Hearts' Remedy
Chapter 6
There was a stabbing pain in the back of her brain. Serena grimaced as the pain spread throughout her body. What was happening to her? Cautiously she peered through her drooping lids. 'Where am I?' She asked herself. She sat up as another pain flashed through her body nearly blinding her with agony.
She waited for the ache to vanish as she sat upright. She looked about her in fright wondering where she was. Serena slowly set her feet on the ground to raise herself up. On her wobbly feet she walked a few paces before she collapsed onto the floor. Crash! Tears came to her eyes and now she could hear people behind the door.
"Ma, I think I heard something inside…" a muffled voice spoke through the door.
Serena weakly crawled to the corner of the room and hugged her knees closer to herself. She was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
The door creaked opened, revealing a young man's head. Both Serena and him shared wide-eyed stares. Snapping back to reality the young man retreated. He shouted urgently, "Ma! Pa! She's up!" Suddenly she heard footsteps. She looked up as two adults, one male and one female, came from the doorway. Her gaze shifted from them to the door that stood ajar. If only she could run and try to escape from them. The door wasn't that far and each one of these strangers stood a good distance away from it.
"Hey there," Kenji spoke gently, "You have been sleeping for many days now, how are you feeling?"
Serena stared at him as if frightened by his speech.
"Maybe she doesn't understand us," Ikuko suggested.
"No, she understands, she's just a little surprised and timid," Kenji said walking up to the girl.
Serena edged a little away again as he moved closer.
"Wait, Pa…" Shingo murmured. Serena looked over to the youngest of the three. He moved towards her and crouched low to be at eye level with the girl. "Your cat is outside playing."
"Luna?" Serena croaked, surprised at the sound of her own voice.
"Yes, Luna…" The young man continued. "I am Shingo, and this is my Ma and Pa. What's your name?"
"I'm Serena," she answered staring into his bright brown eyes in admiration.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore. Nobody can hurt you here because now you are in our house. What's ours is yours."
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
Clink, clink, plunk, click, clink. Serena watched as the healer—Shingo called him Gor—placed his medicine jars and tools on the counter beside her bed. What intrigued her most was the grey stuff in one of the jars. It had peculiar black spikes protruding its sides.
Pointing at the things she found strange she asked, "What's that?" And Gor would answer her every time she asked while he worked. Gor couldn't help, but smile at her curiosity. Most young girls would not care about these things.
When he was finished, he tried to give a spoonful of a strange brownish substance to the chattering girl. "What's that?" She immediately asked as the spoon came barely to her lips.
"Serena, it's just something I mixed for you to make you feel better."
Serena sniffed it, her hands flying up to her nose. "It smells horrible! What's in it?"
"Just the root of mungis, seeds of tripine, and various other herbs."
"Wha-"
Just as she opened her mouth to speak the healer plunged the spoon into her mouth. It tasted as vile as it smelled. It burned her tongue as it made a bitter way down her throat. "That was really mean," she coughed.
"At least I got the medicine down that little stubborn throat of yours."
"So am I all better now?" Serena asked with sudden fervor.
"I guess. How are you feeling?"
"Good. Then when can I walk, Gor?"
"Anytime you feel like it."
"Like now?"
"Yes, if you want to fall like before."
Serena scowled at his back when he left. Outside, in the guest room the family that had decided to adopt Serena surrounded him with queries.
"One at a time!" He shouted as he reclined in the chair that was set for him.
"How is she, Gor?" Kenji questioned with concern.
"She's fine. She seems very energetic, which is a good thing."
"So did you get anything out of her?" Shingo asked exasperated.
"What?"
"Look, she won't tell us where she's from. She only told us that she ran away because her mother wanted her to marry some guy. Then that was it. She shut up just when the story was getting juicy," Shingo muttered.
"Shingo, it doesn't matter. The girl is heartbroken and we are going to take care of her…" Ikuko trailed off.
"Yeah, until her mother finds her," Shingo said darkly.
"Is that a bad thing?" Kenji wondered out loud.
-------------------------------------
A|N:: Gomen. Didn't mean to keep you all waiting. Gomen, again for such a short useless chapter. As a heads up I'd like to say that in the next chapter you're going to meet a guy who is not Darien. Darien will appear in the chapter after chapter 7. That's all I'm getting out. You'll have to keep reading to find out more.
