The Light We Have Finally Realized
By Lynna Nguyen (Period 02)
On April 7, 2002
Disclaimer: This is a story I just wrote for my history homework. The characters in this story do not belong to me. Also, the ways of life I use for the Africans have an Indian influence, for I am not very familiar with the Africans' living quarters and such. (Not to mention names. So I'm just going to use English and possibly a few Japanese ones.) And I sincerely apologize when you see that the romance doesn't come out right. (But you get the idea, right?) (Heero's OOC, too. Sorry about that, but it would be hard to write with him in character.)
Moral: Don't take things for granted. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Nothing is quite what it seems.
All around a small cottage in the woods, there was rain, splashing everything, flowing earnestly. Looking through the glowing windows of the cozy cottage, one can spot a small golden-haired child sitting at the foot of a small old lady. Both were in front of the warm fire, talking.
Inside the cottage, the walls were all of wood and painted a light, soft pink, giving the place a warm, pleasant feel. The lights above were all dim and golden. The four chairs seated around the white, ancient-styled table were all low and comfortable. In the living, the lady was sitting in a rocking chair with a sky-blue cushion. She was wearing a big, fluffy dress with navy flowers, clashing with the yellow background. On her lap was a small, brown dog, which had its eyes closed and breathing very lightly, lost in its slumber. At the feet of the lady was the girl. Her hair was blonde, pulled up into cone-shaped buns at the top of her head and streamers hanging down from the buns.
"Tell me a story, Grandma Setsu-chan. Please?" The big, innocent eyes of the child pleaded hopefully with the old lady. Her hands were clasped tightly on her legs, which were folded Indian-style. "I wanna hear something from the times of Great Zimbabwe, from ancient Africa. Pretty please?"
"Oh very well, Usa-chan. Oh very well," came the reply of the Grandmother Setsuna. She was looking down at the child with loving, tender eyes. "Would you like to hear the one about the explorer who fell in love with the daughter of the chief of an African tribe? And they ran away to the gold mines?"
Usagi nodded her head vigorously, loving to learn about her ancestry through the oral tradition she was exposed to.
Grandmother Setsuna sied and began. "A long time ago, sometime between A.D. 1100 and 1300, there was a tribe we now call Shona..."
It was nighttime and the people of the Shona village were all settled around the fire, enjoying the beats of the drum. The full moon was out and casting its bright and calming glow down upon the earth. The chief was sitting on a wooden 'horse' with his sons standing next to him and two of the tribesmen fanning him. He was wearing many necklaces, some of gold. On his wrists were many gold bracelets and he was wearing many colorful cloths around his waist. On the 'horse's' head was a red 'helmet' and blue and yellow 'reins'. One of his sons was holding a light sword with a blue sheath. The fans had colorful designs on them and the men holding them were dressed almost identically. They were both in orange and red cloths, with green lining. On their left sides were these bell-like objects. On their heads were blue helmets.
All around him, the people hummed and a couple of them were dancing to the joyous music, grateful for the abundant crops that they were able to grow with the latest plentiful rainfall season on the plateau (raised pieve of land that is fairly flat) right by them. But sitting on the sides of the group was a young, silent teenage girl by the name of Serenity Faircastle, or just Serena. Her beautiful, vibrant golden locks were pulled into two long braids that ended just above her hips. Weaved into the braids were many strings of pink and sky blue, with many light green beads dangling down from them. Her pale-skinned fourteen-year-old form was on the ground, her legs crossed, Indian-style, and she contrasted against every body else's dark tones of skin.
Her azure blue eyes were looking at the rest of the people, longing to join them, but knew that she would be shunned away once again. It had been so ever since two days ago. And her assumed birthday was in five days. Looking down at the ground once more, she thought about her life. She had always been happy, and made friends very easily, ever since her 'father' found her near the trading center as the tender age of six. She was wearing European clothing, in a small but fluffy dress that was probably made for the nobles of the continent. And her parents were gone. Dead.
