Title: A Million Kisses - Chapter 2
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com

Hi Minna-chan!! Glad you all are enjoying this one so far!! Please keep 
those emails coming, okay? Thanks also for your comments on Kiss Me, 
Kate was very happy! ^_^ Not many AN's this time around, though I would 
like to give a HUGE thanks to Moon Klutz and Lady Starra for prereading 
for me, as well as Scutter, possibly the nicest person I know for 
taking his time to write my html files for me. You have no idea how 
much I appreciate it!!

"He will settle arguments between the nations. They will pound their 
swords and their spears into rakes and shovels; they will never make 
war or attack one another. People of Israel, let's live by the light of 
the Lord."
								Isaiah 2:4-5


Chapter 2: If I Forget, Will You Forgive Me?

"I'm telling you, Andrew, she was an angel! Why don't you believe 
me?!"
	"Dare, you took a really hard blow to the head. Illusions are 
very common in this type of injury."
	Darien rolled his eyes, leaning back farther into the pillows. "I 
can't believe that you think I was seeing things!"
	"Darien, I want to believe you. It's just that… angels from 
Heaven don't hang out in hospitals making men fall in love with them. 
It was probably a dream…"
	"It was NOT a dream! Dreams aren't that warm, or soft. They don't 
smell like roses and spring air. They don't taste like sugar…" he 
whispered finally.
	"Taste?! So now you're saying you ATE the angel."
	"Ugh! No, I didn't eat her! She kissed me, you moron!"
	Andrew sighed, sitting down on the bed beside Darien. "Oh, she 
kissed you, did she?"
	"Yes. She kissed me."
	Nodding, Andrew turned to look out of the nearby window. "What 
did she look like again?"
	"Beautiful. She… had pale skin, and bright blue eyes, and golden 
hair that fell to her ankles…"
	"And she said that she was an angel?"
	"No, I said she was an angel. I think she said something about… 
being a princess?"
	Holding back a chuckle, Andrew looked at him from the corner of 
his eye. "That's it. I'm telling them to cut down on your medication."
	Smacking his head against the pillow, Darien groaned agitatedly. 
	Serena cleared her throat lightly from the doorway. Both men 
turned to look at the shy girl, hiding half way around the corner, her 
head poking in nervously. Darien's jaw dropped noticeably. Andrew's 
only eyed her curiously. 
	"Hey Serena!"
	She smiled slightly. "Hi Andrew. Hello Darien. How… how are you 
feeling?" she asked quietly, walking into the room to sit on his side, 
opposite from Andrew. 
	Ignoring her question, Darien sat straight up in the bed, 
reaching for her hands to hold between his. "It… it's you! Andrew, it's 
her, the angel!"
	The hope in Serena's eyes faded away. 'So he doesn't remember 
after all…'
	Andrew watched on in amusement. 'Serena? Serena was this angel of 
his?'
	"Um… Darien, what are you talking about? This is Serena… 
remember, Meatball He…"
	"Andrew, I need to talk to you for a minute," interrupted Serena.
	"Huh?"  
	She turned back to Darien, smiling slightly. "I'll be back in a 
minute, okay?"
	His confused blue eyes darted between hers. Slowly, he nodded. 
"Anything you ask, Angel."
	Giggling slightly, she stood, holding onto his hand for as long 
as she could before leaving the room, Andrew on her heals. Darien 
watched her go sadly, curious, and his heart beating faster than he 
believed possible. 

