Title: With Death Comes Sadness
Author: Cheska
Chapter 10
Pg – 13
Disclaimer: *slight pout* I don't own Sailor Moon and/or Gundam Wing. And it's also to my knowledge that I couldn't be the founder in my school to be the first to create an Anime Club 'because' someone else already started it a day before me!! *full pout now* It's just not fair!!! *starts bawling* Yeah, I complained about that before in the previous chapter but I don't care! *sniffles*
Author's Notes: I just want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story!! It's just great reading all your great reviews and it really does help me go on with writing my fics. Well here's the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy it.
~.~.~.~
It's already fully acknowledged that the blonde teenage girl is in great peril. Her body pressed hard against the carpeted floor, a heavy burden of another's weight on top of her abdomen and that burden was the one who would soon kill her for being in the way.
(What am I going to do?) Serena asked herself repeatedly, darting her crystalline blue eyes that were wide with fear and uncertainty as it tried to formulate a way out of this trouble but no matter how many times her eyes searched around the room there was no idea at all seeping into her brain.
As Serena tried once more to get out of the enemy's grasp by scrambling her legs here and there, the enemy only pressed her hand harder against Serena's mouth, making her wince and the gloved hand now over her nose, creating a difficulty with her breathing.
"Now, now, now…no trying to break out of my hold; you'd only create more trouble for me and that'll make me angry," the female shook her covered head.
(Great, I think she enjoys killing….) Serena sighed inwardly.
The assassin then began to shift her weight over to the side as she leaned down with needle in her hand, the thin prick coming closer and in Serena's mind's eye it appeared to be in slow motion of pure torture.
(This is it…)
~.~.~.~
Quatre ran to the closed door in front of him with his fellow comrades and allies right behind him, but he didn't fully acknowledge their presence as only one thought raced through his head.
(Serena, I'm coming!)
As Quatre neared the closed door, he ran with renewed speed with his heart racing wildly inside of him.
Throwing the double door aside, he came to a halt at the sight before him. An unknown figure was straddling his helpless friend, bent over and holding something in between its gloved fingers. As Quatre threw aside the doors, the intruder whipped its head aside, glaring at him through slit eyes and Serena gazed at him with wide pupils that held relief as well as hope.
Without warning, Quatre's blue eyes blazed with anger at his enemy, something he didn't usually feel towards someone but somehow, this was considered an exception because of the possible harm that may have occurred if he didn't react quickly enough. As his comrades came through the door, Quatre dashed forward with fist held tightly in front of him, preparing for a rough punch but one that didn't come as his fist missed the intruder's face and body by a few inches. The assassin managed to roll across to the side, pulling Serena alongside who let out a small yelp. As the figure came to a stop, the figure was kneeling down with Serena's body pulled up against the person's chest. Serena tried to once more get out of the woman's hold she found her arms incapable of moving.
(What? Why can't I move?) Serena wondered wildly and looking around her surroundings she finally understood why.
Glimpsing to the side she saw a small smirk on the assassin's features and then cast a glance at her comrades who stared hard at the one who held her. Feeling a bit weary, she prepared to close her eyes but not without whispering one more word to them before letting the clutches of darkness catch her fall. Fully knowing that the intruder had let her hold of her mouth go since there was no need to keep it a secret, she finally whispered a few words.
"Quat-chan…." Serena croaked out, her eyes filled with happiness at seeing her friend one last time before she passed out, her body no longer held by the intruder and so she fell to the ground.
~.~.~.~
Everything happened too fast for anyone to completely comprehend. Since the others came through those double doors, all they saw was a blur of black pulling along a blonde with it over to the side. As things had settled a bit to decipher some details, it was not known that the blonde was Serena, her eyes shining with slight hope but after awhile something faded from those eyes and as the intruder let its hold on Serena go…all eyes focused on the girl, Serena. She wavered slightly and her mouth opened slightly to whisper something, a name, one of the Gundam Pilot's name and no else's. And then, that's where everything seemed to blur together and only one image remained: the vision of Serena uttering that one name and then falling to the ground and without sight or intention of moving at all.
At the sight of Serena's collapsed body, Quatre had immediately run to his friend's body and turned Serena over to her back, his blue eyes wild with worry and concern over her well-being, not caring if he appeared crazy at the moment.
"Serena! Serena!" Quatre took the blonde's body to his arms and started cradling her and as he moved his hand over to her throat, he felt for a pulse.
