Chapter Fourteen: Bring it On Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1904-01-13T06:36:00Z 1904-01-13T06:37:00Z 7 3340 14366 Zero One Ink. 256 86 23386 9.2511 0 0

Chapter Fourteen: Bring it On

*She lay in bed contemplating the evening before. He had taken them for ice cream, and much to her delight, he hadn't tried anything funny while doing so. The last time a man had wanted to be her 'friend', he had taken her and Ben to ice cream. He ended up trying to suck face with her in the middle of the park and in front of Ben. That hadn't gone over too well with her of course. Hmm… she wondered if that man was out of that body cast yet…

But Hiiro hadn't been like that. He had been nice. Sort of. As soon as he remembered other people were around them, he had clamed up and started speaking his infamous 'grunt' language. Still, he had at least been pleasant about it. He had even walked her to her apartment door like a real gentleman- Darien had never done that in all the time they had dated. And Hiiro had both hugged Ben goodnight and kissed her hand the way she'd pictured only the most chivalrous Knights of the Round Table might.

Yes, all in all, it had been one of the best evenings in her life. Very relaxing. And the good feeling seemed to have washed over to this morning too. She was so warm and comfortable in bed. And, best of all, it was six twenty, and Ben was still fast asleep. Apparently he had been a little tired last night- so tired he hadn't run in and pounced on her yet. So now here she lay, snuggled under her nice, warm sheets and blankets, the sun dripping into her room through her floating white curtains that billowed in the light breeze. The sun and wind were hitting her prism wind chime, creating fabulous dancing rainbows across her bed and walls and melodious fairish music that tinkled through the air.

"Morning." A deep and dark voice startled her. Serena quickly flipped her head to the doorway. The dark figure that entered almost seemed out of place. He was dressed in extremely dark denim jeans and a black muscle shirt. Chocolate hair unruly and prussian blue eyes heavy with mesmerizing untold secrets, he stood and stared. Then he crossed into the room and stood at the end of her bed, just standing and looming over in an almost ominous stance. The danger and strength that lurked in the depths of his eyes astounded her; she couldn't imagine him as dangerous, not after all he had done for her and her son.

"Morning." She replied jauntily.

When he had first woken that morning he had felt as if something were wrong. After quickly sitting up in bed, he had figured out what it was. He wasn't near Serena. Since they had met they hadn't been separated this long. Of course once he had accepted that this was, indeed, the reason he felt something was wrong, he felt it was his duty as the 'Perfect Soldier' to admit he liked a girl enough to pine over her. So instead he had gotten up and gone for a jog. That had been at five. He had returned at five fifty and taken his shower. Still he felt wrong, incomplete. So he had sat down to breakfast with his friends. Though they had been fun (Duo had put out tang instead of orange juice for Wufei and Wufei had been only millimeters away to actually succeeding in taking off Duo's braid), he still felt strange. So he had just accepted it and decided to visit her.

Mistake: picking the locks and walking into her bedroom doorway. He had wanted to…to… he wasn't sure. But what ever the feeling had been, it would have ended up with him in a body cast. (He vaguely thought about the guy that he had seen in the hospital with the full body cast on- the nurse had told him the man had tried to put the moves on a woman too soon). Hiiro wanted to prevent anything like that happening to him. But the feeling had been so primal, so urgent that he could not help the way his 'morning' had come out. It had sounded dark, he was sure.

Now as he stood across from her as she lay nestled in her covers, he took a much better look at her. She just looked so pure, so cherubic with the sunlight pouring onto her loose golden silver hair and her small knowing and content smile crossing her delicately painted rosy lips. The sweet tinkling of the wind chime out her window and the rainbows it cast about the warmly decorated room had made it seem as if he had stepped into another world; one in which angels and good fairies resided. The sweet smell of roses and soap had entered his nose and he breathe it in deeply. If he could just hang onto this precious moment forever, if he could just freeze time here and now, he would never ask for anything more in life. He saw her beginning to make the move to get up.

"Don't." He told her. His tone stopped her and sent chills down her spine.

"Why not?" She asked in her own dark voice.

"That voice does not fit you." He smirked and she blushed.

