[open] YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING OFF A LONG TIME

[BEATRIX KIDDO]

"Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. You know, Kiddo, I'd like to believe that you're aware enough even now to know that there's nothing sadistic in my actions. Well, maybe towards those other...jokers, but not you. No Kiddo, at this moment, this is me at my most..." Bill paused to cock his pistol. "Masochistic."

Rage was an understatement to call what Beatrix was feeling. He'd promised her he'd behave. He'd promised her if she wanted a life outside of killing human beings, a life where her child could grow up with a clean slate, she could have it. He'd promised her. Perhaps she was a fool to think that she could trust a man who hired others to kill people. Hired her to kill people. No, she wasn't a fool. Her and Bill had a mutual trust between each other. They'd been lovers, even. She knew he was capable of doing this, but to her? All she'd wanted was to be left alone with her new life and Tommy. And he'd chosen to do this at her wedding rehearsal, her start to her new life, no less.

Blood and fear caked the bride's face as she stared up at her former boss and lover, trying to build up the courage to choke out the information he needed to know. Maybe then he would spare her life. Hell, it wasn't even her life she was concerned with. It was her baby's. His baby's as well, as it turned out. Beatrix Kiddo was not carrying the child of Tommy, the man she'd met in a record store, the man she'd met after running away from Bill and faking her own death. No, she was carrying the child of a killer. She wasn't a killer anymore. Or at least she wasn't. Not until now.

"Bill," she pleaded, though anger was prominent in the blonde's voice. "It's your baby."

Bang. One bullet to her temple stained blood onto her veil, perhaps symbolizing her new life and her baby's life becoming destroyed. Surely he'd heard her? Perhaps he simply didn't care. One bullet to her temple was all it took to put her into a four year coma. It was all she'd had to live for, that baby, even if she knew in her heart that her life with Tommy would never work. And as far as she knew, her little girl was gone.

And so Beatrix Kiddo, or Black Mamba as the others in the Deadly Vipers had codenamed her, had sworn revenge as soon as she'd awoken from her coma. Unfortunately, revenge was going to be difficult, as just when she'd acquired her sword, made from smooth Japanese steel and crafted by the best swordsman in the world, Hattori Hanzo, a man who'd sworn never to make another killing instrument, a man who'd caved as soon as she'd dropped Bill's name, she was whisked away by mysterious black strands.

- - -

It was night. The cool air whisked along the night sky, waving hello to the moon and chilling Beatrix to the bone as she drifted into consciousness once more. Instead of dwelling on what had happened, the woman sat straight up in the darkness, clenching her hands into fists. The first thing that popped into her mind was Bill. Bill or his associates had to have put her here. Wherever here was. And she was going to find him. She grabbed the long sword situated upon her back and slipped it from its case. It was an anchor to safety as far as she was concerned.

Slowly, the Black Mamba lifted herself from the cold ground, darkened eyes scanning the black woods and waiting for any trace of danger. Any of Bill's subordinates. He wouldn't dare come out and face her himself , not until all his people, Elle Driver, Vernita Green...were all dead. No, he wasn't the type to come out and fight himself until the very last moment.

"Come on," she muttered, narrowing her eyes in a threat as she waited for an enemy to pop out at her. She wasn't going to go off-guard and allow them to attack her while she was weakened and confused. No.

And so she waited.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[BUFFY SUMMERS]

Buffy watched the slayers train on the cool, spring day. She felt like a proud parent watching her children take their first steps. It had been three months since the destruction of Sunnydale and since they had set up on this small island, now protected by every enchantment Willow could think to put on it. Cloaking, defensive spells, the works were all preventing anyone who wasn't a slayer to see or visit the island. It felt very Harry Potter-ish, according to Dawn. Buffy didn't exactly have time to read books on witches and wizards and a school called Hogwash or whatever. She was a little busy finding and training all of the slayers that had been activated with Willow's spell on the scythe.

Which Buffy was holding at that moment. She felt so connected to it; Buffy had barely let the weapon out of her sight since finding it. Sure, it was Faith's as well but Buffy couldn't help but feel like it was only hers. She, after all, was the first one called, the first one to begin her destiny as a vampire slayer.

As Buffy watched the slayers she felt a tugging feeling pulling at her insides. She gasped and felt her eyes shut unwillingly. The next thing she knew she felt like she was traveling through the air, flying, almost.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy walked around the forest, still confused by where she was. She had been wandering for hours, her scythe safely on her back, just looking for any evidence of where she might be. She had deduced that she had been brought here magically but that, obviously, Willow couldn't hear her since she had tried calling our to her a hundred times.

Buffy felt the leaves crunch beneath her boots as she walked further. She was growing a little weary but her nerves were mostly making her too on edge to even consider sleeping. She was prepared for anything, be it a vampire, demon, even a sadistic human. With her scythe and Mr. Pointy, Buffy was prepared to take on whatever came her way. So she just kept walking, hoping to find an end to this stupid forest at some point.

Buffy found a clearing and saw a woman standing in the middle of it. She had a sword and Buffy immediately felt that this person was not her friend. Swords made for fighters; warriors like herself were the only ones who carried swords, besides demons. Buffy wasn't sure if she should fight the woman or try to talk to her but before she could decide she felt leaves crinkle under her boot. Buffy knew that the woman had heard it and withdrew her scythe from her back, prepared for anything.