Title: A Million Kisses - Chapter 2
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com
Hi Minna-chan!! Glad you all are enjoying this one so far!! Please keep
those emails coming, okay? Thanks also for your comments on Kiss Me,
Kate was very happy! ^_^ Not many AN's this time around, though I would
like to give a HUGE thanks to Moon Klutz and Lady Starra for prereading
for me, as well as Scutter, possibly the nicest person I know for
taking his time to write my html files for me. You have no idea how
much I appreciate it!!
"He will settle arguments between the nations. They will pound their
swords and their spears into rakes and shovels; they will never make
war or attack one another. People of Israel, let's live by the light of
the Lord."
Isaiah 2:4-5
Chapter 2: If I Forget, Will You Forgive Me?
"I'm telling you, Andrew, she was an angel! Why don't you believe
me?!"
"Dare, you took a really hard blow to the head. Illusions are
very common in this type of injury."
Darien rolled his eyes, leaning back farther into the pillows. "I
can't believe that you think I was seeing things!"
"Darien, I want to believe you. It's just that… angels from
Heaven don't hang out in hospitals making men fall in love with them.
It was probably a dream…"
"It was NOT a dream! Dreams aren't that warm, or soft. They don't
smell like roses and spring air. They don't taste like sugar…" he
whispered finally.
"Taste?! So now you're saying you ATE the angel."
"Ugh! No, I didn't eat her! She kissed me, you moron!"
Andrew sighed, sitting down on the bed beside Darien. "Oh, she
kissed you, did she?"
"Yes. She kissed me."
Nodding, Andrew turned to look out of the nearby window. "What
did she look like again?"
"Beautiful. She… had pale skin, and bright blue eyes, and golden
hair that fell to her ankles…"
"And she said that she was an angel?"
"No, I said she was an angel. I think she said something about…
being a princess?"
Holding back a chuckle, Andrew looked at him from the corner of
his eye. "That's it. I'm telling them to cut down on your medication."
Smacking his head against the pillow, Darien groaned agitatedly.
Serena cleared her throat lightly from the doorway. Both men
turned to look at the shy girl, hiding half way around the corner, her
head poking in nervously. Darien's jaw dropped noticeably. Andrew's
only eyed her curiously.
"Hey Serena!"
She smiled slightly. "Hi Andrew. Hello Darien. How… how are you
feeling?" she asked quietly, walking into the room to sit on his side,
opposite from Andrew.
Ignoring her question, Darien sat straight up in the bed,
reaching for her hands to hold between his. "It… it's you! Andrew, it's
her, the angel!"
The hope in Serena's eyes faded away. 'So he doesn't remember
after all…'
Andrew watched on in amusement. 'Serena? Serena was this angel of
his?'
"Um… Darien, what are you talking about? This is Serena…
remember, Meatball He…"
"Andrew, I need to talk to you for a minute," interrupted Serena.
"Huh?"
She turned back to Darien, smiling slightly. "I'll be back in a
minute, okay?"
His confused blue eyes darted between hers. Slowly, he nodded.
"Anything you ask, Angel."
Giggling slightly, she stood, holding onto his hand for as long
as she could before leaving the room, Andrew on her heals. Darien
watched her go sadly, curious, and his heart beating faster than he
believed possible.
"What is it, Serena?"
Serena leaned against the wall, forcing tears back from her eyes.
"Andrew… I… oh, it's awful!"
"Hey… it's alright, you can tell me… What is it? What's wrong?"
Gulping, she turned to face him, her eyes red from the careless
tears. "He… Darien… doesn't remember me."
"What do you mean? The doctors didn't say anything about him
having amnesia…"
She sighed, closing her eyes. "That might be because… I'm the
ONLY thing he can't remember."
"What? That doesn't make any sense."
"I know… but… Andrew, you saw! Yesterday when I was wandering
around the hospital he saw me and… and now he thinks I'm an angel. And
he doesn't remember anything about the teasing or name-calling and… he
doesn't remember me at all…" Her head hung as tears finally began
falling down her cheeks. Gasping, Andrew stepped forward, wrapping her
in comforting arms.