	"What is it, Serena?"
	Serena leaned against the wall, forcing tears back from her eyes. 
	"Andrew… I… oh, it's awful!"
	"Hey… it's alright, you can tell me… What is it? What's wrong?"
	Gulping, she turned to face him, her eyes red from the careless 
tears. "He… Darien… doesn't remember me."
	"What do you mean? The doctors didn't say anything about him 
having amnesia…"
	She sighed, closing her eyes. "That might be because… I'm the 
ONLY thing he can't remember."
	"What? That doesn't make any sense."
	"I know… but… Andrew, you saw! Yesterday when I was wandering 
around the hospital he saw me and… and now he thinks I'm an angel. And 
he doesn't remember anything about the teasing or name-calling and… he 
doesn't remember me at all…" Her head hung as tears finally began 
falling down her cheeks. Gasping, Andrew stepped forward, wrapping her 
in comforting arms. 
	"Ah, don't cry. It's okay, I'm sure he'll remember. Besides… 
shouldn't you be ecstatic that he'll leave you alone now?"
	Sobbing, Serena shook her head. "There's more, Andrew." Pulling 
away, she swiped her eyes with a sleeve. Staring at the tiled floor, 
she began to tell Andrew about the other day, when she was walking down 
the street. She told him about the monster and Darien protecting her. 
She told him about the kiss and the vows of love. Leaving out only the 
information on the sailor scouts and memories of the Silver Millenium. 
He watched in awe, listening silently as she told her heart aching 
story. When she had finished, he stepped forward again and took her 
into his embrace, stroking her back gently. Her arms wrapped around him 
as well, tears soaking into his shirt.
	"He told me he loved me, Andrew. He told me he loved me… And now 
he can't even remember my name…"
	"It's alright, Serena. I promise everything will be okay…" he 
whispered. 
	'So, Darien and Serena were in love all that time? Figures. I 
knew there was something between them. And now… oh, poor Serena. I 
can't imagine how heart broken she must be… Maybe… maybe I can help.'
	"Don't worry Serena. I'll help you, okay?"
	"Huh?" Slowly, Serena pulled away to look up into friendly dark 
brown eyes. 
	"I'll help you get Darien back. I promise… Besides, true love 
cannot be conquered by a little case of amnesia. And to me it looks 
like he's already in love with you again! Everything will be okay, 
you'll see."
	With an unsteady smile, Serena buried her head in his shirt 
again. "Thank you, Andrew…" she whispered.
	Darien gulped, forcing the tears back. Turning, he walked slowly 
back to his bed and sat down, pulling the blankets up to his chest. 
	To himself, he whispered, "Is… is the angel in love with Andrew?" 
Closing his eyes, he prayed that it wasn't true. But all he could think 
of was how closely his best friend had held the girl of his dreams. 
Jealously boiled unwelcome through his veins.

	Serena gulped, walking slowly into the well-lit room. She hadn't 
had much time to talk to Darien before a nurse had ushered her out, 
proclaiming that he needed rest. Really all she'd been able to do was 
introduce herself as Serena, a friend of Andrew's. 
	Now she was onto her next mission. 
Lita was still on her bed, turned to her side and facing away 
from Serena. Shakily, she walked in and around to the other side of the 
bed. It looked as though Lita was sleeping. With a sigh, she turned and 
found a vase. Filling it with water, she placed the bouquet of orchids 
she had bought in the gift shop into it. 
	"Who are you?!" asked an angry voice. 
	Startled, Serena jumped and spun around. Lita was propped up on 
one elbow, glaring at her. She gulped. Lita had never looked at her 
like that before. 
	"He… hello, I'm Serena."
There was a silence as Lita sized her up cruelly with her eyes.
	"Um… I brought you some flowers. I… hope you like them…"
	'Orchids WERE your favorite before…'
	"What are you doing here?"
	Chewing on her lower lip, Serena edged toward her slowly, pulling 
a chair up to sit beside the bed. Lita didn't flinch or move in any 
way, her eyes following Serena's every movement. 
	"I came to help cheer you up."
	"You another one of those ditzy hospital volunteer goody-two-
shoes?!" she asked with a sting in her voice. 
	Forcing a small smile, Serena shook her head. "No. I just… 
thought that you might want someone to talk to, that's a…"
	"I don't NEED therapy, if that's what you're talking about! I 
don't need anyone!"
	Pulling back, Serena stared at her with wide eyes. "I didn't 
mean…"
	"Did you know that every one of my friends died in that stupid 
fight the other day? Every one of them! And now you're here because YOU 
think I need someone to talk to?! Leave me alone! Unless you know what 
it's like to lose everyone you care for in one day, I don't want you 
here!"
	Her heart beat slowing down, Serena settled more comfortably into 
the chair. "But you see, I DO know how you feel. I lost all of my 
friends in the monster attack the other day."
	Lita was silent for a minute, her eyes never leaving Serena's 
friendly gaze. Ever so slowly, her stare began to soften. "You… did?"
	 "Yeah. I was the only… survivor also. I even lost the love of my 
life…" 'Almost…'
	Lita gasped, easing into a sitting position. "Really? I…" She 
paused for a minute, her eyes wandering over Serena's frail form. "I 
suppose that maybe I owe you an apology then."
	 "Don't worry about it. You didn't know. Um… I was wondering if… 
maybe, you wanted to become friends?" Serena said, forcing a smile.
	Lita raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who you're talking to, 
girly? You and I could never get along together!"
	"Why? What do you mean?"
	Laughing loudly, Lita turned her gaze up to the ceiling. "Come 
on, look at you! You're so puny and innocent! I'm a gang member! I live 
off the streets, I get money and food from pounding people like you to 
a pulp!"
	Serena couldn't help but smile. "Well… you can't be a gang member 
without a gang, can you?"
	Lita ceased laughing and an eerie silence draped over the room. 
Turning her head, she eyed Serena speculatively. Finally, she asked, 
"Wh…why aren't you afraid of me?"
	"Why? Should I be?" Serena whispered back.