"Well, why shouldn't I get up?" She asked in a lighter, more jovial tone.

"You look comfortable."

"Is that all I look like? I probably look scary. I haven't combed my hair or anything yet."

"You look fine." He balked at his words. Was it so hard for him to say she looked beautiful?

"No, you're just saying that. I'm going to get up." She made a move. He made one too. Quickly moving to her side, he stopped her from moving.

"Hiiro?" He was being very confusing…

"You look like a seraph like that. Don't move." She laid back down and allowed him to recover her. But she still had questions for him.

"What's a seraph?" She began. He gave a mild blush before sitting on the edge of her bed to explain it.

"A seraph is the highest ranking angel in the Bible. They are described as being very beautiful, having six wings, and being the closest to divinity." His blush deepened. He knew he never should have read that mythology book Trowa had given him… now it was getting him into all sorts of trouble.

"Why would you say I, of all people, look like a seraph?" She asked him, blushing a healthy shade of pink herself.

"Well, I don't know. You just do with the sun and your hair and those rainbows and all." He shut his mouth, afraid if he opened it again nothing good would come out.

"Hmm." Serena just sat there thinking contentedly for a moment. So Hiiro thought she looked like an angel? And not just any old angel either. A pretty angel. But the funniest thing of all was the fact that the Great Hiiro Yui, the one who walked out of blown up building alive, the one nick named the 'Perfect Soldier', was tongue-tied. She had thought she would never, ever see the day he was tongue-tied. It was actually very cute.

"So you think I'm a pretty angel then?" She prodded him with questions.

"Maybe." He smirked. She wouldn't get him, no sir!

"Maybe?" She leaned in closer towards him.

"Maybe." He said, rather breathlessly.

"Then why did you say so if you only meant it maybe?"

"Because." He shifted uncomfortably. She was so close…

"Because?" She moved in closer still.

"Because." They were still in the silence of the clam and bright morning. Then slowly they leaned in. Serena could feel his warm breath upon her lips. They were so close. Hiiro too, was being driven mad by the proximity of Serena's lips to his own. Only a bit more and he would have what he had been longing for…

"Momma! Momma, momma, momma!" Ben came racing into the room. The two sprang apart, both with a slightly guilty look on their faces.

"Morning Ben baby." She said as the little boy climbed onto the bed and into her lap.

"Morning momma! Morning Mr. Hiiro! Momma, I slept so long!" At her son's remark, both Hiiro and Serena cracked huge smiles.

"And Momma, I'm hungry too." The little boy moved from Serena's lap to Hiiro's.

"Well, how does cereal sound this morning?" She asked her son.

"What kind?" He asked her back suspiciously. Though she had tried, Serena could only get her son to eat one kind out cereal: Kix, the 'kid tested mother approved' cereal. It amused her beyond belief that he would only eat it.

"Kix. You can have your Kix baby." She told him smiling.

"Kix! The 'kid tested mother approved' cereal1 Yummy! I'm going to get some!" With that, he sprinted out of the room and onto the kitchen, where he preceeded to dig for his favorite cereal.

"He likes Kix?" Hiiro asked her smirking.

"You have no idea. Let me give you one piece of advice. If you want to stay on Ben's good side, never come between him and his Kix." She laughed. Hiiro didn't deem it worthy of laughing, but he did smirk.

"Well, some one's not in a very happy mood this morning." She commented with a slightly pouting look across her features.

"Oh? And who might that be?" He simply sat smirking, knowing full well she had meant him.

"Stars! You are a devil when you want to be!" She pouted more.

"And?"

"And what?!" She was visibly frustrated.

"And. Why say more than needed?" Hiiro smirked. It was kind of fun pushing her over the edge like this…

"You are evil! I knew it the minute you walked in my room this morning. You had this. . . . how did you get into my apartment?!" She cried indignantly.

"Picked the locks. You need tighter security."

"Thanks for the tip." She pushed her covers off all together and got out of bed.

"I told you not to move." He explained in a monotone voice.

"And." Was her reply as she dug through her drawer for something to wear. She pulled out white jean shorts and a baby blue, skin-tight tank top. If he wanted to look that good she had some work to do to catch up…

"And what?" He asked in slight confusion.

