Hearts' Remedy
Chapter 11
Serena was out running errands for Gor for most of the evening of the following day. She couldn't stop thinking about Seiya. Her thoughts were so full of him that she didn't even remember the events of the day before. The young lord, who she thought, at first was just a commoner, with his pet cat, left her mind when they departed the previous night; even before she met them, though, she dreamt about a despondent Seiya. Memories from the Summer Festival flooded her mind. His eyes, when he looked at her that night, were eerily different. They were soft and gentle, not like the usual scorn and humor that he felt for her when they encountered each other. What does all this mean? The certainty that she missed him made her heavy-hearted. Seiya hadn't bothered her for nearly a week. Where did he go?
Serena thought that maybe when she got back to Gor's cabin, she might consult with him about his queer brother, who decided to disappear. When Serena reached the cabin, she looked at the once decaying wooden fence. The fence was now strong, not like the crumbling poles of wood that she had left seeing that morning. She walked back and forth in front of the gate, bewildered and annoyed.
Finally she mumbled to herself, "Magic it must be. Gor said he was going to fix it with me. Evidently, he forgot, and probably hired someone else for the job."
From atop a tree, someone listened to her intently with a sly grin. He jumped on her shoulder lightly, startling Serena. She screamed while falling down, causing whoever landed on her to pounce right off in seconds. The white cat, Artemis stared at her in dismay, while she stared at him with anger in her eyes.
"Artemis, you sly creature, you scared the willies out of me!"
The cat tilted his head slightly at her. Serena laughed at how silly he looked, then, stretched her arms out towards him shouting merrily, "Come, here!"
Meanwhile, Gor and a visitor appeared at the open doorway of the cabin, seeing Artemis jump into Serena's arms.
"Serena! Are you okay? What happened?" Her teacher exclaimed in worry.
Serena laughed, "Artemis just gave me a fright. But other than that, I think I'm fine. Still in one piece, but… My bottom really hurts!"
Gor and his companion laughed. Serena got up quickly, with the white cat still in her arms, and stood face to face with Darien.
"What's going on? Why are you back?" Serena questioned.
With a smile, Darien answered her, "Apparently my cat missed you and your black cat."
"Then you came all this way again for your cat?"
"There's a bigger reason why I'm here, but can we talk inside? I'm tired from a tough day's work and so is Gor."
Following the two men inside, Serena erupted again. "You two fixed the fence without me?"
"Gor, you should know better. This man is still healing from yesterday," Serena addressed her teacher.
"Aw, I know. His—the lord, told me how you saved him. He came all this way, insisting on helping with something. So, we fixed up the fence. He was strong enough to come this far. Not to mention, he's a very persuasive man—handy, too."
Darien spoke after him, "Anyway, this work does not fit a lady. What would your mother say?"
"Nothing, because she doesn't have to know what I do. And why are you here? After yesterday, you should never try coming here anymore."
Darien reminded her, "I believe my cat wants to see yours."
"She's not here today." Serena crossed her arms in front of her.
Darien mimicked her, trying to keep a straight face. "Are you this moody all the time?"
"Yes, she is, when she is absolutely exhausted," a familiar voice said.
"Seiya!" Serena felt heat rush to her face when she saw the man walk in.
"And she coddles over anyone who has ever been one of her patients," Seiya continued, as if Serena hadn't spoken at all.
Serena leaned her arms on the counter and stared up at Seiya as he approached her. "How may I help you?" she groaned in a bored tone.
"If you didn't klutz out so much, you would do us all a favor."
She slammed her palms on the counter and shouted, "State your business!" At the same time, relief tingled through her at realizing that their friendship was still alive. That was a reasonable excuse to award the arrogant brute with a smile.
"Betsy's sick again. I'm very worried."
"I think I have medicine for her," Serena said with a frown on her face. She gave him herbs and instructions on how to take care of Betsy.
"If she doesn't feel any better, please tell me. I will go see her. Good luck and I hope she feels better."
Seiya left quietly, nodding his thanks. Serena stared at the closing door and felt saddened by his glum, subtle mood.
Gor clasped her shoulder gently with a firm hand.
"Who's Betsy?" Darien asked.
