Buffy looked around when they reached the north bank. Most of the surrounding area was dense tree cover. She came off the shoopuf, looking around. Kimahri was standing, arms crossed in front of his large, blue chest. Buffy realised that Yuna was in a sheltered area, surrounded by people.
“Hello, miss,” a voice said. “Can I offer you any of my valuable merchandise?”
Buffy turned to see a strange little man, a little smaller than she, with a huge pack on his back.
“Uh, sorry. I don’t have any money,” she offered, wondering what he could be wanting her to buy.
“You’re with the summoner’s party, aren’t you?”
“Umm, yes,” Buffy was distracted by a giant Ronso she could see through the trees. If she thought Kimahri was tall, this Ronso made Kimahri look like a doll.
She walked over to Tidus. “Who are they?” she asked.
“Who?” He turned to look. “Oh, those are two other Ronso, Biran and Yenki. They had an argument with Kimahri back in Luca. Wonder what they’re doing here?”
Buffy yawned, stretching. She really wanted a hot shower, clean clothes and a long sleep, not to mention food.
Yuna came back to where Tidus was. Everyone gathered around. “Okay, everyone. It isn’t far to Guadosalam now. We should get there before nightfall.”
They all turned and headed down a long path between the trees. After sitting on the shoopuf, Buffy’s legs had recovered from the major tiredness and she was happy to walk anywhere as long as the result was food and a shower.
“Kimahri!” a voice bellowed from up ahead. Buffy realised that the two Ronso she had seen before were blocking the path. Kimahri calmly walked up to them, staring up at their faces.
“Come to fight Kimahri?” he asked. Buffy was somewhat shocked. It was the first time she had heard him speak.
“Come to warn Kimahri,” the bulkier one answered.
“Summoners go missing,” the skinny one added.
“Poor Kimahri, first lose his horn, then lose his summoner,” the large one said.
The skinny one began scratching his arse. “Hornless, hornless,” he said before they both laughed and walked of into the trees.
“Shelinda said something about summoners going missing,” Lulu said, looking concerned.
“Wow.” Buffy said. Everyone turned to look at her. “Oh, nothing important ‘wow’. It’s just, those guys really have no life. They’re, like, Harmony meets a Fyarl demon.”
Lulu pursed violet lips, turning back to the others. “Let’s keep moving.”
They came out of the forest walking along the banks of the Moonflow where Wakka informed the group that the path turned back into the forest farther up. Buffy had no idea how he knew this. Yuna stopped for a moment, staring out across the Moonflow. Tidus didn’t realise and kept walking. Buffy stared up the path after him, shrugged, and turned back to the group. Yuna turned to smile at the group and they all headed in the direction Tidus had gone.
“So, how come you don’t talk?” Buffy asked. “I mean, it’s not like I want you to go super revealy on me. It’s just, how did you end up with Yuna? I mean not ‘with’ with. I mean as her--”
“Guardian,” Kimahri filled in. “Ten years ago I was asked by dying man. ‘Protect Yuna, take her to Isle of Besaid.’ I have looked after her since.”
“Oh,” Buffy was silent. “How--”
She was cut off as the group came to a halt. At the edge of the path, where it wound back into the forest, was a girl. She was about Dawn’s age, wearing the smallest green shorts and an orange sleeveless top. Her orange-blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and sat on top of her head. Her eyes seemed to be forest green, though there was something strange about them that Buffy couldn’t quite place.
“Hi, I’m Rikku” he announced.
Lulu looked at Yuna and something seemed to pass between them.
“Uh, Rikku saved my life. She’s an Al Be--” Tidus cut himself off short and looked guilty.
Yuna cleared her throat. “Um, I would like to talk to Rikku for a minute.”
To Buffy’s surprise, as Wakka stepped forward, Rikku held her hand up, jigging from side to side. “Girls only. Boys, please wait over there.”
Buffy blinked several times trying to work out what was going on. A minute later, Yuna and Lulu came back and Yuna spoke haltingly, “Uh, I would like Rikku to join me, to become my guardian.”
All the males stood there looking shocked.
“Um, sorry if I’m all backwardsy around here, but what is a guardian,” Buffy asked.
“Guardians are those solemnly sworn to protect the summoners, until the end.”
“A summoner must trust a guardian with her life,” Yuna added, hesitantly. “That’s why my guardians are all my friends.”
