Chapter Eleven: Wedding Vows

*"Relena told me about Serena's parents, and that you had decided to have a heart and take her to see them here, so I decided to visit you. How long have you been here?"

"Since around eleven this morning."

"Jeez Hiiro. Ten hours? Have you eaten all day?"

"I had a cup of coffee when Serena asked me to get her some water. That was good enough." Hiiro grunted. He could take care of himself.

"You know, I should check you into the hospital for an eating disorder. You never eat Hiiro! And when you do, it's never enough. Relena's told me she's worried."

"Sally, Relena worries about everyone in the universe constantly. Don't pick me out of that flock of sheep." Hiiro warned her.

"And you should sleep more. You get touchy when you haven't rested enough." Hiiro growled, but Sally held up her hands and laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll stop. So there hasn't been any change in her parent's condition then?"

"None. They've been in their comas all day. Serena's still in there sitting in between them and holding one of each of their hands." His eyes flickered towards the door beside him, where Serena and her parents were.

"Hiiro, mind if I ask you a question?"

"No guarantees I'll answer."

"That's fine. But if you don't, it will make you like bad, so I suggest you do. Tell me, did you care about Relena at all?" Hiiro looked at her. This again?

"Yes."

"How much?" Sally pushed. Hiiro blushed.

"I loved her. But things, people, change."

"You don't love what she is anymore?" Sally's eyes narrowed.

"No. I'm the one who changed." He inwardly sighed. Then he cleared his throat. "Look here. I loved Relena when I was younger, when she was the type of woman I needed. But I went away because I needed to find out what I was, who I was. I needed my own humanity; I couldn't live off of hers forever. When I came back, I realized. I did love her, but not the same way. I feel no attraction to her romantically. She is a good friend, but my love for her died when the person I was during the war began to die. I'm still working on that- he isn't dead just yet. But the part of him that truly loved Relena is gone. I think of her as a friend now, nothing more, and never anything less."

"I see."

"Do you?" Hiiro asked her. She looked at him sharply, and saw that his eyes held glimmers of dead emotions.

"I do. And I think she understands that too. I just had to find out for myself. You know me."

"How unfortunate for me." Hiiro smirked. Sally gently smacked his arm.

"You've really developed some sense of humor, do you know that? You're worse than Duo sometimes with that sarcasm of yours."

"It's a dirty job, being lower than Duo, but someone has to do it." He smirked. She laughed, and things became quiet.

"Well, I suppose you've got everything under control here. Just one quick question, who is watching Relena if you aren't?"

"I called an old friend up. Relena is, I'm sure, happy to see him anyway."

"Huh?"

"If you had a brother, don't you think you would miss him?" Hiiro asked her. Sally's eyes widened.

"You called her brother? Zechs? Zechs Marquis?"

"Yes."

"Good thinking Hiiro. When he finds out what you did to Relena, he'll slaughter you."

"I would deserve it, I won't deny that much. But he would have a hard time actually doing it."

"Once a Gundam Pilot, always a Gundam Pilot I suppose."

"Right in one."

"See you Hiiro."

"Hnn." He nodded his goodbye. Hiiro remained in his seat a moment longer, then he stood up and stretched. Walking back into the room where Serena was, he half expected to find her at least dozing off. But she was wide-awake instead.

"A Gundam Pilot?" She whispered very carefully. "You were a Gundam Pilot?" Hiiro shifted very uncomfortably. She hadn't been supposed to know about that.

"Gundam Pilot 01, Hiiro Yui." He stated dejectedly. He didn't like drudging up those memories.

"You murderer." Serena whispered, her voice full of hate. "You killed so many innocent people, civilians, and Noventa… you killed the pacifist activist Noventa… You really sicken me." She spat at him.

"I sicken me too." He growled, settling down in a chair opposite her.

"I-" Serena began. But she was cut off when a low moan filled the air. "Mother?" she gasped and moved to her mother's bedside quickly.

"Se, Se, Serena?" He mother murmured.

"Yes! Shh, don't try to speak Mother." Seren cooed. Hiiro too, had gotten up and now stood behind Serena.

"No, Serena, I need to tell you this. I can… I can feel my time is near…"

"Mother!" Seren cried, her face displaying completed fear and horror. "No! You'll be just fine!"

"Serena, listen to me." She coughed. "All I ever wanted was for my baby girl to get married; settle down somewhere nice and be taken care of. Oh Serena. You've grown up so beautiful, but you still haven't married… I'm so scared for your future…"

"I'll be fine Mother! Try to rest." Serena tried to convince her.

"Serena, please. Do me a favor. Promise me something?"

"Anything Mother, anything."

"At home, in your old bedroom, I put the name of the man you were supposed to marry. Serena- please. Marry him. Promise me…"

"Mother…"

"Promise me, please Serena. I only want to see that you're well cared for…"

"Oh Mother." Seren breathed. She hated this, hated having to choose between promising her dying mother, or choosing her own future. "Alright Mother. I promise, I will marry the man you chose." She closed her eyes tightly and wished she were a thousand miles away, that this wasn't happening, that it was all a dream.