"His cow…"
"Oh, is it that important?"
Serena turned to Darien. "Maybe, to him…"
Darien stared at her oddly when she redirected her gaze to the window. The corners of her mouth sagged, and she drifted off into her thoughts wondering.
"You should go home before you worry your parents," Gor suggested to Darien, who watched Serena with a concern look on his face.
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
Serena was running errands for her mother, and when she got home, she was surprised to see the lord named Darien sitting with her family at the table.
"Eeeeeek! Why do you show up everywhere I go?" She screeched while waving her arms in annoyance.
"Serena that is no way to speak to a guest! Apologize this instant!" Ikuko chided her daughter.
"But Mama, he's been coming here from the castle. Someone has to teach him some sense! The road from the castle to here can be very dangerous for him. Just two days ago we had to fight off bandits. If he would just stay where he came from, he wouldn't have to worry anyone."
Ikuko looked from Darien to Serena. Then she asked Darien "Is this true?"
"You have to be more careful, Serena," Kenji spoke.
"What?!"
"It was my fault," Darien admitted. "My cat was so sick I had to take risks to save him."
"You still haven't learned your lesson, have you?" Serena rolled her eyes at him.
"Serena!" Ikuko gave her daughter a warning look.
"It's okay, I'm going to leave after I tell Serena something," Darien said, standing up as if to leave.
"Please, stay for lunch…" Ikuko pleaded.
"No, I don't think I am welcomed," Darien said to the woman, glancing side-ways at the blonde who glared at him.
"Don't mind her, you are welcomed here anytime," Shingo told him.
"That's good to the ear, thank you. Now, Serena. I would like a word with you outside."
Serena followed him out, still very irritated.
"I've done everything you asked for or tried my best at least."
"I thank you, but you could have probably sent a messenger or something."
"But Artemis missed Luna. Don't worry about me. I'm a grown man and can take care of myself."
"I believe you." Serena turned around and groaned. "But your cat is okay now, so stop coming. I don't want to have to save you again."
"Save me? I could have done well by myself."
"Yeah, right," she breathed sarcastically, "you would have only lasted thirty seconds before they skinned you and hanged you by your feet in a tree, naked and dead."
Darien shrugged, "You don't know how well I fight."
"Oh yes, your polished sword, nice clothes, intimidating posture, and cat guardian, makes you a great fighter!" Serena said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I wish you wouldn't say things like that," his eyes turned even darker than the midnight blue that they were when he said this. Somehow they looked as black as the sky at nighttime. "It's really rude even when I apologize and made my point clear."
She tried to lean on the fence, but misjudged where she placed her hand. She fell forward and crashed onto the floor not too gracefully.
Darien bent down, "Are you okay?"
Serena flushed, taking his proffered hand.
"I'm sorry!" The words escaped her abruptly.
Darien smiled at her. "Finally, you apologize?"
She was up again with her head bowed. She nodded timidly, still not meeting his gaze.
"You don't say sorry much, I can tell."
She tried to smile. She found herself relaxing, and finally looked up at him, directly in the eyes, that were now gleaming midnight blue. It was like all the guilt lifted from her shoulders, and she could now stand tall again.
"Start all over?" He said stretching his hand out towards her.
"Start all over," Serena agreed, placing her hand in his.
Darien moved to bring her hand to his lips, but Serena gripped his hand tightly and tilted their hands to the side and shook. Serena met his startled gaze and nearly laughed at how confused he looked.
"I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you."
Darien played on, understanding and admiring the woman for her spirit for the second time since he met her. "I am Darien."
They released each other's hands.
Darien strikes a conversation casually, "So, how did you learn to fight like that?"
