Arieslily17: Hola. Yes, the first chapter…Sorry about the teaser of a prologue. Hope this is well done. =) Enjoy…All right, so I made a few edits/revisions at SVZ's request. I switched to Kate's Japanese name, because I wanted to use it all along, but it only said it once in the manga I was reading, so I didn't want to misuse it. I received confirmation from other people about it though, so I'm fixing it. Also, I did a little research and found the all-boy's school Darien attends in Tokyo that I'm going to use. The uniform I designed is slightly different than the one Naoko uses, but this is AU, and I'm modifying things just a tad bit so they fit with the flow of the story. I was confusing the schools on accident. My mistake, and I apologize. Oh, and DTN, you now have to update! Only 22 days until mine and SVZ's birthday!
The Last Semblances of Normalcy"Riiiiiiinnnnnnnggggg…" The final bell of the day at the T/A School for Girls sounded loudly, signaling the end of the week and jarring the school's most popular and brightest student, Rei Hino, from her private musings.
She had been having visions the last few weeks. Horrible dreams she could no longer leave as unresolved mental fodder from the day before. Rei could barely sleep at this point, and whenever she had a few minutes alone, such as this last period Study Hall, she would fall asleep and have the vision, or spend the time dwelling on its meaning.
"Hey Rei, are you all right? You spent the last forty-five minutes staring off into space and doodling strange pictures and words. It's so not like you. And now the last bell rang, and the most gorgeous guy on Earth is outside waiting for you, and you haven't moved a muscle," Kotono, one of her good friends, asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, really. I just have a lot on my mind lately, what with planning the next festival and all. I better get going though. I wouldn't want to keep 'the most gorgeous guy on Earth' waiting, now would I?" Rei said, smiling and tucking the paper she'd been writing on into her bag. "I'm going to tell Asanuma you said that…"
Kotono blushed bright red, "Oh you're horrid. You'd better not!"
"I'm only teasing. You know I'd never tell your boyfriend something like that"
"Good-" Kotono said.
Rei cut her off. "I'll only tell Trunks!" And with that, she grabbed her books and ran off to her locker before Kotono could catch up. Quickly she put away what she wouldn't need for the weekend, made sure everything else was packed, and headed out the main doors. She smoothed out her red, gray, and black uniform, making certain that the spring vest was buttoned properly, the tie was straight, the white knee socks were in place, and everything else was in its proper place. After she finally considered her appearance acceptable, she sighed, wistfully. Rei had been looking forward to the weekend. Tonight she could spend studying with her closest friends and her boyfriend, then spend the rest of the time relaxing and having fun with them. Maybe that would be enough to shake away the dreams…she shuddered as she remembered the blood and death.
Taking a few steps out into the sunny courtyard, Rei began searching while keeping her eyes shielded for the familiar image of her boyfriend, Trunks Briefs, in his Azabu School uniform. Not seeing him, she frowned, and was about to set off toward his school, which was just down the street, when she felt two warm, strong arms wrap around her from behind.
"There you are! I've been all over your school looking for you." Trunks whispered in her ear.
"You know me. Ever elusive, constantly on the move, can't make anything easy for you…" She continued the light banter and turned around to face him. Rei took a good look at him and sighed.
He really was very handsome. She had always thought the deep blue of his uniform contrasted nicely with the ice blue of his eyes, the suit perfectly tailored to his muscular frame, the hair always perfect, no matter how ruffled it may get, and the whole look was simply…magnificent.
"That's one of the many things I love about you. With you around, life is never boring. There's always some sort of hunting involved, or battle to be won, or something." Trunks said. His eyes turned serious and his face blatantly showed his concern as he took in her exhausted, yet impeccable appearance. He tucked a few strands of Rei's long black hair behind her ear before resting his forehead against hers and asking, "Did you sleep any better last night?"
"I wish I could say yes, but I'd be lying. I barely slept at all." Rei had told Trunks and the others of her visions after they began and it was no longer possible to hide her sleeplessness.
"I'm sorry baby," he said, tilting his chin to kiss her forehead before pulling her into a tight embrace. "We'll figure this out, I promise. Let me know if I can help at all, okay?"
After staying like this for a few moments, Rei pulled back a bit, leaned up, and kissed him. Her fingers ran lightly through the ends of his hair, and his arms remained firmly around her waist. When the kiss ended, she looked into his eyes and said, "You're sweet. But everything will work out. You don't have to be so worried about me. Now come on. We have to get home soon or everyone will be there waiting for us, including Usagi. And if I arrive after her, I'll never hear the end of it."
