*She sat on the cliffs as the waves crashed on the rocks next to her. Two days since their return to her Gundam world- and the vacation she had left behind, she was already restless. Once Sally Po had checked her over and made sure her injuries were completely healed, she had been detained for questioning by Lady Une, head of the Preventers.
It had taken a while to explain the dimensional rifts to everyone, but once they had the general idea, they had taken to it quickly. Instead of convicting her for killing and destruction of private property, her charges had been dropped because she worked for Doctor J. She didn't quite understand why that would get her out of the justice system, but as long as she wasn't in jail, she didn't care.
After all of the important legal papers had been completed, Quatre had asked her to stay at his home in the Sanq Kingdom sea cliffs for her vacation. Without anywhere else to go, she had grudgingly accepted. However, after only two days, the routine was too predictable.
She, Trowa, and Hiiro were always the first awake, and the last to bed each day. Quatre made breakfast, lunch and dinner every time, and Duo goofed off while Wufei was either trying to kill him or focus on his kata of the day. As for herself, Trowa, and Hiiro, Trowa spent a good deal of time with his girlfriend, Catherine. She was a nice girl, and had told Sai right off the bat that she should call her Cathy, but Sai stuck with Catherine for some odd reason. Hiiro spent most of his time either away, or in his room, constantly typing on his laptop. He reminded her of her self, never wanting to stop work, for fear the world would once again be ruled be chaos after two days of a break. This was one of those precious moments where Sai wasn't working, but just lazing around.
"Tide's coming in." Sai turned, surprised to see Hiiro standing next to her on the rocky cliffs. " Soon, this rock will be under water."
"Well then, I guess I'll be getting wet tonight, won't I?" She responded, not making eye contact, but instead gazing out into the mists.
"Are you cold?" Hiiro had been keeping a close eye on Sai since she had moved in with them. He saw how she worked just like he did, how she showed no consideration for her lack of feelings or other's reaction to it.
Earlier, he had seen her go down to the cliffs and waited for her return by Quatre's rose garden, which was situated right above where she had gone down. When she didn't return after the sun set, he went down to find her. When he found her, she looked to be deep in thought, and obviously didn't notice the water that was creeping in, closer to her and the rock she was perched upon. Now that he was close enough, he saw her shiver, and worried that she would get sick if she stayed out too late and was too cold.
"Not much." She answered. Hiiro took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. It wasn't that cold to him, but she was obviously colder than she was letting on.
"You've been down here for a while. Why?" He asked her, trying to start a conversation. He liked her voice, even if it did have a distant and cold ring to it.
"I was thinking of my friend, Michi-chan. The ocean reminded me of her. She used to love it so much." Her voice became wistful, and she forgot for a moment her cold attitude and simply lived in her memories. "When I thought of her, I thought of her best friend and my friend Ruka–chan. When that got me thinking, I thought of all my other friends and family. And my home- I wonder… has anything changed?" She had been thinking of home more lately, and was beginning to feel homesick for the first time since she had left.
"You still have family? Why aren't you with them now?" Hiiro thought it was a simple and logical question.
"My, my, getting brave and personal, aren't you?" She snapped at him. "I'll tell you why. What's left of my family, I haven't seen since I my eleventh birthday. As for my friends, I could care less about them now days. End of story, so just go away, I'm not answer anymore questions from you tonight."
Hiiro, confused with the answer, went on: "They disowned you for fighting in the war?" He already regretted asking that. Of course she hadn't seen her parents since she was eleven, she had gone through the dimensional rift. She was stuck away from them.
"They might have, if they even lived around here, but no. They might have if they were even conscious." Hiiro heard that and stopped pushing the subject. So her parents were, well, unconscious? That confused him even more, but he didn't want to push her on the subject anymore.
"Why did you change your appearance back to the darker version?" He switched.
"Because. I'm not very scary as a tiny blued-eyed blonde. Being scary and intimidating is extremely helpful in our line of work, incase you hadn't noticed." She saw him move towards her throat and pull the pin, changing her back into Serena.
"I like this version more though. This is the real you. Before you fought, did you talk more?"
"Did you?" She countered.
"I've been a soldier as long as I can remember. I was raised by an assassin, so I have always acted like one."
"I used to talk a lot. And laugh, and smile. I don't any more."
" Because there's nothing to smile about. You're a murderer."
"Right." She glanced at him. For once, his face was peaceful, not hard. He looked out towards sea, and then, in her direction. Their eyes locked.