"Ah, don't cry. It's okay, I'm sure he'll remember. Besides…
shouldn't you be ecstatic that he'll leave you alone now?"
Sobbing, Serena shook her head. "There's more, Andrew." Pulling
away, she swiped her eyes with a sleeve. Staring at the tiled floor,
she began to tell Andrew about the other day, when she was walking down
the street. She told him about the monster and Darien protecting her.
She told him about the kiss and the vows of love. Leaving out only the
information on the sailor scouts and memories of the Silver Millenium.
He watched in awe, listening silently as she told her heart aching
story. When she had finished, he stepped forward again and took her
into his embrace, stroking her back gently. Her arms wrapped around him
as well, tears soaking into his shirt.
"He told me he loved me, Andrew. He told me he loved me… And now
he can't even remember my name…"
"It's alright, Serena. I promise everything will be okay…" he
whispered.
'So, Darien and Serena were in love all that time? Figures. I
knew there was something between them. And now… oh, poor Serena. I
can't imagine how heart broken she must be… Maybe… maybe I can help.'
"Don't worry Serena. I'll help you, okay?"
"Huh?" Slowly, Serena pulled away to look up into friendly dark
brown eyes.
"I'll help you get Darien back. I promise… Besides, true love
cannot be conquered by a little case of amnesia. And to me it looks
like he's already in love with you again! Everything will be okay,
you'll see."
With an unsteady smile, Serena buried her head in his shirt
again. "Thank you, Andrew…" she whispered.
Darien gulped, forcing the tears back. Turning, he walked slowly
back to his bed and sat down, pulling the blankets up to his chest.
To himself, he whispered, "Is… is the angel in love with Andrew?"
Closing his eyes, he prayed that it wasn't true. But all he could think
of was how closely his best friend had held the girl of his dreams.
Jealously boiled unwelcome through his veins.
Serena gulped, walking slowly into the well-lit room. She hadn't
had much time to talk to Darien before a nurse had ushered her out,
proclaiming that he needed rest. Really all she'd been able to do was
introduce herself as Serena, a friend of Andrew's.
Now she was onto her next mission.
Lita was still on her bed, turned to her side and facing away
from Serena. Shakily, she walked in and around to the other side of the
bed. It looked as though Lita was sleeping. With a sigh, she turned and
found a vase. Filling it with water, she placed the bouquet of orchids
she had bought in the gift shop into it.
"Who are you?!" asked an angry voice.
Startled, Serena jumped and spun around. Lita was propped up on
one elbow, glaring at her. She gulped. Lita had never looked at her
like that before.
"He… hello, I'm Serena."
There was a silence as Lita sized her up cruelly with her eyes.
"Um… I brought you some flowers. I… hope you like them…"
'Orchids WERE your favorite before…'
"What are you doing here?"
Chewing on her lower lip, Serena edged toward her slowly, pulling
a chair up to sit beside the bed. Lita didn't flinch or move in any
way, her eyes following Serena's every movement.
"I came to help cheer you up."
"You another one of those ditzy hospital volunteer goody-two-
shoes?!" she asked with a sting in her voice.
Forcing a small smile, Serena shook her head. "No. I just…
thought that you might want someone to talk to, that's a…"
"I don't NEED therapy, if that's what you're talking about! I
don't need anyone!"
Pulling back, Serena stared at her with wide eyes. "I didn't
mean…"
"Did you know that every one of my friends died in that stupid
fight the other day? Every one of them! And now you're here because YOU
think I need someone to talk to?! Leave me alone! Unless you know what
it's like to lose everyone you care for in one day, I don't want you
here!"
Her heart beat slowing down, Serena settled more comfortably into
the chair. "But you see, I DO know how you feel. I lost all of my
friends in the monster attack the other day."
Lita was silent for a minute, her eyes never leaving Serena's
friendly gaze. Ever so slowly, her stare began to soften. "You… did?"
"Yeah. I was the only… survivor also. I even lost the love of my
life…" 'Almost…'
Lita gasped, easing into a sitting position. "Really? I…" She
paused for a minute, her eyes wandering over Serena's frail form. "I
suppose that maybe I owe you an apology then."
"Don't worry about it. You didn't know. Um… I was wondering if…
maybe, you wanted to become friends?" Serena said, forcing a smile.
