Author's Notes

Howdy hi! I'm back again after a little break, after all, I was cranking out one of these babies every two or three days so I got really, really bad sleep because night time is the only time I can be alone to type. Okay! This one shows you just how bipolar Serri can be, lol, just kidding, we get to watch a fight in here. –grabs a chair and table and starts handing out tickets and popcorn- hopefully this'll be good, I been wanting to do a fight scene for a while. Okay, and just for kicks, I might have someone pop up and talk in the ending notes about some of the stuff that's happening or is going to happen in the future if the chapter isn't too long but it probably will be so I might have to save it for another time. Even if I do get it in this time or next, it'll be a random thing so you might see it at the ends of other chapters as well, depending on if I'm bored or if I get interesting questions, so send in questions if you want along with any reviews. :D Okay, disclaimer time: I do not own any of things in here that might seem familiar to any of you who have seen or read miscellaneous anime or manga series including names, techniques, moves, or words, etc. Okay, enjoy!

**Characters 'thoughts', flashbacks, and dreams

Chapter 4: My True Home is the Valley

"It's okay Serenity, it's okay, you're home now and you're with us." Will was hugging Serenity and stroking her hair as she cried into his shirt.

"-sob- I'm so sorry Will. I'm sorry Darla. –sob- I-I didn't remember anything, it was all blank, I didn't know." Serenity sobbed.

"It's ok dear, everything is okay now that you're with us and home." Darla had gotten up and sat down on Serenity's other side and was rubbing her back.

"Mom, could you go and get something to drink for Serenity and maybe something to eat?" he asked looking over at her. "I don't think that Serri has had anything to eat in a while. Have you?" he looked at Serenity's half hidden face. She just shook her head and kept on crying, but she had stopped crying as hard as she was earlier.

"Okay, you wait here dears and I'll go get something for you to eat and drink. I'll bring you some of my homemade Snaps, you always loved those didn't you Serenity?" she smiled sweetly, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

"I-I think so, b-but I can't remember very clearly." Serenity said back in a soft voice and then started to cry again, but much more softly now. "-sniff - I think that I'm okay now. Sorry for that little outburst, I don't know what came over me." She let go of Will and got back up into a more upright position, wiping away the tears and taking a deep breath.

"Feeling a little better now?" He said, looking over at her with a soft caring expression on his face, he still had his arm around her.

"I guess, but I still have a splitting headache though." She shrugged off his arm and got up to pace some, the house was pressing in on her again and she needed to move after sitting for so long.

"I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a little better. What happened earlier anyway? You were really ticked off and were dislocating my arm, just as you promised you would. But then you cried out and collapsed, what was up with that?" he was still sitting down and watching her pace back and forth.

"I don't know, while I was in the room, I thought that I recognized the picture or like, the style it was drawn in and I got this funny feeling in the back of my head while I was looking at it. Then after you told me about the picture in the room and the other stuff, I got that same feeling but this time it kept going and BANG! It was like something went too far and made something else, something that had been there and a part of my mind for a long time; just shatter and a flood of memories just came bursting in. I think that's why I collapsed, it was a, information overload." She was frowning and pacing even faster, she felt somewhat like one of the caged creatures that she had seen in one of the other towns that she had visited.

"Really? Hm, it sounds like someone put a block in your head, I wonder why though? What could be so bad about a few old memories? And who could be twisted enough to take away a persons memories of their childhood?" She could tell from his voice that he was becoming angry.

"I don't really know, it's not like I remember anything that could be used to hurt someone else or that's incredibly important. However there are some things that keep popping up that are a little painful, but other then that, there's just memories like anyone else would have." 'Kind of' she thought to herself.

"Then why in the world would anyone-" he began his tone becoming more and more angry but she cut him off mid sentence.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt you Will, but I can't take it anymore, can we go outside please, I feel like I'm in a cage." She said with an anxious face.

"What? Oh, okay. Heh, well at least that hasn't changed about you, you still don't like to stay in one place too long." He said, smiling his dimpled smile, which immediately caused her to see about fifty different images of him smiling that same smile. "He mom! We're going to be outside because Serri-san's feeling restless." He called towards the kitchen, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Okay, I'm almost done with the Snaps so I'll bring them out to you guys in a little bit." His mother called back. After hearing this, Serenity shot past Will for the door and was out it faster then he thought possible.

"Ahhhh......" she said in content. "Perfect, lots better than it is in there." She wandered a little ways farther from the house and just sat down in the grass, it was a beautiful, warm sunny day.

"Whoa Serri! I've never seen anyone move that fast before in my life! You must've really felt caged up in there." Will said in amazement as he walked out the door a little while after her and came over to sit by her. "How in the world did you do that?!"

"Easy, I put one foot in front of the other and kept doing that over and over again really, really fast." She said with a satisfied half smile.

"I could see that but, whoa, you were like lightening, what the heck?"