Linking her right hand with his left one, she began pulling him out of the courtyard. He stole one more quick kiss as he caught up to her, then they began their walk to the Temple in earnest.
"So how was your day?" Trunks asked, trying to uplift the conversation.
"Not bad. Most of the usual stuff. Though Kotono told me she thinks you're the most gorgeous guy on Earth."
"Really? I always knew I liked her." He smirked.
Rei slapped his arm. "Arrogant much? How was YOUR day?"
"A lot like yours, actually. The usual, you know. A few death threats, of course, from guys who are jealous that I have the privilege dating the most beautiful, most wonderful woman in the world, let alone T/A private school. But that's normal. Oh! There was one new thing. A new person, to be specific. He just transferred in, I'm not sure where from, but yeah, new guy."
"Really? What is he like?"
"Quiet first and foremost. His name is Michael Schwarzmond, and he's a junior like us. He's a little taller than I am, black hair, seems nice enough. Other than that, I don't really know anything."
"Still, it's much more exciting than anything in my day." She replied, and as they looked around, they realized they were very near the Temple. The conversation died out as they raced each other up the steps.
A few hours later, after a productive, yet relatively uneventful study session/meeting/gossip-fest with their friends Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru, the party had quieted down and everyone had slowly filtered out to go home. Usually one or more of them would have spent the night, because the Temple was like their second home, but it seemed that everyone had errands to run and/or meetings or practices or other activities to attend in the morning. Rei was saddened by this…her spirits always seemed better when her friends were nearby. On the upside, however, she had her home and her boyfriend all to herself for the evening, as Grandpa was out at a conference for small business operators all weekend, and had said Trunks could stay to help her with the temple and, Rei suspected, keep an eye on her so she would be safe.
Thinking of this caused Rei to smile. A few months ago, Trunks would have been shot before he was allowed to even stay late at the Temple. Grandpa was very protective of her. Especially with boys. And after the fiasco that surrounded her 17th birthday, Trunks was a sore subject. But somehow, in a way that she had yet to figure out, Trunks had regained her Grandfather's trust and approval, to the point of being asked to keep watch over her during Grandpa's now more frequent trips away from home. It probably didn't hurt that Trunks was now attending school, the top ranked all-boys school in the city. Apparently, his mother from the present time decided that it would be good for him. He said it was more about developing social skills and adapting to this Earth, which for him was the past. His classes were a joke, or so Trunks claimed.
Roused from her reverie for the second time that day by Trunks' warm embrace, Rei let the matter drop for the time being. When he was ready for her to know, he would tell her. It was a silent agreement they had come to at the beginning of their relationship. Taking in his appearance, she noticed he had changed into some of the pajamas he now kept in one of the spare rooms. Before he could say a word, she kissed his cheek and ran off to her own room to throw on some more comfortable clothes.
She emerged from her room, in some fleece pants and a shirt she had long ago stolen from him, and joined him in the large living room.
"You know, I may want to wear that shirt again someday." Trunks drawled, as she settled herself on the couch next to him.
"It's too bad you lost it then, because I know I'm never letting go of mine." Rei smiled sweetly.
Trunks grumbled quietly to himself about women and their sentimental attachments to guy's stuff. He took her in his arms and flipped on the TV that was across the room from their position on the big, comfortable couch.
Rei groaned. "You're not going to make me watch that thing, are you? You know I'm not crazy about television."
"I've put in a movie, one that I think even you will enjoy. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I know for a fact you enjoy well-made movies, and they don't get much better as far as action scenes and other stuff goes. Plus, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are in it, and I know you're a fan even if you won't admit it." Trunks told her.
"He plays the elf in the Lord of the Rings movies, right? I like that character. All right, I'll watch." Rei acquiesced.
"And I thought it might keep your mind off other things, so maybe tonight you could get some sleep."
"Have I mentioned lately that you are the best boyfriend I could ever ask for?"
"No, but I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked.
Rei slapped his chest and they settled in for the movie. She couldn't help enjoying it, but at the same time, she knew it would not keep the visions at bay. After the movie was over, they stayed together curled up on the couch, talking quietly until they both slipped into sleep. The dream proceeded to plague her, but his presence soothed her and they were not so horrible. She dreaded when she could no longer sleep in his arms.
Arieslily: So, how did it go? Special thanks go to Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, and the cast and crew of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Especially Orlando Bloom, because he's wonderful and loves England as much as I do.
Phoenix: Yeah, he's nice. AND he can fight with swords and a bow and arrows. That's always a plus in a man.
Arieslily: But enough about him, what do you think of the story? I want to know! It'll inspire me to keep going! Reviews please! I know this is darker than my other stories, but I felt a need for the more mature, angst-y drama.