"Is…she okay?" Relena whispered out, she now stood beside Milliardo and Noin who remained quiet and still did at this moment.
"Hey, the person is gone…" Duo looked around as well as everyone else in the room at the mention of the intruder's disappearance.
"It's too late right now, the trespasser has managed to buy itself some time to escape the premises," Noin sighed as she glanced around the current vicinity.
"Still, we should make sure," Milliardo added.
"Come on Serena, open your eyes!" Quatre began to murmur, turning the other's attentions back on him and the girl in his arms as he tried to bring consciousness back.
Relena moved forward and kneeled down beside the blonde Arabian boy, a bit uncertain over what to do.
"Is there a pulse?" Heero's monotonic tone questioned, as he strode forward and stopped a few feet away from Quatre and Serena.
"It's…faint, and that person punctured her skin at the base of her neck, it must've been some sort of poison and it's killing her…" Quatre quietly informed the others, his head cast aside, not wanting the others know that his defenses were almost completely down as he let his emotions once more get in the way but he knew the others wouldn't mind because out of the group he was the one that showed his emotions more frequently than the others.
"It's too late to try and dilute the poison," Wufei mumbled as he turned his back from them and went back into the dining hall.
"We could still try, can't we?!?" Quatre harshly cried out, his eyes shining with unshed tears and his hold around Serena's body tightened.
"Quatre…" Relena sighed, shaking her head and as her eyes focused on Serena's pale face she knew that now it was only a matter of time before the blonde girl who offered her advice and friendship would soon disappear from her life.
Just then, Wufei came back in and this time with a glass of milk in his hand but a grim façade apparent in his hard features.
"Here, put this down the onna's throat," Wufei grumbled as he handed the object to Relena who carefully tilted Serena's face and then opened her lips partially and proceeded to put the milk down to try and dilute some of the poison.
"I don't know if it'll work, we have no idea what poison was used but whatever…" Wufei explained half-heartedly.
For a few seconds that felt like hours, no reaction came and all hope seemed to dwindle until Quatre noticed her index finger twitch with life, and from that small sign of life he breathed in a sigh of relief.
(Thank Allah that she's all right!) Quatre thanked with great incredulity as he hugged his friend right there and then.
(She's fine...) Heero noted inside his mind at the sight of a relieved Quatre Winner, Pilot of Sandrock, and leader of the Gundam Pilots.
~.~.~.~.~.~
Serena's Time:
~.~.~.~.~.~
From the time that the woman injected her with that prick of a needle, everything swirled and blurred together. All momentum, all time, everything appeared lost and all she felt were tumbles and swirls between illusion and reality.
All that settled to her was that last, fleeting moment at the sight of her onii-chan and from there she had to whisper his name before she became lost in only darkness.
But at the time she spent in darkness, it was cold, freezing and she knew that this must be a stage towards death. Yes, she had been dead before but at the moment death hit her she immediately met life and the feeling of life was warm and inviting unlike here where she was stuck in suspended animation. No life met her, no comforting thoughts but her own and at the moment she knew nothing but the freezing temperature that blazed around her.
(Was this in my dream: the darkness? With the cold feeling of unwelcome bidding me to die and enter the realm of death?) Serena thought to herself as she placed her arms around herself.
Suddenly she felt another presence and the darkness disappeared only to be replaced with a certain gray environment. Warmth enveloped her arms and no fear or uncertainties are in her thoughts but comfort. This wasn't death or destruction; this was more like a dream, an endless dream. Maybe she wouldn't exactly meet death but life? Or maybe it is death, but in another form that would take her somewhere inviting like heaven.
(Yes, maybe this is the path towards heaven…) Serena presumed as she let down her arms as warmth spread around her, feeling needed and loved and cared for.
After awhile she couldn't help but look down only to find that she wore a white dress, a princess gown and in her hand was her star locket; open yet it played no music for her. A bit confused as to the reason to why, she extended her arm until she gazed straight into it, the lid was open and the inside moved, emitting light as it usually did but no sound came out. Dumbfounded, she stopped staring at the object and held it to her heart, contemplating over the reason until one resolution came.
(Darien has died, there is no reason for music to play anymore….) now as Serenity, had suggested.
After awhile, she felt the view around her vanish and a swirl of colors surrounded her until one shade remained and it was light silver. Opening her temporarily closed eyes, a breeze greeted her as it sent her hair out of their odangoes and into a tangled web behind her pale white gown. Unfolding her closed hands from the locket she noticed that her star locket had disappeared only to be replaced by an illuminating glow of white light.
