Justice

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/The Case Files of Young Kindaichi
Summary: Giles is not ready for the aftermath.
Word Count: 975
Rating: Teen

        Giles sighs and takes off his glasses, rubbing at his nose.  He has a headache that is not helped by how cheerful the children are taking the night’s events.  Of course, dealing with Ethan has always been a headache, from the drinking contests to the thoughtless dares and…well, everything else.  He was told that destroying the statue would undo everything, but he has the feeling Ethan was leaving out key details, as usual. “And we can get more time for my Slaying by having me ‘learn’ French!” Buffy suggests brightly.
        As much as he’d prefer to to continue to hide from the world, it’s time to put the glasses back on, if only so the children are more likely to take him seriously.  “I don’t think…”
        Buffy’s airhead attitude disappears completely.  So she’s actually serious about this.  “Look, it’s not just an excuse to get out of class.  I know that it’d be kinda obvious if I was speaking Medieval French.  I do need to learn a few things.  But if I have to spend less time on schoolwork for better grades, that’s a good thing, right?”
        Xander, meanwhile, has his hands behind his head.  He looks like he’s pretending to sleep, although not entirely successfully, since he’s still obviously paying attention to their conversation.  It’s entirely possible he’d picked up a few things from having dressed as Kindaichi.
        Willow elbows him.  Surprisingly, despite being the one least affected by the change, she looks the most concerned.  “You need to tell them,” she suggests, and he cracks open an eye and scowls.
        “Even if there’s not a lot Giles or Buffy can do, it’s still better for them to know,” she urges.
        “I know.  But even then it’s scary.  Never mind vampires or whatever.”  Rupert considers that perhaps he was too lenient on Ethan.
        “I can tell them if you want,” Willow offers, hand comfortingly on his arm.
        “That feels too easy,” he complains, then opens his eyes and meets Giles’ gaze.  It’s slightly disconcerting.  “Tony Harris beats me.  Usually when he’s really drunk and I try to get food from the kitchen. That’s why I ended up with a different outfit than the one I bought—he ruined it—and also why my face is, well…” he gestures.  “There’s also…he’ll say things.  Call me stupid, which I guess isn’t particularly wrong, but…”  Willow elbows him again.  “And Mom doesn’t stand up for me, not that she probably could.  Most of the time she’s too drunk to recognize herself, let alone me.”
        That’s a lot to take in all at once, and it’s clear Buffy is skeptical, given his flat, almost bored tone.
        For a moment, Giles would agree, but then he notices the tightening of Xander’s jaw, the way Willow fully believes it, the look in the boy’s eye that is almost daring Giles to call him a liar.  And then he takes into account the bruises and swelling on the child’s face.
        “We simply haven’t noticed before now, have we?” he asks.  He never thought he’d be feeling protective of Xander Harris, of all people.
        “Most of the time, he’s pretty good about hiding it.  And, you know, I didn’t talk about it because…”  He swallows and finally looks away.  “Because of something I talked about with Buffy yesterday.  My name means ‘protector’, and I can’t protect anyone.  My friends, myself.  I’m a loser that can’t—” he begins, and Willow interrupts, looking more upset than Giles had heard her.
        “You’re not a loser!” she corrects him, and he chuckles darkly.
        “Yeah, I—you’re right.  I shouldn’t be taking anything he said as true.  In fact, I should probably be thinking anything he says is antitruth.”  It takes him a moment to continue; he’s too upset despite his words to say anything immediately.  “And then there’s the practical.  Getting put in the system in this town is a sentence of death.  Even if they somehow managed to place me somewhere far away, it still might not be any better than it is right now, and—yeah, okay, so I’m fairly useless, but like hell am I going to go somewhere safe when my friends are risking their lives to save the world.  Or just the town.  Or a single person.”  Giles considers that with a pang.  While it’s clear that Xander has thought about this, Giles cannot sit by and do nothing.  Even if he was inclined to do so, and this is, if anything, a cover, rather than his intended job, there are related duties, after all.
        “I am required to report this, although Snyder meddling will almost certainly make your life worse, so I can try to do so in a manner he will not pay attention.”  The instant he says the principal’s name, Xander’s eyes widen, though the end of his sentence quickly calms him back down once more.  Willow, on the other hand, does not appear pacified.  “In exchange, you will visit the library every day to inform me of how things are going and research emancipation.”
        Buffy’s eyebrows furrow.  She believes it, apparently, now that she’s seen he does.  “Xander’s not a slave.”
        “Emancipation of a minor, Buffy.  It would mean he could find an apartment and live on his own, without his parents involved in any way.  Of course, you would probably have to get a job, but given your wishes, I think this is the most likely solution that fits your criteria.”
        “I can do that,” Xander responds instantly, determination and hope warring in his eyes, and then adds, “It’s only the fact that it’s probably a lot harder than it sounds that makes me not panic about solving all my problems being too easy.”
        Giles hides a smile.  “Should I be concerned you’re describing research as ‘too easy’?”
        That actually makes Xander laugh.  “Good point.”