~ FLASH ~
	"Hey, you're lunch looks really good!" said a voice from behind 
me. Turning, I look into two azure eyes, peering over my shoulder into 
the lunch I had made that morning. "Can I have some?" the strange girl 
asked.
	"Huh? Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked in surprise. Surely she 
knew who I was by now, with all of these rumors going around the 
school. 
	She gasped, stepping back a little and looking me straight in the 
eye. "Why? Should I be?"
~ FLASH ~

	"Hey, are you okay?" Serena asked Lita. She'd spaced out for a 
moment there. Shaking her head, Lita turned her eyes back to her.
	'Where did THAT come from?' 
	"Yeah… I'm fine. Um… do you… really want to be friends?"
	Serena grinned. "Of course!"
	Returning the smile, Lita stuck her hand out. "Well then, hi! I'm 
Lita!"
	Shaking her hand, Serena replied happily, "And I'm Serena. It's a 
pleasure to meet you!"

	"Mi… er… Sailor V, wait up!" Serena called down the white 
hallway, jogging to catch up with the sailor-suited movie star. Mina 
turned around quickly to see her running up and stopped to wait 
politely. Upon reaching her, Serena stopped and bent over, leaning her 
hands on her knees to catch her breath. "S… Sailor V… H… Hi!"
	Mina giggled slightly. "Hi! Um… was that all?"
	Looking up, Serena smiled as a laugh escaped her lips. Gulping, 
she adjusted her posture, straightening her outfit slightly. "No, not… 
not exactly."
	"Oh? Well then, what can I do for ya?"
	"Um… well… I was just thinking… um… how would you like to get 
some lunch with me? You see, I'm a huge fan, and it would mean so much! 
I mean, if you're busy, I understand, but I was just hoping that 
maybe…" Her blue eyes raised to hers hopefully, waiting for a response. 
	Mina smiled ironically. She was awfully busy today. Normally she 
wouldn't have a problem with taking a fan to lunch, but fitting it into 
her schedule could be difficult. 
	She cleared her throat, forcing a kind smile. "Well, I'd love to, 
but…"
	
~ FLASH ~
	"Sailor V? Is it really you?!" asked the girl with blonde 
pigtails and in a similar sailor outfit, staring at me wide eyed. We 
were both gasping for breath from the recent battle, our cheeks rosy 
pink. 
	I smiled at her, already feeling an incredible friendship 
bursting up as I looked into her innocent blue eyes. "Ta-DA! In 
person!" I exclaim happily. She laughs. 
	"Oh, this is so wicked cool! I am your BIGGEST fan! We're going 
to be the best of friends, I just know it!"
~ FLASH ~	

	"Um… but… I get to pick the restaurant!" she exclaimed, threading 
her arm through Serena's. 
	'That was strange,' she thought, looking at the bubbly girl from 
the corner of her eye. 'But, for some reason, so familiar. And this 
girl... she sure does remind me of someone…'
	After that, she began planning her apologies to her agent.
	