"Well there is Shingo, who taught and trained me. Then, I continued training myself…"
----------------------------
Hehe. Aren't you all glad I wrote another chapter for this story? Let me know if you're liking it so far. I guess you can let me know if you're disliking it, too, just state a reason. No flaming, though, because it can really discourage me. I try and try to write better, but I still make a lot of mistakes, so flaming me doesn't make me feel any better. Not that anyone has ever flamed me… I usually get good comments that motivate me to continue this story. Thanks a lot for those of you who reviewed. ^_^
-MistyWing
Chapter 11
Serena was out running errands for Gor for most of the evening of the following day. She couldn't stop thinking about Seiya. Her thoughts were so full of him that she didn't even remember the events of the day before. The young lord, who she thought, at first was just a commoner, with his pet cat, left her mind when they departed the previous night; even before she met them, though, she dreamt about a despondent Seiya. Memories from the Summer Festival flooded her mind. His eyes, when he looked at her that night, were eerily different. They were soft and gentle, not like the usual scorn and humor that he felt for her when they encountered each other. What does all this mean? The certainty that she missed him made her heavy-hearted. Seiya hadn't bothered her for nearly a week. Where did he go?
Serena thought that maybe when she got back to Gor's cabin, she might consult with him about his queer brother, who decided to disappear. When Serena reached the cabin, she looked at the once decaying wooden fence. The fence was now strong, not like the crumbling poles of wood that she had left seeing that morning. She walked back and forth in front of the gate, bewildered and annoyed.
Finally she mumbled to herself, "Magic it must be. Gor said he was going to fix it with me. Evidently, he forgot, and probably hired someone else for the job."
From atop a tree, someone listened to her intently with a sly grin. He jumped on her shoulder lightly, startling Serena. She screamed while falling down, causing whoever landed on her to pounce right off in seconds. The white cat, Artemis stared at her in dismay, while she stared at him with anger in her eyes.
"Artemis, you sly creature, you scared the willies out of me!"
The cat tilted his head slightly at her. Serena laughed at how silly he looked, then, stretched her arms out towards him shouting merrily, "Come, here!"
Meanwhile, Gor and a visitor appeared at the open doorway of the cabin, seeing Artemis jump into Serena's arms.
"Serena! Are you okay? What happened?" Her teacher exclaimed in worry.
Serena laughed, "Artemis just gave me a fright. But other than that, I think I'm fine. Still in one piece, but… My bottom really hurts!"
Gor and his companion laughed. Serena got up quickly, with the white cat still in her arms, and stood face to face with Darien.
"What's going on? Why are you back?" Serena questioned.
With a smile, Darien answered her, "Apparently my cat missed you and your black cat."
"Then you came all this way again for your cat?"
"There's a bigger reason why I'm here, but can we talk inside? I'm tired from a tough day's work and so is Gor."
Following the two men inside, Serena erupted again. "You two fixed the fence without me?"
"Gor, you should know better. This man is still healing from yesterday," Serena addressed her teacher.
"Aw, I know. His—the lord, told me how you saved him. He came all this way, insisting on helping with something. So, we fixed up the fence. He was strong enough to come this far. Not to mention, he's a very persuasive man—handy, too."
Darien spoke after him, "Anyway, this work does not fit a lady. What would your mother say?"
"Nothing, because she doesn't have to know what I do. And why are you here? After yesterday, you should never try coming here anymore."
Darien reminded her, "I believe my cat wants to see yours."
"She's not here today." Serena crossed her arms in front of her.
Darien mimicked her, trying to keep a straight face. "Are you this moody all the time?"
"Yes, she is, when she is absolutely exhausted," a familiar voice said.
"Seiya!" Serena felt heat rush to her face when she saw the man walk in.
"And she coddles over anyone who has ever been one of her patients," Seiya continued, as if Serena hadn't spoken at all.
Serena leaned her arms on the counter and stared up at Seiya as he approached her. "How may I help you?" she groaned in a bored tone.
"If you didn't klutz out so much, you would do us all a favor."
She slammed her palms on the counter and shouted, "State your business!" At the same time, relief tingled through her at realizing that their friendship was still alive. That was a reasonable excuse to award the arrogant brute with a smile.
"Betsy's sick again. I'm very worried."
"I think I have medicine for her," Serena said with a frown on her face. She gave him herbs and instructions on how to take care of Betsy.
"If she doesn't feel any better, please tell me. I will go see her. Good luck and I hope she feels better."
Seiya left quietly, nodding his thanks. Serena stared at the closing door and felt saddened by his glum, subtle mood.
Gor clasped her shoulder gently with a firm hand.
"Who's Betsy?" Darien asked.