"But you help people- you kill to save. Don't you ever get tired of fighting like the world depends only upon your victories?" He pushed.
"All the time. Since before I started. You feel the same way, don't you."
"All the time." With that, both of them became lost within each other's eyes and drew closer towards each other. Then, as quickly as the mood had been set, it was broken by a wave crashing down upon the two. When it was all over, and they had caught their breaths, Hiiro smiled a wide grin at her, and Sai returned the smile.
"You just smiled." He said.
"So did you, Hii-kun."
"Hii-kun? Getting bold and personal, now aren't we?" He said, mocking her earlier comments.
"So what?" She smirked. " Do me a favor?"
"Huh?"
"Don't call me Sai."
"Why's that?"
"My real name is Serena Usagi Tsukino. I'd prefer Serry- it's a nick name of mine."
"Who were you, before the war? What was your original world like?" He asked. Now that she was opening up, he wanted to know more about her, the real her. He listened as she told him about the craziest things; monsters and demons, witches and talking cats. He heard how her mother died and father and brother were in a coma. He heard she tried to kill herself and how she became to be known as Sai. She also told him about the Dragon world and the Bebop world. Though it all sounded so crazy, he believed her. What else could he do? She told it so innocently, so plainly that he had no choice. He himself had seen her fight; he knew it was possible. When she was done, she was nearly in tears.
As Serena told her story to Hiiro, all the built up pain and emotions she had chained behind locked gates slipped through her, and tears over took her eyes. She cried and cried, with Hiiro holding onto her all the while. After a while, Hiiro looked down to the sleeping girl in his arms. She wasn't a killer by nature, but had been thrown into the fights unwillingly. But she had swum, not sunk, and now she was done with all of her fighting. He picked her up carefully, so as not to wake her, and was surprised that she barely weighed anything. He had carried monster guns that weighed more than she did. As he carried her into the house, the other five pilots looked up and each made a remark as to the extraordinary scene.
"Yui, why are you carrying her?" Trowa asked him.
"Hiiro, is she alright?" Asked Quatre.
"Go Hiiro! I hope she doesn't kill you for touching her in the morning!" Joked Duo.
"I never thought you'd get sucked in by a girl Yui. I never did." Was Wufei's remark as he shook his head.
"Be quiet, or you'll wake her up. And if you do that, I won't care if she kills you. And I haven't fallen for or been sucked in by any girl." Was Hiiro's reply to all the others. Without stopping, he carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Kissing her forehead, he said good night softly and left her to her dreams.
)(
As Serena, the real, blonde haired blued eyed Serena, left her room that morning, she ran into Hiiro, who was leaving his room right across the hall. They stared at each other for a moment, then Serena gave way and smiled brightly at him.
Hiiro wanted to talk to her again, but he hadn't expected to see her first thing. While the staring contest between the two raged, he suddenly saw her break into a full blown smile. She looked beautiful beyond belief when she smiled, more so than she had ever looked before. The smile was infectious, and soon he was smiling widely too. Randomly, she broke into laughter.
Quatre woke to hear a strange noise in the hall way. He had never heard the likes of which in his home, except for from Duo, and occasionally himself. He heard laughing. It wasn't Duo, he was sure, because Duo didn't usually wake up until eleven, and it certainly wasn't him.
Just then a knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. Trowa and Wufei, who had adjoining rooms to his, knocked on his door and let themselves in. They gave Quatre a questioning look, and he had to shake his head. Then, a new laugh joined the first, This one was rich and deep, a good compliment to the light, almost fairy-ish one that had sounded first. They ran to the door to peek out and see who was laughing. What they saw nearly gave them a heart attack.
In the hall stood Sai and Hiiro, both laughing hysterically at one another. Suddenly, the door across the hall, Duo's door, opened and he too, saw the laughing scene. Quatre watched as Duo's eye's bugged out of their sockets when he saw the two seemingly unfeeling Perfect Soldiers laughing like they always did it.
"Oh my God! Hiiro! Sai! You're smiling! You're even laughing! And me without a camera!" Cried Duo. The laughter stopped. The two turned to face the four people down the hall, which were watching them with great interest. Then, they turned to face each other, nodded to each other, and went back into their respective rooms, without some much as a smirk on their faces.
"Maxwell, you spoiled the moment. Yui was almost normal for a change. Idiot!" Then Wufei went into the hall and into his own room. Trowa followed in suit, and Quatre shut his own door, leaving Duo alone in the hall. Just what was going on between Sai and Hiiro?
