Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (Buffy ficlet)

[jadesfire]

This story is part of my multi-fandom Halloween costume for karaokegirl's Come as you aren't party, being held all this week. The index of stories can be found here

Title: Fire Bad, Tree Pretty
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters or Pairing: Buffy
Rating/warnings/spoilers: G/none/Graduation Day
Word Count: ~240

Summary: This too shall pass.



Fire Bad, Tree Pretty

You stole the sun straight from my heart from my heart from my heart
With no excuses just fell apart fell apart fell apart

It was supposed to be easier on both of them this way. He'd just be gone, disappearing into the distance, never forgotten but no longer here. And Buffy has to admit that he does it with style, vanishing into the clouds of smoke, with barely a backward glance.

She sits on the damp grass, watching her hands and the water that's running down the sidewalk and the smudges of ash and mud on her pants. Everything is distant, not dreamlike because dreams don't hurt with every breath, but not entirely there, either. They did it. Again. They saved the world, or at least the school. Well, the people from school, anyway. The building, not so much, but buildings can be repaired. They saved the people. This is important. If her brain would fire more than one neuron at a time, she's sure she'd remember why.

There's a murmur of voices all around her, no doubt saying terribly important things that she should be listening too. Instead, she watches the last of the dust settle across the school buildings, feeling as though she's lost half her soul. She thinks that that might be ironic in some way, but she can't for the life of her work out why. And so she sits and stares at the trees as the world goes on around her, waiting for the emptiness to fade and for the night to dissolve dawn.

Comments

[crystalshard.livejournal.com]

You do a very good exhausted Buffy, and the fandom is just made for angst. Which you did brilliantly.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*blush* Thank you!