Lita raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who you're talking to,
girly? You and I could never get along together!"
"Why? What do you mean?"
Laughing loudly, Lita turned her gaze up to the ceiling. "Come
on, look at you! You're so puny and innocent! I'm a gang member! I live
off the streets, I get money and food from pounding people like you to
a pulp!"
Serena couldn't help but smile. "Well… you can't be a gang member
without a gang, can you?"
Lita ceased laughing and an eerie silence draped over the room.
Turning her head, she eyed Serena speculatively. Finally, she asked,
"Wh…why aren't you afraid of me?"
"Why? Should I be?" Serena whispered back.
~ FLASH ~
"Hey, you're lunch looks really good!" said a voice from behind
me. Turning, I look into two azure eyes, peering over my shoulder into
the lunch I had made that morning. "Can I have some?" the strange girl
asked.
"Huh? Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked in surprise. Surely she
knew who I was by now, with all of these rumors going around the
school.
She gasped, stepping back a little and looking me straight in the
eye. "Why? Should I be?"
~ FLASH ~
"Hey, are you okay?" Serena asked Lita. She'd spaced out for a
moment there. Shaking her head, Lita turned her eyes back to her.
'Where did THAT come from?'
"Yeah… I'm fine. Um… do you… really want to be friends?"
Serena grinned. "Of course!"
Returning the smile, Lita stuck her hand out. "Well then, hi! I'm
Lita!"
Shaking her hand, Serena replied happily, "And I'm Serena. It's a
pleasure to meet you!"
"Mi… er… Sailor V, wait up!" Serena called down the white
hallway, jogging to catch up with the sailor-suited movie star. Mina
turned around quickly to see her running up and stopped to wait
politely. Upon reaching her, Serena stopped and bent over, leaning her
hands on her knees to catch her breath. "S… Sailor V… H… Hi!"
Mina giggled slightly. "Hi! Um… was that all?"
Looking up, Serena smiled as a laugh escaped her lips. Gulping,
she adjusted her posture, straightening her outfit slightly. "No, not…
not exactly."
"Oh? Well then, what can I do for ya?"
"Um… well… I was just thinking… um… how would you like to get
some lunch with me? You see, I'm a huge fan, and it would mean so much!
I mean, if you're busy, I understand, but I was just hoping that
maybe…" Her blue eyes raised to hers hopefully, waiting for a response.
Mina smiled ironically. She was awfully busy today. Normally she
wouldn't have a problem with taking a fan to lunch, but fitting it into
her schedule could be difficult.
She cleared her throat, forcing a kind smile. "Well, I'd love to,
but…"
~ FLASH ~
"Sailor V? Is it really you?!" asked the girl with blonde
pigtails and in a similar sailor outfit, staring at me wide eyed. We
were both gasping for breath from the recent battle, our cheeks rosy
pink.
I smiled at her, already feeling an incredible friendship
bursting up as I looked into her innocent blue eyes. "Ta-DA! In
person!" I exclaim happily. She laughs.
"Oh, this is so wicked cool! I am your BIGGEST fan! We're going
to be the best of friends, I just know it!"
~ FLASH ~
"Um… but… I get to pick the restaurant!" she exclaimed, threading
her arm through Serena's.
'That was strange,' she thought, looking at the bubbly girl from
the corner of her eye. 'But, for some reason, so familiar. And this
girl... she sure does remind me of someone…'
After that, she began planning her apologies to her agent.
"How is he, Andrew?" asked Serena, stepping lightly into the
quiet room. Looking up from his newspaper, Andrew made eye contact with
the girl and smiled.
"He's doing a lot better. They say he might be released sometime
this week."
She sighed happily, walking up to his bed and carefully sitting
down beside him. "I miss him."
"I can understand why." After a moment of silence, Andrew stood
up. "Do you want me to leave you two alone?"
Serena turned around to look at him, holding onto Darien's hand
gently. Uncertainly, she nodded. With a smile, Andrew left the room,
closing the door behind him.
Turning back to Darien, Serena reached up and brushed some hair
away from his face. The bandage had been removed from his head,
revealing a dark scar on his temple that she hoped would heal in time.