	"How is he, Andrew?" asked Serena, stepping lightly into the 
quiet room. Looking up from his newspaper, Andrew made eye contact with 
the girl and smiled. 
	"He's doing a lot better. They say he might be released sometime 
this week."
	She sighed happily, walking up to his bed and carefully sitting 
down beside him. "I miss him."
	"I can understand why." After a moment of silence, Andrew stood 
up. "Do you want me to leave you two alone?"
	Serena turned around to look at him, holding onto Darien's hand 
gently. Uncertainly, she nodded. With a smile, Andrew left the room, 
closing the door behind him. 
	Turning back to Darien, Serena reached up and brushed some hair 
away from his face. The bandage had been removed from his head, 
revealing a dark scar on his temple that she hoped would heal in time. 
	"Darien…" she rolled the name across her tongue, silently adding, 
'I love you' in her mind. She couldn't think of anything else to say at 
the moment, and only sat staring at him as he slept peacefully away. 
Chewing on her lip, she closed her eyes, leaning forward to barely 
brush her lips across his. He stirred, but his eyes remained closed. 
Licking her lips, with her eyes still closed, she pulled her legs onto 
the bed, lying down beside him comfortably. She could only imagine how 
embarrassed she would be if he woke up right then, but she didn't seem 
to care. Gently, she pulled down the covers beneath her, before once 
again pulling them up to cover her shoulders. Tossing her arm over his 
stomach, she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her leg around his and 
listening to the sound of his heartbeat as it lulled her to a quiet 
sleep.
	
	Darien awoke to the sweet scent of a spring breeze. He could feel 
a gentle warmth pressed up to his side and unconsciously wrapped his 
arm tighter around whatever, or whoever, slept next to him. Turning his 
head, he slowly opened his eyes. They were met with a head of golden 
blonde hair spread across his chest. Tilting his head to the side, he 
looked down upon a sleeping angelic face, pink lips pulled up in a soft 
smile and black eyelashes fluttering over pale cheeks. 
	His breathing caught in his throat as he struggled to think. He 
froze, trying to hold perfectly still as not to wake her, or move her 
in any way. Unfortunately, his lungs soon began to hurt as he refused 
to move. After a moment, he turned his head to the side in a fit of 
coughs. Covering his mouth with his hand, he tried not to shake too 
much, in vain. 
	Serena woke slowly to the sound of coughing above her. Looking 
up, she saw Darien covering his mouth as he choked on the air. Gasping, 
she sat up. 
	"Are you alright?"
	The coughing fit stopped and he looked up at her sadly. "Sorry, I 
was trying not to wake you."
	They stared at each other for a moment. Soon, Serena's eyes fell 
and she looked at their position, and remembered falling asleep next to 
him, their bodies wrapped together. Gasping, her hands flew to her 
mouth and she jumped out of the bed. 
	"Oh, I'm so sorry! I… I guess I thought I would leave before you 
woke up and… oh! Sorry! I'll be going now…" Turning on her heels, she 
began walking quickly out of the room, but was stopped by a strong grip 
on her wrist. Turning, she saw that Darien was sitting up in the bed, 
holding onto her fiercely. 
	"Wait! You don't have to go, I mean… please? Please don't leave 
just yet. We haven't had the time to talk really…"
	She removed her eyes from his, looking down to the floor as a 
blush covered her cheeks. "But… I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have… 
I'm sorry…"
	Darien forced a small, breathless chuckle. "Hey, don't worry 
about it. I don't mind waking up next to an angel…"
	Serena giggled slightly, raising her eyes to his again. 
	"It's fine. Just… don't leave so soon, okay?"
	Gulping, she nodded and slowly sat down on the bed again. 
"O…okay…"
	"Good. Um… your name was Serena, right?"
	"Yeah…"
	There was a silence before Darien asked, attempting to sound 
casual, "So, uh… how… how do you know Andrew again?"
	Serena eyed him speculatively. "I go to the arcade a lot and… we 
just, became friends…"
	Nodding, Darien began to play with the covers between his 
fingers. "Just… friends?"
	Tilting her head to the side, Serena looked at him confused. 
"Yeah… why?"
	"Nothing, it's just… nothing. Never mind, forget I said 
anything."	
	Biting her lip, she looked away from him, the remains of a blush 
just beginning to disappear from her stained cheeks. 
	"So… do you… have a boyfriend? I mean, I'm just curious, you 
don't have to answer I was just wondering if…"
	"No, I don't."
	Darien looked up at the girl who refused to make eye contact with 
him as she stared off at some imaginary point. He gulped, forcing back 
the grin that wanted so badly to show on his face.
	Serena sighed, deciding to change the subject. "So… I hear you'll 
be getting out soon. That's good news."
	"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of this place. Get some fresh air, 
eat some real food…"
	She laughed. "I bet. I have to start school again tomorrow 
though, which I am so not looking forward to. Although… at least… I DO 
get to go see my friends again. I miss them…" 'Or Ami… if she'd 
remember…'	
	"Well, then, that's good."
	"Yeah…"
	An eerie silence draped over the room. From the corner of her 
eye, Serena looked at his hands, wondering what it would feel like if 
they were to stroke through her hair, or hold her close right then…
	A click sounded from the other side of the room and they both 
looked to see a nurse walk into the room. 
	"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over for the day. You'll have 
to come back and see him in the morning," she said sweetly. Serena 
nodded, turning back to Darien. She thought she could see a deep 
sadness echo in his eyes before he forced a smile. 
	"I'll come back and visit you if I can before you get out."
	He nodded. "I'll be waiting."
	She smiled, leaning forward to gently kiss his cheek. "Bye…"
	Standing, she deserted the room, unknowing that his eyes on her 
the whole time. If she had turned, she would have seen him blow her a 
gentle kiss from two fingers just before she slipped into the hallway. 