The strange thing is that she could talk in complete, polite, proper sentences. She had been properly educated since four, and had amazed her dubious tutors with her ability to quickly grasp whatever she was taught and had a mild interest in it also. That gave the people all the more reason to keep their distance. One of the chiefs of the villages had been traveling along and checking the center and found the lost little girl and took her in. They had to adjust to her foreign language and some of the people, including the chief's sons, had learned to follow through the dialect, able to speak and understand it. The chief and some of the usual traders knew, having to interact with the Europeans during trade often. And they taught her how to speak in their own dialect.
It didn't matter to the others that she was fair-skinned and they were dark-toned. They had accepted her none-the-less. But now, she wasn't so sure. In the last two days that they had repeatedly ignored her, she found that none would even bother to look at her and her bright, bewildered eyes. Sarah, one of the women that worked cooking food, had not greeted her cheerfully every time they passed each other like she usually would. Coram, her caretaker, had been cold and aloof, only speaking to her when needed. Naru, the first befriend her when Serena first came, kept excusing herself away from her every time Serena tried to talk to her. Actually, Serena had befriended everybody in the village some time or another. And every single person ignored her in a sense. Even her 'father' kept himself busy, while before, he always found time for her.
She looked down at the ground beside her once more. It hurt her so badly, her friends shunning her away so abruptly and not telling her why. Did she do something wrong? What could she have possibly done that the whole entire village can't bear to even take a glance at her? What-
Her trail of thoughts was cut off, as the village suddenly grew eerily quiet. The drummers stopped drumming. The dancers stopped dancing. The others stopped talking. ~What was going on?~ She looked up. And saw the most enchanting eyes she had ever laid her own upon...
Heero Brosnan stood at the edge of the Shona village looking around at the people. Heero was an explorer who traveled with the traders on their ships, but somehow got lost from the trading center. Not a good thing. Now here he was, the son of a noble, stuck on Africa with nowhere to go. He had lost most of his provisions and he was dirty and his cloths, ragged and unkempt. All he had left was his bag of bread and water, and one change of clothes. He noticed that everybody there was looking at him, waiting for him to make any kind of movement or signal to who he was or what his purpose was.
At a forty-five degree from him was the man he assumed to be chief. He was getting up from his 'horse' and said in the English dialect, with a heavy accent, "We are the people of the Shona village, and I am chief here, by the name of Kenji. Who are you, stranger?"
Heero eyed the man warily. ~Should I tell him? He could be a danger to me. But then again, why not? It probably won't hurt. And I need to place to rest anyway.~ "I am Heero of Brosnan, and came here in peace. I have lost my way from my people and have nowhere to go, ever since traveling along this vast expanse. May I stay here at your humble abode to replenish my energy to once again search for my people?"
Kenji said, "Very well, Sir Brosnen. Serenity, dear, come here."
Heero glanced at the crowd, wondering who the chief was talking to, when his eyes caught onto a bundle of golden tresses that was moving towards Kenji. What caught his attention most were her eyes. Her large, azure orbs were full of sadness, innocence, and hope. And as they say, windows to her pure soul. ~Beautiful.~
Kenji spoke again. "Serena, please show him to the spare tent on the east side of the village." The girl, Serena, nodded once and looked up at Heero's face. And almost gasped in surprise.
(A.N. From now on, the village spoke in English, so that Heero could also understand. It'll be easier for me to write, too.)
~Heero Brosnen. Ro?~ Ro was an old, old friend of hers, back when she was still in Europe. They were next-door neighbors and had always gotten along. But then she was pulled away from him when her parents took her on to the trading center in Africa. She had missed him so much. It took her a couple of years to get over it. But then it seems like he's somehow back into her life. She wanted so badly to run up and hug the life out of him. ~But then again, he most likely wouldn't even remember. He'd push me away like he did when they first met.~
Serena couldn't help but be instantly attracted to Heero's shining Prussian blue eyes. They were so deep and fiery. She could barely pull her gaze away, and when she did, she looked down the ground in embarrassment, a light blush across her cheeks, and with a mental kick at herself. ~How can I have feelings for him. He's an old friend!~ She quickly took hold of his bag and motioned for him to follow her.
Heero also looked away wish a blush and then straightened himself. "I thank you for your hospitality." With that, he turned on his heel and trailed behind the girl.
