Disclaimer: We do not claim ownership of Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. We are borrowing them for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made from the writing or reading of this story.
She is Me
©2001 by Kei and Princess Lesse
Chapter 3 ~ Dislocation
Written by Kei
"How've you been, Q?" Serena chirped, giving Quatre a quick hug.
"I've been getting along quite well, thanks, Sere," he smiled at her, hiding what he truly felt. "Well" was not exactly the right word for how he had been lately. But she didn't need to know about all the sleepless nights, all the empty days, all the hell he'd had to suffer through without her. Quatre loved Serena, as much more than a best friend. But he knew if he told her and she didn't return the feelings, their long friendship would be ruined. And that would kill him.
"Great," she smiled back. "I'm glad. We're all doing okay, too. Mom and Dad and Sammy are all in good health and whatnot."
"That's good. Was the move rough on you?" he inquired and her face saddened a little.
"A bit," she admitted. "I had to leave my friends behind. It's like starting an entirely new life, in a way. The girls and I were like best-friend-sisters, you know? Like me and you."
"But you'll be okay, right?" he asked concernedly, putting an arm around her shoulder and giving her a quick squeeze.
"Yeah, Q, I'll be fine, thanks," she assured him, kissing him lightly on the cheek and extracting herself from his embrace. She didn't see the small flame in his blue eyes when she did that. She didn't see, didn't know…
"Well, I'd better get crackin'," she grinned, indicating her homework. "You wanna study together?"
"Sure," he agreed readily, sitting down beside her on the floor as they opened their textbooks and started on their assignments.
La Conejita stepped into the bright sunlight of early afternoon and immediately equipped herself with her sunglasses. She smoothed down some flyaway white hairs on her head, inhaled deeply, and strolled down the sidewalk. Though she was a trained soldier, a femme fatale, her movements were not jolty and constricted. She had a fluidity about her, a sort of deadly grace, and everyone who did not outright know it at least felt it. She wore a Cheshire cat grin on her face that grew bigger whenever someone shied away from her out of inherent fear. There were only a few people who did not react in such a way: The ex-Gundam pilots. Even the softest one, Quatre, did not fear her. She thought perhaps it was because they were all close to Serena, even if they did not know it.
'And there's one of them right now,' she thought, licking her glossed lips in anticipation. Heero Yuy was marching straight in her direction, a determined look on his face. She couldn't wait for the confrontation about to occur.
"Hey, do you mind if we join you guys?" Duo boomed from the doorway, startling Quatre and Serena to the point that they instinctively clutched on to each other the way they had done when they were small children.
Serena, close to hyperventilating, managed to say, "Who's 'we'?"
"Oh, me an' Trowa, here," Duo clarified, coming inside followed by a tall young man with sharp green eyes and light brown hair. His bangs were so long his eyes almost weren't visible.
"I don't believe we've met, Trowa," Serena smiled, standing up and extending her hand diplomatically. "My name's Serena Tsukino."
"Trowa Barton," he said in a soft monotone, shaking her hand.
"Well, guys, grab a seat anywhere. Q and I are working on our Pre-Cal homework," Serena told them, reclaiming her own seat beside Quatre.
"Q?" Duo repeated in surprise. "And here I thought I was the only one that called him that."
"Oh, that's been my pet name for Quatre since we were about ten, right?" she asked, looking to her blond friend for confirmation.
"Uh-huh," Quatre beamed.
"How long have you been friends?" Trowa piped up, and in such a quiet voice that he almost couldn't be heard.
"Just about our whole lives!" Serena laughed. "Our parents were friends, so Quatre and I were pretty much destined to meet."
"Destiny, hm?" Trowa remarked and was silent again. Serena eyed him for a moment, that single word "destiny" echoing in her mind. She suddenly cried out when she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder.
"Who are you?" Heero demanded of La Conejita. He had seen her earlier in the day and felt that she gave off bad vibes. At first he had berated himself profusely for using the word "vibes"; he thought he'd been around Duo too long. But she had a strange "air" about her than sent shivers down his spine, something that never happened to the Perfect Soldier.
"Who do you want me to be, sweetheart?" she cooed, her eyes narrowed behind her shades.
"Just tell me who you are," he ordered forcefully, taking a threatening step toward her, his fingers clenching and unclenching due to his habit of pulling out his gun by now. But he knew Relena would go ballistic and throw a conniption fit if he did that at her school.
"Who am I?" she reiterated thoughtfully. "I'm a lost soul, Heero Yuy, looking for my home. My home is staying here now, and the likes of you won't stop me from getting there."
"The likes of me?" he roared, lunging forward and shoving her back so hard that her right shoulder collided with a tree behind her. She barely felt her nerves tingling at the pain, but knew Serena would, and she cursed him for that.
"That felt good, lover," she taunted. "Care to go again?"
"Sere!" Quatre exclaimed as tears pushed at her eyes while she clutched her shoulder in pain. "Ohmigod, Sere, are you alright?"
She let out her breath harshly and shook her head. She figured, even through the aching flares in her brain and nervous system, that her arm was dislocated from that single shock.
"Sere, stay put! I'm going to get some ice!" Quatre said hurriedly, patting her uninjured arm and getting up to leave. Duo stood with him, declaring that he would go also. They instructed Trowa to watch over Serena. He simply nodded and left his spot on Wufei's bed to sit beside Serena.
"Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked.
"I've been through worse, but, yes," she replied. She met his gaze, a sort of lost, sad look in her eyes. "I just don't understand it, Trowa. This has been happening my entire life; I always get hurt for no reason. Just ask Q, he knows."
"I'm sorry," he said, unable to find any other words.
"Thanks, Trowa," she murmured, wrapping her unhurt arm around him and cuddling up to his chest. She could hear his heartbeat and it soothed her. All of a sudden she felt her arm moving and knew what was going to happen. She right away grabbed a pillow and screamed and screamed and screamed into it.
"Do you have a death wish?" Heero growled, dodging a punch his adversary threw. He tried to hit her, but she parried the blows with her single good arm. He inwardly smirked that the other was out of commission. That smirk faded when she shoved her arm back into its socket and her fist connected with his left eye. A bruise started forming almost right away.
Heero let out a guttural yell and hurled himself at her. They both toppled to the ground and rolled out, hitting and kicking like squabbling children. They started to draw an audience that included Relena.
Eventually Serena's pain faded and Quatre and Duo returned with the ice to find Serena crying in Trowa's embrace. He gave them a look that said, "What else could I do?" They both shrugged and Quatre offered Serena the ice. She thanked him shakily and applied the pack to her shoulder. She wanted to continue with their work, but Quatre insisted that he would write it down for her if she would tell him what to write.
"Oh, Q…" she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "What would I do without you?"
He blushed, Duo laughed, and Trowa, of course, didn't say anything.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Relena screeched at the top of her lungs. The two stopped their tussle immediately, standing quickly and brushing themselves off. Heero had the decency to look the tiniest bit sheepish, but La Conejita had no shame and she looked down her nose at the school's director, proud of what she'd done.
"Come to my office right now!" she commanded, turning on her heel and stomping away. They followed, giving each other the evil eye. Lightning crackled between Heero's ultramarine eyes and La Conejita's bloodcurdling silver ones.
'I hope you're well, Serena; I know how much that one must've hurt you,' she thought sincerely. The innocent girl was her counterpart's only weakness, and that fact was one she would let nobody ever find out.