	Serena walked slowly into the classroom, bowed head. Ms. Haruna 
stared at her in shock from her desk, glancing down at her watch, and 
then the clock above the door. 
	"S…Serena, you're early!"
	"Yes, Ms. Haruna," she said quietly, finally raising her eyes to 
search the classroom. Her seat was empty. In the one next to it, Ami 
sat silently reading a book. The desk directly in front of Ami's was 
also empty, and Serena sighed at the thought of Lita back at the 
hospital, all alone. She couldn't wait until after school to go see 
her, as well as Darien. But for the next six and a half hours, she 
would work on 'getting to know Ami better'. She'd simply have to 
pretend she didn't already know everything about her, straight down to 
her birthday and middle name.  
	"Oh… um… welcome back. We've heard about your unfortunate 
accident at the park, and are glad you're feeling better." Beneath her 
breath, Haruna muttered, "She's early… must have gotten hit pretty hard 
on the head, poor thing."
	Serena slipped back to her seat, 5th row, third seat back. At one 
point, Ami looked up from her novel, and was greeted with Serena's warm 
smile. 
	"Hey, Ami!"
	"Hello, Serena, I'm glad to see you are feeling better. You don't 
look as pale as you did when I saw you at the hospital the other day."
	"Thank you. Actually, did you know that your mother was my 
doctor? She was really great. I'm going back there after school to 
visit some people I met, and I hope I'll have the chance to thank her."
	"Yes, my mother is an excellent doctor. I hope to be just like 
her when I grow up."
	"I'm sure you will! You're so smart and everything already, I bet 
you'll have no problem getting into med. school whatsoever!" Serena 
chirped happily. Ami giggled.
	"Thank you for your support, Serena."
	"Oh, I was wondering if you were going to the hospital again 
today?"
	"Yes, I was planning on it."
	"Great, would you mind if I walked there with you?"
	"Of course not, I would love to have your company. I suppose I 
will meet you at the front gate after the bell then."
	"I'll be there!"
	Their conversation ended abruptly with the second bell, 
announcing the start of class. Sighing, Serena forced her heartbeat to 
relax. She never did understand the nervousness she felt, she didn't 
feel that way when she was usually making friends. But then again, as 
far as she was concerned, befriending the scouts was a life and death 
situation. She desperately needed their friendship.

	All during lunch, Serena had searched fervently for Ami, wanting 
so badly to talk to her some more. She had even ventured into the 
library, but the blue-haired girl was nowhere to be found. Going 
through the three class periods they had together was fun, but the rest 
of the day seemed torturous to her. Loneliness was never much of a 
problem with her, but today, she seemed stranded in a crowd of best 
friends, and she was the only solo person. 
	Finally, the last bell rang and she grabbed her bag and jogged 
out to the courtyard. After only moment of waiting by the gate, she 
felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around with a grin. 
	"Hey, Ames!"
	"Eh… hello, Serena!" she replied with equal enthusiasm, after the 
surprise of the friendly nickname had worn off. "Are you ready to go?"
	"Yup, sure am!"
	They began walking off happily to the hospital together.
	"Say, I was looking for you at lunch, but couldn't find you," 
said the blonde with a slight pout.
	"Oh, were you? I'm sorry, I was in the chemistry lab. If I'd 
known you needed something I would have met you somewhere."
	"Well, I didn't need anything really, I just wanted to see if 
you'd like to eat lunch together sometime."
	'She was in the chemistry lab. Well, obviously, Serena! Why 
didn't you check there?'
	"Eat… lunch… together?" Ami said slowly, shock evident on her 
face.
	"Sure, if you want to, that is."
	"Oh, well, um… I… I would like to sometime…"
	"Great, how 'bout tomorrow? We could meet by the big oak in the 
courtyard, it's a great place to eat when it's sunny!"
	"Er… that sounds nice, but… I'm afraid tomorrow I was going to 
finish up some extra credit assignments for my biology class during 
lunch hour."
	Ami didn't miss the sadness and confusion pass over Serena's 
eyes. 
	"But… Ames, you're getting an A in every class. You can take some 
time off to relax and have some fun, can't you?"