For the next two days, Heero befriended many of the village. He was welcomed almost as wholeheartedly as Serenity was. And that time, he and Serenity kept passing by each other, but Serena always quickened her pace as they got nearer to each other and They rarely made eye contact, and if they ever did, both quickly turned away blushing. He tried a couple of times to approach her, but she was always a few steps in front of him. It was strange to them, feeling that way. And it made an awkward atmosphere between them. It didn't help him one bit that he felt pulled to her in a sense. He felt so incomplete now.
Finally, during the evening of the third day that Heero had been staying there, two days from her birthday, Heero couldn't put up with it any longer. As Serena sat on the side and every body else danced around the fire, he went up to her and requested her to come with him.
"Serenity, may I please speak to you for a moment?" Serena blushed and nodded, standing up. She followed him as he walked through the crowd of people dancing as they did every night and to a semi-secluded area not far from the others.
"So," Serena started, after a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two, "what did you need to talk about?" She suppressed any further blushing on her part, for her face was probably red enough as it was. (And with another mental kick at herself.)
"Um... Serenity-"
"Serena. Call me Serena," she interrupted him.
"Okay. Serena, why are you always avoiding me?" It was a very simple question, but how could she just give a simple answer?
~He doesn't remember, does he?~ She just replied with, "What are you talking about?" (A.N. Typical kind of denial, ne?)
Heero shook his head and tried again. "You never seem to want to talk to me. Every time I come near, you run away."
Serena merely shrugged at him.
{FLASH}(For Heero.)
A girl with long, blonde hair stood in front of him, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, Ro. Ask your parents. I just don't know."
"But Rena, I..."
{FLASH}
~Huh? Where did that come from?~ He shook his head again and looked more closely at her. He noticed how her long, golden hair trailed behind her, the wind flowing through the elongated, thick strands. Her nose was small and pert. He gasped. "Rena?"
That definitely caught her attention. Looking deep into his eyes, she saw a faint flicker of recognition. "Ro?"
Heero shakily nodded, shocked that his childhood friend, the one that he missed so much when she went off, was standing right there in front of him. Serena threw herself at him, crying out in joy. "Oh Ro! I've missed you so much!"
He caught her and spun her around. Hearing her twinkling voice laugh and giggle made him happy again. They spun around and around until both were so dizzy they can't sit straight. For an hour or so, they joked around, told each other about what had happened in the last eight years that they've been apart. Serena told him about her life there in the village. Heero told her about the adventures he began longing for and finally had the chance to pursue. Serena forgot all about her hurt and loneliness there in his company.
They were still out in that area, watching the sunset, when Coram came and told her to go back in. In a cold manner, at that. That was when she remembered her troubles and worries with the people in the village. She complied to Coram and quickly told Heero to meet her in that area the next day, when the sun would rise. Heero nodded and she ran off.
The next morning...
...Heero and Serena were sitting side-by-side watching the sunrise from over the hills nearby. Serena kept taking side-glances at Heero, trying to make sense of all of these weird tingles she felt whenever they spoke to each other, made any kind of physical contact, even be in a ten-foot-radius of each other. It made her feel excited and at ease at the same time when she was in his presence. She sighed and just turned her head back to watch as the sun rose completely off the horizon.
"Um, Heero?" Serena really wanted to just get her feelings out in the open, but didn't have the slightest clue to how to convey her message to him. He turned his head towards her and his eyes were questioning.
"Yeah, Rena?" he replied.
(A.N. Okay, this scenes gonna get a little awkward, so just know that I'm trying to get them to confess their love for each other. If you want, just skip towards the next divider.)
"Wha-what do you think me of as?" she asked hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" Heero was getting really confused. Why all of the sudden ask these questions?
"Well, I-I... I think I'm... in love with you," Serena stated, even more tentatively. She flushed and looked down at her lap, not wanting to see his reaction to her confession just yet.
"You do?" He inquired, breathlessly. Ever since he had been staying at the village, he had been unsure of his feelings. He always felt so happy and joyous when around Serena. His heart practically skipped a beat every time her name popped up, verbally or mentally. He thought that he had feelings for her too. And here's his chance to express them. ~Oh please. Let it be true. Does she really love me?~
"Yes, I do, Ro. Yes, I do," her voice came out a tad more confident and less shaky. She risked it and looked up, before loosing herself in his eyes. Just before he said, "Oh, Rena, I do, too," and repositioning, leaned down and kissed her gently and softly.