Dewa mata!
Chapter 6
There was a stabbing pain in the back of her brain. Serena grimaced as the pain spread throughout her body. What was happening to her? Cautiously she peered through her drooping lids. 'Where am I?' She asked herself. She sat up as another pain flashed through her body nearly blinding her with agony.
She waited for the ache to vanish as she sat upright. She looked about her in fright wondering where she was. Serena slowly set her feet on the ground to raise herself up. On her wobbly feet she walked a few paces before she collapsed onto the floor. Crash! Tears came to her eyes and now she could hear people behind the door.
"Ma, I think I heard something inside…" a muffled voice spoke through the door.
Serena weakly crawled to the corner of the room and hugged her knees closer to herself. She was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
The door creaked opened, revealing a young man's head. Both Serena and him shared wide-eyed stares. Snapping back to reality the young man retreated. He shouted urgently, "Ma! Pa! She's up!" Suddenly she heard footsteps. She looked up as two adults, one male and one female, came from the doorway. Her gaze shifted from them to the door that stood ajar. If only she could run and try to escape from them. The door wasn't that far and each one of these strangers stood a good distance away from it.
"Hey there," Kenji spoke gently, "You have been sleeping for many days now, how are you feeling?"
Serena stared at him as if frightened by his speech.
"Maybe she doesn't understand us," Ikuko suggested.
"No, she understands, she's just a little surprised and timid," Kenji said walking up to the girl.
Serena edged a little away again as he moved closer.
"Wait, Pa…" Shingo murmured. Serena looked over to the youngest of the three. He moved towards her and crouched low to be at eye level with the girl. "Your cat is outside playing."
"Luna?" Serena croaked, surprised at the sound of her own voice.
"Yes, Luna…" The young man continued. "I am Shingo, and this is my Ma and Pa. What's your name?"
"I'm Serena," she answered staring into his bright brown eyes in admiration.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore. Nobody can hurt you here because now you are in our house. What's ours is yours."
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
Clink, clink, plunk, click, clink. Serena watched as the healer—Shingo called him Gor—placed his medicine jars and tools on the counter beside her bed. What intrigued her most was the grey stuff in one of the jars. It had peculiar black spikes protruding its sides.
Pointing at the things she found strange she asked, "What's that?" And Gor would answer her every time she asked while he worked. Gor couldn't help, but smile at her curiosity. Most young girls would not care about these things.
When he was finished, he tried to give a spoonful of a strange brownish substance to the chattering girl. "What's that?" She immediately asked as the spoon came barely to her lips.
"Serena, it's just something I mixed for you to make you feel better."
Serena sniffed it, her hands flying up to her nose. "It smells horrible! What's in it?"
"Just the root of mungis, seeds of tripine, and various other herbs."
"Wha-"
Just as she opened her mouth to speak the healer plunged the spoon into her mouth. It tasted as vile as it smelled. It burned her tongue as it made a bitter way down her throat. "That was really mean," she coughed.
"At least I got the medicine down that little stubborn throat of yours."
"So am I all better now?" Serena asked with sudden fervor.
"I guess. How are you feeling?"
"Good. Then when can I walk, Gor?"
"Anytime you feel like it."
"Like now?"
"Yes, if you want to fall like before."
Serena scowled at his back when he left. Outside, in the guest room the family that had decided to adopt Serena surrounded him with queries.
"One at a time!" He shouted as he reclined in the chair that was set for him.
"How is she, Gor?" Kenji questioned with concern.
"She's fine. She seems very energetic, which is a good thing."
"So did you get anything out of her?" Shingo asked exasperated.
"What?"
"Look, she won't tell us where she's from. She only told us that she ran away because her mother wanted her to marry some guy. Then that was it. She shut up just when the story was getting juicy," Shingo muttered.
"Shingo, it doesn't matter. The girl is heartbroken and we are going to take care of her…" Ikuko trailed off.
"Yeah, until her mother finds her," Shingo said darkly.
"Is that a bad thing?" Kenji wondered out loud.
-------------------------------------
A|N:: Gomen. Didn't mean to keep you all waiting. Gomen, again for such a short useless chapter. As a heads up I'd like to say that in the next chapter you're going to meet a guy who is not Darien. Darien will appear in the chapter after chapter 7. That's all I'm getting out. You'll have to keep reading to find out more.
Dewa mata!