~ FLASH ~
	I sat leisurely on my beach towel, reading the physics novel in 
front of me as I could hear laughing and giggling coming from the beach 
ahead of me. I tried my best to push the sounds of fun and excitement 
out of thought, but still, my heart yearned to toss the book aside and 
go join the others on the surf.
	Suddenly, someone sliding down into the sand beside my blanket 
jerked me from my thoughts. Looking over, I saw a blonde-haired girl 
with familiar buns on top of her head gasping for breath. She flashed 
me a huge grin and grabbed the book from my grasp. At first I attempted 
to grab it back, but stopped when she started talking, the large smile 
never leaving her face. 
	"Come have fun with us, Ames! You can't study all the time!"
	"But, I…"
	"No buts! As your friend, I am commanding you to loosen up for 
the day and play some volleyball with us, got it?!" she said with a 
laugh.
	I stared silently for a minute, before a smile, almost of relief, 
pulled at my lips as well. "You're right! We're at the beach! I should 
be having fun, not doing homework!"
	"Good girl, glad ya see it my way. Now come on!"
	She set the book down and grabbed onto my wrist, dragging me over 
to some other girls playing near the waves.
~ FLASH ~

	"Ami? Hey, Ames, are you alright?"
	Ami snapped from her thoughts to see Serena waving a hand in 
front of her face. 
	"Yes, yes, Serena, I'm fine."
	Serena tilted her head to the side slightly. "Ya know, I think 
that's the first time I've ever seen you space out…"
	Forcing a smile, Ami said calmly. "I was thinking, and I've 
changed my mind. I will meet you at the oak tree during lunch 
tomorrow!"
	After a shocked moment of silence, Serena smiled. "Great! I'll 
see you there!"
	As Serena babbled on the rest of the way to the hospital, Ami 
pondered silently over the strange illusion. She didn't know what it 
had meant, but for some reason, the girl in the vision, as well as 
Serena, both seemed to fill this place in her heart, aching for 
friendship.