(A.N. I know this part really sucked, but I did say it was going to be awkward before.)
That afternoon...
...as the two were both working out on the plateaus, Serena realized that she still felt lonely, even though Heero was there for her. They others were still ignoring her, and it still hurt. ~I don't know what to do anymore. Why won't they talk to me?~
Until the sunset, the people worked, that day. They have been getting good rain and wanted to make the most out of it. Both Heero and Serena were dead tired when they finally went back in. But her lonesomeness she felt was still throbbing in her heart and she confided in Heero, as they both sat in her spacious tent.
~I'm so sorry, Rena.~ "Rena, you did nothing wrong. Don't doubt yourself like that," Heero said, trying to calm the fresh load of tears that began to fall from her closed eyelids.
"Ro, I just can't stand it anymore. I just can't. I want to go somewhere far, far from here."
"Rena, are you sure? Completely positive? There's a chance you'll never be able to come back here. Won't you miss your new family and friends?"
"I'm sure," she said and completely broke down after the words left her lips.
~What am I to do? I can't just take her from here. She'll miss them too much, even though they are hurting her with their actions. But I can't leave her either. It'll just hurt her even more. I'll have to just bring her to the gold mines in the Zimbabwe Plateau,~ Heero thought as he tried to calm Serena down. He gradually started to succeed, as her sobs quiet and her cries quieted. They both laid on the mats on the ground and he told her about his plans. She agreed and they both made plans to leave that night.
He brushed his lips against hers and left for his tent, to gather his belongings. She smiled and went to pack up anything that she deemed essential. They left that night when they were quite sure that the people of the village were all asleep...
That night...
(A.N. Okay, I don't know how they found their way to the mines so use your imagination. ::shrugs::)
...she followed him from behind as they both silently left the village and started on the path to the mines. She had left a note, written in the African dialect, explaining why she was leaving and that Heero was with her. She didn't mention where they were going. He was stealthily quiet and she did her best to do the same. It took them approximately three days to get to the mines. Lucky for them, they encountered no obstacles and not many people.
When they did reach the mines, it was not like what they imagined at all. They had thought that the mines would be simmering with gold everywhere, but all they really saw was the black and gray of the rocks men were trying to dig through.
That was what they put up with for the next week and a half. Heero went off and worked at from sunup to sundown, while Serena stayed back at the tent that they put up very close to the mines, cooking around a fire that was ignited every morning before he left. Everyday, Heero came up sweating and dirty and tired, more so as every day passed by. And everyday, there were more cuts and bruises found that she needed to bandage and heal. And took care of him she did. But soon, both of them just grew tired of all of the work and pain.
Serena suggested for them to just turn back. At first, Heero had refused, afraid to have her hurt again and argued that the village won't accept them back. But Serena was stubborn, seeing Heero getting way too pain for something like that. ~I was so selfish,~ Serena thought. ~I took him away from his friends and a nice place to stay. The people will take him back.~
Heero finally gave in and they left, taking the three-day journey back to the village.
When they got back, they came upon a sight that they were not expecting to see. Not in the least. All of the people were subdued. No laughter rang out, and smiles or anything.
But when the first villager, which turned out to be Naru, spotted them, she called out and ran towards Serena (and Heero) and gave her a huge hug. Which confused Serena to no end. ~What's going on? I thought she hated me or something.~ Soon the others came out and gave Serena a big hug, welcoming her back. And they all shook hands with Heero, also welcoming him back.
The chief came through the crowd with his sons behind him and pulled her into another hug. "Serenity, you shouldn't have left. I'm sorry but we all acted that way because we wanted to keep it a surprise. Do you remember whose birthday came up?"
Serena's eyes widened and grew teary. "Oh."
All the other people in the crowd murmured their apologies for hurting her like that, but if they did talk to her a lot, they wouldn't be able to hold it in. Serena apologized for running away and Heero for taking her from them. They all forgave each other and the people accepted the two back...
"...and then Great Zimbabwe was built not long after that," Grandma Setsuna concluded. "The one thing they've learned was that: Things are not always what they seem."
