Hearts' Remedy
Chapter 24

The party was greeted wildly by friends, family, and neighbors on their return. Serena was ready for the things in life to fall back in place the instant she arrived home, but it didn't.

Naru and her mother settled in the orphanage, aiding Nora through the usual errands; grocery shopping, housekeeping, and babysitting. Nora welcomed them with open arms. She was getting on in her years and embraced all the help she could get. With the two new permanent residents taking over, Serena found herself useless at the orphanage most of the time. Nora needed less of her and less of others as well, though they came and went as usual.

Seiya with his new wife, Lily, on his arm, reached out to shake Serena's hand. It was the the usual, 'Nice to see you alive, Klutz. No hard feelings? Still friends?' The typical reply—'friends forever, Idiot.' A bemused Lily giggled at that and there was surely less time to see either man or wife, Serena knew. After all, the two were inseparable. Just try to wedge a knife between their invisible bond and foolishly fail. To highlight their relationship, red faced, Serena had to wave away their thank yous for bringing them together in matrimony with promise to move on with her own life.

Shingo and his wife, Mika, were screaming at her in joy at her homecoming. They said they were leaving home and moving into the place that Shingo built with his bare hands over the months. Apparently, Serena was kept in the dark about all this. She really didn't like the fact that now she was the only child left in Ikuko and Kenji's care. She was tempted to follow Shingo, not to annoy him like he thought she was trying to do, but just because she missed him. The house was empty without him and awfully dead without him ranting about Papa and his business. The unusual supplanted the usual in the end.

Ikuko claimed that whenever Serena was in her room she kept to moping around. Serena contended that she was busy. 'Just knock if anyone visits.' Ikuko eyed her daughter wearily, both knowing that 'visitors' rarely came anyway.

Yet, when that knock did come in the early afternoon, Serena jumped out of her chair. "What?" She cried out impatiently, thinking Mama had only wanted her to run out and get her something.

"A visitor, Dear," said her mother through the closed door. There was a hint of a smile on Ikuko's face.

"If it's the Prince again tell him to go to Gor's and I'll meet up with him later."

"It isn't Darien." The smile grew wider.

"Well, then go tell Shingo I'm working and work is more important than seeing him."

"It isn't Shingo, either." The smile dropped.

"Naru said she was going to be out with the kids at the park..."

"For Heaven's sake, Serena, it's not Naru! Get out here before I come in there!"

Serena opened her door and came out to the guestroom to face her disgruntled mother. "Alright, who is it?"

"Of all the nerve! You tell me to call you if someone came… Now I did… And all I get is that nasal, ungrateful tone—"

Serena shrieked shrilly. "Serena!" Ikuko scolded.

The young man, who was facing the hearth, and whom Serena spotted, turned from his place. He grinned as she shrieked in glee, "Sammy-my-boy! You're home!"

Serena ran to him and hopped around him in delight. "You're so handsome. You must have grown a foot. Just look at you! You're as tall as me!" Still grinning, Sammy's eyes followed her movements as she circled around him.

Serena beckoned him over to her father's favorite chair. "You have very nice clothes. Who are you trying to impress? Me or the girls?"

Sammy blushed. "My parents buy me these clothes. I have a personal tailor who comes by my house once a week. I go to school, now. I take fencing lessons and I have rich friends."

"That's very nice, Sammy," Serena beamed at him.

"But, nothing will replace the friends I have here."

"That's nice. It's nice to know that you haven't forgotten all of us."

"I didn't mean what I said when I left, Serena. I do need you and I hope you need me because I can't stand you hating me forever. Please forgive me." Sammy said everything in a rush and deleted all the pauses in his speech.

Serena's eyes shone brightly as she watched Sammy bow his head in shame. Suddenly she was sitting next to the little cot that Sammy used to sleep in back in the orphanage. He was sitting up after healing from that snake bite, legs swinging involuntarily underneath his bed as he shyly looked up at her. He was five all over again.

Serena smiled slowly and grabbed the boy's hand. "Hey, I did start that argument, so you don't have to be the one apologizing. I'll always be around if you need me and of course I know you're never too far if I need you. Right? We'll always have each other."

"Serena, I wish you were my sister. Maybe I can ask Mother and Father if they could adopt you, too. You're kind of an orphan, too, so does it matter who you stay with?"

Serena laughed as Sammy hurtled himself headlong into her. Serena hugged him back. "We are siblings. We don't need to be next to each other every waking moment. As you have found your home in the loving embrace of the Hamels, I have found my place…"

"Then, why are you all alone? Why did you seem so unhappy when I saw you walk in?"