	Upon entering the hospital, Serena immediately grabbed Ami and 
began dragging her to the elevator. 
	"Before we go see your mom, I have to go check on a couple 
friends. Is that okay?"
	"Of course, no problem."
	Reaching the floor she had earlier been kept on, Serena flew 
quickly down the familiar hallway to Darien's hospital room, Ami 
directly on her heels. She stopped suddenly, gasping when she looked 
into the room.
	The flowers were gone. The clothes were gone. An empty bed sat in 
the center, the blankets neatly folded on top. 
	"Wha…? Where is he?"
	"Ami? Oh, I thought I saw you come in," said an older, feminine 
voice from behind them. Serena turned to see Ami giving a hug to a tall 
woman, with hair the same color as Ami's pulled into a bun. She wore a 
stainless, white suit and Serena instantly recognized Dr. Mizuno, Ami's 
mother.
	"Mom, you've met Serena."
	"Oh, yes, Ms. Tsukino. I'm glad to see you feeling better. I… 
didn't know that you and my daughter were friends."
	"We have a few classes together, but we just started getting to 
know each other recently," said Serena politely. "Oh, um… Dr. Mizuno, I 
was wondering if you know what happened to Darien?"
	"Who? Ah, yes, Mr. Chiba, the young man who was staying in this 
room, right? If I'm not mistaken, he was released this morning. He 
healed remarkably fast, I'm happy to say."
	"Oh… he's gone then. Th…thank you."
	"Of course. Ami, it looks as though I'll be working late tonight. 
Could you make yourself dinner?"
	"Sure, Mom."
	"Thanks, dear. It was nice seeing you again, Serena."
	"You too."
	"Good bye girls."
	Serena and Ami waved good bye as her mom left down the hall. 
Turning to her new friend, Ami asked with slight teasing in her voice, 
	"So…who's Darien?" 
	Serena laughed. Though she didn't show it often, Ami certainly 
had her nosy and mischievous side. Sighing, she brushed past her to 
head back to the elevator. 
	"Darien is… a guy I know."
	"Mmhmm… and…?"
	"And… he's sweet…"
	"And…"
	"…kind, funny, romantic, handsome, would you like me to 
continue?"
	Ami giggled. "No, I think I've heard enough."
	Smiling, Serena pressed the down arrow beside the elevator. "I'll 
have to find him somehow… I would miss him so very much… Although, I'm 
pretty sure he hangs out at the arcade quite a bit. I know a friend of 
his works there…"
"I suppose we'll just have to make a stop there later on, won't 
we?" Ami said, nudging Serena gently in her side with her elbow. They 
continued to laugh happily as the elevator doors opened. Stepping in. 
they pressed the button marked 'Lobby' and the doors closed behind 
them. The ride was silent until once again the elevator stopped and 
another girl stepped in. Her violet eyes were dull and bloodshot from 
obvious recent tears.
	Trying to hide her gasp, Serena straightened up. 'So, here's my 
chance to talk to Raye, also…'
	"Oh, you're the girl I saw here the other day, aren't you?" she 
asked. 
	Raye looked up, first making eye contact with Serena, before 
taking Ami into recognition briefly. Staring at the blonde once again, 
she furrowed her brow slightly. 
	"I… I'm sorry, I don't think I know…"
	"We talked for a little bit in the elevator. Um… my hair was down 
at the time… if that helps…"
	Tilting her head to the side, Raye examined the girl in the blue, 
red, and white school outfit for a moment, then her memory clicked and 
she smiled.
	"Oh, yes, you were the girl who was in the monster attack last 
week, aren't you?"
	"Yup, that's me. Say, how's your grandpa? Is he doing any 
better?"
	Closing her eyes sadly, Raye leaned up against the elevator wall. 
"I just came back from seeing him. He seems to be breathing easier but…  
he still hasn't woken up."
	Serena pierced her lips together sadly, wishing she knew what to 
say or do to make things better. "I… I'm very sorry to hear that." 
After a brief silence, Serena held out a friendly hand. "Oh, I just 
remembered that I never introduced myself. My name's Serena."
	After a moment of contemplation, Raye held out her hand also, 
taking Serena's into her own. "Hello, I'm Raye."
	"I'm Ami," said the blue-haired girl who had been listening to 
the conversation quietly. "I am very sorry to hear about your 
grandfather's condition. I… suppose he's in a coma?"
	Gulping, Raye nodded just as the elevator stopped on the bottom 
floor. They all filed out, but Serena grabbed Raye's arm before she 
could leave. 
	"Hey, do you want to join Ami and I for a snack in the cafeteria? 
I'm getting kind of hungry myself, and I think I'd like to get to know 
you better. My treat!"
	Raye stared at her speculatively a moment before a small smile 
dawned across her lips. "Sure, I guess. I have some work to do at the 
temple, but it can wait."
	"Temple?" asked Ami as they began walking toward the cafeteria. 
	"Yes, I help at my grandpa's temple, over on Cherry Hill."
	"Oh, would that make your grandfather Mr. Hino?"
	Raye looked suspiciously at the girl beside her. "How… did you 
know?"
	"My mother is Mr. Hino's doctor. I've visited him a few times. 
I'm really not supposed to give out this information, but I think 
you'll be happy to know that your grandfather is well on his way to 
recovery. My mother was saying that she expects him to wake up within 
the week," she exclaimed with a smile, then added more solemnly, "But 
you see, I'm not supposed to tell you really, because it's uncertain, 
and we're not supposed to get peoples' hopes up."
	However, Raye's eyes looked about ready to burst from her head, 
shining with unspoken happiness. "Oh… I… thank you for telling me! 
You've given me so much more hope!"
	Before anyone really knew what was happening, Raye had wrapped 
Ami up in a giant, friendly hug. As Serena stared on in shocked 
happiness, she realized it was the first time she had seen Raye so 
extremely open with her feelings. 
	Raye also seemed to notice the strange show of emotion and pulled 
away from the surprised girl. "I'm sorry, but I'm just so happy right 
now! I can't thank you enough!"
	Serena laughed. "This is great! And when your grandpa is better, 
you'll have to introduce us to him, alright?"
	"I can do that! Sure! You… you guys both have been so nice to me 
today, and… I'm smiling for the first time in weeks! Thank you!" In 
another spur of the moment impulse, Raye now through her arms around 
Serena, and she hugged back equally enthusiastic.