"His cow…"
"Oh, is it that important?"
Serena turned to Darien. "Maybe, to him…"
Darien stared at her oddly when she redirected her gaze to the window. The corners of her mouth sagged, and she drifted off into her thoughts wondering.
"You should go home before you worry your parents," Gor suggested to Darien, who watched Serena with a concern look on his face.
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
Serena was running errands for her mother, and when she got home, she was surprised to see the lord named Darien sitting with her family at the table.
"Eeeeeek! Why do you show up everywhere I go?" She screeched while waving her arms in annoyance.
"Serena that is no way to speak to a guest! Apologize this instant!" Ikuko chided her daughter.
"But Mama, he's been coming here from the castle. Someone has to teach him some sense! The road from the castle to here can be very dangerous for him. Just two days ago we had to fight off bandits. If he would just stay where he came from, he wouldn't have to worry anyone."
Ikuko looked from Darien to Serena. Then she asked Darien "Is this true?"
"You have to be more careful, Serena," Kenji spoke.
"What?!"
"It was my fault," Darien admitted. "My cat was so sick I had to take risks to save him."
"You still haven't learned your lesson, have you?" Serena rolled her eyes at him.
"Serena!" Ikuko gave her daughter a warning look.
"It's okay, I'm going to leave after I tell Serena something," Darien said, standing up as if to leave.
"Please, stay for lunch…" Ikuko pleaded.
"No, I don't think I am welcomed," Darien said to the woman, glancing side-ways at the blonde who glared at him.
"Don't mind her, you are welcomed here anytime," Shingo told him.
"That's good to the ear, thank you. Now, Serena. I would like a word with you outside."
Serena followed him out, still very irritated.
"I've done everything you asked for or tried my best at least."
"I thank you, but you could have probably sent a messenger or something."
"But Artemis missed Luna. Don't worry about me. I'm a grown man and can take care of myself."
"I believe you." Serena turned around and groaned. "But your cat is okay now, so stop coming. I don't want to have to save you again."
"Save me? I could have done well by myself."
"Yeah, right," she breathed sarcastically, "you would have only lasted thirty seconds before they skinned you and hanged you by your feet in a tree, naked and dead."
Darien shrugged, "You don't know how well I fight."
"Oh yes, your polished sword, nice clothes, intimidating posture, and cat guardian, makes you a great fighter!" Serena said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I wish you wouldn't say things like that," his eyes turned even darker than the midnight blue that they were when he said this. Somehow they looked as black as the sky at nighttime. "It's really rude even when I apologize and made my point clear."
She tried to lean on the fence, but misjudged where she placed her hand. She fell forward and crashed onto the floor not too gracefully.
Darien bent down, "Are you okay?"
Serena flushed, taking his proffered hand.
"I'm sorry!" The words escaped her abruptly.
Darien smiled at her. "Finally, you apologize?"
She was up again with her head bowed. She nodded timidly, still not meeting his gaze.
"You don't say sorry much, I can tell."
She tried to smile. She found herself relaxing, and finally looked up at him, directly in the eyes, that were now gleaming midnight blue. It was like all the guilt lifted from her shoulders, and she could now stand tall again.
"Start all over?" He said stretching his hand out towards her.
"Start all over," Serena agreed, placing her hand in his.
Darien moved to bring her hand to his lips, but Serena gripped his hand tightly and tilted their hands to the side and shook. Serena met his startled gaze and nearly laughed at how confused he looked.
"I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you."
Darien played on, understanding and admiring the woman for her spirit for the second time since he met her. "I am Darien."
They released each other's hands.
Darien strikes a conversation casually, "So, how did you learn to fight like that?"
"Well there is Shingo, who taught and trained me. Then, I continued training myself…"
----------------------------
Hehe. Aren't you all glad I wrote another chapter for this story? Let me know if you're liking it so far. I guess you can let me know if you're disliking it, too, just state a reason. No flaming, though, because it can really discourage me. I try and try to write better, but I still make a lot of mistakes, so flaming me doesn't make me feel any better. Not that anyone has ever flamed me… I usually get good comments that motivate me to continue this story. Thanks a lot for those of you who reviewed. ^_^
-MistyWing