"And. Why say more than needed?" She turned and smirked. He was stunned. She had turned his own words against him. Before he could reply she had raced out the door and slammed the bathroom door behind her. Shaking his head, he decided it would be going too far if he picked the bathroom lock and walked in on her, so he went to join Ben instead.

As Serena stepped out of the shower, she thought of her upcoming court case. Would she really lose? She knew Darien had pulled quite a few strings to push the date of it to next week. Darien. She sighed. Every time she thought of him it hurt. She had truly loved him. She would have given her life to him, for him. In fact, she had given her life to and for him. But he had left her in the dust. She almost felt like running back into his arms when she saw him, even after all he had done to her. It hurt that he wouldn't want her anymore; she wanted him to want her. But she knew that if she went back to him he'd do the same thing again. In fact, he would probably do it to Ben too. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted Ben to have a good, loving relationship with the man she chose to end up with in life, and she was sure that he would never get one with Darien. Well, it was time to face the real world now. She opened the door and stepped out.

"So we need to get our facts in order today!" She heard Duo's voice ring out. So her new lawyers were here. She smiled lightly thinking about what a funny group they were together but how well it worked.

"Morning Miss. Serena." Called Quatre as he saw her.

"Hnn." Wufei greeted her. Wow, he was warming up!

"Good morning." Trowa nodded.

"Hey babe! Sleep well? I was surprised Hiiro didn't stay the night. You know, he…" Duo was cut off by the sight of Hiiro's un between his eyes. As silence persisted for the next two minutes, Hiiro finally put his gun away. He smirked.

"Maxwell, two minutes of silence, that's a new record." Wufei had a field day with Duo's 'defeat'.

"Hey!" Duo cried in protest. "I can be quiet when I want to! In fact, one time I was so quiet that, well you see, there was this truck, and I was behind it, and I was so quiet-" Duo eyed the four guns that were pointed at him and decided that now was one of those times to prove he could be quiet. Serena was laughing so hard she could barely breath. These guys were a crack up! As soon as she was able to collect herself, she questioned them.

"So why are you guys here so early? I thought we were supposed to meet later?" She asked.

"Darien's lawyers called. They've managed to push the trial up to tomorrow." Trowa told her worriedly.

"Tomorrow? We'll never be ready!" She cried.

"Don't worry. We'll work all day. You actually have done the hardest and most tedious part already- telling us the background information. We just have to make a plan using it now." Quatre tried to reassure her.

"Are you sure we can do it?" She asked them.

"Positive." Duo nodded his head. Wufei cuffed him.

"Woman, we know what we are doing." He said.

"We will win Serena, don't worry." Hiiro added. "Why don't you take Ben to the park today; we can figure things out on our own. Then when you get back, we can fill you in and you can make any changes necessary."

"Well, alright… are you sure you don't need me here?" She asked skeptically.

"Positive." Quatre nodded.

"And I'll make sure they don't destroy your apartment." Duo said importantly. Ever single person in the room looked at him blankly, then cracked up. "What did I say?" Duo asked cluelessly. They just laughed harder.

)(

"So then we're ready?" She asked excitedly.

"We couldn't be more prepared." Quatre smiled.

"You guys don't know how much this means to me. Thank you so much!" She ran around the room hugging each of them. They were ready for court tomorrow. It was, however, nine thirty PM. Later than they had expected. Oh well, that was the price to pay for being ready.

"We'll meet you at the court room tomorrow at ten thirty. And remember, even though we don't like it, we have to bring Ben. Darien's likely to call him to the stand. The slug." Trowa shuddered as he spoke. Anyone who put a four-year old boy on their witness list was sick in the mind. It wasn't fair that such a small boy should be exposed to the workings of the perfect judicial system of SF. The one that let criminals out on minimum sentence and had suspended the use of Capital Punishment. They shouldn't be so damn lenient. Moving along…

"Right. I'll see you there. Bye guys, and thanks!" She called as she watched them disappear down the stairwell.

