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Chapter 8: Eight

Author's Notes:

It was over. The Dracuza exterminated, a slayer lost, Xander mourning alone at her grave. That’s what he wanted, or else Buffy would’ve been by his side. Instead, she was in an unassigned dorm in the Japan HQ having makeup sex with her girlfriend. Well, just finishing. It was another first for them. She’d screwed up, and Satsu didn’t sit back and take it. Buffy was...was “impressed” the word? Yeah, that’d do.

“I think I should stay.” Satsu announced minutes after Buffy crawled back up the bed to her.

“Was hoping you’d say that. ‘Cause I was thinking it, too. Just.” Buffy sighed, much relieved. “No leaving. Not until morning makes us, anyway.” Her head now rested on Satsu’s chest. “Guess that means you don’t hate me.”

She didn’t expect the long beat of silence that followed.

“No, I meant...here. In Japan.” Satsu said it softly, but not soft enough for slayer hearing to miss. “Just me.”

“What? Why?” That would teach the blonde to become premature in her relief. She lifted her head, rolled onto her stomach, and looked at her girlfriend with panicked eyes. “I promise, I won’t do that to you again. I’ll think before saying words, an-and I can be sorrier. Want ‘embarrassingly’? Just ask. We don’t have to--”

“Whoa, I’m not breaking up with you.” The younger slayer interrupted, pushing herself up on her elbows. “Break up with the girl of my dreams--who I never believed I had a chance with--because she wanted to protect me? If I was that stupid, first thing I’d do after? Punch myself in the face. Till it got uglier than a vamp’s.”

“Oh.” Buffy was completely without a clue, then. “Dreams?” She quickly pushed past the compliment before she got stuck there, and tried to figure this out. “So, you don’t wanna break up, but you do kinda hate me, and for big picture, army morale reasons, you need time away to deal?” She knew as soon as she said it that she was wrong. “How much does our mileage vary? Little help here.”

“I don’t hate you, Buffy. And I don’t need, or even wanna stay. Especially now that, um, your tongue does *that*.” Satsu grinned. “Definitely gonna be the worst part.” Yet the look on her face said she’d thought this through. “But the Tokyo office needs a field leader. I guess I’m asking for a promotion. Hopefully a temporary one.”

Buffy was glad she went with “impressed” before; she was feeling it again. Satsu was proving what she told Giles’ back in Scotland, correct. In order to do what was best for her sisters and their welfare, the girl was walking away. Buffy just wasn’t expecting it to happen this soon. She propped herself over her bedfellow, who sank bank down, giving elbows rest.

“Give me a month. Aiko had to have a second-in-command. Let me work with her, with the rest of them, get ‘em on their feet. Then I’ll come back to Scotland.” Satsu continued, spelling out her request. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.” There wasn’t a doubt in Buffy’s smile. “It’s a lot of work though, Satsu. These girls are raw. What if it takes longer than a month?” She wasn’t speaking as her leader, she was speaking as her unhappy lover. “What if...?”

Satsu reached her hand around to the back of Buffy’s head, and pulled her down for a kiss. “We’ll be okay.”

“We will?” Buffy questioned once their mouths were through. “I’m gonna miss positiveness. You’re a good influence on me. I could totally regress with you gone. You can handle it, but what am I supposed to do?”

“I can handle it? Why, ‘cause you aren’t worth missing?” Satsu exhaled right into Buffy’s face. Yes, the elder slayer’s self-esteem still had a ways to go. “Hey, I’m in love, remember? Being away from you is gonna kill me.”

“Or improve your chances of living.” To this, Satsu’s expression became not unlike earlier, when she screwed up and tried to order her to sit out of the fight. It was angry, and entirely too sexy. “I’m joking.” Sort of. “My funny is a dark funny. Ha.”

“Tell me one reason I shouldn’t love you.” Now it sounded like Satsu was giving orders. “Besides that.”

