A/N: Set during Buffy's third season.
35. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme – Nerf Herder
"But I can't be a … a soul box."
"Actually, it's Vessel, not box. Just to be persnickety." The blonde girl shrugged apologetically. "And you can."
"And you are," added the guy beside her, also apologetically. Really, they were being awfully polite about arriving unannounced to ruin her life.
"B-But … leave Domino?"
"It's the only way we can keep you safe until this whole thing blows over. Otherwise it's demons on your doorstep, and they won't just want candy."
"They'll want your heart." The guy flinched, even though the blonde girl had only raised her hand, not even bothering to make it into a fist, and swept it through her hair like that was what she'd always meant to do. "Sometimes I shouldn't speak, for words emerge that are of the Not Helpful persuasion."
"Yup." The girl kept her focus. She was like a terrier shaking a rabbit, only cuter and American. "We have to get you out of here, and it has to be now."
"But my parents, my friends, I have to tell them -"
"Nothing." On this the girl was firm. "If you do, you'll only put them in danger. We have a safe place you can stay until we can figure out how to get that ancient witch's soul out of you and into the afterlife where it belongs. Then you can come back, all hunky-dory, no-problems-here-officer."
"Huh?"
"Man, Giles said this translation spell would take care of any language barriers."
"I think she understood the words just fine, Buffy. This might just be more of a culture thing."
The girl sighed. "The world should so be mono-cultural, or something. It'd make my life so much easier."
"So would not having to go to school tomorrow, but that's not gonna happen either, so if you could hurry it up before that big winged tin can with our names on it leaves without us … shuttingupnow."
The girl turned back to her, face grim. "Listen, basically it goes like this: if you value the lives of your loved ones, you'll come with us now so we can make you less dangerous. It's not a permanent thing but it is an important one."
"I … I can't …"
The girl's face and tone softened. "I know this is scary, but trust me. I know what I'm talking about." She reached out, open-palmed, offering her hand like a friend. "You have to come with us, Miho."