)(

All seven of them were outside the courtroom waiting for their turn. Darien and his crew hadn't arrived on the scene yet. Serena and Hiiro were standing slightly separated form the rest of the group, watching Duo teach Ben a magic trick.

He was nervous. And if he was nervous, she had to be nervous. He couldn't quite explain why he was nervous. Hiiro knew that Serena had the best lawyers in the entire state of California. He knew she would win her case hands down. She had too. So why was he nervous? He was never, ever, nervous before any other court trial. Maybe it was because in all the others he had been in he had not been personally connected to the defendant. However, this time it was a bit different. He was more that just personally connected. He felt as if he were closer than that. He knew the truth. He knew what was right, what was good and wholesome and just within this case, and he was afraid that no one else would see it.

Serena wasn't nervous. For the first time she knew what she wanted and she was going to get it. She wasn't going to hold back and let slimy Darien ruin her son's chances at a good and wholesome life. No, it wasn't going to work that way. Not this time, not again. She wouldn't allow him to corrupt her son's life the way he had corrupted hers. She snuck a quick peek at Hiiro and noticed he was paler than usual. Was the great Perfect Soldier afraid? She had to smirk at that one.

"Hiiro? Are you alright? You seem a bit pale." She began.

"Fine."

"Your not scared- are you?" She teased. He couldn't believe she wasn't even just a little frightened.

"Why aren't you?" He asked her.

"Because I know I have the best lawyers. I know I have the best friends. I know what I'm doing is right, and that what Darien is doing is evil. I know, I'm certain. That's why I'm not scared. I know." She told him gently.

"I know that too. But I can't help thinking something is wrong here."

"That would be Darien. He is wrong. His very presence is evil." She told him pointedly.

"He's not here yet."

"Oh? He just walked in the door." Hiiro turned to see where Serena was looking. Indeed, there Darien stood, two over confident lawyers next to him drinking their Starbuck's coffees.

"Hmm. No wonder." Hiiro said jokingly. He suddenly felt more comfortable. Now he knew why he had felt afraid. It wasn't fear as much as it was loathing and disgust. Darien was coming their way too.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The story book princess and her knight in shining armor." Darien smirked at his own joke. No one else did.

"Morning to you too Darien. You know this whole court battle is not a good idea." Serena told him coldly.

"Why not? You not ready to lose?" This time Darien's lawyers laughed behind him.

"No. I think it's a bad thing for your lawyer's reputation." She told him.

"What is?" One of the lawyers asked.

"The fact that you're representing a slime ball and creep." The entire SWAT team Gundam had a hard time containing their obvious amusement at Serena's comments.

"Momma?" Ben asked suddenly. "Who's the scary man momma?" The SWAT tam laughed harder. Darien's face grew pink with rage.

"You didn't even tell him who I am?" Darien flung at her.

"Nope." Serena picked up Ben and grinned. The court doors opened and a bailiff called flagged them in. Serena quickly flipped around and entered the courtroom. Though Darien tried to grab her, Hiiro quickly stepped in and followed closely behind her.

As they all settled into their seats, they waited nervously for the judge to enter. As the black robed man did, they stood. He banged the mallet on his desk.

"Alright, this is the lawsuit trial of Chiba versus Tsukino. Lawyers, you may state your opening arguments, beginning with the plaintiff." One of Darien's lawyers stood to face the judge and jury and began his statement.

"Your honor, jury, I have today been asked to help my client. His name is Darien Mamoru Chiba, and his reason for suing Ms. Tsukino is quite simple. For the last four years Ms. Tsukino has robbed him of seeing, talking to, or having anything to do with his own son; his own flesh and blood. Then, when Darien finally had the chance to see his son for the first time, Ms. Tsukino had her boyfriend, Mr. Yui, assault him with a gun." The jury gasped and began to murmur amongst themselves. "All we ask, is for custody of Darien's innocent son and a few thousand dollars in emotional damage for poor Darien. Thank you your honor." Serena finally recognized the man who had spoken as Mr. John Apolis, the one who had told her she was being sued. The judge spoke.

"Ms. Tsukino? You're lawyer?" Quatre stood and straightened his suit jacket.*

** Question: Do you all want the full trial or just highlights or none of it or what? Gotta know soon!**