"I was unhappy?" Serena blinked rapidly, a frown growing around her forehead. "I wasn't aware of that."

"See? This is why I needed to see you. Ikuko said that you were sulking around the house—"

"Sulking!" Serena stood up promptly and started pacing. "I just spend more time in my room when I'm not at Gor's. Is that a crime!"

Sammy shook his head and stood next to Serena. His comforting hand touched her tense shoulder as he spoke, "I'm glad you cleared that up. I was afraid you were… Actually… You know…"

Serena huffed. "Of course not! Why would I be! I have what I want."

"But do you have what you need?" Sammy added looking away, fearful of Serena's blazing eyes on him.

Serena sighed after a minute of glaring and muttering incoherently to her self. She wanted to redirect their conversation. "You have grown taller. I do believe your parents have been feeding you well."

Sammy nodded enthusiastically. "The whole kitchen is mine! All mine!"

Serena's hand ruffled his neat locks. "I envy you, Sammy."

"Yes! Everyone does," Sammy boasted.

Serena roared with high laughter, flinging her head back. "Why brag here when you should save your breath for your hooligan friends."

Sammy shrugged. "I'm not staying long. I only came to see you for a couple of minutes. Mother and Father are actually waiting outside."

Serena's heart stopped beating for just one wild second. "You chose to come visit me instead of the orphans?"

"I have to, Serena. You're the closest person I know here."

"What about Nora?"

"Nora was annoying, but I'll visit her when I come back in a couple of nights."

Serena frowned. "A couple of nights? Which way are you off to?"

"The castle. Didn't you know?" At the look of bewilderment on Serena's face, Sammy continued, "I guess news gets to my mother and father faster than it reaches here. The royal family of Luneria is coming to Terra! Their Majesties are holding a ball in honor of their visit. It's going to be held at the castle two nights from now. Mother and Father were invited, so I have to go along."

Serena turned pale if noticeable. "Are you alright, Serena?"

"Ah… Yeah."

"It's rumored that there is to be an announcement!"

"What kind of an announcement?" Serena choked.

"A betrothal of some sort? It's just a rumor, though."

Serena felt faint. She reached for a seat and dragged her self limply into it.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright?"

Serena gathered herself together. "Of course I am, of course I am," she said dazedly.

Sammy was patting her on the back and reaching for something on the floor. "I got you something," Sammy said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He brandished a box and pushed it into Serena's hands. "Open it!"

When Serena pulled the lid from the box and looked into the box's contents she gasped.

"I didn't know what to get you, so I just thought since I changed maybe you did, too—Taste wise, I mean."

Serena pulled out an evening dress that was white and adorned with blue lace here and there. It was frilly at the hem and the waist. The train glittered at the end from the back of the gown until it spilled past the gown and hit the floor. There were no sleeves, only ruffled straps that would fall gracefully off her shoulders once the dress was on.

Serena shot him an offended look and that was when Sammy realized his old Serena was in touch with him again. "I don't have tastes, you mean to say?"

"No!" Sammy cried, waving his arms like a duckling trying to swim. "Not that! I know you never liked dresses, so I just didn't know. I thought I changed a lot because I wouldn't have liked the clothes I'm wearing right now months ago, but now I kind of find them comfortable, so I thought maybe you felt the same way about them dresses. You didn't like them before. You might like them now…"

"I don't detest them if that is what you're trying to get at. And you of all people know what I do for a living, so when am I going to wear this?" Serena sounded hopeless. She wanted to wear Sammy's gift.

"Maybe to a birthday party. My birthday party!"

"And outshine the real Ladies? Come, now, Sammy."

"But you already outshine them! Serena, do you really hate it? I can get you something else when I get back in a couple of days. What would you like?"

"Please, Sammy. Don't get me anything else. I love this gift enough already. I don't think I can even sell it for what it's worth!"

"Good. Then, why did you have such a long face a while ago. Is it because you got taller or wider? I kind of judged the size from when I last saw you. Did you really get wider around the waist?"

Serena raised her hand ready to smack, but instead it came down to pinch his cheek. Sammy winced. "You don't talk to women that way, Sammy. I bet you don't talk to your little girlfriend that way back home."

Sammy turned red from neck to face.

"Ah, so you do have someone." And she laughed so hard, it drove the boy out of the house looking beleaguered to the point of actually considering jumping off a cliff.

"Bye, Sammy! See you soon!" Serena waved to the gentleman and gentlewoman who pushed their son into their carriage. They were smiling as if they shared a secret with Serena. Serena managed to call out a greeting to them as well. Years went by quickly, so days should, too.