Welcome to another edition of The Dawn Rose! My apologies for leaving you for so long ... I honestly meant to have something up before the New Year, but, hey, life sucks. I sincerely hope you are all sticking with me on this!
Responses:
Raya Light – Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my story! Welcome aboard! I agree about the irritation of having a story cut off because it's been forgotten. I swear I will never do that. I've only had to pull one story down due to some issues, but I intend to re-make it. As for writing it out before hand … if you knew how many notes I have for ideas all over my house … let's just say that I know it would get lost and then I'd have to re-write anyway! And even if I did manage to get it all written, I'd end up "improving" it as I wrote and would still end up re-rewriting it. So I can't win. And I love all roses, but have a weakness for yellow for some reason!
Rosa Lunae – Hey, Lunae R! LOL! Confused your self, didja? That'll teach me for putting up two chapters so close together! Thank you for noticing the relationship between Serena and Darien. There are so many who don't (or can't) see just how their relationship works and how they support each other. I shouldn't be surprised though – we think too much alike! Which reminds me … it's your turn to send me ideas! LOL! Just kidding! Thanks for reading! Your joy brings great happiness over here. I get a thrill from your notes and nags … and my boyfriend laughs at me while I read them. Oh, and I wasn't trying to convey clumsiness when I spoke of the girl in the dark "tripping". I was aiming for the fact that it was pitch black and she could run into something or fall off a cliff for all she knew and not know it until she'd done it. Then again, maybe the others wouldn't have worried about it so much …
Nazi Hater - Let's see …
1) Sorry that you feel it's going slow … I admit to dragging it a little, on purpose, but it's actually a side plot and not the main reason for the story, so I wasn't worried about it. By going slow, I was hoping to convey the difficulty of emotions that are happening. Too soap-opera-ish?
2) Thanks! I was very proud of that part myself … and yes, she's in a coma state similar to ones she's been in before in both the manga and the anime.
3) Driving you to a slow death … Hmm … should I be horrified or pleased that have your attention? J Since most of you figured it out, yes, I'll be confirming this chapter. Wanted to throw a bit of mystery in.
4) Actually, I do proof read before I post. The two problems I can think of are that I write in the wee hours at times and post while trying to stay awake, and that my brain already knows what I'm trying to say and that's what it shows me. I do catch the mistakes later though and plan on doing some polishing during my holiday before leaving town. I was wondering though if you were mistaking "typos" for "errors" or if you were referring to my Canadian spelling. And I check and double check the Japanese as I write, so no worries there.
5) If you have another suggestion, my mind is open. I'll try underlining it this time and see if that makes a difference. I gave a similar idea to Venus Smurf and she liked it so much I thought I'd try it … like I said though, I know what it is, so I don't see the issues. Thanks for pointing it out.
6) About Rini – The manga doesn't actually say when she was conceived. At the wedding, Serena said she felt that Rini would be born soon, but if you look back at when they first went to the future, King Endymion says that the Queen gave birth and stopped aging. Serena is not Queen yet, so I chose "soon" to be a little later. But if you look closer, she's not as far away as you think …Stay tuned and I'll show you! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Mieco – BINGO!! You are not confused … you are just you. ;) And as I've told another reviewer, "soon" is open to interpretation. Do me a favour and go beat on your sister for being two chapters behind in her reviews! ;)
Venus Smurf – Africa? Honto?? Sugoi! How long are you gone? Africa … I admit that I've never wanted to go there, but it's a beautiful place. Bring back story ideas!
Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I know it's hard to believe, but you really do keep me going! And I find it odd that nobody wonders about the Shadows …
Let us begin!
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Chapter 15
Faith - Another Word For Waiting
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Serena crawled carefully on hands and knees, feeling the surface beneath her inch by inch, determined to not just sit there and weep. She felt for edges or objects, hoping for a clue … or a light switch. Was she really alone? She couldn't be alone. She couldn't stand being alone. Bad things happened when she was alone. She sat back down and stared out into the dark nothing, barely choking back tears. Where was she? Where were the others?
"Do you think you can find your way by crawling on the ground like that?" came a woman's smooth voice.
Serena could hear the smirk behind it. She looked around, remaining quiet, trying to locate the direction of the voice.
"You are quite alone, you know. Even I'm not there with you. Nobody can find you. No one will save you. Not even your simpleton of a princess. You've been abandoned, child."
'My Princess?' Serena's face mirrored her confusion. Or she thought it did. "Who's there? What are you talking about?" She listened hard, but the voice seemed to echo around her from all angles. "What Princess?"
"Denial gains you nothing. I know you are friends with the Princess. I will leave you alone to your thoughts while you think things over."
"Who are you?" Serena demanded. "What do you want from me?"
The voice did not answer and Serena thought she'd been left alone again, but finally she was answered.
"Your soul. I want your soul. And you will give it to me if you wish to leave your little jail."