(The power of the Silver Crystal…it's calling to me…) Serenity noted as she gazed at the glow in the palm of her hand.
"I have a choice now…to stay here in the realm of death or…return…" Serenity whispered to herself, wondering over her decisions.
(Should I go back? The Crystal is telling me to, yet another side of me wishes to remain here…) Serenity bit her lip, staring at the illuminating light.
"I, alone, can make this decision. Here, and now," Serenity sighed and then closed her eyes, breathing out a sigh.
Then all around her darkness fell once more, the breeze that blazed around her once before had died out and only the cold remnants remained without warmth or comfort. Yet, there was light and she held it in the palm of her hand.
"Should I…?" Serenity asked herself once more.
Suddenly the glowing power of the Moon intensified and she heard and saw two people conversing.
~
"It's too late to try and dilute the poison," Wufei mumbled as he turned his back from them and went back into the dining hall.
"We could still try, can't we?!?" Quatre harshly cried out, his eyes shining with unshed tears and his hold around Serena's body tightened.
~
"Quat-chan…" Serenity's even tones had lightened up, and she merely whispered those words to herself in the darkness, her crystalline blue eyes widening and tears fell from her eyes.
She hated the sight of her dear friend in pain; she didn't enjoy seeing that sight and knowing she caused that pain hurt her even more.
"Wufei…" she recalled the black haired Chinese boy who had left the room and his comrades and remembered the intense fire in his onyx black eyes. She knew, deep in her heart that he cared for her as well despite the small amount of time the two of them shared.
"I'm sorry, my friends, for the pain…I have caused…" Serenity melted away only to be replaced by the normal, everyday teenager, Serena Tsukino.
The odangoes were now back on her golden hair, her wide crystalline blue eyes filled with life and purpose and she held the power of the Crystal in her hands towards where the sky would have been if she wasn't in this odd environment. A blaze of light came up and she only knew that warmth had returned with a difference. She felt loved, tenderness, comfort, and safe warm arms around her. She knew that instead of death, she felt life and life was something she wanted and nothing else at this moment. Knowing she was alive and that she had love was all she needed.
~.~.~.~.~.~
A Week Later:
~.~.~.~.~.~
Relena Peacecraft had left the confines of the Winner mansion, maybe for the better considering all the trouble that had met the pilots and Serena during the pacifist's stay. But every now and then, Relena would come by to see how everyone was doing with an escort, of course. And those escorts would either be Noin or Milliardo and both were openly or respectfully greeted with great audacity.
Now at this beautiful Friday afternoon, Serena found herself in the company of Noin while Relena talked with the other pilots in the other room.
"Serena, if I may be bold as to ask…" Noin began.
"You can ask me anything, Lt. Noin!" Serena said with an easy, open smile.
"You haven't been quite yourself ever since that…incident a week ago," Noin bluntly put it.
"Oh, that…yeah, well knowing that you were going to die and then suddenly wake up in the middle of the corridor with your onii-chan crying over you wasn't exactly a happy, memorable event…" Serena answered softly and turned her head away from the young woman.
Serena gazed at the fake blue sky, seeing some of the local birds that were brought from Earth to be raised in the colonies fly across the sky. If she thought about it hard enough, she could picture the scouts out there in the sky with the birds in their Sailor Scout form, determined looks shining in each of their eyes but small smiles gracing their lips.
(They didn't want to fight, like me, yet they did it still. They were willing to die for a cause, and in return for their sacrifices they earned the title to be princesses, warriors, and the future Queens of Crystal Tokyo. But do they really want that in the end, instead of being normal? Darien had fought for that, hadn't he? To be able to become a true hero and in the end…he had died nobly, but where was the gratitude? There were no reports of his bravery in the news or local papers, none except he died in the middle of the park. Nothing else! And here I was, I didn't even fight that woman…that unknown assassin, I was in the brink of death and brought to life with the help of my friends and the power of my crystal. If I died though, it would be no less than Darien's death. It would still remain the same, my death, and there's that. Nothing printed on the newspapers, supposedly. No great, big funeral like others would have. Just a burial and there's that. Sailor Moon, the future Queen, the past Princess of the Moon wouldn't be known to mankind, just Serena Tsukino…your average teenage girl who had gotten poisoned by an unknown assailant.) Serena grimly stated in her head.
"What are you thinking about?" Noin cautiously asked by her side, seeing Serena's small glare erupting from her once calm eyes.