The End
By Lynna Nguyen (Period 02)
On April 7, 2002
Disclaimer: This is a story I just wrote for my history homework. The characters in this story do not belong to me. Also, the ways of life I use for the Africans have an Indian influence, for I am not very familiar with the Africans' living quarters and such. (Not to mention names. So I'm just going to use English and possibly a few Japanese ones.) And I sincerely apologize when you see that the romance doesn't come out right. (But you get the idea, right?) (Heero's OOC, too. Sorry about that, but it would be hard to write with him in character.)
Moral: Don't take things for granted. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Nothing is quite what it seems.
All around a small cottage in the woods, there was rain, splashing everything, flowing earnestly. Looking through the glowing windows of the cozy cottage, one can spot a small golden-haired child sitting at the foot of a small old lady. Both were in front of the warm fire, talking.
Inside the cottage, the walls were all of wood and painted a light, soft pink, giving the place a warm, pleasant feel. The lights above were all dim and golden. The four chairs seated around the white, ancient-styled table were all low and comfortable. In the living, the lady was sitting in a rocking chair with a sky-blue cushion. She was wearing a big, fluffy dress with navy flowers, clashing with the yellow background. On her lap was a small, brown dog, which had its eyes closed and breathing very lightly, lost in its slumber. At the feet of the lady was the girl. Her hair was blonde, pulled up into cone-shaped buns at the top of her head and streamers hanging down from the buns.
"Tell me a story, Grandma Setsu-chan. Please?" The big, innocent eyes of the child pleaded hopefully with the old lady. Her hands were clasped tightly on her legs, which were folded Indian-style. "I wanna hear something from the times of Great Zimbabwe, from ancient Africa. Pretty please?"
"Oh very well, Usa-chan. Oh very well," came the reply of the Grandmother Setsuna. She was looking down at the child with loving, tender eyes. "Would you like to hear the one about the explorer who fell in love with the daughter of the chief of an African tribe? And they ran away to the gold mines?"
Usagi nodded her head vigorously, loving to learn about her ancestry through the oral tradition she was exposed to.
Grandmother Setsuna sied and began. "A long time ago, sometime between A.D. 1100 and 1300, there was a tribe we now call Shona..."
It was nighttime and the people of the Shona village were all settled around the fire, enjoying the beats of the drum. The full moon was out and casting its bright and calming glow down upon the earth. The chief was sitting on a wooden 'horse' with his sons standing next to him and two of the tribesmen fanning him. He was wearing many necklaces, some of gold. On his wrists were many gold bracelets and he was wearing many colorful cloths around his waist. On the 'horse's' head was a red 'helmet' and blue and yellow 'reins'. One of his sons was holding a light sword with a blue sheath. The fans had colorful designs on them and the men holding them were dressed almost identically. They were both in orange and red cloths, with green lining. On their left sides were these bell-like objects. On their heads were blue helmets.
All around him, the people hummed and a couple of them were dancing to the joyous music, grateful for the abundant crops that they were able to grow with the latest plentiful rainfall season on the plateau (raised pieve of land that is fairly flat) right by them. But sitting on the sides of the group was a young, silent teenage girl by the name of Serenity Faircastle, or just Serena. Her beautiful, vibrant golden locks were pulled into two long braids that ended just above her hips. Weaved into the braids were many strings of pink and sky blue, with many light green beads dangling down from them. Her pale-skinned fourteen-year-old form was on the ground, her legs crossed, Indian-style, and she contrasted against every body else's dark tones of skin.
Her azure blue eyes were looking at the rest of the people, longing to join them, but knew that she would be shunned away once again. It had been so ever since two days ago. And her assumed birthday was in five days. Looking down at the ground once more, she thought about her life. She had always been happy, and made friends very easily, ever since her 'father' found her near the trading center as the tender age of six. She was wearing European clothing, in a small but fluffy dress that was probably made for the nobles of the continent. And her parents were gone. Dead.