"Will, in case you haven't figured it out yet, I haven't been around here in a long time, about, what, thirteen years? Well I haven't just spent that time in the town where I moved to, I've spend all those thirteen years fending for and living by myself in the Valley, so I've learned to act first and think later as well as without speed and precision, you're dead." she said in a serious tone, her face a hard mask. "Know why I was so beat up when you found me?" she said, turning to look him in the face.

"No, but I'll tell you one thing, I've never seen anyone look like that and still be alive, it looks like you were attacked by a Skrit or a Boog." He said back, his face a mixture of worry and surprise.

"Actually it was a group of Skrits, Boogs are too stupid to do that much. The reason you've never seen anyone look like that and survive is because you've never met anyone who actually, purposely got in a fight with a group of Skrits and got out of it alive. For me, fighting a group like that is a regular day, if I didn't then it'd be like a day off." She said with a very nonchalant tone and began fiddling with a leaf on the ground near her.

"WHOA! Hang on a second and back up. A group of Skrits?!? Are you kidding me?! That's suicide! And you're saying that that's a regular day for you?! Where are your parents, don't they care about what you go through everyday to just survive?! Erin and Layle were always hovering over you and watching you like hawks, how could they let something like this happen?! Their only daughter living in the wild of the Valley without protection, what are they thinking?!?!" He was absolutely furious and yelling very loudly, his face becoming more and more red.

" Yepp, and it's not suicide if you know what you're doing, all you have to do is watch them carefully and dodge the stinger as much as possible, then grab it and jab it into one of their eyes, that'll take care of them, but they'll still thrash around so watch out. For making the poison themselves, they sure can't handle getting hit with any of it ironically enough." She said with a laugh. "Well, I don't know, they're probably not thinking anything at all right now and I think that they could probably care less about what I'm doing as well." She said this in the same tone as before, completely ignoring Will's angry shouts and still messing with the leaf.

"WHAT?! How could they?! They were always so nice when I talked to them, how could they be so cold and uncaring." he was becoming even more furious and his face had become a rather intense shade of scarlet.

"Yeah, I guess they were pretty nice, from what I remember of them." She had put the leaf aside and was staring at the ground now.

"Well what could they possibly be busy with that's more important to them then taking care of their only child?!?!?" He finally stopped yelling and just looked at her, waiting for her to make a wild guess or something. Then she just looked up and stared him strait in the eye.

"Being dead." She said to him, her tone casual but underneath there was an icy hardness that showed through in her usually warm, fiery eyes and froze them like ice cold stones, emotionless and empty. He felt like he was staring into the Kaze Void that he had heard about in old fairy tales.

"Dead?" was all he was able to get out, the look in her eyes drowning out all of his other words.

"Yes, dead. They were killed by a group of terrifying creatures when I was eight. They came in the night and destroyed the town, burning it to the ground and killing those who were caught. My parents protected me to the end and were killed in the effort. The last thing I remember of them is watching those things kill them and then come for me and that's all." She had broken the eye contact about half way through the story but her voice remained icy and hard.

"Oh......." he said in a small voice, looking at the ground as well. "I had no idea, I'm so sorry Serenity." His voice was soft and his face caring.

"Feh! I don't need your or anyone's pity" she said frowning and getting up to walk towards a nearby tree. "I turned out just fine without my parents or anyone else taking care of me most of my life, and I don't need anyone to start." She circled the tree once and then jumped up, grabbed onto one of the branches and swung herself up onto it where she sat down and glared at the sky.

"I would disagree, if you had had someone there for you when you were young, then you might be a little more social and less uptight and serious." Will said staring at her up in the tree with a small amount of awe underneath his firm gaze.

"I've always been like this, so lay off." She stopped glaring at the sky and looked down to stare back at him, still glaring.

"No, you haven't." He crossed his arms and set his face in stare-down mode like he would when they were having a staring contest or were angry at each other when they were younger.

"Boy, don't start with me, I'll tear you limb from limb with less then it would take you to blink." She jumped down from the tree and walked over to him and stood there, glaring down at him.

"Oh really?" He said in a taunting voice. "I'd like to see you try." He stood so that he was eye to eye with her, both of them glaring daggers at each other, their teeth set.

"Bring it, boy." She said venomously, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Stop calling me that, I'm as old as you are." He said with an equally venomous tone and also dropping into a fighting-like stance.

"William! Serenity! The food's ready- oh!" Darla was standing a few yards away with a tray of stuff and a very startled look on her face. "What on earth are you two doing?!" She hurried over to them and set the tray down on the ground. "Well, what's the meaning of this?!" She had her hands on her hips with a stern expression on her face.

"Nothing, just a little argument." Serenity said in a less deadly tone, standing upright, while still glaring death at Will.

"Yeah, just a little argument, but everything's fine now mom." Will said in a mirroring tone and going over to pick up the tray.

"Uh-huh, well, I think that I'll stay out here with you guys anyway, I want to talk to Serenity some." She said, taking the tray back and eyeing them suspiciously and sitting down.