Serena froze. Her soul? And who was her Princess supposed to be??
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Molly and Nephrite walked back towards the temple, the path crunching beneath their feet as they talked quietly. More crunching alerted them to a new arrival and the glanced up to see who it was. Molly was really hoping for news of Serena and took a step forward in her eagerness … only to have her world turned upside down again. She threw herself in front of Nephrite, arms outstretched.
"Go Away!" she bit out, firmly.
Zoisite came to a startled halt. "Neph? Did I interrupt something?"
Nephrite shook his head as he put his hands on Molly's arms, urging her to lower them. "No, Zoi … she remembers you, that's all."
Zoisite glanced back at the girl. "Remembers me from wh- …" He stopped as an image of this girl, a younger version of this girl, sprang to his mind. An image of her in orange pyjama's trying to protect a battered Nephrite. "Oh."
"Molly, stop. He's not going to hurt me."
Molly lowered her arms, slowly, carefully; not taking her eyes from the man who still caused her the odd nightmare from time to time.
"Molly. Molly, look at me." Nephrite put his hand under Molly's chin and tried to get her to face him. She stubbornly refused. She wasn't going to take her eyes off the man she expected treachery from. Nephrite sighed and glanced at Zoisite. Zoisite hadn't moved either, but continued to stare back at Molly. Moving in front of Molly, Nephrite broke their staring contest. Molly looked at Nephrite at last. Hazel eyes, glossy with the need to shed tears, met warm caramel.
"I know it doesn't seem like much of an excuse, but Zoisite isn't to blame for what he did. He was stuck in the same position as I was and was sent to fetch me back when I attempted to leave that situation. One of us, there's four of us, by the way … one of us had already been severely punished for failure. Incentive, we were told, to try harder and avoid failure. You showed me another side to life and I was willing to try it. But it was too late for me. Zoi knew it, and deep down I did too. He did me a favour, Molly. Instead of bringing me back, he set me free. He arranged for a doppelganger to take my place. Luckily for him, that double passed muster and was destroyed by the Scouts before it could be discovered." He wiped the single escaped tear from Molly's cheek and stepped aside. "Now," he began, gesturing to Zoisite, "Molly, meet Zoisite, my brother in arms and a fellow Knight." He turned to Zoisite. "Zoi, this is Molly, a maiden that rescues as much as she needs to be rescued."
Zoisite put out a hand, palm up, and waited to see if Molly was going to take it or bite it. "Nice to meet you."
Molly stared at the hand before her. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand in Zoisite's, and allowed Zoisite to lean slowly over it and give the faintest of polite kisses. Molly smiled in spite of herself. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be charmed later, but right now I don't think that I can't handle any more shocks like this."
Zoisite smiled and gave her back her hand. "Then perhaps you'd like to know about your friend? Come down the court yard. The other girls are there and we'll hear all at once."
Together they walked the last of the path and entered the court yard and into chaos. The scouts were gathered at the bottom of the stair that led to the Temple. Half way up, barring their way was Yoake and Helios. Standing slightly off to the side, possibly at what they considered a safe distance, was Jadeite and Kunzite.
"What do you mean, you don't know what's wrong with her? Why can't we see her? I can't just stand here and wait, not when I might be able to help!!" Mars yelled. Her feet set shoulder width apart, her stiff arms fisted at her sides, her violet glare tried to with the woman standing on the steps above her. Jupiter placed a hand on her shoulder to try and get her to back down, but Mars shrugged her off. "Well?!?"
Yoake faced Mars' anger with stoney silence. Her face gave away nothing. Helios, standing slightly behind her and to the right, answered instead.
"She means what she says, Mars. We understand your anger, but anger is not going to help us right now. We are willing to go over all the details of what we know with you in order to put our heads together, but you cannot see her until …" Helios trailed off as he caught sight of Molly. "Until Tuxedo Mask is ready to let somebody else in to help. He is with her right now and I won't let him be disturbed."
Mars opened her mouth to say something more, but Helios forestalled her. "You are in my territory now, Princess of Mars. I am second only to the Prince and unless he says differently, you will have to wait."
Jupiter put an arm around Mars. "Come on, Mars. We're all worried about her. Getting angry and placing blame isn't going to help."
"We shouldn't have left her alone," Mars replied with a strangled whisper. Her shoulders slumped and her head lowered, her fists relaxed as she felt a helpless despair wash over her.
Jadeite quickly walked over and took Mars into his arms. "Your friend is right. Blame has no place here … not even to blame yourself. The situation is here. Let's find a way out of it, shall we?" He glanced around at the others.
"Yes," answered Pluto with certainty. "Yes, we will each tell what we know about what happened and see what we can piece together." She looked to Helios. "If you will give us a place to rest and discuss …"
"Of course, Pluto." Helios nodded in her direction. "If you will all follow me, I will see to it that refreshments are brought to you."
