Kakistos. "Well that was kind of unexpected," Trick says from behind them. Grabbing hold of the two vampires at his side he prevents them from joining the fray. At the tall blonde's questioning look Trick shakes his head saying, "I got a bad feeling about this. Let the big guy win or lose this on his own, either way I'm done with these vendetta gigs."
The five vampires around him speed ahead to slow the slayers' charge. Their barely even noticed as the two girls brush them aside like gnats in the breeze, sending them flying this way and that, as their determination to reach their target drives them forward. Faith reaches him first, her longer legs carrying her ahead of Buffy.
She crashes into him with everything she has pushing him back a handful of steps. With a loud grunt Kakistos hurls her back just in time for Buffy's flying side kick to land square in the chest only to bounce off with almost no visible effect. Both girls were back on the offensive in a matter of moments hitting him with a barrage of attacks from seemingly everywhere at once.
With a savage back hand he sends Faith crashing to the hard pavement. It however gives Buffy the moment she needs to drive her stake into his chest. She steps back with a smirk on her lips as she waits for him to turn to dust. She stares in horror as Kakistos reaches up and pulls the stake out of his chest turning it to splinters as he squeezes his hand. "You can't stop me," he growls savagely as he slaps Buffy away from him sending her flying into the side of a building.
Picking herself Buffy sees Faith about to attack him again, "Faith go!" She shouts at the brunette, "get out of here!" She waits a bare second to make sure that Faith had taken off before she too speeds down the alley opposite Faith. Now they would see just how well her plan works.
"Get her!" Kakistos roars at his minions. Buffy had very little doubt about which her he was talking about. She sends up a silent pray that Faith had actually mesmerized the area and didn't wind up getting lost.
Faith sat on the checkout counter in Sunnydale High's library. She didn't miss how it was the same spot she had occupied this morning when her and Buffy had shown up at a little after five. Only now it felt different, or she felt different. There was no longer that weight hanging over her shoulders like there had been this morning. Kakistos was dead, dust blowing in the wind.
She had loved the look on his face when the Scoobies had popped out of their hiding places, Willow and Cordy with huge super soakers filled with holy water blasting any and ever vampire in the room. While Kakistos minions were running around like chickens with their heads chopped off Giles, Xander, and Oz had made the presence known as they launched a volley of crossbow bolts into the pandemonium eliminating half the vamps in the room.
Kakistos had known fear then. He had turned to bolt like a little rabbit that felt wolfs hot breath. Only Buffy's presence had stopped him there as she smashed a large four by four beam upside his head cracking it in half. She had tossed it aside with a muttered, "I knew I should found something bigger," and then launched herself at him like a wildcat. Never relenting, not giving him the slightest chance at recovering. Buffy had been a sight to behold then, all savage fury and fluid grace mixed together.
Faith had just about lost herself in watching the blonde as she pummeled the huge master vampire. The other two minions had been dealt with by that point and she was just beginning to realize that no matter how much Buffy beat him she wouldn't be able to dust him. That was when she had spotted the cracked four by four. It wasn't as jagged as she would have liked it, but it would do.
The relief she had felt course through when she had seen Kakistos turn to dust with the large piece of wood shoved through his chest. It was almost like she had come back to live in that moment. That for the first time in her life that she had something to live for. That now she had a reason to live.
With a look over at the table in the middle of the library she found her reason. Blonde hair, lithe frame with just the right amount of curves, a smile that light up an entire room, and eyes that saw right through her with a glance. There she was with her friends sitting with them, talking, laughing, enjoying life while she sat over here on the outside. Close enough to touch, but on the outside none the less.
She owed those people her life. They had stood by her when she had thought nobody would. Fought with her, protected her, but right now she couldn't help but hate them to the core of her being. They had what she wanted.
With a silent sigh she grabs her jacket and slips off the counter and out of the room unnoticed by anyone. Or at least she thought she went unnoticed.
Buffy glances up, ignoring Xander's recounting of how he managed to get three of the minions to everyone else's one, as she hears Faith's soft footfalls fade in the distance. Grabbing her own coat she turns to her group of friends, "hey listen. Thanks guys, for everything you did tonight. Way above and beyond, but I gotta go. Check in with you tomorrow," she says to Giles as she backs her way towards the door not giving anyone the chance to say anything. She didn't want them asking questions she didn't have the answer for, or more precisely didn't want to answer.
"So where do you think their off to," Cordelia asks as she picks up another slice of pizza.
Xander grins widely with a far away look in his eyes, "hot slayer nookie," he mutters wistfully. A resounding thwack reverberates throughout the room a moment before Xander gives a muffled cry of, "oww! What was that for?"
"I warned you about what was going to happen," Cordelia replies.
"Nothing's going on," Willow informs them hesitantly. "Well okay, something might be going on. They really weren't all that clear this morning. In fact they were kind of confusing when they were explaining everything, but what I got was they were just friends. Maybe more then friends or maybe it was friends for now with working towards more then friendship. Like I said they were confusing," she finishes in a slight huff.
"And you unconfused it how?" Cordelia inquires with only a little bite to her words.
"Hey," Buffy calls out as she catches up to Faith.
The brunette doesn't turn around even though she feels her entire mood lighten with the sound of Buffy's voice. She does however slow down so the blonde can catch up easier. "Hey," she says back as Buffy steps up along her right side.
Without thinking about it Buffy grabs hold of Faith's hand interlacing their fingers, relishing in the warmth she feels in the younger girl's grip. "So got any plans for tonight?"
Faith shrugs, "just heading back to this hot blonde's bed. Seems she's got it bad for me. Never let me out of her sight kind of deal," she says nonchalantly.
Buffy glances at Faith as she lightly questions the brunette. "Is that a problem?"
"Well you never know, she could be like this stalker. Have all sorts of wicked plans for my body," she replies enjoying the banter.
"Don't worry," Buffy begins in her most serious voice. "I'll protect you," she says leaning into the taller girl.
"You'd do that for me?"
"Always."
________________________________________________________________________
Reason to Live - Kiss
Out of love, there's nobody around, all I hear is the sound of a broken heart
Out of time, no more waitin' for you
Now the hurtin's through, and a new day starts
And I feel a change in my life, I sailed into dark and endless nights
And made it alive
Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love
Out of touch, with myself for so long, now a feelin' so strong comin' over me
Down the line, there's a lesson I've learned
You can love and get burned, if it has to be
And I see a change in my life, and I'm not alone when I'm strong inside
And I realize
Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love
And I feel a change in my life
And I'm not alone when I'm strong inside and I realize
Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love
Everybody's got a reason to live, baby
Everybody's got a dream and a hunger inside
Everybody's got a reason to live, but it can't be your love
No it can't be your love, no it can't be your love
No it can't be your love