~ FLASH ~
	I paused from my sweeping, wiping some sweat away from my brow 
and breathing a sigh of relief. The courtyard was almost empty of those 
blasted cherry blossoms. I love the trees in bloom, but they are such a 
hassle after the season has ended. 
	"Are you almost finished?" says a cheerful voice from behind me. 
Turning, I see a short girl with two blonde pigtails sitting on the 
stairs leading up to the main entrance of the temple. She stands as I 
stare at her, supporting myself with the broomstick. 
	"Almost, you lazy meatball head. You know, you could have helped 
a little."
	She pouted for a moment, before smiling brightly. "But you didn't 
have another broom! Besides, you did an excellent job all by yourself!"
	I roll my eyes as a response, blowing some bangs out of my eyes. 
"Hey, speaking of help, I thought you hired someone a little 
while ago…" continues the girl thoughtfully. 
	"We did. Chad, remember?"
	"Oh yeah… doesn't he help much?"
	I shrug. "He does, but it's still hard work. Especially on 
Grandpa…" She stares at me sadly, I can see the pitiful look from the 
corner of my eye. Then I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. Turning, I 
see her staring at me with true care in her light blue eyes. 
	"You really worry about him, don't you Raye?"
	For a moment, I'm speechless at the tenderness I hear in her 
voice. Then I sigh, looking away. "Of course I do. He's too old to be 
doing the stuff he does. His body just can't take much more…" I stop 
speaking before I say something I know I'll regret. But suddenly, I 
feel myself pulled into a friendly embrace as the blonde girl gives me 
an encouraging hug. 
	"He's so lucky to have you as a granddaughter," she whispered. 
Ever so slowly, I returned the hug, wondrously grateful for her kind 
words.
~ FLASH ~

	Raye nervously pulled away from Serena, a small blush tinting her 
cheeks. "I'm sorry, I…"
	"Oh, that's okay! I'm glad you're so happy!" exclaimed Serena. 
Raye had spaced out for a moment there, and she wasn't quite sure why. 
"Now how about that lunch, gals? My stomach's starting to yell at me!"

	Serena peered into the glowing white room, her eyes first flying 
to the baby blue covered bed. The brunette, hidden to her neck in 
covers, shifted her eyes away from the TV to see the newcomer. 
Immediately, the dark green in her stare turned lighter and a smile 
grew on her dry pink lips. 
	"Hey, girl! How you been?"
	"Pretty good, Leets. How are you feeling?"
	"Not bad, kinda tired. They've been filling me with all those 
darn narcotics lately."
	"I'm sorry. Any word on your condition?" With a friendly smile, 
Serena walked into the room, sitting down on the bed. 
	Lita sighed, leaning back into her pillows. "Turns out I have a 
broken leg," she muttered unhappily, drawing the comforter back to 
reveal a cast up to her left knee. 
	"Oh, I'm sorry."
	"Yeah. But hey, the good news is that I can be out of here in one 
to two days, as long as I promise to stay off my foot as much as 
possible and stuff like that."
	"Really? That's great! Oh, before I forget and leave them 
stranded out in the hallway, I want to introduce you to some of my new 
friends."
	Lita laughed slightly. "You sure do make friends easily, don't 
ya?"
	Smiling along, Serena only nodded, before turning to the door. 
"Okay, she's awake, come on in!"
	Only moment afterwards, Ami and Raye walked shyly into the room, 
carrying stuff behind their backs. 
	"Lita, this is Ami and Raye. Ami, Raye, meet Lita!"
	"Hi, nice to meet you."
	"Hello."
	"It's a pleasure."
	"Oh, Lita, we brought something for you."
	"Yeah, what's that?"
	Serena grinned, nodding at her two standing friends. With wide 
smiles, they pulled their hands to the front to reveal four bags of 
hot, deliciously smelling fast food.
	"It's against regulation," said Ami secretively.
"But we thought you might be a little tired of all that hospital 
food," continued Raye.
	"So as long as we don't get caught, eat up!" finished the chipper 
blonde.
	Laughing loudly, Lita gratefully accepted the gifts, reaching for 
her bed tray and piling the cheeseburgers, french fries, fishwiches, 
and onion rings on top. 
	"I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat all this, guys!"
	With a delighted glint in her eye, Serena pulled a fork from her 
pocket. "Well then I guess we'll just have to help ya!"



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<3 Ali-chan