Buffy's POV
Get up... You're too close to her... get up... get up before she suspects...
She flips me over her head but I manage to roll out of it and regain my balance.
Okay that was close.
We both stand up slowly.
Hey, you know, I think that's the first time she did that on purpose.
"Good, that's good. You're thinking about how you're fighting, which means you're trying to take control of the fight."
I throw a few simple punches which she handles easily. She throws a few of her own back.
It's more like sparing than fighting. But she's definitely learning something. We've been doing this for a couple of days and she's improved a lot.
"And control is one of the most important things about being a slayer."
I throw two punches followed by a roundhouse kick which she manages to duck quick enough to try for a leg sweep.
"Yeah?"
I jump her leg sweep and we go back to standing fighting stance positions.
"And why's that?"
"Because..."
I throw 3 punches, two jabs and a spinning forearm.
"If a slayer's not in control of the fight..."
As she blocks my spinning forearm, I grab her forearm and twist it behind her back until my chin is just above her shoulder, my mouth right next to her right ear.
"She might wind up dead."
I use my free hand to pull her hair back and stare at her neck.
God what I wouldn't give to give her a... okay stop it. Concentrate on what you're doing.
I let go of her arm with force and take a few steps back. She turns around, working the pain out of her arm.
She's got that look on her face, the one I saw last night but in a moment it's gone.
"If I had been a vampire you'd be dead by now."
"Stay in control..."
She throws three punches and manages to grab my hand, twisting it at the shoulder. She twists harder making me flip over, landing on my back.
Ow!
I look up at her standing over me with a grin on her face.
"I think I got it."
Is it weird that this is turning me on?
"But being in control isn't everything."
She twists my arm more, reaffirming her stance just above my head.
"It isn't?"
"N-No... because there's always one thing you can't control..."
It's time to take it up a notch.
"And what's that?"
I pull my legs up and double kick her in the stomach. She stumbles backward as I flip myself up off the floor and get into a fighting stance.
"Anger..."
Not that anger is what I'm drawing on right now.
She regains her balance just as I come at her with a flurry of punches, all of which she barely blocks.
"You can't control how people feel, and you shouldn't try."
I should probably take my own advice.
I try for a roundhouse kick which she ducks, but I quickly drop down for a leg sweep which she jumps.
"Most of all, you can't control how you feel."
Faith counter attacks with a flurry of punches.
"So... what do you, do?"
"The only thing you can do."
"What's that?"
"You try and use what you feel. Use it to help you fight, to make you stronger."
"Okay."
She grabs my wrist and pulls me to her long enough to trip me up. As I fall I manage to throw her off balance, and she lands on top of me. We lie there for a few moments, bodies pressed together on the floor, lips inches from each other as our eyes lock. Her hands on either side of my body inch closer to me and I feel a couple fingers touch my sides. I could swear I feel her lean into me an inch or two. Just then like the idiot that I am, I open my mouth.
"Faith?"
A moment of silence as her heavy chest rises and falls against mine.
"Yeah?"
Another moment of silence as I forget what I was gonna say when she leans in just a little more.
Oh right...
"Did you get it?"
Again a moment of silence as we stare into each other's eyes, then after a few seconds she starts to get up.
Damn it...
"Um... uh yeah... I..."
She puts her hand out to help me up and I take it.
"I think I got it."
I stand up and another uncomfortable silence falls on us.
We're getting pretty good at being uncomfortable around each other.
I work the kinks out of my arm from when she twisted it earlier.
I should really do something to relieve the tension... I got it.
"Hey Faith, how would you like to go for some ice cream?"
"Uh, well shouldn't we keep training?"
I dust myself off.
"Nah we've done enough for today. Now it's time for the best part of being a slayer, the splurging."
She smiles at me and I feel all tingly.
"All right, sounds like fun."
We turn and leave the gym area.
"Great, I know a little place in town. Its a little ways from here but it's the best place in Sunnydale."
After what just happened I could use a good sugar rush.