"That's fine with me but I don't think that she is in much of a talking mood right now." He said, pointing at Serenity and sitting down by Darla.

"I am in whatever mood I feel like thank you very much, William." She said with a polite but poisonous tone, shooting him another death glare and going to sit on the other side of Darla from him. He just snarled back at her.

"What is with you guys? When you walked out of the house you were all happy, but now you just look like you want to rip each other's heads off." Darla said looking at both of them and shaking her head.

"Ask her." William said jabbing a finger at Serenity.

"Don't start this game with me, boy." Serenity said back in the same poisonously sweet voice, standing up, her eyes narrowed.

"I said don't call me boy!" He got up too and lunged at her, just barely missing hitting his mother in the head with his foot. Serenity dodged easily and nailed him in the gut with a punch. "OOF! Why you little-"

"Bring it on pretty boy, show me what a village boy can do!" She said in a taunting voice with a nasty smirk on her face. "I've lived in the forests of the Valley most of my life and faced things that you could never imagine." She hissed at him as he struggled to get back up after she had smashed her elbow down on his head while he was bent over. "Do you really think that you can even touch me, let alone fight me and hit me?" She was standing over him and snarling the words in his ear.

"Oh I have a feeling that I'll be able to do more than that." He said back through clenched teeth and took a swipe at her legs, but she was too fast for him and dodged him again, easily. He got back to his feet quickly and they began circling each other.

"Both of you please stop this now!!!" Darla was standing now, and was in the middle of them holding her arms out to try and stop them.

"Mom, move." Will said and pushed her aside as he made another lunge at Serenity, which missed again and was followed by roundhouse kick from her, which he just barely managed to dodge. "Why do you always have to be so stupid and hot-headed?!" he yelled at her, dodging a kick to the side.

"Why do you always have to start things by saying things that you know nothing about?!" Serenity yelled back, moving out of the way of a punch aimed at her head. "If you hadn't gone and changed so much then we wouldn't be having this fight!!" she struck faster than the cobra-like tail of a Skrit with a punch to his face and then kneed him in the gut with merciless force.

"Changed?! You're the one who's changed!!" He choked out, collapsing to the ground and spitting out some blood.

"Yeah, so I've changed a little, you've changed a lot more than me, Will!" She said back to him.

"Yeah right!! How have I changed exactly then Serenity? Please do tell." He had gotten back up and was holding his stomach and shaking his other fist at her.

"You've turned into a jerk!! When I ran into you earlier and you were being all "I'm so full of myself and I can get anything I want from any girl" and trying to kiss me! As well as how you had your shirt, I bet after running around and then going into town after a while really makes the girls swoon and flock to you." Her voice was getting louder and louder but her tone was still ridiculing and full of disgust, her face mirroring the disgust. "And your attitude! Ugh! Self-centered and king of the world! It makes me sick!" She was screaming now and Will just stood there with a blank look on his face. "You're nothing like the Will I remember, sure you can sort of act like him like you did earlier, but as far as I'm concerned, that Will is dead to me!!!" When she stopped, she just stared him hard in the face, breathing hard and tears welling up in her eyes.

It was silent for a little bit, Darla standing to the side, staring at Serenity. Will staring at Serenity with a look of mixed emotions, his mouth slightly open, and Serenity staring back at him her face set in a hard mask of rage and hate.

"Serri, I-" He managed to get out before she cut him off.

"No! I don't want to hear it! That's it, I am leaving this place; it no longer holds anything of value to me. I thought that I would find home or something like it here and maybe even a face that I knew, but I was terribly mistaken, my home is in the Valley and the faces I know are the ones of the creatures in the Valley!" She said this and turned away from Darla and Will and she said just before she started running for the trees across the clearing, "Don't bother trying to stop me or follow me, it'll just be a waste of your time and breath. Forget my face while your at it as well, it doesn't mean anything to either of you anymore." Her tone was hard as stone and cold as ice; then she shot off like lightening.

"Serenity! Please! Wait! I'm sorry! Please!" Will called and began to run after her, ignoring the pains from the fight.

"William! Come back!" Darla ran a short ways but stopped. "Don't follow her past the boundaries!" She called after him but he ignored her and, after a short, uneasy pause, plunged into the forest after Serenity.

Okay! Done! I'm really sorry that it's kind of a drop off but I just realized how many words are in here and I had to stop. I'm really sorry, I promised myself that I wouldn't do this because I hate drop offs but I had to, sorry. Okay, I know that I said that I was flying through these chapters but, well, I've hit a wall (it hurt bad, don't try it) and the wall is called school and afterschool activities, I am terribly sorry about this. Also, I know that saying this is a cruel thing to do but I want to say it anyway, chapter 5 is just sitting on my desktop half done, there, I said it, I'm sorry!! It stares me down everyday so I'll get to it over Christmas break, I promise! 'Kay! The chapter is long enough as is so no one's going to pop up this time, so R&R please. Bye-Bye (forgot that I said someone might pop up ^ so I'll leave it there anyway.)