Buffy nodded, thinking of Xander, Willow, Giles and maybe even Anya. They all fit that description. This place--Spira, Tidus had called it--it wasn’t so different from Sunnydale. Lost in thought, Buffy was unprepared for what came next.
“…and I would like to ask you, Buffy, to join me as my guardian too. You… you don’t have to, but I would like you to come with me to Zanarkand.”
Buffy realised that she wasn’t the only one surprised by this. Lulu, Wakka and even Tidus looked on in shock. Auron looked smug, as though he’d had something to do with this and Rikku… Buffy looked at the small, blonde girl. Well, she just looked vague.
“Buffy?” Yuna looked apologetic.
“Oh!” Buffy remembered that Yuna was waiting for an answer. Well, she seemed to be stuck here and this small, very strange group of people were the only ones Buffy knew. She took in a deep breath.
“Okay, I’ll come with you to…” she searched the air for the word.
“Zanarkand,” Tidus offered.
“Yeah, just call me 1-800-Dial-a-Slayer,” Buffy added, strangely enthusiastic about the idea. Maybe because it wasn’t her having to save the world for once. Maybe it was because, in some deep part of her, she envied her friends their roles. She envied the way they dove into the work, no binding ‘destiny’ thing, nothing. They just wanted to help. She had always wanted that choice. Not so that she could run away from the slayer biz, but because she wanted to be a Scooby, a ‘Guardian’. And now she was.
Lulu turned to Wakka. “I’m afraid I do not understand half the things she says.”
Auron was talking to Rikku. “Look at me.” Rikku raised her head, eyes closed. “Open your eyes.” The girl opened one eye. Auron stared at her for a second. “Are you sure?”
Rikku nodded.
“Okay.”
Buffy frowned. “Well, that was like super ‘huh?’”
Wakka clapped his oversized hands. “Alright, we’re goin’ then?”
“Alright,” Yuna said happily.
……………………………………………….
Spike walked into the hallway and spotted Cid who was fixing wires in the wall. He looked up at Spike as he came up the slope.
“Hey, it’s my resident Yevonite.” Cid said, laughing. “What can I do for you?”
Spike looked back towards the control room. “Well, your son just tried to cut me into messes, but that’s not why I’m here.”
Cid looked concerned at the mention of Brother.
“Listen, I’m a... a special race called ‘vampire’.”
Cid wrinkled his nose in thought. “Never heard of ‘em. They anything like Guado?”
Spike thought about this. He remembered that the Guado were avid Yevon worshippers and ended up attacking Home, but they were the only way he could think of out of this one.
“Yeah, vampires are a bit like Guado, except we don’t worship Yevon.” He ran his hand awkwardly through platinum blonde hair.
“So why’re you telling me this?”
“Us vampires need to drink…” Spike considered what he was doing but it was too late to back out now. Besides, now that he knew he was still a vampire, he needed blood and he couldn’t attack the Al Behd. Buffy… His eyes stung with tears over the thought of Buffy. He pursed his lips. He was in this now; he may as well continue. “Vampires need to drink blood to survive.”
Cid thought about this. “You mean... human blood?”
Spike put on what he hoped was a horrified face. “Oh, no,” he said, wincing at how phony he sounded. “We only drink animal blood. It’s very bad to kill a human.”
Cid sniffed. “Alright then. When we finish up here, I can show you where the butchers are. We can get you some Ayishim blood down there.”
Spike was considering what an Ayishim might be when he heard a huge crash coming from the engine room. “Uh, thanks, got to go,” he turned and left.
Cid stood by the wall, a mess of wires in his hand. “Blood?” He pulled a face, then continued on with his work.
Spike stopped just inside the engine room. Brother was there clutching his head, an assortment of tools were spread all over the floor.
“What have you done now?” Spike growled.
Brother rubbed his head, groaning, and muttered something Spike couldn’t decipher “Dra puq vamm eh dra crua bey.”
“Right,” Spike answered in English. “This would be easy without you, but as it is, I’d rather go a few with the slayer. A super strength slayer. While I’m wearing a bloody cross.”
“E’s cunno, e’mm lmayh ib.”
“Bloody right, you’ll clean up,” Spike answered. A dismal look crossed Brother’s face , which reminded the vampire of Dawn. A pang of sorrow washed over him. Dawn and Buffy… the Watcher even. He missed bloody Sunnyhell. He never would have thought it, but there it was. “Hey, I’ll help you clean up, but then you get out of here and let me work, you hear?” Spike glared at him while Brother nodded.
“Alright.”