The strange thing is that she could talk in complete, polite, proper sentences. She had been properly educated since four, and had amazed her dubious tutors with her ability to quickly grasp whatever she was taught and had a mild interest in it also. That gave the people all the more reason to keep their distance. One of the chiefs of the villages had been traveling along and checking the center and found the lost little girl and took her in. They had to adjust to her foreign language and some of the people, including the chief's sons, had learned to follow through the dialect, able to speak and understand it. The chief and some of the usual traders knew, having to interact with the Europeans during trade often. And they taught her how to speak in their own dialect.
It didn't matter to the others that she was fair-skinned and they were dark-toned. They had accepted her none-the-less. But now, she wasn't so sure. In the last two days that they had repeatedly ignored her, she found that none would even bother to look at her and her bright, bewildered eyes. Sarah, one of the women that worked cooking food, had not greeted her cheerfully every time they passed each other like she usually would. Coram, her caretaker, had been cold and aloof, only speaking to her when needed. Naru, the first befriend her when Serena first came, kept excusing herself away from her every time Serena tried to talk to her. Actually, Serena had befriended everybody in the village some time or another. And every single person ignored her in a sense. Even her 'father' kept himself busy, while before, he always found time for her.
She looked down at the ground beside her once more. It hurt her so badly, her friends shunning her away so abruptly and not telling her why. Did she do something wrong? What could she have possibly done that the whole entire village can't bear to even take a glance at her? What-
Her trail of thoughts was cut off, as the village suddenly grew eerily quiet. The drummers stopped drumming. The dancers stopped dancing. The others stopped talking. ~What was going on?~ She looked up. And saw the most enchanting eyes she had ever laid her own upon...
Heero Brosnan stood at the edge of the Shona village looking around at the people. Heero was an explorer who traveled with the traders on their ships, but somehow got lost from the trading center. Not a good thing. Now here he was, the son of a noble, stuck on Africa with nowhere to go. He had lost most of his provisions and he was dirty and his cloths, ragged and unkempt. All he had left was his bag of bread and water, and one change of clothes. He noticed that everybody there was looking at him, waiting for him to make any kind of movement or signal to who he was or what his purpose was.
At a forty-five degree from him was the man he assumed to be chief. He was getting up from his 'horse' and said in the English dialect, with a heavy accent, "We are the people of the Shona village, and I am chief here, by the name of Kenji. Who are you, stranger?"
Heero eyed the man warily. ~Should I tell him? He could be a danger to me. But then again, why not? It probably won't hurt. And I need to place to rest anyway.~ "I am Heero of Brosnan, and came here in peace. I have lost my way from my people and have nowhere to go, ever since traveling along this vast expanse. May I stay here at your humble abode to replenish my energy to once again search for my people?"
Kenji said, "Very well, Sir Brosnen. Serenity, dear, come here."
Heero glanced at the crowd, wondering who the chief was talking to, when his eyes caught onto a bundle of golden tresses that was moving towards Kenji. What caught his attention most were her eyes. Her large, azure orbs were full of sadness, innocence, and hope. And as they say, windows to her pure soul. ~Beautiful.~
Kenji spoke again. "Serena, please show him to the spare tent on the east side of the village." The girl, Serena, nodded once and looked up at Heero's face. And almost gasped in surprise.
(A.N. From now on, the village spoke in English, so that Heero could also understand. It'll be easier for me to write, too.)
~Heero Brosnen. Ro?~ Ro was an old, old friend of hers, back when she was still in Europe. They were next-door neighbors and had always gotten along. But then she was pulled away from him when her parents took her on to the trading center in Africa. She had missed him so much. It took her a couple of years to get over it. But then it seems like he's somehow back into her life. She wanted so badly to run up and hug the life out of him. ~But then again, he most likely wouldn't even remember. He'd push me away like he did when they first met.~
Serena couldn't help but be instantly attracted to Heero's shining Prussian blue eyes. They were so deep and fiery. She could barely pull her gaze away, and when she did, she looked down the ground in embarrassment, a light blush across her cheeks, and with a mental kick at herself. ~How can I have feelings for him. He's an old friend!~ She quickly took hold of his bag and motioned for him to follow her.
Heero also looked away wish a blush and then straightened himself. "I thank you for your hospitality." With that, he turned on his heel and trailed behind the girl.