"Just about what had happened that past week, I could've died and I wouldn't have died with honor or bravery because I'd have died defenseless and weak. I don't want to be known like that, not at all…"Serena murmured, followed by a sigh.
"…"
"Noin?"
"What is it?"
"I never did tell anyone about the assassin, have I?"
"No, you haven't…we didn't think you would've known its identity…do you?"
"I don't know the name or what the person looks like…but I can pretty much say it was a female. The voice and the figure, they would have belonged to a female assassin," Serena informed her.
"That's nice to know; at least we can narrow some parts to this mystery. Except that this woman may be serving under someone else, don't you think so?" Noin sighed.
"Yes, she could be…but who could it be?"
"That's what I and the other pilots would like to know," Noin said, massaging her temples at the soaring questions in her head.
"Well, Serena, don't worry about it too much. Just enjoy your stay here," Noin said, patting Serena on the shoulder before tuning to go back inside.
(How can I not worry?) Serena asked herself, watching Noin leave back inside the mansion and from there she could catch Heero's laptop propped up on a coffee table and she knew that Heero was probably there, typing away as he usually did.
Sighing, she wondered about the use of computers and then reflected back to Ami and her intelligence. And, Ami's knowledge and quick mind…her fast typing…her calculations…
Ami! That was it!
(Mercury! Ami!! Exactly!) Serena widened her eyes and she ran back inside.
Without a word, she passed by the startled visitors and the pilots. Immediately, she ran up the long line of stairs and into her room, where she closed the door shut behind her and jumped on the bed, taking out her little communicator.
"Mercury?" Serena inquired as a face popped up on the screen.
"Serena? It's been awhile," Minako's face chirped as a smile widened up at the sight of an old friend.
"Hey, Mina-chan, where's Ami-chan?" Serena asked.
"What? No, hey what's up Mina-chan? It's always someone else but not me!" Minako feigned hurt.
"Gomen ne, Mina-chan but it's important," Serena apologized, earning a concerned look from the Goddess of Love.
"Important? What's wrong?" Minako asked, earning another face into the small screen and one that showed Makoto and Rei.
"Nothing like that! I just wanted Ami-chan's guidance in this or possibly Pyro there," Serena said with a smile.
"Hey, Odango Atama! Don't call me Pyro!" Rei's voice said in a bit of annoyance.
"And don't call me Odango Atama!"
"Odango, odango, odango!" Rei chanted.
"Oooh!! Pyro, pyro, pryo, pryo…." Serena and Rei began to rant on until Rei was pushed aside by Ami who finally came into view.
"Quit it you two!" Makoto, Minako, and Ami cried out in unison.
"What is it that you need, Serena?" Ami inquired, her petite form entering the screen.
"I see you and Makoto are both back in Juuban, now. And I suppose it's because of the same reason, ne?" Serena sighed, earning a brief nod from Ami and her eyes showing her worry and concern as well.
"I'm sorry for your loss, but we all understand that what you and Darien had has diminished in your eyes. I found that bit of information quite relieving in fear of those feelings you may have felt if it was otherwise," Ami explained.
"Yeah, well…that's not why I asked for you, Ami-chan,"
"Of course,"
"I need you to try and track down whoever it is that's after Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian Peacecraft of the Sanq Kingdom," Serena related the small information to her friend.
"Why do you need to know that, Serena?" Minako piped up in back of Ami who typed in the name into her mini computer as she transformed into Mercury.
"Well, Relena turned out to be someone I got to know while here in L4. Can't have assassins running after her without some background information on them, can we?" Serena winked.
"Don't tell me, Sailor Moon will be around blasting killers around!" Rei cried out.
"It's dangerous, Serena…" Makoto warned.
"I know it is, Mako-chan, demo…Relena's a friend and don't worry they aren't youmas or anything," Serena assured them of her safety.
"Is there anything else you can tell me, Serena?" Mercury asked.
"Well, the last assassin was a female…about 5ft. 5 and I'm not sure about the eye color but she's not into brutal killing, but more of the type that tends to not kill by leaving too much blood around. More like a clean-style," Serena relayed out.
"I don't think I can do too much with that information, considering Relena's past encounters with killers and assassins. Only if there was more information, sorry Serena…" Mercury de-transformed.
"That's okay, Mercury…uh…Ami. Is there any new enemies back there?"
"No, actually. Not since the last stray youma, but we'll let you know if there is one, okay?" Ami said with a small offer of a smile.
"Well, ja ne minna-chan," Serena waved at all of them.