Buffy’s brow creased in thought. She knew she had many of them, she did, but just then? She didn’t. “Fine, I give. I’m fashionable and witty. And under good lighting? I look adorably youthful.”

“If you already knew why I did, why’d you ask?” Smirk.

“Shut.” Kissed that smirk right off. “Up.”

“*I’m* only half-joking. Someday you’ll love you, too.”

“Working on it.” Buffy assured her.

“So am I. That’s my mission.” Satsu put her hand on Buffy’s flushed cheek, then let her fingertips slide down.

“Me, fighting evil, stepping up here...wow. Got missions aplenty.” Admiration joined the impressed feeling that Buffy had. “You’ll be a hell of a leader.”

Satsu blushed. “Learned from the best.”

“Andrew?” As Buffy said it, she tried to keep a straight face, but it didn’t happen. They both laughed rather hysterically, and in the midst of, came the energy to roll and switch positions. “Maybe if things get quiet, I could teleport-visit, and remember to not eat.” Probably wouldn’t get quiet, though. When was it ever anymore? She thought of Xander and Renee. “Just don’t die. Doesn’t matter how better your odds’ll be.”

“You can’t either.” Satsu responded in kind.

“At least not permanent, right?” Another fine example of the alpha slayer’s dark funny was on display.

“ それz89;赤ん坊について冗談を言わないでください.” It was rare for her girlfriend to use her native tongue. Most of the time, you’d never know she was born in another country.

Funny thing about hearing her now, and the way her eyes stared down into Buffy’s hazel? “Huh. Didn’t need subtitles.” Beat. “Consider yourself promoted.” They kissed again. “The others will think I kicked you out.”

“Because I told you off?” Satsu said impishly. She was nowhere near imp-like at the time, but currently, since they were both glad she had...

Plus, Satsu finally learned what she was allowed to say. And she wasn’t allowed just because she was sleeping with the boss. She’d proven herself, earned the right, moved up through the ranks. Next time she questioned orders though, she try to avoid publicly. And hopefully next time they’d be more legitimate.

Buffy didn’t like giving orders, even if she had to. “Or because I blew off your perfectly strategical suggestion to leave a squad behind at the castle. Choose whichever.” She offered the alternative. “Sorry. Again. Bad guys invading makes me bitchy.”

“Yeah, picked up on that.” Satsu teased. “I told Leah I was gonna ask you. Everybody’ll know it was my idea, don’t worry.” She addressed her girlfriend’s concern. “While I’m gone, you oughta listen to Mr. Giles. Not, y’know, to all he said, but with Twilight out there, then Renee and Aiko...if any more of the girls do what Simone did, because of us...”

The blonde didn’t argue. Some of them might still have...issues. “Hafta make sure our front’s united.”

They turned on their sides. “Oh, and I'm leaving my iPod. So you can listen to it more.” The Asian girl added, but she started talking again before Buffy could ask what she was implying. “Also, uh, Kyoko’s keeping an eye on Willow for me.” Buffy asked a silent, “Huh?” “She asked me what you were like.”

“*Like* like?” Buffy looked mind-blown for several seconds. “She did? Really?” Then she suddenly understood something. “Is *that* what her whole ‘list’ thing was about?”

Satsu’s eyes narrowed. “What list?”

Buffy smiled, and circled her nails slow along the top of her jealous partner’s left breast. “I’m not gonna have sex with Willow. Love her and all, but, not so much in.”

There it was. She said it. Without actually saying it. Her baggage from relationships past was still to blame. Steps.

Steps.

It was enough for the shiny-eyed Satsu. “How come?”

“She’s my best friend. You’re you.” That answer was more than kiss-worthy. That was make-out worthy, and with gusto, they both agreed. “What’d you...say...to her?”

“That I...wasn’t...telling her...anything.”

“Can we...pretend...you did?”

“Let you...know in the morning.”

There was going to be a month, minimum, without this, and only so many hours of night left. Thank god for slayer stamina.