Hiiro scaled the wall with the greatest of ease. Once he reached the top, he found the balcony doors open, so he entered. He heard the shower running and sat down on the arm chair in the corner of the room to wait for Sai to finish. Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, clad in nothing but a towel. Her long blonde hair was down and dry, cascading in waves over her damp shoulders. She grinned at Hiiro, who grinned back.
"Want to go out to eat, or face the others?" She asked him, picking out her clothes and going behind a screen to change.
"I'm broke of cash. We have no choice,"
"But if Maxwell tries something, I swear I'll ki blast him so he can't have any kids… ever." She stepped out from behind the screen in clothing atypical to her style. Jean shorts and an oversized white t-shirt with a Japanese character for luck printed on the back.
"I'll laugh." With that, the two left the room and went down to breakfast.
)(
The last four weeks had been the most relaxed in Hiiro's life. He spoke, smiled, and even laughed occasionally, but never around the other boys. He and Serena had become close friends, and the only time both of them dropped their guard was when they were together. Sai had reverted back to her original appearance, but only when she had Hiiro were alone. Life was nice for a change. It couldn't get better. Nothing could ruin their lives.
"What are you thinking about?" Serena asked him. They were sitting comfortably on the lawn behind Quatre's house.
"Just thinking how calm everything has been lately. And you?"
"Same." Just then, a multicolored blotch appeared in the sky right above them. Hiiro looked at the sky, knowing full-well what it was.
"The dimensional rift! It's back!" She looked at Hiiro, who suddenly had a dark cloud over his face. She realized why. If she went through, she might never see him again. But it was her only way home. Since their night on the cliffs, she had been getting more and more homesick, and a bad feeling when she thought about how she had just up and left everything at home. She wanted to go home so badly, but it would mean leaving Hiiro, her best and only friend, her truest confidant.
Hiiro couldn't believe it. The war was over. He was finally having a relaxing vacation, and he finally had a friend whom he could trust completely. It wasn't that he couldn't trust the other boys; it was just that he felt so much closer to Serena than them for some reason. He was beginning to talk, to share things he hadn't told anyone- ever. He liked having her around to laugh with. She was fun, and brightened his day. And now she was leaving him. How would he go on without her with him? Could he ever adjust to life without her? He had to, for her. She needed to go home, otherwise she would always regret missing her last chance, and it would be his fault.
"Serry, go. Find your home." Though it took ever ounce of will power had had to say it, he knew he had to support her decisions. He knew she had been homesick. It was the only way.
"And leave you here on your own? You'd revert back into all work and no play."
"Serry, you'll never forgive yourself if you don't go."
"I haven't said goodbye to the others yet. I can't leave."
" Serry…"
"Come with me. I want to go home, but it would feel wrong without you around. I need you. But I need to leave. Come with me." Hiiro thought it over. A new world. He could start fresh, live in peace. No more fighting, or stereotypes about him because he was the Perfect Soldier. A real home. But what about the boys? And peace here? It was still fragile, and if another war broke out, who would fight it? Hiiro didn't notice the other boys had come out of the house and joined them staring at the rift. By the time he came out of his reverie however, he noticed they were looking sadly at him, as if they already knew what his answer to Serena's question would be.
"Hiiro." Said Trowa. "Go. You know the drill. Live on your emotions."
"We'll take care of peace here, Hiiro, go." Added Quatre.
"It'll be dull without the daily gun aimed at my head, but go Hiiro, Trowa's right, just do it!"
"Yui, take care of your woman. She needs a strict hand to keep her in order. Go with her." Was Wufei's simple reply.
"Hiiro. Please come with me?" She paused. "The rift is closing." Her last words settled it. No one she was going anywhere without him. His last mission had been to care for her, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
"Let's go." He nodded. Then he turned to his friends. "Thank you all."
"No problem Hiiro. We're friends, that's what friends do." Quatre smiled. In fact, they all smiled. Hiiro nodded and blinked back tears. His emotions were too annoying sometimes.
" Well, thanks. Don't let any radical groups gain an upper hand with you, and keep training. Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, good luck." Serena smiled at him. Then she surprised the other by turning and hugging each of them, whispering in theirs ears her goodbyes. Then she turned away.
"Nimbus!" She cried. She held onto Hiiro's arm, and when the cloud came close enough, she jumped on it as it zoomed into the rift. *