Chapter Eleven: Elation Blues

*As she fluttered her eyes, Serenity groaned in discomfort. What had happened? She remembered very clearly the night- before Andrew had come in to see her. She remembered that she had gone to sleep, and when she had awoken from her sweet dreams she had remembered Hiiro. She was supposed to be taking care of him, not sleeping while he was injured. Still…

It had been worth it to dream, even if it had only been for one sweet hour. Her dreams had been filled with visions of the only man who had ever given her pleasure. He made her so happy, complete, even though he was merely a dream. When he had first met her, he hadn't trusted her, but slowly, he had grown to believe her, and then to care for her. She wasn't sure what had changed him, all she knew was that he made her laugh and held her when she worried.

But after she had woken from her peaceful dreams, the guilt of leaving the injured Hiiro had driven her to see him at once. Somewhere along the way she had run into Andrew, who had once again pressured her. Oh no! Hiiro and Andrew had been fighting last she remembered! No! She should have listened to Jeana and just given into Andrew! Now Hiiro was probably more injured than before, and Andrew had to be furious!

"Feel better?" A deep hoarse voice broke her train of thoughts. Bringing her eyes into focus, she noticed Hiiro sat in a chair beside her, looking at her with hidden interest. Oh goodness! She should be helping him, not the other way around! Darien would be so displeased if he heard of this! She felt horrible. After all, Hiiro had to be in worse shape than she!

"I'm fine, thank you." She muttered. "But look at you! You should be the one in bed!" She quickly threw back her covers to dress.

"I'm fine." Hiiro told her calmly. How could she have so much strength after taking such a rough beating? He didn't understand, and she looked so frail on top of it.

"No, you're not, I can hear it in your voice. Please lay down and sleep?" She begged him.

"How can you be walking?" He asked, ignoring her question, but wanting the answer of his own.

"The question is how can you be walking? You are of the Damned, yet you have the stamina of our kind."

"Being from Shangri-La gives you more stamina?"

"In a way. If you'll lay down, I'll explain." She tempted him. He nodded in agreement, willing to do anything for his explanation. He slowly moved himself from the chair to the bed she had occupied only seconds before and settled in. The bed was warm and soft. It smelled good too, like Serenity did.

"Explain." He commanded, not about to let the bed distract him.

"All right. Well, the people of Shangri-La have immortality. At least, it's partial immortality. We can't die unless we are killed. We've been known to withstand horrible conditions, but as long as our injuries are treated, we'll be just fine."

"That explains why you didn't begin healing so quickly until after I treated you this morning. But you can die?"

"Yes. The ultimate punishment here in Shangri-La is death."

"What about age?" Hiiro asked.

"Age? Yes, I suppose it is different for you. We are considered children until we are twenty-one. After that, we are considered teenagers, half adults, until we are fifty. And after that we must begin to take full responsibility for our actions and ourselves. You are young, but you look much older."

"Being seventeen makes me a teenager."

"I am one as well!" Serenity giggled slightly. "I'm still young, only thirty-eight." Hiiro gaped at her statement. She was thirty-eight? She seemed so young!

"That is middle aged for us. Why do you look so young?"

"I'm not quite sure. Matt once tried to explain to me his theory on it. He said because our people live so much longer, we age slower. There was more, I just didn't understand it."

"Matt? Does he treat women as equals?" Hiiro asked, suddenly more awake than before. Something about her statement hadn't fit. If Matt told her something and then tried to explain it, it would mean he gave her respect, something he was sure didn't happen too often in this paradise.

"Matt?" Serenity looked like a deer caught in headlights. Something was going on.

"Matt. The one who gave you this age theory."

"Matt doesn't live here anymore."

"He left Shangri-La?"

"Yes. Well, he was never part of it really."

"He was one of the Damned who fell through the cracks like me." Hiiro finally understood. That was why she had known so much about his world before he came- others had come before him.

"Yes. He and my closest friend left Shangri-La so long ago… I miss them. I wonder if you know them?"

"How long ago did they leave here?"

"Oh, not long ago."

"You just said long ago."

"You have to remember- I'm a woman; I'm sentimental and I exaggerate. She was my best friend, of course it seems like it's been a long time to me. But in reality it's only been twenty or so years. That's not long here. Do you know them?"

"Names?"

"I've told you this before. But I suppose you didn't care to listen when you were that injured. Their names were Matthew and Karella Jay. Well, Actually, it was Doctor Matthew Jay, but when Karella married him, she took his last name. At least, that's how Matthew explained you traditions work. Ours are slightly different."

"Doctor Matthew Jay? Doctor Matthew… Doctor Jay… Doctor J… Doctor J!" Hiiro shot up in his bed- too fast. A coughing fit hit him and he shook with both coughs and the pain that came from them.

"Hiiro! Oh Hiiro!" Serenity knelt besides him and gently rubbed his back as he coughed violently. "Are you alright?"

"Doctor J!" He gasped in a raspy voice.

