CHAPTER 2
The Infirmary
Serenity awoke to the soft beeping of a heart monitor and the light talking of people in the room.
"It looks like she'll make a full recovery, but not without some intense physical therapy for the whole right side of her body." A women's voice spoke, it sounded familiar but Serenity couldn't quite place it.
"All things considered, it could've been a lot worse." The second voice Serenity recognized immediately.
"Well I guess it's a good thing Lita is left handed then?" Serenity tried to be light hearted as she pulled herself upright in the bed.
"Good of you to finally join us, my dear!" Lord Death bounced toward her excitedly. "Its been a long time since I've seen you and the first without there being glass between us!"
Serenity gave Lord Death a small smile and bashful hello. This was the first time she had ever spoken to the Reaper without her father being present. Lord Death was a lot…bigger in person then he was inside a mirror although he still seemed to retain his jubilance either way. Despite that Serenity was still a little intimidated by him after all the stories she had heard from her father.
"So my sister will be okay?" Serenity asked, her question more directed toward Marie than Stein. She remembered what she said to him on the chopper and the look on his face as her words stung him. Stein was the first real friend she had outside of her adopted family. He was the only tutor she'd ever had that she was able to get to teach her how to fight...and not just in theory like all the others had but ACTUAL hand-to-hand combat. Stein never looked down on her because she was young or tried to shield her from the world; like all of the other adults in her life had. She was sorry but she didn't know how to go about apologizing to him.
"In time, yes, she should heal fine. The breaks were clean and there is no internal bleeding." Marie replied as she removed the IV from Serenity's arm and helped her up.
"That's good." Serenity slid from her bed and made her way to her sister's side taking hold of her hand. "When will she wake up?'
"She is sedated for now so she won't be in any pain. We should be okay to wake her in a few days once the injuries have started to heel." Marie put her arms around Serenity's shoulder in a motherly fashion as she explained the situation to the young girl. "As a weapon her body is incredibly resilent and with therapy she should be good as new in a month or so."
"Okay." Serenity stood by the bedside, still holding her sister's hand, with their father gone all they had was each other now. What were they going to do? "So what happens to us now?" Serenity's voice caught a little in her throat.
"Now!" Lord Death piped up "You and your sister will be staying here and will enroll at the Academy."
A small chuckle escaped Serenity at Lord Death's comment. "That's just a little ironic." The young girl tried to smile as she turned to Lord Death but the pain was clear in her eyes as she spoke. "Dad always thought we'd be safer if we just hid away, that as long as we laid low no one would come after us. He thought you were the crazy one when you decided to let your son openly enroll to this school." Serenity's eyes shifted briefly to Kid before settling back on the Shinigami. "But I guess tonight proves he was wrong." A single tear fell from her eye has she spoke the last words and Marie put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
The room fell into an awkward silence, everyone at a loss for words. Until Lord Death broke the silence, "He was only trying to protect what he held most dear."
Serenity gave Lord Death a small smile but the gesture didn't reach her eyes, still dim with the pain of her Fathers loss.
Turning back to her sister Serenity asked, in a small voice, "Will we be safe here? Or Will the Huntsmen come for me again?"
"They were never after you." Stein spoke up from the other side of the room. "Well they where they just didn't know it really."
"I don't understand. I thought...their whole purpose..." Serenity turned to face Stein but couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
"Yes, their sole intent is to kill all Reaper born children. However, that isn't what they thought you were now was it? Lucas was a Death Scythe not a Reaper." Kid's eyes widened as he took in Stein's words. The Huntsmen's intent was to kill Reaper born children...children like him...and he had not known about them?
"But if they hadn't found out about me then why did they attack the Manor?"
"They wanted information from your father about myself and Kiddo here." Lord Death pointed toward his son with a large hand. "According to our information the Huntsmen only know about Kid."
"Because of the fight with the Kishin?" All eyes in the room turned toward Kid. "That's how they found out when the seal broke. And that's..." His eyes widened in sudden realization as he pointed at Serenity. "why Prof. Stein killed her attacker and why her father sacrificed himself."
Lord Death only nodded when Kid looked to him for confirmation of his theory.
Serenity looked between Lord Death and his son desperately trying to figure out whatever it was the other young reaper had just put together. Absentminded, she reached for the necklace she always wore, a nervous habit, to find it was missing.
Panic gripped her as she groped around looking for the chain. "Here." Marie handed her the missing necklace from off the table next to the bed she had been lying in. Looking at the dull ruby pendent on the chain, all the pieces clicked into place.
The once bright and vibrant piece of jewelry looked rusted and fragile as Serenity took it from Marie's hands. At the end of a long gold chain hung a heart shaped pendent, a ruby with Angel wings engulfing it in what almost looked like a hug. The gem used to glisten with a radiance that was almost...alive. Instead, it now, however, looked dead and broken.
"M...My..Soul Protect."
"Stein said it broke, right after Lita was injured." Serenity looked at Marie in astonishment. It. Broke. WHAT!? How could something like that break? It didn't make sense.
"To much power." Stein spoke each word slowly a small smirk on his face. "That's what broke it."
"I'm sorry?"
"Lucas never meant for your Soul Protect to be used in combination with your Soul Wavelength. I mean basic attack and defense it could have taken...but with what you did...I'm surprised there is even a stone left." His small smirk grew into a manic smile. "By Death Ren!, You tossed a full grown man through a solid brick wall without a weapon! Hell without even touching him!" Stein's crazed laughter filled the room and with it I knew he'd started to forgive my hurtful words. "And to think," Stein weezed regaining himself. "You're the same little girl that begged for fighting lesson's behind her father's back because you didn't think you could defend yourself."
"Careful Stein, your madness is starting to show." Serenity teased, not because she was in a playful mood or anything like that, but because she couldn't help it. Stein just had this effect on her, like no matter the topic or situation he could always lighten her mood and make her see the brightside of everything. She know it wasn't his intention to do so but he just seemed so...free. Free from rules. Free from fear. Free from life. That was what Serenity admired most about Stein, his spirit. He was mad and he embraced it.
"I'll have a new one made for you, Serenity, one that will be able to handle anything you can dish out", Lord Death bounced as he flashed a big 'thumps up' at the young reaper. "In the mean time Kiddo will take you to Gallows Manor. You and your sister, when she is well enough, can stay there as long as you need too."
"Thank You." Serenity gave Lord Death a small smile as he turned to leave the room. That was it? Her father, or the only father she had ever known, was dead. Now she was just supposed to move on? Just like that? Just her and Lita against the rest of the world?
Serenity had spent her whole life feeling like something was missing or that she was missing out on something. Everyday she would wake up and stare out her window desperate to know exactly what was outside the gates of the Manor. Her father told her that behind the iron bars was where she would be safest, that as long as she listened to him, nothing would hurt her. For 16 years she had indeed been safe in that prison of a house but ultimately he had been wrong.
From the moment Serenity had learned the truth about her and Lita, she knew that one day no bars would be high enough to save her or her sister. That day had come and despite the fact that she had tried to prepare for it, it had kicked her in the face AND it had taken her father with it.