"Darien…" she rolled the name across her tongue, silently adding,
'I love you' in her mind. She couldn't think of anything else to say at
the moment, and only sat staring at him as he slept peacefully away.
Chewing on her lip, she closed her eyes, leaning forward to barely
brush her lips across his. He stirred, but his eyes remained closed.
Licking her lips, with her eyes still closed, she pulled her legs onto
the bed, lying down beside him comfortably. She could only imagine how
embarrassed she would be if he woke up right then, but she didn't seem
to care. Gently, she pulled down the covers beneath her, before once
again pulling them up to cover her shoulders. Tossing her arm over his
stomach, she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her leg around his and
listening to the sound of his heartbeat as it lulled her to a quiet
sleep.
Darien awoke to the sweet scent of a spring breeze. He could feel
a gentle warmth pressed up to his side and unconsciously wrapped his
arm tighter around whatever, or whoever, slept next to him. Turning his
head, he slowly opened his eyes. They were met with a head of golden
blonde hair spread across his chest. Tilting his head to the side, he
looked down upon a sleeping angelic face, pink lips pulled up in a soft
smile and black eyelashes fluttering over pale cheeks.
His breathing caught in his throat as he struggled to think. He
froze, trying to hold perfectly still as not to wake her, or move her
in any way. Unfortunately, his lungs soon began to hurt as he refused
to move. After a moment, he turned his head to the side in a fit of
coughs. Covering his mouth with his hand, he tried not to shake too
much, in vain.
Serena woke slowly to the sound of coughing above her. Looking
up, she saw Darien covering his mouth as he choked on the air. Gasping,
she sat up.
"Are you alright?"
The coughing fit stopped and he looked up at her sadly. "Sorry, I
was trying not to wake you."
They stared at each other for a moment. Soon, Serena's eyes fell
and she looked at their position, and remembered falling asleep next to
him, their bodies wrapped together. Gasping, her hands flew to her
mouth and she jumped out of the bed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I… I guess I thought I would leave before you
woke up and… oh! Sorry! I'll be going now…" Turning on her heels, she
began walking quickly out of the room, but was stopped by a strong grip
on her wrist. Turning, she saw that Darien was sitting up in the bed,
holding onto her fiercely.
"Wait! You don't have to go, I mean… please? Please don't leave
just yet. We haven't had the time to talk really…"
She removed her eyes from his, looking down to the floor as a
blush covered her cheeks. "But… I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have…
I'm sorry…"
Darien forced a small, breathless chuckle. "Hey, don't worry
about it. I don't mind waking up next to an angel…"
Serena giggled slightly, raising her eyes to his again.
"It's fine. Just… don't leave so soon, okay?"
Gulping, she nodded and slowly sat down on the bed again.
"O…okay…"
"Good. Um… your name was Serena, right?"
"Yeah…"
There was a silence before Darien asked, attempting to sound
casual, "So, uh… how… how do you know Andrew again?"
Serena eyed him speculatively. "I go to the arcade a lot and… we
just, became friends…"
Nodding, Darien began to play with the covers between his
fingers. "Just… friends?"
Tilting her head to the side, Serena looked at him confused.
"Yeah… why?"
"Nothing, it's just… nothing. Never mind, forget I said
anything."
Biting her lip, she looked away from him, the remains of a blush
just beginning to disappear from her stained cheeks.
"So… do you… have a boyfriend? I mean, I'm just curious, you
don't have to answer I was just wondering if…"
"No, I don't."
Darien looked up at the girl who refused to make eye contact with
him as she stared off at some imaginary point. He gulped, forcing back
the grin that wanted so badly to show on his face.
Serena sighed, deciding to change the subject. "So… I hear you'll
be getting out soon. That's good news."
"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of this place. Get some fresh air,
eat some real food…"
She laughed. "I bet. I have to start school again tomorrow
though, which I am so not looking forward to. Although… at least… I DO
get to go see my friends again. I miss them…" 'Or Ami… if she'd
remember…'
"Well, then, that's good."
"Yeah…"
An eerie silence draped over the room. From the corner of her
eye, Serena looked at his hands, wondering what it would feel like if
they were to stroke through her hair, or hold her close right then…
A click sounded from the other side of the room and they both
looked to see a nurse walk into the room.