For the next two days, Heero befriended many of the village. He was welcomed almost as wholeheartedly as Serenity was. And that time, he and Serenity kept passing by each other, but Serena always quickened her pace as they got nearer to each other and They rarely made eye contact, and if they ever did, both quickly turned away blushing. He tried a couple of times to approach her, but she was always a few steps in front of him. It was strange to them, feeling that way. And it made an awkward atmosphere between them. It didn't help him one bit that he felt pulled to her in a sense. He felt so incomplete now.
Finally, during the evening of the third day that Heero had been staying there, two days from her birthday, Heero couldn't put up with it any longer. As Serena sat on the side and every body else danced around the fire, he went up to her and requested her to come with him.
"Serenity, may I please speak to you for a moment?" Serena blushed and nodded, standing up. She followed him as he walked through the crowd of people dancing as they did every night and to a semi-secluded area not far from the others.
"So," Serena started, after a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two, "what did you need to talk about?" She suppressed any further blushing on her part, for her face was probably red enough as it was. (And with another mental kick at herself.)
"Um... Serenity-"
"Serena. Call me Serena," she interrupted him.
"Okay. Serena, why are you always avoiding me?" It was a very simple question, but how could she just give a simple answer?
~He doesn't remember, does he?~ She just replied with, "What are you talking about?" (A.N. Typical kind of denial, ne?)
Heero shook his head and tried again. "You never seem to want to talk to me. Every time I come near, you run away."
Serena merely shrugged at him.
{FLASH}(For Heero.)
A girl with long, blonde hair stood in front of him, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, Ro. Ask your parents. I just don't know."
"But Rena, I..."
{FLASH}
~Huh? Where did that come from?~ He shook his head again and looked more closely at her. He noticed how her long, golden hair trailed behind her, the wind flowing through the elongated, thick strands. Her nose was small and pert. He gasped. "Rena?"
That definitely caught her attention. Looking deep into his eyes, she saw a faint flicker of recognition. "Ro?"
Heero shakily nodded, shocked that his childhood friend, the one that he missed so much when she went off, was standing right there in front of him. Serena threw herself at him, crying out in joy. "Oh Ro! I've missed you so much!"
He caught her and spun her around. Hearing her twinkling voice laugh and giggle made him happy again. They spun around and around until both were so dizzy they can't sit straight. For an hour or so, they joked around, told each other about what had happened in the last eight years that they've been apart. Serena told him about her life there in the village. Heero told her about the adventures he began longing for and finally had the chance to pursue. Serena forgot all about her hurt and loneliness there in his company.
They were still out in that area, watching the sunset, when Coram came and told her to go back in. In a cold manner, at that. That was when she remembered her troubles and worries with the people in the village. She complied to Coram and quickly told Heero to meet her in that area the next day, when the sun would rise. Heero nodded and she ran off.
The next morning...
...Heero and Serena were sitting side-by-side watching the sunrise from over the hills nearby. Serena kept taking side-glances at Heero, trying to make sense of all of these weird tingles she felt whenever they spoke to each other, made any kind of physical contact, even be in a ten-foot-radius of each other. It made her feel excited and at ease at the same time when she was in his presence. She sighed and just turned her head back to watch as the sun rose completely off the horizon.
"Um, Heero?" Serena really wanted to just get her feelings out in the open, but didn't have the slightest clue to how to convey her message to him. He turned his head towards her and his eyes were questioning.
"Yeah, Rena?" he replied.
(A.N. Okay, this scenes gonna get a little awkward, so just know that I'm trying to get them to confess their love for each other. If you want, just skip towards the next divider.)
"Wha-what do you think me of as?" she asked hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" Heero was getting really confused. Why all of the sudden ask these questions?
"Well, I-I... I think I'm... in love with you," Serena stated, even more tentatively. She flushed and looked down at her lap, not wanting to see his reaction to her confession just yet.
"You do?" He inquired, breathlessly. Ever since he had been staying at the village, he had been unsure of his feelings. He always felt so happy and joyous when around Serena. His heart practically skipped a beat every time her name popped up, verbally or mentally. He thought that he had feelings for her too. And here's his chance to express them. ~Oh please. Let it be true. Does she really love me?~
"Yes, I do, Ro. Yes, I do," her voice came out a tad more confident and less shaky. She risked it and looked up, before loosing herself in his eyes. Just before he said, "Oh, Rena, I do, too," and repositioning, leaned down and kissed her gently and softly.