"What of him?" Serenity asked innocently.

"Your friend ran away with him?"

"Yes. Karella wanted to take me as well, but I told her no. While they ran, I covered their escape. Darien was so angry…"

"Because he was supposed to marry her instead."

"Yes." Serena nodded. Hiiro looked so pale! Perhaps she should not have mention Matt and Karella… As they sat in the morning light, Serenity softly rubbing Hiiro's back as he breathed heavily, there came a heavy knock at the door. Then it opened, and the entire room darkened.

"Darien!" Serenity gasped quietly.

"Serenity!" Darien boomed loudly into the room. "How dare you!" He closed in on the trembling girl and smacked her hard across the face. Serenity's body flew back and she landed on the floor with a hard thump.

"Darien, please, I can explain…!" Serenity begged.

"You insolent brat! How dare you embarrass our family with your utter wretchedness!" He kicked at her. "You've screwed up for the last time Serenity! I can no longer let you go on like you have been, you filthily little heathen! It's time you learned to respect our customs, or traditions, and it's time you accepted your fate!" He kicked at her again as she curled up in a ball to try to protect herself. It did little good against the force of his blows.

"Let her go." Hiiro stood slightly awkwardly.

"And you." Darien smirked. "The poor injured man of the Damned, whom we have come to find out is a mere child, you have no right to speak!" Darien whipped his hand around to punch Hiiro. Hiiro allowed the blow to hit him in the shoulder. "You broke my cousin's nose. Andrew and I are close, boy, and an insult directed at him is one directed at me!" Darien tried to punch Hiiro again. This time Hiiro caught his fist and casually gave it a squeeze.

"Your cousin nearly beat Serenity to death."

"A fitting punishment for her refusal! He should have killed her, it would have taken care of my problems."

"Darien, please, let him go! He doesn't understand!" Serenity begged. Both men turned to see her standing nearly in-between them, trying to put a stop to the fight that was about to break out.

"Shut up Serenity!" Darien backhanded the girl again, throwing her into Hiiro. Hiiro caught her and supported her while she got her balance back. Then he pushed her behind him and stepped up to Darien, ignoring her as she placed her hand on his shoulder and begged him not to continue.

"It's not polite to hit women." Hiiro muttered through clenched teeth.

"Really? Did your mother teach you that?"

"I didn't have a mother. Matthew Jay raised me." Two gasps rang through the air. Both Darien and Serenity had a hard time processing what Hiiro had just said. Once Darien had digested the information, his eyes glared twice as darkly at Hiiro. So this boy was the prodigy of the man who had stolen his wife to be. This was his wife to be's son… a son without him as a father. Hate welled in him and he glowered at Hiiro with malicious eyes.

Serenity, on the other hand, was thrilled. If this boy was raised boy Matt, that meant he had to know both Matt and Karella! He could tell her how her friend was! If Darien didn't kill either of them first. Oh Darien! He was so mad at her… she had once again failed him. She felt so guilty- she was such a horrible person, such a horrible girl, not worthy of being Darien's sister.

"Matthew Jay raised you?" Darien whispered in an angry rage.

"Have a problem?" Hiiro taunted sternly.

"That bastard stole my wife. And you!" Darien held in his rage. "If you're not gone by tomorrow morning, I swear I will kill you slowly and painfully. And I assure you, I've killed for less."

"No doubt. After all, you were going to kill your own sister."

"Hiiro!" Serenity begged him to stop baiting Darien.

"Serenity, that reminds me." Darien grabbed Serenity's wrist and yanked her towards him. "You and Andrew will finally do what I should have forced you to do years ago."

"Please Darien! I'll go to him, I promise, please!" Serenity cried as he nearly shattered her wrist holding it.

"No promises. You don't need to go to him- I've brought him to you. Andrew!" Through the door came the man Hiiro recognized from the night before. "Andrew, cousin. Here is your prize. Why you don't just want her to be punished with death, I'm not sure. But if she's any good in bed, let me know. Maybe I'll try her out for a night or two." Hiiro blanched and tried not to throw up. Disgusting.

"Of course Darien. I'll be more than willing to lend her to you once I've broken her in. It will be such a challenge." Andrew smirked and took Serenity's wrist from Darien. Then he looked at Hiiro. "I'd punch you, but knowing that you've already dealt with Darien, I'll leave you be. He could punish you more than I ever could." He smirked, and both he and Darien began to leave the room, dragging Serena on the floor behind them.

"Bastards!" Hiiro cried out. But he could do nothing. If he did, Serenity would be the one to receive the punishment, not him.

"Hiiro! Please leave! Hiiro!" Were the last words he heard from the girl's angelic voice. Her voice…his dream woman… Serenity! No! And Hiiro Yui, the Perfect Soldier, sank to the floor and cried out in rage and heartbreak as the woman he loved more than life itself was carried off to be forever tainted by evil itself. *

~~~How is this? Getting good yet? Rix13rix@aol.com! -Vixen ~~~