"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over for the day. You'll have
to come back and see him in the morning," she said sweetly. Serena
nodded, turning back to Darien. She thought she could see a deep
sadness echo in his eyes before he forced a smile.
"I'll come back and visit you if I can before you get out."
He nodded. "I'll be waiting."
She smiled, leaning forward to gently kiss his cheek. "Bye…"
Standing, she deserted the room, unknowing that his eyes on her
the whole time. If she had turned, she would have seen him blow her a
gentle kiss from two fingers just before she slipped into the hallway.
Serena walked slowly into the classroom, bowed head. Ms. Haruna
stared at her in shock from her desk, glancing down at her watch, and
then the clock above the door.
"S…Serena, you're early!"
"Yes, Ms. Haruna," she said quietly, finally raising her eyes to
search the classroom. Her seat was empty. In the one next to it, Ami
sat silently reading a book. The desk directly in front of Ami's was
also empty, and Serena sighed at the thought of Lita back at the
hospital, all alone. She couldn't wait until after school to go see
her, as well as Darien. But for the next six and a half hours, she
would work on 'getting to know Ami better'. She'd simply have to
pretend she didn't already know everything about her, straight down to
her birthday and middle name.
"Oh… um… welcome back. We've heard about your unfortunate
accident at the park, and are glad you're feeling better." Beneath her
breath, Haruna muttered, "She's early… must have gotten hit pretty hard
on the head, poor thing."
Serena slipped back to her seat, 5th row, third seat back. At one
point, Ami looked up from her novel, and was greeted with Serena's warm
smile.
"Hey, Ami!"
"Hello, Serena, I'm glad to see you are feeling better. You don't
look as pale as you did when I saw you at the hospital the other day."
"Thank you. Actually, did you know that your mother was my
doctor? She was really great. I'm going back there after school to
visit some people I met, and I hope I'll have the chance to thank her."
"Yes, my mother is an excellent doctor. I hope to be just like
her when I grow up."
"I'm sure you will! You're so smart and everything already, I bet
you'll have no problem getting into med. school whatsoever!" Serena
chirped happily. Ami giggled.
"Thank you for your support, Serena."
"Oh, I was wondering if you were going to the hospital again
today?"
"Yes, I was planning on it."
"Great, would you mind if I walked there with you?"
"Of course not, I would love to have your company. I suppose I
will meet you at the front gate after the bell then."
"I'll be there!"
Their conversation ended abruptly with the second bell,
announcing the start of class. Sighing, Serena forced her heartbeat to
relax. She never did understand the nervousness she felt, she didn't
feel that way when she was usually making friends. But then again, as
far as she was concerned, befriending the scouts was a life and death
situation. She desperately needed their friendship.
All during lunch, Serena had searched fervently for Ami, wanting
so badly to talk to her some more. She had even ventured into the
library, but the blue-haired girl was nowhere to be found. Going
through the three class periods they had together was fun, but the rest
of the day seemed torturous to her. Loneliness was never much of a
problem with her, but today, she seemed stranded in a crowd of best
friends, and she was the only solo person.
Finally, the last bell rang and she grabbed her bag and jogged
out to the courtyard. After only moment of waiting by the gate, she
felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around with a grin.
"Hey, Ames!"
"Eh… hello, Serena!" she replied with equal enthusiasm, after the
surprise of the friendly nickname had worn off. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yup, sure am!"
They began walking off happily to the hospital together.
"Say, I was looking for you at lunch, but couldn't find you,"
said the blonde with a slight pout.
"Oh, were you? I'm sorry, I was in the chemistry lab. If I'd
known you needed something I would have met you somewhere."
"Well, I didn't need anything really, I just wanted to see if
you'd like to eat lunch together sometime."
'She was in the chemistry lab. Well, obviously, Serena! Why
didn't you check there?'
"Eat… lunch… together?" Ami said slowly, shock evident on her
face.
"Sure, if you want to, that is."
"Oh, well, um… I… I would like to sometime…"
"Great, how 'bout tomorrow? We could meet by the big oak in the
courtyard, it's a great place to eat when it's sunny!"