(A.N. I know this part really sucked, but I did say it was going to be awkward before.)
That afternoon...
...as the two were both working out on the plateaus, Serena realized that she still felt lonely, even though Heero was there for her. They others were still ignoring her, and it still hurt. ~I don't know what to do anymore. Why won't they talk to me?~
Until the sunset, the people worked, that day. They have been getting good rain and wanted to make the most out of it. Both Heero and Serena were dead tired when they finally went back in. But her lonesomeness she felt was still throbbing in her heart and she confided in Heero, as they both sat in her spacious tent.
~I'm so sorry, Rena.~ "Rena, you did nothing wrong. Don't doubt yourself like that," Heero said, trying to calm the fresh load of tears that began to fall from her closed eyelids.
"Ro, I just can't stand it anymore. I just can't. I want to go somewhere far, far from here."
"Rena, are you sure? Completely positive? There's a chance you'll never be able to come back here. Won't you miss your new family and friends?"
"I'm sure," she said and completely broke down after the words left her lips.
~What am I to do? I can't just take her from here. She'll miss them too much, even though they are hurting her with their actions. But I can't leave her either. It'll just hurt her even more. I'll have to just bring her to the gold mines in the Zimbabwe Plateau,~ Heero thought as he tried to calm Serena down. He gradually started to succeed, as her sobs quiet and her cries quieted. They both laid on the mats on the ground and he told her about his plans. She agreed and they both made plans to leave that night.
He brushed his lips against hers and left for his tent, to gather his belongings. She smiled and went to pack up anything that she deemed essential. They left that night when they were quite sure that the people of the village were all asleep...
That night...
(A.N. Okay, I don't know how they found their way to the mines so use your imagination. ::shrugs::)
...she followed him from behind as they both silently left the village and started on the path to the mines. She had left a note, written in the African dialect, explaining why she was leaving and that Heero was with her. She didn't mention where they were going. He was stealthily quiet and she did her best to do the same. It took them approximately three days to get to the mines. Lucky for them, they encountered no obstacles and not many people.
When they did reach the mines, it was not like what they imagined at all. They had thought that the mines would be simmering with gold everywhere, but all they really saw was the black and gray of the rocks men were trying to dig through.
That was what they put up with for the next week and a half. Heero went off and worked at from sunup to sundown, while Serena stayed back at the tent that they put up very close to the mines, cooking around a fire that was ignited every morning before he left. Everyday, Heero came up sweating and dirty and tired, more so as every day passed by. And everyday, there were more cuts and bruises found that she needed to bandage and heal. And took care of him she did. But soon, both of them just grew tired of all of the work and pain.
Serena suggested for them to just turn back. At first, Heero had refused, afraid to have her hurt again and argued that the village won't accept them back. But Serena was stubborn, seeing Heero getting way too pain for something like that. ~I was so selfish,~ Serena thought. ~I took him away from his friends and a nice place to stay. The people will take him back.~
Heero finally gave in and they left, taking the three-day journey back to the village.
When they got back, they came upon a sight that they were not expecting to see. Not in the least. All of the people were subdued. No laughter rang out, and smiles or anything.
But when the first villager, which turned out to be Naru, spotted them, she called out and ran towards Serena (and Heero) and gave her a huge hug. Which confused Serena to no end. ~What's going on? I thought she hated me or something.~ Soon the others came out and gave Serena a big hug, welcoming her back. And they all shook hands with Heero, also welcoming him back.
The chief came through the crowd with his sons behind him and pulled her into another hug. "Serenity, you shouldn't have left. I'm sorry but we all acted that way because we wanted to keep it a surprise. Do you remember whose birthday came up?"
Serena's eyes widened and grew teary. "Oh."
All the other people in the crowd murmured their apologies for hurting her like that, but if they did talk to her a lot, they wouldn't be able to hold it in. Serena apologized for running away and Heero for taking her from them. They all forgave each other and the people accepted the two back...
"...and then Great Zimbabwe was built not long after that," Grandma Setsuna concluded. "The one thing they've learned was that: Things are not always what they seem."
The End