The Scouts began to dully follow Helios inside. Saturn's hand crept up and took hold of Pluto's. Pluto gave it a bit of a squeeze of encouragement. Uranus' arm came up around Neptune's waist. Jadeite walked Mars forward with his arm still around her shoulders. Kunzite fell into step beside Venus. Zoisite quickly joined Mercury and took her hand in support. Jupiter looked to Nephrite. Pulled in by the pain and worry he saw in her green eyes, he went to her without a word and with a small hug, he escorted her after the others.
Yoake, still standing halfway up the stairs looked at the remaining figure in the court yard. "Molly, we'll need your input too."
Taken aback, Molly's gaze flew from the group to the tall red head. This woman looked almost familiar. The woman's words finally sank into Molly's numb brain and she nodded. As she walked toward the stair, Yoake came down to meet her part way.
"My name is Yoake. I am a Guardian, similar to the other girls. To tell you more would only confuse you, I think, and require more explanation than we have time to give right now." She glanced the direction everybody else had gone. "You don't feel abandoned, I hope."
Molly shook her head as she came up beside Yoake. Placing a gentle hand at Molly's back, Yoake turned and guided her up the steps.
"No, I didn't feel abandoned at all. She needed him and, I think, he needed her. It was right somehow."
Yoake nodded. "Good. And don't worry, we'll have you home before it gets too late."
They entered the temple and entered a conference room. There were two chairs left around a large table that had trays of what Yoake considered "nibbles". Enough to stem off the hunger, maybe even satisfy, but not heavy enough to cause any one to relax too much. As they sat, a Menard poured them each a drink, placed the jug in front of them and left quietly.
Molly watched a bead of condensation trail down the side of the jug before helping herself to a meat roll and concentrating on the conversation at hand.
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PEE BREAK!! Snack Break! Whatever you wanna call it! Go! Go! Go!
…time flies …
Okay, the pee break turned into bedtime and going to work … but I bet you're all rested now, right?? Right?? Now … where was I?
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Serena thought furiously as she crawled about her seemingly boundless cage. She was beginning to think she'd never find an edge. An edge that meant her jail had walls and walls meant a door. Didn't it? Who was this woman who had captured her? What Princess did she refer to? She shook her head and paused her movements. No. Start at the beginning. How did she get captured in the first place? She sat down and tried to work things out in her head.
Flashback
She and Molly were walking back to the house when Serena felt a cold shiver up her spine. She paused and turned to look back to the shore. A strange woman stood on the shore. Serena didn't know how she got there without her noticing, but something about her just screamed WRONG to her senses. The woman raised an arm and Serena saw the weapon attached to her wrist. Molly had noticed her stopping and turned to see what she was looking at. Serena never stopped to think, but ran the few steps between them and dove for Molly, trying to get her safely down to the ground and to get between her and the danger. She didn't know who the target was and she didn't care. There was a flash of light and Molly screamed as they went down.
Fiery pain shot into her shoulder and she knew she'd been hit. She screamed in agony and Molly screamed again in fear. Then … nothing.
End flashback
She remembered nothing after that. Was she knocked unconscious by the wound to her shoulder? No, she'd had worse wounds. She felt her shoulder where the wound had been. There was nothing. No wound, no pain. Wait … where were her clothes?
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Darien sighed as he stood on the balcony and watched the sun set. He hadn't wanted to leave Serena, but there were things that needed to be done to make it seem like they were still at home. People to call. Serena hadn't talked to her Mother since they had seen her while shopping and there had been worried messages on the answering machine. There were only a few more days until the picnic and she needed to know if Serena was ready and what her friends were bringing. Darien started to call her back and let her know that things were fine, but wasn't sure what he'd say to explain why he was calling and not Serena, so he'd hung up again. It wasn't until after a shower that he'd come up with a reasonable excuse of a spur of the moment decision to take a car trip to Kyoto to see the old palace. Just a short trip. No, Serena was sleeping now, but he'd make sure she called.
Darien sighed again and scrubbed his face with his hands, then lowered his head to the edge of the balcony, placing it between his elbows, his hands draped behind his head. An object of pure misery if anybody was watching.
"I can't take this anymore," he muttered out loud to himself. Standing, he grabbed the overnight bag he had put together in one hand and produced a rose in the other and disappeared.
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The huddled figure crouched in the shadows and watched the apartment for a moment. A second shadow arrived and crouched close by. A third figure zipped in and there were muted whispers back and forth. The first figure stood and nodded. The other two stood as well, one shorter and one taller than the first. Forming a triangle, they each put out a hand toward the center and vanished into thin air.
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Okay, I hope this tides you over for a little bit. I'm finally on vacation and should be able to find the time to write a bit more before I go away for my course. Besides, I have to stop here … Jade is tugging on my shirt to get me out of the house for supper and, well, I'm hungry!!
You know what to do! Do it nicely!
Jade's Rose
--He who receives a good turn should never forget it; he who does one should never remember it.—
-Charron-