"Er… that sounds nice, but… I'm afraid tomorrow I was going to
finish up some extra credit assignments for my biology class during
lunch hour."
Ami didn't miss the sadness and confusion pass over Serena's
eyes.
"But… Ames, you're getting an A in every class. You can take some
time off to relax and have some fun, can't you?"
~ FLASH ~
I sat leisurely on my beach towel, reading the physics novel in
front of me as I could hear laughing and giggling coming from the beach
ahead of me. I tried my best to push the sounds of fun and excitement
out of thought, but still, my heart yearned to toss the book aside and
go join the others on the surf.
Suddenly, someone sliding down into the sand beside my blanket
jerked me from my thoughts. Looking over, I saw a blonde-haired girl
with familiar buns on top of her head gasping for breath. She flashed
me a huge grin and grabbed the book from my grasp. At first I attempted
to grab it back, but stopped when she started talking, the large smile
never leaving her face.
"Come have fun with us, Ames! You can't study all the time!"
"But, I…"
"No buts! As your friend, I am commanding you to loosen up for
the day and play some volleyball with us, got it?!" she said with a
laugh.
I stared silently for a minute, before a smile, almost of relief,
pulled at my lips as well. "You're right! We're at the beach! I should
be having fun, not doing homework!"
"Good girl, glad ya see it my way. Now come on!"
She set the book down and grabbed onto my wrist, dragging me over
to some other girls playing near the waves.
~ FLASH ~
"Ami? Hey, Ames, are you alright?"
Ami snapped from her thoughts to see Serena waving a hand in
front of her face.
"Yes, yes, Serena, I'm fine."
Serena tilted her head to the side slightly. "Ya know, I think
that's the first time I've ever seen you space out…"
Forcing a smile, Ami said calmly. "I was thinking, and I've
changed my mind. I will meet you at the oak tree during lunch
tomorrow!"
After a shocked moment of silence, Serena smiled. "Great! I'll
see you there!"
As Serena babbled on the rest of the way to the hospital, Ami
pondered silently over the strange illusion. She didn't know what it
had meant, but for some reason, the girl in the vision, as well as
Serena, both seemed to fill this place in her heart, aching for
friendship.
Upon entering the hospital, Serena immediately grabbed Ami and
began dragging her to the elevator.
"Before we go see your mom, I have to go check on a couple
friends. Is that okay?"
"Of course, no problem."
Reaching the floor she had earlier been kept on, Serena flew
quickly down the familiar hallway to Darien's hospital room, Ami
directly on her heels. She stopped suddenly, gasping when she looked
into the room.
The flowers were gone. The clothes were gone. An empty bed sat in
the center, the blankets neatly folded on top.
"Wha…? Where is he?"
"Ami? Oh, I thought I saw you come in," said an older, feminine
voice from behind them. Serena turned to see Ami giving a hug to a tall
woman, with hair the same color as Ami's pulled into a bun. She wore a
stainless, white suit and Serena instantly recognized Dr. Mizuno, Ami's
mother.
"Mom, you've met Serena."
"Oh, yes, Ms. Tsukino. I'm glad to see you feeling better. I…
didn't know that you and my daughter were friends."
"We have a few classes together, but we just started getting to
know each other recently," said Serena politely. "Oh, um… Dr. Mizuno, I
was wondering if you know what happened to Darien?"
"Who? Ah, yes, Mr. Chiba, the young man who was staying in this
room, right? If I'm not mistaken, he was released this morning. He
healed remarkably fast, I'm happy to say."
"Oh… he's gone then. Th…thank you."
"Of course. Ami, it looks as though I'll be working late tonight.
Could you make yourself dinner?"
"Sure, Mom."
"Thanks, dear. It was nice seeing you again, Serena."
"You too."
"Good bye girls."
Serena and Ami waved good bye as her mom left down the hall.
Turning to her new friend, Ami asked with slight teasing in her voice,
"So…who's Darien?"
Serena laughed. Though she didn't show it often, Ami certainly
had her nosy and mischievous side. Sighing, she brushed past her to
head back to the elevator.
"Darien is… a guy I know."
"Mmhmm… and…?"
