Because Buffy couldn't get Kendra her stuffed animal, and Cordelia can, in fact, be thoughtful at times.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its characters.
WORD COUNT: 323
"I have killed many vampires with it. I call it Mr. Pointy."
"You named your stake?"
"…Yes."
"Remind me later to get you a stuffed animal."
-Kendra Young and Buffy Summers, 'Becoming, Part One'
Monday, May 25th, 1998
Buffy was gone. She'd saved the world, again, but no one knew where she went after that.
Kendra was dead. Xander had finally convinced the police that Buffy wasn't responsible, giving them a vague witness description of Drusilla and hoping to God they didn't find her and Spike – that would end very badly for the cops involved.
Once he'd been released from the hospital, Giles managed to contact Sam Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher. He flew up to collect the body, and to have it shipped back to Jamaica for burial.
The remainder of the Scooby Gang gathered to say goodbye: Giles, Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia. Even Joyce came out of respect for the friend Buffy had lost. Cordelia showed up with a small, pink, paper shopping bag, and solemnly approached Zabuto as he was about to leave.
"I want you to bury this with her," she said, holding out the bag. Confused, Zabuto took it and opened it, pulling out a small, stuffed teddy bear.
"What is this?" he asked, the others also looking on in question.
"Before Buffy left the school to fight Angel, Kendra gave her Mr. Pointy for luck," Cordelia explained, uncharacteristically serious, "Buffy was surprised that Kendra had named her stake, because it's honestly kind of sad, and I overheard her saying: 'Remind me later to get you a stuffed animal.'" She sniffed and smiled sadly. "I figured, since Buffy took off, someone else needed to fulfill that promise."
Zabuto looked rather stunned, but he gently put the bear back in the bag and nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Miss Chase."
Xander put his arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close as they watched the man walk away.
THE END
Buffy and Kendra's conversation near the end of 'Becoming, Part 1' was both funny and sad to me, because it was the last conversation they had before Kendra died, so she never got that stuffed animal. And I figure it would be most surprising coming from Cordelia, as at this point of the series she's still incredibly self-centered and hasn't quite developed the level of compassion we see her eventually reach in 'Angel'.