But when she opened her eyes, she knew it wasn't. This was real. It was really happening. No… No… "No! Mother! Mother, you can't leave! No! You can't leave me!" But her mother had already become unconscious again, her eyes closed and face relaxed. "Mother!" Serena cried.

"Serena, it's alright. She isn't dead… look; her heart monitor says she's doing just fine." Hiiro pointed out.

"But she said she knew her time was coming… that may have been the last time I ever get to speak with her… ever…oh God…"

"She'll be alright…"

"No! She won't be! She told me so! Mother!" Serena cried harder, burying her face into the stiff white sheets of the hospital bed. Hiiro looked down at her, his heart wrenching in pain for the deadly beauty he had fallen in love with. Very carefully, he reached out and stroked her head, trying to offer what little comfort he could to the crying woman.

When dawn broke and the cold sunlight came wafting through the window of the small hospital room, Hiiro blinked and yawned. He had fallen asleep sometime last night after Serena had stopped her crying and drifted off. But now a new day was breaking over the horizon, and he stood to stretch and greet it.

"Good morning there sir!" A cheery Doctor Zimmerman waltzed into the room with his clipboard in one hand, and a giggling nurse nearly in the other.

"Hnn." Hiiro nodded at him. He watched the Doctor's eyes linger on Serena and moaned. He reached over and shook Serena awake gently.

"Oh! Mother?" Serena asked as she turned her head and looked at the still comatose form of her mother. She sighed and looked at the doctor. "Well? Do they know if they'll make a full recovery of not?" She asked hopefully.

"Still no clue. But don't you go worrying gorgeous. Everything that my hands touch is magic… pure magic."

"I'm sure." She looked at him, tight lipped. She knew when she was being come onto.

"Serena, come on." Hiiro replied gruffly. He didn't like that doctor!

"Hiiro?" She asked surprised. "You're still here… why?"

"I'm your ride."

"I could have called a cab."

"I know."

"I hate you."

"I know." She raised her eyebrows and kept glaring. Then she just… stopped. Her face became relaxed; any signs of anger or hatred vanished.

"Fine. Would you take me home?" She pleaded him, to tired to argue.

"Yeah, let's go." He turned to the doctor. "If there's any change, you can call-"

"This number." Serena cut Hiiro off as she handed the doctor a little slip of paper. That is where I can be reached- and it's for business only." She emphasized.

"Very well." The doctor sighed. Serena and Hiiro took one last glance at her parents, and then walked out the door, Hiiro following closely behind.

"What number did you give him?" he asked as he handed her the helmet and got on his bike.

"My parent's house number. Will you take me there?"

"You're curious to find out who you're supposed to marry." He smirked. She frowned.

"I promised. And I always keep my promises, no matter what."

"What if after three years you decide you want a divorce?" He asked, very sincere.

"What?" Her jaw dropped. He revved the engine.

"Well, a wedding itself is a promise, a vow really, that you'll stay together for life. But what of you want a divorce?"

"Stop baiting me!" She cried in frustration. Then she rested her helmet-covered head against his back. "Look, just take me home? It's in the suburbs… it's the last house on the right side of Johnson Court. Think you can find it?"

"Yeah- I have an old friend who lives on that side of town, I know the area pretty well." Hiiro told her, his mind shifting to his old friend Quatre Winner. Quatre only lived a street away from Serena from what she had just told him. He vaguely wondered if they knew each other. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he took off down the street, once again at a breakneck speed.

The drive was pretty, filled with large houses and green lawns. Hiiro remembered the area being the same, and wondered why Serena had ever wanted to move out. She had everything- her life had been set out for her from the time she was born. Who could ever want to turn it down? She had the house, the cars, the neighbors, the clothes, the schools, and most importantly, she had family to support her. Why would she leave it all behind?

Hiiro pulled into the driveway she had told him to look for and pulled his bike to a halt in front of the front door. Serena quickly got off from behind him and pulled the helmet off. Placing it carefully back on the seat of the bike, she shot Hiiro a last look.

"Thank you for the ride."

"Sure."

"Are you going home?"

"Office."

"But you spent the whole night…"

"I'm a workaholic, like yourself. Only when I miss work, it costs more than time. It could cost Relena her life. Or one of my friends. You heard who, what, I was. Now would be the perfect opportunity for someone who hated me to attack me- my guard is down about as low as it has ever been." He smirked. "I've gotten too soft according to the Doctor who raised me."

"Let me get this straight. You murder other people, only to have any of your friends put on the hit lists of those people's friends so they can get even with you?"

"Right."

"Do you enjoy that lifestyle?"

"No." He instantly became stoic, and Serena noticed. He didn't like to speak about this, did he? It happened every time they came anywhere remotely near the subject- he would withdraw himself. How strange. God she hated him! He was the most annoyingly hypocritical man she had ever met!