"And… he's sweet…"
"And…"
"…kind, funny, romantic, handsome, would you like me to
continue?"
Ami giggled. "No, I think I've heard enough."
Smiling, Serena pressed the down arrow beside the elevator. "I'll
have to find him somehow… I would miss him so very much… Although, I'm
pretty sure he hangs out at the arcade quite a bit. I know a friend of
his works there…"
"I suppose we'll just have to make a stop there later on, won't
we?" Ami said, nudging Serena gently in her side with her elbow. They
continued to laugh happily as the elevator doors opened. Stepping in.
they pressed the button marked 'Lobby' and the doors closed behind
them. The ride was silent until once again the elevator stopped and
another girl stepped in. Her violet eyes were dull and bloodshot from
obvious recent tears.
Trying to hide her gasp, Serena straightened up. 'So, here's my
chance to talk to Raye, also…'
"Oh, you're the girl I saw here the other day, aren't you?" she
asked.
Raye looked up, first making eye contact with Serena, before
taking Ami into recognition briefly. Staring at the blonde once again,
she furrowed her brow slightly.
"I… I'm sorry, I don't think I know…"
"We talked for a little bit in the elevator. Um… my hair was down
at the time… if that helps…"
Tilting her head to the side, Raye examined the girl in the blue,
red, and white school outfit for a moment, then her memory clicked and
she smiled.
"Oh, yes, you were the girl who was in the monster attack last
week, aren't you?"
"Yup, that's me. Say, how's your grandpa? Is he doing any
better?"
Closing her eyes sadly, Raye leaned up against the elevator wall.
"I just came back from seeing him. He seems to be breathing easier but…
he still hasn't woken up."
Serena pierced her lips together sadly, wishing she knew what to
say or do to make things better. "I… I'm very sorry to hear that."
After a brief silence, Serena held out a friendly hand. "Oh, I just
remembered that I never introduced myself. My name's Serena."
After a moment of contemplation, Raye held out her hand also,
taking Serena's into her own. "Hello, I'm Raye."
"I'm Ami," said the blue-haired girl who had been listening to
the conversation quietly. "I am very sorry to hear about your
grandfather's condition. I… suppose he's in a coma?"
Gulping, Raye nodded just as the elevator stopped on the bottom
floor. They all filed out, but Serena grabbed Raye's arm before she
could leave.
"Hey, do you want to join Ami and I for a snack in the cafeteria?
I'm getting kind of hungry myself, and I think I'd like to get to know
you better. My treat!"
Raye stared at her speculatively a moment before a small smile
dawned across her lips. "Sure, I guess. I have some work to do at the
temple, but it can wait."
"Temple?" asked Ami as they began walking toward the cafeteria.
"Yes, I help at my grandpa's temple, over on Cherry Hill."
"Oh, would that make your grandfather Mr. Hino?"
Raye looked suspiciously at the girl beside her. "How… did you
know?"
"My mother is Mr. Hino's doctor. I've visited him a few times.
I'm really not supposed to give out this information, but I think
you'll be happy to know that your grandfather is well on his way to
recovery. My mother was saying that she expects him to wake up within
the week," she exclaimed with a smile, then added more solemnly, "But
you see, I'm not supposed to tell you really, because it's uncertain,
and we're not supposed to get peoples' hopes up."
However, Raye's eyes looked about ready to burst from her head,
shining with unspoken happiness. "Oh… I… thank you for telling me!
You've given me so much more hope!"
Before anyone really knew what was happening, Raye had wrapped
Ami up in a giant, friendly hug. As Serena stared on in shocked
happiness, she realized it was the first time she had seen Raye so
extremely open with her feelings.
Raye also seemed to notice the strange show of emotion and pulled
away from the surprised girl. "I'm sorry, but I'm just so happy right
now! I can't thank you enough!"
Serena laughed. "This is great! And when your grandpa is better,
you'll have to introduce us to him, alright?"
"I can do that! Sure! You… you guys both have been so nice to me
today, and… I'm smiling for the first time in weeks! Thank you!" In
another spur of the moment impulse, Raye now through her arms around
Serena, and she hugged back equally enthusiastic.