"I'll go and consult the Great Fire, 'kay Odango?" Rei said before Serena nodded and clicked off the communicator.
(All I have to do is wait for Rei's information…I hope the fire will tell her something…) Serena said inwardly before hiding her communicator and then getting up to go for an afternoon snack downstairs.
~.~.~.~.~
Somewhere else:
~.~.~.~.~
"It comes to my attention that you've failed in your attempt?"
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Well, that's something I haven't heard in awhile."
"I mean, please forgive me for my actions, milord. It turns out that during my stealth mode someone had managed to catch wind of my figure. I couldn't let that person live,"
"And did you kill this interfering insect?"
"I don't believe so; the pilots had come in after I pricked her with my poisoned needle."
"What makes you think 'she' lived?"
"A feeling milord,"
"A…*scoffs* feeling?"
"Yes, I can tell she lives."
"And what is this 'she' you speak of? You still haven't given me a name,"
"I believe…her name is…Serena,"
"Hmm…Serena,"
A momentary silence.
"Well then, since she has already found out my assassin is a female, there must be something you've found out from her."
"Yes, I have."
"What is it?"
"She whispered the name, 'Quat-chan', I believe she referred to Mr. Quatre Winner, 04 pilot of Sandrock," a small smirk forming on the woman's lips.
"Winner, eh? Interesting, very interesting," the shadowed figure leaned back against its chair, forgetting about the female assassin who still stood in front of him, awaiting instructions.
~.~.~
Back to the Winner Mansion:
~.~.~
"Maxwell!!!" Wufei's cry rang out in the halls as Duo ran past Serena, sending her tumbling out of the way and into someone in back of her. Then Wufei's figure blurred past by, earning a small squeak from Serena who turned to the person and held whoever it was for support.
"Serena?" Krahmn's startled voice came out.
The familiar brown-almost black haired, blue eyed Maguanaic youth stared down at the blonde who held tightly to his sleeved white shirt.
"Krahmn?" Serena eeked out and let go, stumbling back.
"Hey, I didn't know you were still here," Krahmn smiled lightly.
"What makes you say that?" Serena frowned slightly up at him.
"Uhh…well, you haven't been around for awhile and the other Maguanacs haven't spoken of you lately since Relena's departure awhile ago…." Krahmn offered his excuse to her in which Serena obviously accepted with a gladdened attitude.
He smirked down at the blonde.
"Krahmn?"
"Yes?"
"Why haven't you spoken to Quatre lately? Before, you two had been so close yet nowadays, I see Quat-chan in the company of the other pilots more frequently and not once have I seen you around him at all. Actually, I haven't seen you at all outside of that dark room downstairs until today," Serena muttered, her eyes flashing with sadness.
"Years, have separated me and Quatre apart, Serena…I thought you'd understand that," Krahmn informed to her with a gentleman smile.
"I've been gone for years, Krahmn, and I'm still close with Quat-chan," Serena related to him in response to his words.
Krahmn stayed silent until a voice from up ahead called out Serena's name, by the time Serena turned back to look at Krahmn, he had disappeared.
(Krahmn…) Serena silently said inside her head, before turning around to face Quatre's worried face.
"What's wrong, Quat-chan?"
"Serena! There you are! I didn't know where you were!"
"Quat-chan, it's okay…"
"How can you say that? I almost lost you! Like I lost…them..." Quatre murmured, his eyes flashing pain and sorrow momentarily.
"Quat-chan…"
Quatre stayed silent, brooding over his dark past…the war, the loss of lives, the memories…
"Quat-chan," Serena didn't know what else to do and just held him there and then, hoping that later on in life, he may get over the recent events and move on. It hadn't been any of their intention that one of them may die sooner or later, yet they had always known that something like that could happen any day. To think that something they had accepted still came as a surprise to them both.
"Gomen ne, Quat-chan…gomen ne…"
(I'll always be there for you, Quat-chan…for you are and always be my onii-chan…)
"There's always sadness, Quat-chan…when death is around, but don't be sad Quat-chan…onii-chan…because we're
alive…" Serena comfortingly said as she let go of her hold on him and gazed at
his face, tears that were welling up in his eyes at the moment as they stared
at her serene, yet, sympathetic face.
To be continued…
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
There's the end of the chapter, I'm not too sure when I'll get the next one out though. Hopefully I'll get it done soon, but I'm sort of crammed with homework and projects that my evil teachers have put on me. #_# Well, see you later…