"If you don't enjoy the lifestyle, why do you live it?"

"Goodbye Serena." He told her calmly. Making sure the helmet was secured down; he started the ignition again.

"Wait! Aren't you going to use the helmet?" She asked, just realizing he wasn't wearing any protection.

"No. I like to keep things simple." And he was gone. Serena looked after him for a moment longer, amazed that he would have so little fear of crashing and dying. But then, she reasoned, his whole life he had been close to crashing and dying, why would he fear it now after he'd been through so many more dangerous situations? She had a strange feeling that if Hiiro Yui was in a motorcycle crash; he would walk away from it without so much as a scratch. He was really something.

An evil something! What was she doing, admiring him! He was the devil's own, that much was for sure! Shaking her head, Serena sighed. Today had been a long day, and it was barely even nine o'clock yet. She tiredly looked around and found the flowerpot on the stoop that had the hide-a-key beneath it and picked it up. Unlocking the front door, she stepped inside.

It was like a time warp backwards. Everything seemed exactly as she had left it when she had moved out two and a half years ago. Serena had told herself she would not come back until her parents had stopped telling her how to live her life, but here she was nonetheless. She savored the smell… Every house had it's own smell, and hers smelled like… wood, pine, and lavender. She loved that smell; it always relaxed her.

Serena walked through the house room by room, reacquainting herself with all of the candlesticks and paintings. She loved every inch of this house… it was her childhood home, and she would never forget it. But she was also anxious to find out what her parents had planned for her before the accident had taken place.

Making her way up the stairs, Serena slowly turned the doorknob to her old room and entered it. Wow. She felt like she was five years old again, dressed up in her pink fairy princess gown and waiting for Prince Charming to come rescue her from the wicked witch. She could remember how she had loved the pink bedspread… lain on it when she was sad and traced the small seem pattern. She remembered her old stuffed animals- how she used to hug and kiss each of them every night before she had gone to sleep, telling them how great they were. And then, she saw her old desk, with a copy of her favorite book, Anne of Green Gables.

Everything seemed so distant, but she could remember curling up under her bed covers every night with her flashlight and reading it, word for word, page for page, soaking up every possible emotion she could from the red-headed character that made so much sense to her. Picking up the book, she thumbed through to her favorite part- where Anne met Gilbert Blythe, and smacked him over the head with her slate for calling her carrots. She sighed. Even then she had known Anne would marry Gilbert; it was destiny, it was written in the stars as far as she was concerned… what was this?

Out of the book fell a small envelope addressed to her. Gingerly putting the book back down in the desk, she picked up the pale pink envelope. Where had this come from? She had never put an envelope there before… then she realized that the handwriting was that of her mother's, and that the date was from only three days before.

"It's the name of my fiancé." She whispered to herself. As carefully as she could, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out a wedding invitation. The invitation itself was slightly to garish for her liking, what with fancy lace bows, silver doves, and calligraphic writing- she liked things simple. Still, it was the key to her entire future. Slowly she opened the invitation, and inside, where it was supposed to state the names of those who were getting married, were her name scrawled out in the fancy lettering, and another name… which looked very similar to a phone number.

Serena sighed. Her mother never could be very straight when doing things. Everything always had to be very dramatic and played out… she had probably thought Serena would enjoy the guessing game as to who her new fiancé was. Serena picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the number slowly; she knew pressing the buttons was sealing her fate. The phone rang. And rang. And rang. After the fourth ring, a recorder came on.

"You have reached the residence of Doctor James Owen Jay. I am sorry, but I am not available to speak with at the moment. If you wish to speak to me directly, please call after nine o'clock this evening."

Serena sat and waited for the recording to end, thinking that the man whom the voice belonged to was far to old to possibly be the man her parents had wanted to marry her too…

"If you wished to reach my son, Odin Lowe Jr., you may either wait and call me after nine o'clock, or wait and call me after nine o'clock. Thank you, good day."

Serena faked a smirk. Oh, this old man thought he was hilarious, didn't he? Wait and call him. Well! At least now she knew his name. It couldn't be the old man, so naturally it had to be his son, Odin.

Serena sighed. So this was her fate? Odin Lowe Jr.? She would be Mrs. Serena Odin Lowe? At least it sounded semi-decent to her ears. But nothing could compensate for the fact that she didn't love him.

Her good memories of sweet childhood times were suddenly gone, lost in a sea of loneliness, abandoned hope, and cruel reality. Sinking into her soft pink bedspread, Serena gabbed her old teddy bear and silently let the hot tears roll down her white cheeks. *

~~~I can hear the readers doing the classic 'ahh, how sweet!' the way all girl do when they see a puppy or something cute! Lol! So? This is about the half way check in point! How is this? Good, bad, mediocre? Does anyone even care anymore? PLEAZ REVIEW and let me know what you think! Much love- Vixen~~~