~ FLASH ~
I paused from my sweeping, wiping some sweat away from my brow
and breathing a sigh of relief. The courtyard was almost empty of those
blasted cherry blossoms. I love the trees in bloom, but they are such a
hassle after the season has ended.
"Are you almost finished?" says a cheerful voice from behind me.
Turning, I see a short girl with two blonde pigtails sitting on the
stairs leading up to the main entrance of the temple. She stands as I
stare at her, supporting myself with the broomstick.
"Almost, you lazy meatball head. You know, you could have helped
a little."
She pouted for a moment, before smiling brightly. "But you didn't
have another broom! Besides, you did an excellent job all by yourself!"
I roll my eyes as a response, blowing some bangs out of my eyes.
"Hey, speaking of help, I thought you hired someone a little
while ago…" continues the girl thoughtfully.
"We did. Chad, remember?"
"Oh yeah… doesn't he help much?"
I shrug. "He does, but it's still hard work. Especially on
Grandpa…" She stares at me sadly, I can see the pitiful look from the
corner of my eye. Then I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. Turning, I
see her staring at me with true care in her light blue eyes.
"You really worry about him, don't you Raye?"
For a moment, I'm speechless at the tenderness I hear in her
voice. Then I sigh, looking away. "Of course I do. He's too old to be
doing the stuff he does. His body just can't take much more…" I stop
speaking before I say something I know I'll regret. But suddenly, I
feel myself pulled into a friendly embrace as the blonde girl gives me
an encouraging hug.
"He's so lucky to have you as a granddaughter," she whispered.
Ever so slowly, I returned the hug, wondrously grateful for her kind
words.
~ FLASH ~
Raye nervously pulled away from Serena, a small blush tinting her
cheeks. "I'm sorry, I…"
"Oh, that's okay! I'm glad you're so happy!" exclaimed Serena.
Raye had spaced out for a moment there, and she wasn't quite sure why.
"Now how about that lunch, gals? My stomach's starting to yell at me!"
Serena peered into the glowing white room, her eyes first flying
to the baby blue covered bed. The brunette, hidden to her neck in
covers, shifted her eyes away from the TV to see the newcomer.
Immediately, the dark green in her stare turned lighter and a smile
grew on her dry pink lips.
"Hey, girl! How you been?"
"Pretty good, Leets. How are you feeling?"
"Not bad, kinda tired. They've been filling me with all those
darn narcotics lately."
"I'm sorry. Any word on your condition?" With a friendly smile,
Serena walked into the room, sitting down on the bed.
Lita sighed, leaning back into her pillows. "Turns out I have a
broken leg," she muttered unhappily, drawing the comforter back to
reveal a cast up to her left knee.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Yeah. But hey, the good news is that I can be out of here in one
to two days, as long as I promise to stay off my foot as much as
possible and stuff like that."
"Really? That's great! Oh, before I forget and leave them
stranded out in the hallway, I want to introduce you to some of my new
friends."
Lita laughed slightly. "You sure do make friends easily, don't
ya?"
Smiling along, Serena only nodded, before turning to the door.
"Okay, she's awake, come on in!"
Only moment afterwards, Ami and Raye walked shyly into the room,
carrying stuff behind their backs.
"Lita, this is Ami and Raye. Ami, Raye, meet Lita!"
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"Hello."
"It's a pleasure."
"Oh, Lita, we brought something for you."
"Yeah, what's that?"
Serena grinned, nodding at her two standing friends. With wide
smiles, they pulled their hands to the front to reveal four bags of
hot, deliciously smelling fast food.
"It's against regulation," said Ami secretively.
"But we thought you might be a little tired of all that hospital
food," continued Raye.
"So as long as we don't get caught, eat up!" finished the chipper
blonde.
Laughing loudly, Lita gratefully accepted the gifts, reaching for
her bed tray and piling the cheeseburgers, french fries, fishwiches,
and onion rings on top.
"I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat all this, guys!"
With a delighted glint in her eye, Serena pulled a fork from her
pocket. "Well then I guess we'll just have to help ya!"
Visit First Love: A Sailormoon Fanfiction Archive at: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Spa/4410
Hope you enjoyed!
Luv and God bless!
<3 Ali-chan
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